I was Wandering around the SouthWest of WA and found this excellent 105 MM Pack Howitzer in the park near the Pemberton RSL. What a great job the locals have done to develop this quiet spot. Never would have guessed hundreds of school children have played here when the District High School next door was open. The park and surrounds was their oval.
(My thanks to Happy Wanderer 3 for this piece of history.)
I immediately thought of claiming RSL War Artefacts/Memorabilia by MADSTARS.
I wasn't positive about the identity of the gun as there was no signage and the RSL was closed, but fortuitously I spent that very night at the nearby Big Brook Arboretum Campground, and the Camp Host for the weekend was a Vietnam Veteran, Peter Suckling, of 12 Field Regiment and 7 Field Battery fame. I showed him some photos and he confirmed that it was a 105 MM Pack Howitzer, in use in the Australian Army from about 1964. Made in Italy, they were referred to as the "Spaghetti Guns".
The Italian made guns, designed for mountain warfare, were crucial to Australia's success in 'The Battle of Long Tan', during which 12 Australian 105mm Howitzers of 1st Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, and 6 New Zealand 105mm Howitzers of 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery , together with 6 United States 155mm Howitzers of Bty A, 2nd Battalion, 35th Artillery Regiment, US Army, provided fire support to the beleagured Australians.
The accompanying Forward Observation Officer (FO) with D Coy, New Zealand Captain Morrie Stanley, continuously called fire support missions and counter battery fire, including the historic 'Fire Mission Regiment' in which all 24 guns fired on the same 'Mission'. Fire missions are often tasked with one gun (Fire Mission), two guns (Fire Mission Section), or six guns (Fire Mission Battery), but to my knowledge this is the only time an 'Anzac' Artillery Forward Observer (FO) has called 'Fire Mission Regiment'.
The 105 MM Pack Howitzer was found to be too light for the heavy use required in the Vietnam theatre, and later deployments took the more robust (but heavier) US made 105 MM M2A2 Howitzer which was in use concurrently with the Pack Howitzer.
MADSTARS offers extra points for his cache if the finder also places a cache on the War Artefact, so I had come equipped for just such an eventuality. After a quick saturation check (nothing within 380 metres by my calculation) I hid a magnetic key container containing only a logbook somewhere in the gun. You will need to bring your own writing implement.
Update 4 May 2013
The cache is now a gold nano. Please replace it exactly where you find it.
This cache is part of a new series leading towards my Roaming Western Australia cache to be placed in the future. You will find an RWA number in the back of the log book. You will need to record this number in the format 84? (from WanAus 84 and ? for the RWA number) for future reference.
If you are heading out to hunt down some of my more remote Roaming Western Australia or Discover Western Australia caches, where the cache density is very low, why not consider taking a few prepared containers with you, stocked with log book and swaps etc, and when you spot one of those places that make you think "that would be a good place for a cache", place one of your own. Just check that there isn't a cache within 160 metres, and please don't place a micro in the bush where you could easily conceal an ammo box or Milo tin. If you are concerned about maintenance, I am happy to be listed as co-maintainer for any traditional or multicaches out there.
If you enjoy this one check out my other caches:-
WanderingAus Placed Caches