BrianT

Hi Andrew, my name is Brian Thomson and I am a friend of Jack's. Unfortunately Jack passed away suddenly last September. His vehicle has been sold to a member of our club, the Military Section of the Veteran Car club of WA. He is sadly missed.

Completion of the Project It is now 7 months since Jack McRoberts untimely passing. The Model T Light Patrol Car that he was building is finally complete. Here are a few pictures of the completed vehicle with comments. This is the car that Jack was trying to create, a 1917 ModelT Gun Car as served with the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol in Palestine and Syria in 1917-18. And this is the finished result: We were unsure as to what serial number Jack had wanted the vehicle so we chose one from the Unit’s War Diary at the AWM. It was only after that we had applied it that we found a photo of Jack’s serial template which had been mislaid– LC1217! We spent a lot of time researching the gun mount. This is what we ended up with from grainy AWM photos. The mount the Australians used was different to the British and basically consists of a rowlock atop some telescopic tubing attached to the chassis and the front of the cowl. The vehicle in the original WW1 photo sports a crest. It is the 1908 Australian Crest with Australian Light Horse emu feather plumes tucked in it. Jack’s son David produced this beautiful example as a tribute to his Dad. We thought that the vehicle was a fitting memorial to Jack so this plaque now graces its entry door. Murray, Tony, Peter and Brian- The Wednesday Group(Creatively named!) The T on it’s first major outing the Perth ANZAC Day(Veteran’s) Parade with a WW2 veteran in the front. The man himself. Rest In Peace Jack, you are sorely missed!

Hi, I am a friend of Jack McRoberts from Perth in Western Australia. Jack passed away some months ago whilst building a 1917 Model T Light Patrol Car ( see thread in Pre WW2 Vehicles). A group of us have completed the vehicle. I have been trying to post an update to his thread but despite being a member of the Site I seem to be logged out each time I compile the blog. I am hoping that this introduction will unblock the log jam and enable us to share the conclusion of his project. Any suggestions about how to proceed would be appreciated. Cheers

Hi Gents, I am a freind of Jack's who has worked with him in a group of restorers who all belong to the Military Section of the Veteran Car Club of Western Australia. Together we have undertaken a number of restorations including Jack's recently completed Champ. Refer to the Thread on Champ 1824 on this site. Jack was a major contributor to both our group and the club. He is sadly missed. Our get togethers are not the same. We offered to complete the Model T and Jack's widow, Marg has accepted. The vehicle will be completed and made available for the upcoming centenary events remembering the suffering of WW1. I will be completing this blog on Mrg's behalf. The vehicle has recently been run. Refer Youtube: The sheetmetal has been painted in two pack. The timber bodywork in enamel. Unfortunately in a poor colour match requiring a repaint. Other matters outstanding are the windshield. The vehicles didn't operate with a windshield but we assume Jack opted for a bit of driver comfort. We will make it removable to provide parade authenticity. The Lewis Gun mount has provided a bit of a design challenge but a trolling of photos of the era has given us the clues to complete it. Other external items needing fabrication and fitting are, tool locker, petrol can holder and spare tyre holder. The vehicle is literally under wraps for painting at the moment. When it is clear I will post some pictures. I never in a million years thought that I would be called on to do this for Jack. The road has many turns and we don't know what's around the corner. Cheers, Brian

Hi, Iam a friend of Jack McRoberts (mazungamagic) who recently passed away. He was in the process of building a Model T Light Patrol Car. I will be continuing his blog until the project is complete. Cheers, BrianT