AN Australian Army Willys Jeep that saw action in Papua New Guinea in the latter part of the Second World War has been carefully restored to its former glory and back in the hands of its Perth owner.

The 1943 Jeep, purchased by the Australian Government in 1944 for the Australian Army and given the registration number 93674, remained in service until it was decommissioned in December 1954.

The owner said his search uncovered details about the war horse obtained from more than three days spent searching through Army records held by the Australian War Museum.

He used the Jeep’s engine number as the starting point fo identification because he found that the vehicle’s Army service record was missing, along with the vehicle history card and Army log book.

“According to researchers at the Australian War Memorial, these had been destroyed,” he told BMC.

“Not much is known after the war. It was restored in the 1990s and at some stage in the early 2000s was sold to a private collector. It was in that collection for more than 20 years and because it wasn’t road licensed, was used only sparingly.”

He said it was a vehicle in which he always had an interest.

“I bought it for two reasons,” he said.

“I regard it as an icon of the 1940s and despite its almost mythical contribution to the success of the war effort, it was the first 4WD to be mass-produced in such high numbers – 640,000 by the war’s end.”

“The second reason is that I have fond childhood memories of an army-surplus Jeep which was kept on my great-uncle’s property in North Yorkshire.

“The vehicle was used for picnics on the Yorkshire dales and fishing trips on the banks of the river Swale.”

He said the Jeep was recently refurbished, updated and made roadworthy by Colin Bonney of BMC Sales.

“There were some modifications done but it the aim was to keep the Jeep as original as possible. So the indicators were placed in the old side lights and new side lights incorporated into the headlights. A rearview mirror and rubber floor mats were added.”

When the Jeep was bought it was found to have issues with the brakes, steering, engine and drivetrain.

“That was attributed to the lack of use over the past 20 years,” he said.

“Colin fixed all the problems and gave it a fresh coat of olive-green paint and added decals that reflect its operation in the Australian 6th Division that fought in PNG, where it is believed the vehicle served.”

He said the Jeep is now very easy to drive, to work on and is — above all — great fun.

“This is despite me being a confirmed Land Rover fan. But the Jeep is much easier to drive than my Series 1.”

The Jeep will be used as a fun addition to his collection and may even make an appearance at some ANZAC celebrations. — NEIL DOWLING