We often hear how important the car
manufacturing industry is to Australia, but there was a time when
it's significance went well beyond ensuring our local automobiles
were suited to Australian conditions. It could well be argued those
same circumstances are an on-going need for Australia. Back in the
dark early days of WW2 the local car industry provided what the
Federal Government could not. Motor industry manufacturing.
In times of war private car
manufacturing plants become an integral part of the war effort. Cars
make way for production of tanks, armoured vehicles, aircraft
engines, military vehicles such as Jeeps, military motorcycles,
military staff cars ... the entire machinery that keeps the military
machine moving for the defence of the nation. Other factories are
turned over to tasks such as bomb making.
By this early stage of the war the Ford
factory in Geelong was already flat out on war production. The
factory was converted and turned over to manufacturing armoured cars,
Bren gun carriers, marine mines, long-range fuel tanks for aircraft
and the re-conditioning of aircraft engines. Ford was also heavily
into all things marine, designing and building landing craft, barges,
cargo ships, lighters, tenders, work boats, tugs, pontoons and
floating docks. In little time Ford became Australia's largest
shipbuilding company.
Some of this history is contained at
the Ford Discovery Centre at Geelong. We found our bit of this
history at the recent swap meet and field day at Canungra in the Gold
Coast hinterland organised by the Military Jeep Club of Queensland.
It was a Dingo Scout Car produced by Ford in the early 1940s. In the
early part of WW2 Australia was fairly much unprepared in way of
military hardware. In early 1941 it was decided to equip an Armoured
Division. The main problem was sourcing armoured cars and tanks.
The British were under siege with their
own problems from across the English Channel. The division required
more than 200 scout cars as part of its establishment.
The specifications for the scout car
were issued by the Directorate of Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Procurement and the vehicle became known as the Dingo. This caused
some confusion as the British Daimler organisation also produced an
armoured vehicle called the Dingo, although the name is where the
similarity ends.
The Aussie Dingo used mechanical parts
already available in other vehicles. For instance the Dingo's chassis
was borrowed from a 30cwt commercial Ford lorry and reduced in length
from 3.4 m to 2.97 m. The angular body – which is impressive to say
the least – was manufactured from locally produced armour plate. It
was built like the proverbial Australian brick outhouse and when
fully equipped tipped the scales at a whopping 4.7 tonnes. Powering
the Dingo was a 85 horsepower Ford V8, key started inside the cabin
while the four wheel drive system was a Marmon-Herrington kit.
Some 245 Dingo Scout cars were produced
by Ford and included the registration numbers 77001 to 77246. Our
featured Dingo is number 77210 and is owned by Darren and Alison
Abbott of Queensland.
They spent 18 months restoring the
vehicle to its current magnificent condition. They were able to
source 99 per cent of original internal and external parts. The vehicle's markings are worth
noting. The white `47' on a black background and white greyhound over
a boomerang represents an Australian Dingo in service in late 1942 –
43 with the 12th Australian Armoured Car Regiment in the
3rd Australian Armoured Division. It also carries the
`Bridge' sign `5' in an irregular yellow circle to identify vehicle
weight.
The main role of the vehicle was
reconnaissance and liaison
within the regiments and assisting machine gun carriers in
reconnaissance work. It was a two-seater machine that unfortunately
failed to meet expectations. Ironically, the British-built Dingo
exceeded what it was expected to achieve and remained in service
until the early 1950s. The Aussie Dingo suffered from weak front axle
assembly, no doubt the vehicle's weight playing some part.
Michael Grieve, writing on
www.mheaust.com.au states,
`From the outset problems were found with the strength of the front
axle assembly, driving the vehicle for any length of time was found
to be exhausting due to the cramped nature of the driver's position.
Visibility for the driver was very poor (made worse by the driver's
seat being non-adjustable) and the weight of the vehicle severely
restricted off-road performance such that the type was more or less
limited to roads or hard surfaces.
While some modifications were
undertaken during the service life of the Dingo in an attempt to
correct these problems, the usefulness of the vehicle was
restricted.”
The vehicle has two forward observation
shutters which are opened and closed from inside, as well as vision
slits on either side. A gun port for a Bren machine gun is situated
between the observation shutters. While the drivers seat did not go
up and down, it was on rails and could be locked into position
horizontally. Two 21 gallon fuel tanks are fitted at the rear of the
vehicle in a recess and covered by armour plating.
The Dingo did not see overseas service.
The Dingo was superseded by the Canadian
built Mk.3 Lynx 1 scout car in 1944. The Lynx was similar in design
to the British Dingo. Australians serving in some overseas theatres
of war did see service in the British Dingo, while our own Dingo
faced extinction apart from a few survivors that have found their way
into private hands as well as military museums.
The owners of our featured Dingo,
Darren and Alison Abbott, have a long-term plan to open a military
vehicle museum in Queensland and have just purchased a rare Rover
Light Armoured Car, bringing their collection to around a dozen
vehicles. They are always on the lookout for military spares and are
interested in: Bren gun ammo boxes, Vickers ammo boxes, Number 19
radio and components, Number 12 cab CMP Ford engine cover and dash,
Ford V8 side valve engine in running order, Vickers spare parts box,
respirators, LMP jack, Vickers machine gun armourers box and Bren gun
carrier ration boxes. They may be contacted at email:
da41cmp@bigpond.com
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