Spies in Vung Tau

<p>In 1987 the author purchased a box of early glass slides. There</p><p>was no explanation as to their origin or content. He was busy</p><p>so he put them in his loft and forgot them. Thirty years later</p><p>in 2017 when he retired he re-discovered them. He found that</p><p>they were over one hundred years old. At fi rst he thought they</p><p>were taken in South America as they showed natives with bare</p><p>feet and ancient crossbows. After having the photographs processed</p><p>into digital format he realized that they related to a</p><p>military mission by fi ve men connected to Australia and Great</p><p>Britain in the period of the 1st World War.</p><p>They acquired one of the fastest yachts afl oat known as the</p><p>G.L. WATSON ‘RAINBOW’ in order to inspect and repair the</p><p>under-sea telegraph and radio systems that was tremendously</p><p>important to shipping safety and military information and</p><p>logistics.</p><p>The secretive journey took them throughout South-East Asia</p><p>and Vietnam with visits to the Cocos-Keeling Islands. They</p><p>spent a long time in Vietnam taking photographs which tell</p><p>a story of why the French Military were building huge gun</p><p>emplacements at Cape Saint Jcques (now called Vung Tau).</p>