Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

Funeral Ensemble Truck and

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Overview

The former 5 Military District Funeral Gun Carriage ensemble consists of modified 2 wheel drive Dodge truck and a 25 pounder gun modified so that a coffin can be mounted above the barrel. Coolant and transmission modifications permit slow towing speeds without overheating.

Historical information

Prior to the 25 pounder a variety of field artillery weapons were used. For the funeral of General Talbot Hobbs in 1938 the coffin was borne on a horse drawn 18 pounder with limber. For the 1945 funeral of Prime Minister John Curtin, the funeral consist was a pneumatic tire configuration of an 18 pounder and limber towed by a CMP truck.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-LTO 021

Inscriptions and markings

The coffin is placed so that the feet are closest to the truck. The Australian flag is positioned so that the Union Jack portion is over the left shoulder of the deceased.

Contextual Information

There appears to be little symbolism attached to the use of a gun carriage to carry the casket in a funeral procession. The gun carriage may have been adopted as a dignified and suitably military way to save soldiers from having to carry the casket. In the mid-1800s, the Queen's Regulations were amended to permit the use of a gun carriage and horses to carry a casket to a burial ground, but only when it was over a mile away. Since those days, the gun carriage has become an accepted part of military and state funerals.

Geotag

-32.044977217866, 115.75514438975

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Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

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