Spies in Vung Tau

In 1987 the author purchased a box of early glass slides. There

was no explanation as to their origin or content. He was busy

so he put them in his loft and forgot them. Thirty years later

in 2017 when he retired he re-discovered them. He found that

they were over one hundred years old. At fi rst he thought they

were taken in South America as they showed natives with bare

feet and ancient crossbows. After having the photographs processed

into digital format, he realized that they related to a

military mission by fi ve men connected to Australia and Great

Britain in the period of the 1st World War.

They acquired one of the fastest yachts afl oat known as the

G.L. WATSON ‘RAINBOW’ in order to inspect and repair the

under-sea telegraph and radio systems that was tremendously

important to shipping safety and military information and

logistics.

The secretive journey took them throughout South-East Asia

and Vietnam with visits to the Cocos-Keeling Islands. They

spent a long time in Vietnam taking photographs which tell

a story of why the French Military were building huge gun

emplacements at Cape Saint Jcques (now called Vung Tau).