Tarland

Stolly footage courtesy of Mr Hewes on Youtube - apparently these are away to be restored

My mistake - it could be the driver with the SMG - I was thinking that the senior NCO would be armed with the SMG The SD was definitely gone by '65/66 with the Vietnam deployment. The FAL was in use by that point and the heavy barrel version replaced the Bren as the section LMG. Maybe the Oxford carriers end up back in Australia after the Korean war...... Its worth noting that the link to the photo in Google maps also has a lot of pictures of the exhibits at the Armor museum at the former Puckapunyal armour centre.........

Could it be the Puckapunyal training area in Australia......?? See a recent photo from google maps https://www.google.com/maps/place/Puckapunyal+VIC+3662,+Australia/@-36.9976498,145.0262172,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipNhJaa5Ug_nPyNNr9Z0IEvkHKOsHM8m4ZZv4sAU!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNhJaa5Ug_nPyNNr9Z0IEvkHKOsHM8m4ZZv4sAU%3Dw203-h152-k-no!7i3648!8i2736!4m7!3m6!1s0x6ad787f46b64d9ad:0x40579a430a08270!8m2!3d-36.9961769!4d145.0272127!10e5!16zL20vMGJmOXB5?entry=ttu# Wikipedia mentions that the range was the training centre for the National Service recruits in the 1950's and 60's. NS service personnel might not be as smart as a demonstration team..... The trees and hills definitely feel Australian. The officers SMG certainly could be a Owen. These were still in use in the late 60's with the Australian deployment to Vietnam.

Wally, do we know how many of the 431 load carriers were built? We know that FV437 06 EB 01 is converted from one of these vehicles. There is a load carrier photographed as a range target in Rob Griffins Pen and Sword book on the FV430 series (not a great publication - has the feel of being thrown together on a Friday afternoon). Theres no visible/legible markings on the photos. From the Chatham photos the FV437 at the RE museum is definitely built from a load carrier given the spacing of the wheel stations. So is this 06 EB 01 heavily modified/stripped of its original fittings....?

Same vehicle in the Littlefield collection?? - results of the 2014 Auction https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lc14/the-littlefield-collection/lots/r0005-fmc-armored-command-recon-vehicle-lynx/574232 You can just make out the reg number and it does look like it ends 05...... (it also doesnt have the commanders cupola so would match up with the FVDRE photos) Also a prototype M113-1/2? https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lc14/the-littlefield-collection/lots/r0073-fmc-armored-command-recon-vehicle-lynx/574516 Prototype M113 IFV's https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lc14/the-littlefield-collection/lots/r0045-aifv-dsid-0001-prototype/574184 https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lc14/the-littlefield-collection/lots/r0047-aifv-demo-1-prototype/574490

@wally dugan when were the M113's at the FVDRE?? The Australians put Saladin turrets on M113's in Vietnam in 1971 - see Paul Handels website http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/Armoured Vehicles/m113a1fsvph_1.htm The saladin turret was later replaced by the scorpion equivalent - I wonder if this was before the FVDRE work with the vehicle shown.....

Clive, thanks for this. Whats the title/document number of this report? Is the FVDRE wading photo above from the report?? Obviously the author of the report had a liking for the Ferret when it came down to the size. I'll have to go and see how the CVRT compares size wise

orientated as per the film Locking detent Rear retainer plate slot relative to detent Cable Retaining pin locked in position - bar has to be depressed to unlock and extract the pin 1/4 turn engages pin into retainer plate - view on the "back" of the block

Bovington video on their Canadian Lynx

Yes it is the 113-1/2

The New Zealand connection https://contractormag.co.nz/classic-machines/vickers/vr180-vigor-vikon/

Wally, thanks for this. What is 10 AVD?

National Lottery Heritage fund application......one of the categories Anyone got experience of making an application???https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/print/pdf/node/110955

Mark, Agreed - there could be more than one prototype. The square hydro - jets in the film stills definitely look like Dowty units with the "clam shell" doors for directing the water. The RE museum vehicle has nozzle outlets which are much more like the unit on a jet ski. I think these would have had to had larger protective boxes. The rear of the RE vehicle looks very bare (its missing a buoyancy unit where the rear door would have been) and theres no evidence of attachment points. A quick search on FV437 on the IWM web page lists another film of the amphibious trials of the FV437 and Scorpion at Instow - unfortunately its just the catalogue entry and no film has been digitised.....

Mark, Looking at the Chatham photos and the film stills I would say the outlets have been changed - square to round. I'm presuming the power pack must have been moved to the crew compartment - the trunking extension looks to be where the circular crew hatch would normally be. I assume that this is protecting the pack air intakes and radiators . Exhaust arrangement is completely different from the regular FV430 series.

The bar is spring loaded and runs up a ramp to secure. Theres a slot on the back plate of the block the that the pin engages with with the T shape pin end.. I'll get a couple more pics The number on the pin is FV599055

Thought this was worth posting in the Tracked Vehicles section Credit to @Mark Ellis as he's posted the IWM link in relation to mobility trials with the Stalwart. Op Mudlark was a series of trials with UK and US vehicles in Thailand in 1966 The full film is at https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060035249 Worth a look - you can see why the Aussies selected the M113 over FV432 for their APC requirement - FV437 Pathfinder footage - the FV430 series answer to the FV180 Combat engineer tractor - The FMC 113-1/2 or Lynx looked pretty capable so no wonder the US army didn't select it. They got the GM M114 instead and that was another story of inept/suspect procurement.... If anyone has more info on the FV437 it would be worth posting. Not much about it online. I think the prototype is in the RE Museum Chatham based on one grainy photo from Instagram.

Mark, Please see attached pics of an alloy snatch block that bears some resemblence to the stills from the OP Mudlark film The block itself has several coats of paint so nothing visible on the body but the securing pin has an FV number on it - Maybe @wally dugan @Richard Farrant could shed some light. The certification tag states SWL of 16 Tonnes

Rick, I thought I recognised the Mk5 gun test bed on Mr Hewes video..............

I don't think the still and the video are connected. The video is definitely set somewhere in scandinavia - theres a Swedish or Danish pennant on the patrol boat. Theres also Sam Browne belts worn by the observers - our vaguely south american friends in the still don't have a Sam Browne in sight. Portugese maybe - I don't think we selling military hardware to the Franco goverment in the 60's......

Reactivating this thread... This list is on the MRW Precision engineering website On the XMOD website 076 is listed as a CVRT part - is this correct?? (May 2023). According to the thread above CVRT is Type C Is there a definitive list anywhere (REME documentation??) Hollebone Type A FV 599071 NSN 2540991388335 Hollebone Type A WO FV 599075 Hollebone Type B FV 599072 NSN 2540991388339 Hollebone Type B WO FV 599076 NSN 2540999775260 Hollebone Type C FV 599073 NSN 2540991388342 Hollebone Type C WO FV 599077 Hollebone Type D FV 599074 NSN 2540991388346 Hollebone Type D Blank FV 599078

30 RM was also known as 30 Assault Unit which was the intelligence gathering unit Ian Fleming was involved with. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._30_Commando

Aye, at least Ronnie's stories had an end to them/punchline.............

The Greyhound wasn't used in NW Europe. 56 Recce Regt used them in Italy and as the Recce Corps was disbanded in 1946 I doubt they saw any post war service. Bill Bellamy's book Troop Leader mentions Chaffee's replacing Stuarts in the 8th King Hussars Recce troop (Bellamy commanded one at the end of the war. 8th Hussars operated Cromwells in the Sabre squadrons). The typical recce platoon was 8 - 10 vehicles (RAC regiments had a 10 Sherman recce platoon) Don't know when the Chaffee was withdrawn from BAOR service. Given the British army received 302 Chaffees and the Stuarts were considered obsolete in 1944 I doubt manner Stuarts survived intact