Chapter 5: Bush Base

Logistics and set up

I have been asked to describe a typical base bush camp set up and how we went about it – Strange as it may seam but it is now a totally lost art as I have experienced over the last few years building Tourist Lodges in out of the way places...

There are a few very important people that have to be there to make things happen in comfort or else your camp is a grind – The CQMS (Quatermaster) is the pivot of the camp – if he is not jacked up life is very KAK!!! – We were lucky to have Chris Meyers who in my opinion was one of the best. The second most important lad is the cook – old but true saying is that an army marches on its stomach.

Base camps were generally set up within a square with a pushed soil Burm around it around 4 – 5m high. Bunkers were dug in in the corners and sandbagged with sleepers and conveyor belting.

The CQ had 3 to 4 Merc 4,5's with canvas canopies. Two of the CQ trucks were parked 6-8m apart with a canvas between them creating the kitchen. A large gas burner and trestle tables completed the kitchen. Gas freezers were leveled and lit. The third Truck was the canteen – Generally packed high with coke and beer!!! And 2 freezers!!!

OPS room truck and kitchen were both set up first with all hands on deck – Next was toilets (long drop & desert lily) showers and chow area. Long Drops were dug and 4 poles and Hessian wrapped around. Desert Lilies were dug in various troop areas as allocated. Showers were set up – these were a 20l drums with taps welded to the bottom with a shower rose. The hot water was from a 210l drum lying on a frame with a spout out the top of one side and a funnel at the top of the opp side with a pipe extending to the bottom of the inside of the drum. Fire underneath and hot water on demand...

Troop (platoon) areas were then set up with tentage etc for all the guys. Generally this was left for last as most of the time the guys deployed as soon as the basic camp was set up. Many a time Chris was left to set up the whole camp with himself, 2 cooks, 2 signalers, 4 batmen, MT rep and a few of the sick lame and lazy.

Camp was simplified later on when we borrowed a gen set from the SAP permanently – Electric fridges don't need leveling and are not temperamental – those bloody gas fridges were worse than women with PMS!!!!

Well there is the basics – if we were at a forward fire force base then all the guys were available to set up so comfort levels were good – We were lucky in that we had a good bunch of batmen (Please someone write up Langton and Lovemore stories) who looked after the guys kit. The individual troops carried their own tentage and where responsible for their own comfort. Being in Dog section we were lucky in that we had mostly Unimogs for carrying the 81mm tubes and ammo. Bob had Mogs and 106mm so generally we had twice the vehicles of most commandos.

The biggest and most important thing was comfort for the returning patrols – good food, hot showers and a dry and comfy place to gonk.

This is dedicated to my old friend Chris Meyers – Thanks for looking after us...