Australian WWII - Far North Queensland Metal detecting and recovery

[AT P Sweep]

Well finally ~ managed to get out again ~ this time with ol' Mate Terry ~ who has moved to Mareeba ~ which is far better situation and a mere 40 Km form our place.

We are hoping this will be a regular event now ~ but as I speak the weather closed in the very next and has degenerated to even more rain and miserable ~conditions.

So we agreed to meet up and head off to check out a colonial Pub site for assessment~

We agreed that to access the site we have to do battle the Grass is < 3 Meters> high ~

But we decided to spend around an hour fossicking the cleared areas~ in the hope we could find a probable camp site where the colonials camped before statementing cross over ~

I couped a 1947 Penny early and Terry came up with a gold Coins!

So no QV's or relics . We are both using Equinox 800 and both have an after market CoilTek. I am loving this 14*9 as coupled with the software I set up ~ it amazes just how well it can discriminately amongst a horse of trash and scrap ~ even brass and copper~ such as a 1000 tent eyelets.

We then moved on to old stomping ground which I have hammered for years but Terry had Never seen previously.

We worked around and tread some ground ~ working several of the camp sites and rubbish dumps, including the same one I have found to have been discovered and crudely excavated.

Despite the tip being ravaged still not sure what they were endeavouring to achieve as we retrieved a number relics and Bottles !!

We are still not sure what they were doing as we dug a number of "usual suspects " in webbing and military fittings. The sheer number of bottles is staggering ~ so perplexed as to what they were actually doing!

So anyway we decided to call stumps around 16:30 and we were pleasantly surprised neither of us faded at all day ~ has to be those extended smokos we are renowned for ~

I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the relics that I bought home came up a trick considering that many came out of a cook off/ Burn dump~

Terry's total fo rthe day ~



Richmond Breweries Vitoria.



Tasmanian Breweries,



Knackered by day's end ~ so decided to drop the bits into the ACV over night ~ took several vat but they came uap real trick.






Clean up results well pleased as they were mostly retrieved rubbish pit/s and even fire pit!



Australian artillery personnel with a field gun ('25 pounder') in a revetment in Bougainville. April 27, 1945

[AT P Sweep]

Well again we have been under the hammer of extreme Mercury and cruel UV ~ while the southern regions of Australia break out their woollies.

Of late very two days we get severe local storms with thunder lightning and occasional down pours. The three days ago it all changed ~ temperatures dropped to < balmy 25 > deg.


Mean while ~ the Classic syndrome of " Never reject an unknown item until/ unless!" .

Some time ago I dug a strange brass piece in a Military camp site ~ ( "Oh really that is unusual of you ! SS") And no one could ID it ~ so it faded into obscurity ~

Then on line some one posted a ID issue with a relic bought from a military market place.

So i scouted around and sure enough it had been sent to the scrap Brass lot/s.

It looked like a Cricket bail gone wrong and weighs around 3=<300 grams>
( I even checked on site ~ and there is a post soem time ago but very Brief!)

It turns out it is in fact part of a Commando, US Ranger/ Airborne unit ~ Toggle rope. Sure to say I was stoked !

This is/ was generally tied around the waist of a combatant for a variety of purposes including climbing ladder~ building bridges ~ and ~ even an Offensive weapon!~ But in Brass Bonus!

It has stamping on it ~ H or K or B H or A L (?)

This is a little difficult to read but ~ US Rangers manual.

Why did some WW2 soldiers wear ropes around their torso? - Quora

[AT P Sweep]

Just had reboot ~ thanks to Michael Brown ~

Ben a busy 18 months and things have been radically changing for the better for us in FNQ Aust. As a result I have not done a lot of field excursions. Perhaps I should refresh with a report on one of my projects.

I am not one who "prefers" to leave my finds as found! If that is your choice ~ okay ~ I don't and as far values go that is irrelevant to me ~

I found what I been told this is a Military earth stake for one of the larger field radio units. This is the second of these I have found ~ and they are both hi tensile steel ~ and a tent peg is not high tensile!? Originally I simply thought ti was of no real value so I left it ~ But my Dutch contact was quick to scold me and go retrieve the spike ~

I actually had to scratch around to find it again ~ But this time decided to give this the full restoration ~ This was no small task and tok some time to clean it up !

A modest day ~ the period brick and beer bottle not included














No idea ???



I believe these radio sets are not typical of the larger command post radios(??)

[AT P Sweep]

Well ~ I am back ~

AS some know I have been busier than a Mosquito in a mannequin factory ~ But the Minelab has not seen the light of day for far too long.


What I have managed to do was close the case of one of the two Officers and Capt Stanton. I found his grave marker in the Australian War grave cemetery.

Description
Captain (Capt) H. Hooke, Royal Deccan Horse and Capt A.J.C. Stanton, 14/20th Kings Hussars, are two English officers serving with “C” Company, 2/9th Infantry Battalion, pictured on the top of Shaggy Ridge.

They belong to a party of 52 British officers from India who are attached to Australian Units in forward areas to gain experience of jungle fighting in New Guinea.
10 January 1944

They belonged to a party of 52 British officers from India who were attached to Australian Units in forward areas to gain experience of jungle fighting in New Guinea.
Additionally ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

The 26th Hussars were raised in India in June 1941 from a cadre of personnel from the 14th/20th King’s Hussars.

Lieutenant Colonel J.B. Norton (14th/20th Hussars) was appointed to command the regiment and Capt A.J.C Stanton was appointed Adjutant.

They were assigned to the 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade, and later moved under the command of the 255th Indian Armoured Brigade at Sialkot.

They were not involved in any fighting, and were disbanded at Bolarum, near Secunderabad, in October 1943.

Some of the personnel were transferred to the 3rd Carabiniers, but the majority transferred to General Orde Wingate’s Chindits in Burma, where they unofficially retained their 26th Hussar capbadge.

CAPTAIN ARTHUR JOHN CECIL STANTON
Service Number: 73088

The final detail I found in the Diary of the Aust. 2/9 th Infantry Battalion. January 1944.



FINALLY resolved his demise ~ poor sod taken out by a Japanese sniper ~ he would been better off staying in his tank!! No tanks at Shaggy Ridge ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~

Additional details ~

Regiment
Royal Armoured Corp.
14/20th Kings Hussars.

Date of Death
29th January 1944.
Age: 27Yrs.

Buried/commemorated
Lae War cemetery
F.D 1

Secondary Unit
2/9 Batt Australian Infantry Country of Service: United Kingdom.

Additional Detail: Son of Brigadier General F. H. G.Stanton and Hilda Margaret Stanton of Greystoke Cumberland. Awarded Kings medal and Sword, RMC Sandhurst. July 1937.

Personal Inscription: In Proud and Loving Memory “A Man’s Life is Immortal Until His Work is Done.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7utU9UHlLQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To5kQqOF2oo

[AT P Sweep]

Referring to the above Officers.

Captain (Capt) H. Hooke, Royal Deccan Horse

Survived the War, and served till Retired Maj Hon Lt-Co, 13 Oct 1964.

He retired to Kenya until 1984 when he returned to the UK.

Hooke ~Died 14th September 1990 in Warminster, Wiltshire.

[lithgow]

Good to see you back, mate!

[AT P Sweep]

Cheers Mate ~

A lot happening and not a lot of field work ~ but manage to research a lot !

[BlackCat1982]

Good to see you back too. Great research. I wonder if Watchdog can help locating the grave of Captain Hooke.

[AT P Sweep]

This saga of the 52 British Officers is turning to a ball of string ~

I endeavoured to research Capt AJ Stanton's father Major General FHG Stanton. Best I could find was that he had a very magnanimous career working his way thru the ranks from the Boer War to WWI . But best I could find was that he actually died in 1928.

Some time before his son perished in PNG alongside the Australians. also that he had another elder son who seemingly spent WWII flipping from one marriage to another ~ with no notable service. Also a sister mixed in there as well? (appreciate any input here of course.)

So I then went back to this photo via the AWM.

OONOONBA,(Townsville) QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, 1944-03-11.

A GROUP OF BRITISH OFFICERS WHO HAVE BEEN FIGHTING IN NEW GUINEA, PHOTOGRAPHED AT THE 13TH AUSTRALIAN PERSONNEL STAGING CAMP.

MAJOR B.L.M. TOMLINSON, A BRITISH OFFICER ATTACHED TO LAND HEADQUARTERS, IS COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE PARTY.

I then researched Major BLM Tomlinson. I came up with this photo thanks to the Aust War Mem.AWM

Description

VN1911 Major B.L.M. Tomlinson, 4th Gurkha Rifles attached to the 18th Infantry Brigade, stands alongside NX231 Brigadier Frederick Oliver Chilton, DSO, Commanding Officer of the Brigade at Dumpu, Ramu Valley.

This serves to further endorse my research on this matter even further, in that I was advised by a former workmate that his father had been trained by Gurkhas during the war, locally.

So in fact there were Gurkhas here in the Atherton Tablelands.

Description
Portrait of officers of the Headquarters Staff, 18th Infantry Brigade at Dumpu, Ramu Valley. Identified personnel from left to tight are: Front Row: QX1148 Captain (Capt) Cecil Brian Parbury, Staff Captain (Learner); QX17549 Capt Hugh Archibald McColm, Transport Officer; QX8695 Lieutenant (Lt) Dudley Burrows Jones, Hygiene Officer; NX57129 Lt Hilton Walsh Quilty, Guard Platoon Officer; SX4125 Lt Norman Ferguson Brooks, Second in Charge of the Signal Section. Back row: VX17382 Lt Clive Douglas Patterson, 2/47th Light Aid Detachment: QX10362 Lt Clifford Douglas Annand, Amenities Officer; VX14877 Capt Douglas Cecil Coombe, Brigade Army Service Corps Officer; QX12375 Lt Sydney George Griffiths, Liaison Officer, Intelligence; SX1741Captain Reginald John Sumner Seddon, Staff Captain; NX231 Brigadier Frederick Oliver Chilton, DSO, Commander 18th Infantry Brigade;

VN1911 Major B.L.M. Tomlinson, 4th Gurkha Rifles;

NX126375 Capt Gabriel Selmar Reichenbach, Legal Officer; VX14508 Capt Alexander Bernard Tilemann, Signal Officer; QX9500 Capt Peter David Connolly, Intelligence Officer.

Very Local !

Description
KAIRI, QLD, AUSTRALIA. 1945-02-09. MEMBERS OF THE 18TH INFANTRY BRIGADE VIEWING THE EXHIBITS AT A HOBBY EXHIBITION ORGANISED BY THE ARMY EDUCATION SERVICE.

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