The Wiles Army Steam Cooker was first made just prior to the 1914-18 war and was invented by James (Jim) Fletcher Wiles,
Ballarat, Victoria. Australia.
The basic principle was a horse drawn travelling kitchen, being a combination of Steam Boiler. Roasting Oven, Hot and Cold Water Tanks and a Limber, which were connected by steam hoses and carried two large Steamers or Stock Pots.
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Well after the cessation of hostilities the Australian Army, owing to a decision to standardize all equipment to British Army methods, discontinued the use of the Wiles Cooker and reverted to the use of the antiquated methods:- Soyer stoves, (wash boilers) Dixies, Mud trenches and Mud Aldershot ovens.
Jim Wiles was very disappointed with this decision and sold his engineering workshops at
Ballarat and purchased an irrigated fruit growing property with 100 acres of vines for dried fruit production located on the River Murray "New Era" near
Cadell South Australia. Unfortunately the dried fruit industry collapsed owing to lack of marketing facilities between Australia and overseas countries. He lost everything and had no alternative but to abandon the property just prior to the "Great Depression" and settle in
Adelaide April 1926 with his family.
In 1929 he decided to set up an Electroplating Plant in
Adelaide. He had no capital and relied on his sons to support him.
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After many years of hard work, the company was successful and became
well known in industry.
He was the first to introduce in 1930 a new development Chromium plating to
Adelaide. Prior to that Nickel plating was the method used but with the application of chromium plating it set a new standard in Decorative Electroplating.
During this period Jim frequently talked with his sons on the advantage of an Army having good cooking facilities, compulsory military training was then a fact, Army cooking had not progressed. He hoped that some top Army officials would see the light and reintroduce his Steam Cooker invention which had been so highly regarded by the troops in the 1914-18 war. These talks became more intensive in the late thirties when it appeared that a war was imminent.
Early 1939 Jim became seriously ill. Just prior to his death on 11th August 1939 he requested that the four brothers, should war break out, again submit proposals to the Defence Department for the making of steam cookers.
They visited Keswick Barracks and discussed with Major Lenton the advantages of steam cooking.
The brothers decided to build a cooker and submit it to the Army.
They had no working drawings so worked from photographs of a first war unit estimating possible sizes from these. The model developed had the basic design of the first war unit, but at that early stage considered the possibility that the idea could be used in static camps as
well as in mobile form .
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They worked night and day and on the 28th November 1939 had completed the First prototype. The whole idea was submitted to officers concerned at Keswick Barracks 4 M.D.
Major Lenton was very impressed and arranged that the Base Commandant Brig Martyn give permission to it being tested with the Garrison Battalion then stationed at Keswick.
The battalion cooks became very enthusiastic and the message rapidly spread that they had a good piece of equipment for cooking. Colonel H. Tolley C.R.E. and Major Stevens Assist. C.R.E. were satisfied and reported that the steam boiler was a sound design and quite safe to be used by Army cooks. Reports were also being received by Major Lenton regarding the wood fuel economy. With this information we decided that I should visit Army Headquarters Victoria Barracks
Melbourne and talk with officers likely to be interested.
Progress and interest was slow then at the suggestion of Major Lenton the cooker was moved to
Gawler Camp where the l8th Light Horse Machine Gun Regiment was camped under the command of Brigadier Blackburn.
This Mobile Regiment gave the Cooker considerable tests, one being the movement of the complete regiment from
Gawler to
Kingston Park and back. Meals were supplied without any difficulty.
Arthur Blackburn had compiled a complete record of its performance. Its fuel consumption was only 30 per cent of the official issue. Within 20 minutes of lighting the fire it was ready to prepare a meal, and it could
cook on the road whilst travelling at normal convoy speed, and supply a battalion with a two course meal. Four gallons of water could be boiled For tea in two minutes.
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'The demand for Stationary Units was considerable, also spare parts castings etc. All factories were flat out on production and the work force had increased to in excess of 300 men.
The urgent demand was so great that mobile units were placed where they served an urgent requirement. It was used on rail transport where it was carried in a truck at feeding points, beach heads. in sea transport where it was lashed on deck, in field hospitals, trans-shipment points and dock operating units.
With the acceptance of the large 4 four wheeled mobile cooker and because Army and Airforce Bases were located all over Australia and the Islands, Army Catering Corps suggested we develop a small two wheel cooking unit to cater for 100 to 150 personnel to be towed by a jeep or possibly dropped by parachute into inaccessible areas. weight not to exceed 1 ton.
The cooker was tested and immediately accepted by Army. Because of its size and possible confusion with the large 4 wheel unit it was named "The Junior Mobile Cooker". With good mobility considerable numbers were used by Army and Airforce.
Although its use did not become effective till the later stages of the war it was extensively used by Army until 1980.
The factory was still producing a large volume of mobile and stationary cookers and continued to do so until completion of the war. Over 3000 mobile and stationary cookers were made and were used continually by the Australian and New Zealand Army in Korea and Vietnam.
The Wiles Mobile Steam Cooker is a fitting tribute to the work of the Army
Cook, and to the memory of its soldier inventor J.F. WILES.
REPORT ON THE COOKER
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