City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

Pioneers of Australian armour, in the Great War, David A Finlayson & Michael K Cecil

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrationsportraits

index present

non fiction

Pioneers of Australian armour

David A Finlayson & Michael K Cecil

in the Great War

Pioneers of Australian Armour tells the story of theonly Australian mechanised units of the Great War.The 1st Australian Armoured Car Section, later the1st Australian Light Car Patrol, and the Special TankSection were among the trailblazers of mechanisationand represented the cutting edge of technology on theGreat War battlefield.The 1st Armoured Car Section was raised in Melbournein 1916, the brainchild of a group of enthusiasts whofinanced, designed and then built two armoured cars.Having persuaded the Australian Army of the vehicles'utility in the desert campaign, the Armoured Car Section,later re-equipped with Model T Fords and retitled the 1stAustralian Light Car Patrol, provided valuable serviceuntil well after the Armistice.The First World War also saw the emergence of the tankwhich, despite unpromising beginnings, was to realiseits potential in the crucial 1918 battles of Hamel andAmiens. A British Mark IV tank which toured Australiain 1918 demonstrated the power of this new weapon toan awestruck Australian public.Much of the story of the armoured cars is told in thevoices of the original members of the section and innewspaper articles of the time which highlight the noveltyof these vehicles. Painstaking research has produceda remarkable collection of images to accompany thenarrative, many never previously published. Biographiesof the members of these extraordinary units are also afeature of this book, their stories told from the cradle tothe grave. Appendixes provide a wealth of supportingbiographical and technical information that enrichesthe text and adds factual detail