This webmaster has been contacted by Bruce Jenkin who has this to say. "I was very excited to see the Op Crown site – it brought back many memories for me. I commanded the first New Zealand Contingent to Op Crown (March to June? 1964) then the second from about August to December 1964. We were given the unit designation 2 Plant Troop 2 Construction Sqn RNZE, and we were placed under the wing of 59 Field Squadron RE (Maj Chris Bramwell). I served under both Lt Col ‘Mad’ McIntyre MC, and Lt Col Ken Orrell. I have a wealth of photos and other archival material and would be pleased to make relevant parts of it available if you are interested". Continued below right.
"The Australians were commanded by Malcolm van Gelder. A couple of years ago I was delighted to catch up with Jack Castle (ex RE) with whom I served on Op Crown. He and his wife were visiting Australia and New Zealand. I look forward to the ongoing development of the website and to being able to contribute some memories to it. As a matter of interest I spent two more years back in Thailand as Project Manager of the Thai – NZ Feeder Road Project in the provinces of Mahasarakham and Burirum. I took the opportunity on more than one occasion to revisit the Leong Nok Tha airstrip and to drive my Mercedes Benz down it as fast as I dared. In some ways it was sad to see a project which had cost so much in human toil and lives looking so derelict. It would be great to have a reunion of the survivors of Op Crown one of these days." Kindest regards Lt Col (Ret) Bruce Jenkin MBE RNZE. The images shown above are thought to be of Kiwi plant operators attaching a scraper to a Catterpillar bulldozer, left is a Kiwi Catterpillar operator.