Jump to content

New Ferret owner 00 EC 55


pigdog

Recommended Posts

I can finally say I am a new owner of a Ferret here in the US. I have acquired the 1965 Ferret 00 EC 55. The previous owner has done an excellent job of restoring it and fitting it out with the CES kit.

I would like find out as much of its history as possible. I'll attach its service record. From what I can gather it spent all its time in the BAOR.

I would like to outfit it for the Queens Royal Irish Hussars which it spent time in 1970 in Paderborn Germany. If anybody can translate some of the other code on its sevice record it would be great.

Where does one find a vehicle decal of the QRIH to put on the turret? Do people have them custom made? Here in the states the only decals I can find are of the UK flag. Would it have any other emblem types on it?

Also are there any types of regimental flags available that can be mounted on the Ferrets aerial?

Also I would love to find some pictures or hear from anybody who might have knowledge of 00 EC 55 during its lifetime with the BAOR and the QRIH.

One more thing is what type of outfit would the crew wear in the 70's BAOR. I have been able to get a surrplus BAOR sweater. I also bought a black berret. Would the crew have a metal cap badge on the Beret?

I would love to hear any Ferret info.

Thanks-Chris

Record.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Chris,

 

Welcome to the strange world of Ferrets! I've attached a translation of your vehicle history card for your info. Some points of (hopefully!) interest:

 

1) Is there another card or was it really in storage from 1971 until being sold off in the 80s / 90s (quite possible!). If so, you should have a Ferret that's done very little! Being fitted with Clansman radio equipment or any other evidence of later markings etc would indicate later use.

 

2) Larzac was an Army training area in the South of France - a bit like BATUS in Canada but smaller!

 

3) Beret colours - 5 IDG - dark blue (badge on green backing), 3rd Carabiniers - dark blue, QRIH - Rifle green with green band.

 

4) Badges - all made of Staybrite anodised aluminium.

 

5) Kit - for the early 70's try to find a pair of green 'Lightweight' trousers, a green combat shirt (don't wear the horrible 'hairy mary' wool shirts!), and a DPM camouflage jacket. All quite easy to find in the UK and really look the part!

 

The QRIH Hussars beret might be hard to find - try contacting the regiment (now QRH) in Germany to see if they can help with that or a vehicle pennant.

 

Let me know if you need any more help / info,

 

Peter

 

Ferret Mk 2/3, 03 CC 42

00 EC 55.doc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes Matt Its me. I just got the Ferret a few weeks ago. I'm going today to pick up the vast quantities of special oil for it. I drove it last w/e for the first time. It sure got alot of looks and waves. I dont have a tralier for it, so I quess I will be staying close to home with it for now. I'll post some more pics.

Thanks Peter for the detailed history. As far as I know that was the only card that came with the previous ownerns doc's. It would seem like theres way too big of a gap there. It was imported to the US from a surplus dealer in Belgium in the late 90's to the first owner on the east coast. Maybe I should try the Tank Museum again. The clansman was added to it so I dont think it came here with it. It has a very nice c13 radio in it.

So none of the Regiments wore the black beret? I got the "hairy mary" wooly cuz it looks very British. I just ordered a 1966 pattern DPM jacket from the UK. Still trying to find pants that are long enough. I will look for the metal beret badges then. Somehow I would have thought they would have been a cloth patch.

Thanks for the useful info and I'll try and get some more pics uploaded.

-Chris

Ferret 00 EC 55

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chris,

 

The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) wear black berets but I think they're the only ones.

 

The 'Wooly Pully' (Sweater!) is fine and would go with green lightweights -you wouldn't want to wear a Hairy Mary shirt in California - I couldn't stand them in the UK! You've done well to get a 1966 pattern DPM jacket - they're not that easy to find any more.

 

In the 70's Other Ranks wore staybrite badges, whilst officers wore cloth (and stilll do).

 

Looking forward to seeing the photos!

 

Peter

 

Ferret MK 2/3, 03 CC 42

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got the hairy mary for the cool So cal days. Which there arent many. And I just got my " genuine" UK black beret. I think the postage cost more than the beret did! Well the Ferret has the RTR emblem on it now, so its not a total loss. I would have also thought the officers would get the metal badge. Still learning here.

I uploaded more pics in my album too.

-Chris

Ferret 00 EC 55

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chris, I looked at the pictures and it looks great.

One question: To the left and right of the commanders chair there seem to be pads to sit on for extra passengers.

Are these stock or aftermarket.

 

I would like to get some small seats for my 6 year old daughter and that would work perfectly.

 

Good luck with the Ferret. Where in LA are you? Maybe I can get a trailer and we can meet up for some pictures or a cruise once I get my plates..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One question: To the left and right of the commanders chair there seem to be pads to sit on for extra passengers.

Are these stock or aftermarket.

 

 

Matt,

 

These pads were fitted as standard. Post some photos of what you've got and I'll tell you what's missing.

 

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt, the Ferret also has a fold up chair on the spare wheel side (at least on mine). You would have to remove the big ammo can bins on yours that are mounted there.

I also copied the MOD certificate that was in the tube in the engine compartment. Not sure if that helps with trying to fill in the gap from before it was sold.

Mod.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3) Beret colours - 5 IDG - dark blue (badge on green backing), 3rd Carabiniers - dark blue, QRIH - Rifle green with green band.

 

We had one QRIH in our intake at the RAC Training Centre, Cambrai Bks, Catterick in 1975. I cannot honestly remember him not wearing a navy beret, so I have to concur.

 

Note that 5 Innis DG were an entirely different regiment.

 

4) Badges - all made of Staybrite anodised aluminium.

 

5) Kit - for the early 70's try to find a pair of green 'Lightweight' trousers, a green combat shirt (don't wear the horrible 'hairy mary' wool shirts!), and a DPM camouflage jacket. All quite easy to find in the UK and really look the part!

 

In 1975 we were only issued with 2 times khaki flannel (KF) shirts and two times shirts, Number 2 Dress. There was an Airtex Shirt OG was issued to us for our tour of Cyprus in 1976 - 77 but it was not standard RAC issue. We continued to wear those issued in Cyprus on our return until they disintegrated, unless the dress order specified something else. The green Shirt GS was still not on issue in 1985. Working very close to the QM's Clothing Store, I was assured that so long as there were KF shirts piled up in depots, the QMG had no intention of ever releasing GS shirts. Obviously eventually they did.

 

In 15/19H we supplemented our No 2 Dress Shirts with NAAFI khaki shirts which looked the same but had pockets and epaulettes (unlike No 2 Dress shirts until the early 80s) so they could be worn in shirt-sleeve order. NAAFI shirts could always be worn in lieu if No 2 Dress but not always vice versa. We kept (at least one of) our No 2 Dress shirts for best and otherwise always wore No 2 Dress or NAAFI clone shirts. Note that in 15/19H we also wore (self-funded from the PRI) a blue terry towel neckscarf much of the time. Sometimes an RSM might ban the wearing of No 2 Dress shirts for guard duty and demand KF. Since wearing the scarf was obligatory on guard, most of the itchiness from the KF shirt (around the collar) was alleviated.

 

As stated, lightweights, combat jacket (for the early 70s you really want the original DPM version as the next did not come out until about 1975), DMS boots and puttees are entirely valid, with Jersey HW (in wool without epaulettes: the later, more polyester with epaulettes is after the period you are looking for).

 

Note that vehicle crews tended to live in "Baggy Green Skins" - Coveralls, Man's, Lightweight, Olive Drab for QRIH. Unless you portray a Command Troop Ferret, which is most likely what yours was. In Command Troop 15/19H, only the Sultan (and before that Saracen) drivers wore denims (which is RAC-speak for overalls, whereas elsewhere denims is army-speak for lightweight trousers). Rank badges tended to be carried on an olive brassard (some poseurs bought DPM brassards). In the early 70s, rank badges were the traditional chevrons as worn on No 2 Dress and wolly pullies. If someone had come back from Op Banner (which would not be QRIH as a regiment, but I suppose they could volunteer for ERE as individuals), rank badges might be blacked out to make them less of a target (hence the camouflage rank badges which came out toward the end of the decade.)

 

When wearing denims, it was normal to wear the combat jacket over the top. And if it was cold enough for a combat jacket, in Paderborn it would be cold enough for an olive drab parka. Underneath the denims, in summer we tended to wear only underpants and socks, much to the annoyance of the RMO who would forever warn of the carcinogenic properties of some of the oils we used so watch out for testicular cancer - which I have done ever since, but not being primarily a driver, I tended not to swim in the stuff like some, eh Bazz?

 

In a mid-1970s RAC regiment there were the following Ferrets:

 

RSM (Command Troop) - callsign 95

Troop Sergeant (Rebro Ferret) (Command Troop) - callsign 98

Second Rebro Ferret (commanded by a Lance Corporal - me) (Command Troop) - callsign 98A

LO Ferret (Command Troop) (dunno the callsign - probably 92 - ours only ever deployed once in five years on Ex Spearpoint as an umpire where we used ad hoc callsigns like 4 Hotel 6 - me)

 

One Ferret per sabre squadron (SSM) (in the late 70s Armd Recce Regt, AFAIK the Close Recce Sqn SSM did not get a Ferret but I could be wrong and it's outside the scope of your interest anyway).

 

ISTR QRIH were still in Barker Barracks, Paderborn when 15/19H deployed to Alanbrook Barracks, Paderborn in October 1977, but I do remember that this was a period of significant Arms Plot movement as 3 Armd Div came online. I am sure QRIH and The Royal Hussars moved out and 3RTR moved in shortly after we did. I have 4/7RDG in my mind too, but they had been in Tidworth alongside us in 1976 to be replaced by 3RTR so my memory may be playing tricks.

 

The QRIH Hussars beret might be hard to find - try contacting the regiment (now QRH) in Germany to see if they can help with that or a vehicle pennant.

 

Let me know if you need any more help / info,

 

Peter

 

Ferret Mk 2/3, 03 CC 42

 

Like Peter says, best bet is to contact QRH. The person you really want is the PRI (President of the Regimental Institute) who runs a regimental shop - or institute.

 

He might be able to advise whether QRIH had a neckscarf like ours (but probably in green rather than blue like ours). Actually I vaguely recall seeing people take an army issue olive drab hand towel, cutting it lengthways making it incredibly like the navy scarf in all but colour. We also had people who cut their navy scarves right down to only a couple of inches wide and barely long enough to go around the neck as the full scarf was quite cumbersome. The scarf was worn inside the shirt.

 

Again, feel free to ask.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It occurs to me that you haven't specified that your Ferret is a Mark 1? After the advent of CVR(T), the Mark 2/x Ferret disappeared from the RAC BAOR Orbat. This suggests to me that if your Ferret is in fact a Mark 2, it must have belonged to Recce Troop, in which case I'd expect the crew to be wearing denims as explained above.

 

With the advent of CVR(T), battlegroup recce for the two divisional armoured regiments and three mechanised infantry battalions was provided by the divisional Armd Recce Regt Close Recce Squadron in Scimitars. I suspect this happened in 1976 when brigades were replaced by task forces. 15/19H were not in BAOR at that time.

 

Parkas were issued on G1098 ("G10" for short) temporary loan rather than 1157 standard kit issue and were like rocking horse droppings. In the absence of a parka, I wore a 3/4-length cut-down parka. The shortened parka made getting in and out of a Ferret much easier. I also wore my (black civilian) motorcycle gauntlets as Gloves, Combat - similar to Gloves, NI - did not come out until later.

 

Out of camp, almost any black boots were tolerated (and better than DMS in the cold and wet) apart from Doc Martens. I personally wore US issue boots (but did not get on with them because I could not get a pair wide enough for my feet) before inheriting a pair of Bundeswehr Panzerstiefel: fur-lined jackboots for tank crews. I swapped them for my Ferret commander's helicopter pilot boots but our feet were a half size different and we swapped back the next day. I cannot remember anyone wearing Boots NI, but again QRIH were exempted from Op Banner.

 

I can still remember the CO seeing me on stag around our battlegroup HQ in six inches of snow wearing greatcoat, jackboots and gauntlets and laughing as he suggested I looked like something out of Op Barbarossa. But I was warm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Colonel for the detailed info. I'll try contacting the QRH about the uniform. My Ferret is a MK 2/3 (VHF). Based on the documents that came with the vehicle it only served between 1967-1972? Would a perfectly good Ferret been taken out of service that early? It came to the US in 1997. That seems like an awful long time of sitting around.

I'd love to hear any tips you would have about Ferret ownership/operation. I have uploaded photos of 00 EC 55, so feel free to take a look and see if it looks right. Its been painted inside a grey/white and it dosent have the runflats, but other than that its stock.

Thanks again-Chris

MK 2/3 Ferret

00 EC 55

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Based on the documents that came with the vehicle it only served between 1967-1972? Would a perfectly good Ferret been taken out of service that early? It came to the US in 1997. That seems like an awful long time of sitting around.

 

Chris,

 

This is fairly common. The MoD had a lot more Ferrets than it needed, and they mostly sat in depots waiting for WW3 to kick off. Many of them were issued for less time than yours, I know mine was in service for around 1 year. It was rebuilt in 72 and didn't leave the depot untill they sold it off in 1994. When I bought it it had 500 miles on the clock. Many were released with less than this. Although they were in storage they still had a servicing program and were upgraded when required.

 

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

on the basis that OOEC55's card does not show the struck off details, I suspect that it is not the final card. There was a time when Bovy (ie tank musuem) only held the "historic" cards, as vehicles still in service in the 1980's had their "current" cards held by Ashchurch. Certainly I have 2 cards for each of my Ferrets and one covers the 70's and the other up to disposal and the more recent card came direct from Ashchurch via a contact I had at the time.

 

When Ashchurch closed it is possible that Bovy did not receive every single card they held, so pigdog may have missing data, including obviously the disposal details.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chris,

 

This is fairly common. The MoD had a lot more Ferrets than it needed, and they mostly sat in depots waiting for WW3 to kick off. Many of them were issued for less time than yours, I know mine was in service for around 1 year. It was rebuilt in 72 and didn't leave the depot untill they sold it off in 1994. When I bought it it had 500 miles on the clock. Many were released with less than this. Although they were in storage they still had a servicing program and were upgraded when required.

 

Chris

 

I would have thought the Army would be undersupplied than oversupplied. But it was also the cold war during that time. So I guess the story of bullet hits on the turret of my Ferret is just a story. Unless it was hit while sitting around in a depot.

Is it worth contacting the Tank museum to see if they have another card? I assume they would have sent a copy if they had one.

Bazz thanks for the pic. You look so happy. ;)

 

-Chris

MK 2/3 Ferret

00 EC 55

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we collected our command Troop Saracen ACVs from the vehicle depot at Moenchenstrapback in 1978, I was aware of a long line of Ferrets painted sand with green cam over the top and stencilled BAOR OVERLOAD.

 

Never did work out exactly what it was about, but the implication was that there was an excess of FSCs.

 

Come to think of it, I think they were Mark 2s and as discussed recently, maybe they had been withdrawn from the battlegroup recce troops to be replaced by CVR(T)s from the divisional Armd Recce Regt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ferrets painted sand with green cam over the top and stencilled BAOR OVERLOAD.

 

Very interesting!

 

A friend of mine recently bought a Ferret in these colours - it's sort of BATUS, sort of Jordanian, but I think BAOR Overload is probably a better description!

 

It was completely overhauled (right back to bare metal, anti slip paint, new style driver's hatch and engine overhaul) AND THEN SOLD!!

 

It's quite an attractive clour scheme (never seen any in service photos though!) and I think my mate is going to keep it as it is.

 

Peter

 

Ferret MK 2/3, 03 CC 42

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...