The 13th Australian Armoured Regiment was a Gippsland militia unit that had been called up for full time duty in December 1941 as a traditional light horse regiment. The early months of 1942 had seen the regiment lose its horses, a conversion to a motor regiment and finally to an armoured regiment in May. During this period there were considerable changes in personnel, however the regiment maintained its strong links to Gippsland and its former identity. Between May and November 1942, individual soldiers had become proficient in their trade training and the regiment changed its focus to troop and squadron activities. On 16 November 1942, the unit was located at the Puckapunyal Army Camp. C Squadron's training program involved a night driving exercise where a column of armoured and B vehicles would depart camp at 0245 hours and proceed to a site to the East of Seymour and set up a bivouac between Whiteheads Creek and Highlands Road. Numerous army camps surrounded the Seymour area; and much of the surrounding farm land had been acquired for military purposes. By November 1942 exercises such as C Squadron's were commonplace and had been repeated on numerous occasions since 1939. At 0400 hrs, C Squadron's vehicles reached O'Sullivan's Paddock on the Kobyboyn Road; prior to reaching the Old Telegraph Road the column turned to the North towards a known crossing point on Whiteheads Creek. The column consisted of seven M3 Medium Tanks and four Universal Carriers. In the case of Corporal McLeod's vehicle, there were seven crewmen rather than the usual five man crew. On arrival at the creek crossing, Captain C.M.I. 'Sandy' Pearson dismounted and with the assistance of Sergeant R.J. Ball began to guide individual tanks across the creek. Four tanks had crossed the creek without difficulty when Corporal McLeod's tank, ARN 24652, began its descent. Captain Pearson stated at the Coroner's Inquiry in December 1942, "Whilst climbing out of the ford the vehicle swerved to the left, apparently striking the tree. It was not the portion of the tank (front) that struck the tree. The tank straightened and appeared to be well under control, suddenly the bank on the left collapsed to the extent of 3ft by 12ft by15ft long causing the vehicle to slide into the creek and turn upside down." Captain Pearson and Sergeant Ball were faced with a nightmarish situation: The Grant had come to rest upside down in soft mud, six crew members were unaccounted for, escape hatches could not be opened and the weight of the tank was settling deeper into the water and mud. Compounding the problem was that the location of the tank did not allow for the other tanks to safely conduct a recovery. It was truly the darkest night.Single A4 card. folded, Contains an account of the raising of 13 Armoured Regiment in December 1941and a tank accident during a night creek crossing in which six crewmen were killed, and, Order of Ceremony for plaque unveiling, Guest of Honour LtCol Stuart Cree CO/CI School of Armour13 armored regiment, tank accident, puckapunyal

Two copies of a pamphlet for the ceremony of the Third Ordnance Services Unit ‘Exercising the Right of the Freedom of Entry to the City of Caulfield’ held on 23/10/1983. The pamphlet includes a brief history of the unit’s association with the City of Caulfield, a list of individuals holding posts within the Unit, text of the scroll conferring the Freedom of Entry on the Unit, a program of the ceremony, a brief history of the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps including the Unit’s use of 75 Kooyong Road as their premises, a brief history of the City of Caulfield from 1937-postwar years, and an explanation of the tradition of conferring Freedom of Entry to a city. The pamphlet includes also: 1/A black and white photograph (47x35mm) of the Mayor of Caulfield, W.R. Walters, undated and unattributed. 2/A black and white photograph (81x69mm) of Major A.G. Storen, Commanding Officer of the Third Ordnance Services Unit, undated and unattributed. 3/A color photograph (88x84mm) of the Sovereign’s Banner, undated and unattributed. 4/A black and white copy (137x87mm) of the scroll conferring Freedom of Entry into the City of Caulfield, which was seated August 4 1978. 5/A color illustration (30x32mm) of the City of Caulfield Coat of Arms. 6/A color illustration (40x32mm) of the Third Ordnance Services Unit, Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps Coat of Arms. 7/A black and white illustration (21x24mm) of the city of Caulfield Coat of Arms. 8/A black and white illustration (19x14mm) of the City of Caulfield badge. 9/A black and white illustration (22x31mm) of the City of Caulfield banner.walters w.r., storen a.g. major, finning d.j. captain, hately p.g. major, davidson j. (captain), swendson r. (second lieutenant), caulfield, city of caulfield, australian army, the third ordnance services unit royal australian army ordnance corps, caulfield park, caulfield council, north caulfield, campton e.j. (brigadier), walters w.r. mrs., calder g.k., calder g.k. mrs., mahon j. (chief superintendent), city hall, balaclava road, hawthorn road, glen eira road, hartley avenue, kooyong road, caulfield racecourse, caulfield town hall, alma road, red cheques cab company, army headquarters printing press, searchlight company, amenities store, armoured replacement unit, first base printing company r.a.a.o.c., garden vale, caulfield railway station, paddy’s swamp, great dandenong road, glen ferrie road, dandenong road, east caulfield reserve, caulfield military hospital, ‘glen eira’, town hall, ‘war office’, caulfield district road board, shire of caulfield, caulfield recruiting committee for volunteers, city repatriation committee, red cross emergency service, women’s national service, mayor’s patriotic fund, promotions committee for war savings certificates, war savings group scheme, ‘the gazette’, air raid precautions committee, orrong road, armed forces, world war 1939-1945, local government, parades and processions, military reserves, world war 1914-1918, councillors, events and activities, historic events, official events, caulfield john, wyne agar, murphy (mayor), hale p., ison (captain), fisher andrew, morris t.w. (mayor)

Three copies of a pamphlet for the ceremony of the Third Ordnance Services Unit ‘Exercising the Right of the Freedom of Entry to the City of Caulfield’, held on 13/07/1986. The pamphlet includes a brief history of the Unit’s association with the City of Caulfield, a list of individuals holding posts within the unit, text of the scroll conferring the Freedom of Entry on the Unit, a program of the ceremony, a brief history of the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps, including the Unit’s use of 75 Kooyong Road as their premises, a brief history of the city of Caulfield and an explanation of the tradition of conferring Freedom of Entry to a city. The pamphlet includes also: 1/A black and white photograph (61x66mm) of the Mayor of Caulfield, Maxwell Blair, undated and unattributed. 2/A black and white photograph (70x51mm) of Major P.G. Hateley, Commanding Officer of the Third Ordnance Services Unit, undated and unattributed. 3/A black and white photograph (91x90mm) of the Sovereign’s Banner, undated and unattributed. 4/A black and white copy (137-87) of the scroll conferring Freedom of Entry into the City of Caulfield which was seated August 4 1978. 5/A color illustration (30x32mm) of the City of Caulfield Coat of Arms. 6/A colour illustration (40x32mm) of the Third Ordnance Services Unit, Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps Coat of Arms. 7/A black and white illustration (21x24mm) of the City of Caulfield Coat of Arms. 8/A black and white illustration (19x19mm) of the City of Caulfield badge. 9/A black and white illustration (22x31mm) of the City of Caulfield banner.blair maxwell (mayor), hateley p.g. (major), finning d.j. (captain), lowe g. (captain), barker l.a. (lieutenant), blair mrs., aylen d.r., aylan d.r. mrs., goltz m.h., compton e.j. (brigadier), goltz m.h. (chief superintendant), caulfield john, wynne agar, murphy (mayor), hate p., ison (captain), fisher andrew, morris t.w. (mayor), caulfield, kooyong road, caulfield park, north caulfield, city of caulfield, city hall, balaclava road, hawthorn road, glen eira road, hartley avenue, caulfield racecourse, caulfield town hall, alma road, orrong road, garden vale, caulfield railway station, paddy’s swamp, great dandenong road, glen ferrie road, dandenong road, east caulfield reserve, caulfield military hospital, ‘glen eira’, town hall, ‘war office’, red chequer cab company, caulfield council, third ordnance services unit royal australian army ordnance corps, australian army, army headquarters printing press, searchlight company, amenities store, armoured replacement unit, first base printing company r.a.a.o.c., caulfield district road board, shire of caulfield, caulfield recruiting committee for volunteers, city repatriation committee, red cross emergency service, women’s national service, mayor’s patriotic fund, promotions committee for war savings certificates, war savings group scheme, ‘the gazette’, air raid precautions committee, armed forces, world war 1939-1945, local government, parades and processions, military reserves, world war 1914-1918, councillors, events and activities, historic events, official events

The 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles was raised as a regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps on 1 May 1948 with Headquarters in Melbourne and squadrons in Sale, Benalla/Wangaratta and Albury. In 1955 Regimental Headquarters moved to Wangaratta and a second squadron was located at Albury. The Sale squadron transferred to 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse. In 1977 8/13 VMR Regiment was reduced to an independent squadron A Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles and in 1991 was linked with 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse forming the VMR Squadron of that regiment.Black and white photograph of soldier sitting smoking, Khaki drill uniform with sergeants chevrons on sleeve, ribbon bar and air gunners wing and beret. One of a collection of photographs of 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles Regiment between 1948 and 1951. Sgt. Ian Kilty McKay thinking " I could be in trouble."