"tanks" -- HOW I BECAME A GENTLEMAN OF ARMOUR-part 2

A series of interesting articles about the wonderful life and times of Keith Russell.... in his own distinct terms!!!
.... Onya Keith !!!! ....
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Keith Morris
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Location: WYALKATCHEM, WA

"tanks" -- HOW I BECAME A GENTLEMAN OF ARMOUR-part 2

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HOW I BECAME A GENTLEMAN OF ARMOUR [CONTINUED FROM PART 1]
We were active in those days at 2/14 Q.M.I. -- We started the Other Ranks Club [O.R.} and named it the "BEERSHEBA CLUB" on the mezzanine floor of the Drill Hall. Corporal Graham Allman (now deceased but fondly remembered) was the instigator and we formed a Committee of 5 to run and operate the OR's Mess --but it was not a Mess-- but a Club. In those days the army would not permit OR's to have a Mess; A mess was reserved for Sgts. and Officers, however Army H.Q. Melbourne approved of an OR's Club, so the 2/14 Q.M.I. Beersheba Club was the first OR's Mess (Club) in the Australian Army. The year was 1957 from memory.

One of the other things that ALLMAN did was to start the "Mounted Troop", which comprised 8 horsemen to keep alive the traditions of the Light Horse. (Sgt. Graham Allman, Cpl Ted Youngberg, Tpr's Keith Morris, Grahame Little, and others whose names now escape me. *NOTE: 2/14 QMI goes back to 2nd Light Horse and 14th Light Horse. Major General Sir Harry Chauvel was a Lt. in the contingent which went to the Boer War in 1890. This is all part of our heritage.

We maintained the horses at Brookfield on a farm property owned by Mr. Bill Kay and established Horse Lines [stables] and accommodation on his property. The Army would not contribute anything towards the Mounted Troop and we had to buy our own feed for the horses. The "Old School" Lighthorsemen from W.W.1 donated uniforms and in some instance provided the horses and saddlery plus other equipment for the Troop members. We were permitted to parade in Light Horse Uniform [ on Ceremonial occasions] and we were allowed to wear Plumes on our berets as a distinction. (This was circ 1956/7. Now days all Cavalry Regiments wear an Emu Plumes in their headress.

I was sent to Puckapunyal for a course at the School of Armour. Lt.Colonel (now Brigadere) Aldridge was the C.O. of the School and Sgt. John "Baby Face" Horton was the Instructor. That was enough of the C.M.F. ---I had to join the Australian Regular Army [A.R.A.] so after 1 Recruit Traning Batallion at Kapooka, 12 weeks of shit and bullying NCO's; definitely NOT Gentlemen of Armour. I completed my recruit training and was posted to 1st Armoured Regiment --- I was now in the real stuff.

OH SHIT ---- PUCKAPUNYAL !!!
This was like nothing I had experienced in times before. We lived in tin huts (Nissan Huts) with about 14 blokes to a hut. Kapooka was bad enough for 12 weeks --but this was PERMANENT ACCOMMODATION. Cpl. Humphrey Byrne [deceased] came home one night around closing time of the pub and did a parratrooper roll from the top of his bedside wardrobe, just for practice,, for his anticipated Corps Transfer to the Grunts [Infantry] as he wanted to go to B.C.O.F. (British Commonwealth Occupation Forces) Japan for the experience. 'Humph' was a rather large man at 185 kg and the whole Nissan Hut revebrated when he hit the floor. I think he went to 1 Royal Australian Regiment, but came back to the R.A.A.C. with another Corps Transfer after his Tour with BCOF in Japan.

Where are we ?. Back to business after that 'Flash Back':- The year is now 1957, and Lt.Colonel K.R.Coleman M.C. was Commanding Officer when I arrived at 1st Armoured Regiment [after 3 months in 1 Recruit Training Batallion, Kapooka) and so history repeats -- again the youngest member of the Regiment. Major Creigan was the 2 I/C, Sgt. John Horton was now the Gunnery Instructor at the School of Armour, Sgt. Jack Laffey was the Testing Officer for all "A" and "B" vehicles - he trained and tested me for my L-1 class Drivers License [G.11] , the L-1 Class drivers license was for a Harley Davidson motorcycle. W.O.1. Arthur King was the R.S.M., Lt. John "Blue" Keldie (later Major General) was my first Troop Leader of Transport Troop, Sgt. Jim Bartlett was the Troop Sgt. We still had a Ferret and a Saladin Armoured Car which was mainly used to collect the Area Command payroll every fortnight from the bank in Seymour, and transport the cash back to Area Command--- Army pay in those days was all cash. We blocked off the whole street block while the cash was collected until the money was safe inside the Saladin.

It is now 1958 ---The Regiment now had anew C.O. - Lt.Colonel Jim Maxwell and we were pretty smart Soldiers with our Black Berets and Black Webbing. Then came "OPERATION GRAND SLAM" which required that we move the entire Regiment from Puckapunyal (Victoria) to Bowen, in far North Queensland. Well, I ask you --the furtherest we had been was to go to Melbourne on leave--and now we were going, as a Regiment, to Far North Queensland !!!
NO !!, YOU CAN'T TAKE YOUR TANKS UP THERE -- they wont go over the bridges and they would disrupt the civilian traffic. We got a heap of GMC 6 x 6's and Studebakers from Bandiana to move the Troops, and the Army found other things for us to do to replace the Tanks and occupy the Troops time. This exercise turned out not to be a tropical holiday as some of us envisaged.

Trooper Morris and Sgt. Jim Barrett were on the Harleys to guide the Regiment over the hiways from deep South of Victoria to the Far North Queensland -- as the Army go - many dirt roads and side roads so as not to disrupt the civilian traffic. The maximum convoy speed was 30 M.P.H. What an experience that was. The convoy was over 6 miles long and the Harleys were flat out at 55 M.P.H.. After a traffic control point either Sgt. Jim or myself had to 'race' to the front of the convoy ready for the next traffic point. The GMC's and Studebakers were Left Hand Drive, and it was a close call at times passing the 6x6's with oncoming traffic, but great respect was awarded to our drivers who kept a good lookout for us and made way for us to overtake them.

IN RETROSPECT:- I never got close to a lot of the members of the Regiment --being posted to the Transport Troop, H.Q. Squadron. The official posting was as Regimental Police - H..Q. Squadron --ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS DRIVE A TANK, but you could'nt pick and choose your posting in those days. I applied for training courses as Gunner, signals operator, and whatever, anything to get into a Tank, but was destined to remain on the Harley, and the occasional duty as the Holden Staff Car driver. When I was in the poo with "Blue" I would end up on the Ration Truck helping Trooper "Snow" Ford bring the food rations from Area Command to the Q-Store and the kitchens.

When the social part of the day eventuated I had other things to do -- C.B., Guard Duty, Boiler/Hot Water picket, etc. I can't remember who parked the Centurion Tank on the CO's front lawn one night. On each Wednesday, which was sports day, Sgt. Jim, "Blue", and myself would take the Harleys over the Tank Range and jump logs and creeks for our sports activity, so I did'nt get to socialise very much with "A", "B", & "C" Squadron bods. We did stir it up from time to time at Barbities in St. Kilda when on leave in Melbourne, more so when the Matelos [the Seaweed Suckers, or more precise, the Royal Australian Navy] were in town. We used to ride the midnight paper truck back to Seymour to get back to barracks in time for parade in the morning. I remember the times sitting in the back of the delivery truck on a great pile of newspapers with others from the Regiment and other Units from Area Command.
***For those of you who have been to visit the Tank Museum at Puckapunyal, the barracks and parade ground were located where the golf driving range is now, near and close to the picture theatre. ***at time of writing this, the 1st Armoured Regiment has now moved to Darwin N.T.

When the Regiment returned to Puckapunyal from Op Grand Slam we moved into the new BRICK Barracks -- two to a room, nice ablutions in the same block, great Mess, what a change to our living standard. I was just settling in when I was called in to the CO's Office and given the news that Grandfather Testro had died, and that Grandmother Testro was again ill with cancer. A Compassionate Posting was immediately arranged by the Orderley Room Cpl. Buckley, for me to be posted to 2/14 QMI, ARA Cadre Staff, at Moorooka , and I was moved back to Queensland after only 3 weeks or so in the new barracks. My return to 2/14 QMI could have been under better circumstances, but at the time the posting was appreciated. Of all things--back to what I considered "the bloody Artillery" [Anti-Tank-120mm BAT's) and NO TANKS !! I REITERATE:- ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS TO BE TANK CREW --this was not to be --fate takes a decisive hand.

TO BE CONTINUED AS PART 3 AFTER ANOTHER CUPPA [and a biscuit]. Put the billy on and feed the dog.



I'm now 85 years of age and living in WA, single (gave up looking), white hair, no teeth, no address, no money, no worries.
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