Merlin Archive VRM list

[johnwardle]

I was told about this by Geoff Fletcher (author of Land Rover books etc.) and I thought that it would be of great interest to HMVF members. This link www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/land_rover_para_recce_erm_list takes you to a FULL list of MoD vehicles and associated equipment e.g. trailers etc that were in use when Merlin was being used from 1985 to 2013,  There are 7 large files containing the VRM, Description including original colour, date into service and in some cases where it was last used.

The vehicles etc are listed in numerical/alphabetical order e.g. 01 AA 01 would run down to 01 RN 99 then 02 AA 01, this may sound complicated but you soon get the hang of it. These files cover all MoD vehicles including RAF and Royal Navy. 

I hope that this will be of interest as you can get a quick look at a brief history of your vehicle without a freedom of information request

There are a lot of Ferrets listed in file No. 1 and even some Humber Pigs, there are some surprising vehicles on there as well, who knew that the British Army had a fleet of 36 Austin Metro vans, including 1 supplied in IRR NATO green?

 

[sirhc]

Interesting, thanks for posting. Can’t see 01FDxx to 09FDxx anywhere though?

Chris 

[johnwardle]

Chris, I've had a good look through the files and found some large gaps. Geoff Fletcher must have a different link as he told me that the list goes up to SA ?? AB   , and these files end wi PM 80 AB. I'll contact Geoff and ask if he can send me the complete list.

[ted angus]

John please help an olde chap who isn't very pc savvy- I clicked your link and found my wat to the MoD requests but can't find the Merlin list- I tried entering Land Rover para etc in the search but no avail  thanks 

TED

[andym]

24 minutes ago, ted angus said:

John please help an olde chap who isn't very pc savvy- I clicked your link and found my wat to the MoD requests but can't find the Merlin list- I tried entering Land Rover para etc in the search but no avail  thanks 

TED

Something has truncated the link: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/land_rover_para_recce_erm_list

Andy

[Richard Farrant]

I have tried this several times and only get a blank Excel file come up, although it does have a tab at the bottom titled 'Vehicle history'.

[Aussie]

I'd love to see a more complete list if there is one. The list is obviously missing a few things but I'm particularly interested in Centurion tank 01ZR10.

James

 

[ted angus]

Thanks ANDY.

Richard  I had the same problem, there is a note on there saying there is a problem re the complete document- scroll down and you will come to see all attachments click this and they have split it into 7 seperate documents,  again there is a problem- at the moment I have managed to download pt 4, 6 & 7  but I am sure with repeated tries I will get them all TED

[Richard Farrant]

5 minutes ago, ted angus said:

Thanks ANDY.

Richard  I had the same problem, there is a note on there saying there is a problem re the complete document- scroll down and you will come to see all attachments click this and they have split it into 7 seperate documents,  again there is a problem- at the moment I have managed to download pt 4, 6 & 7  but I am sure with repeated tries I will get them all TED

Hi Ted,

Thanks very much, I was beginning to think the problem was at my end. will try again later on.

cheers Richard

[andym]

At least half of those seven new files seem to be broken too, certainly parts 1 and 3.  Excel 2010 makes an attempt to repair them but fails.

(Update - I've since emailed the FoI team to ask them to check the files)

Andy

Edited October 29, 2017 by andym
Update

[andym]

I've now obtained seven Excel files from the MOD FoI team, which all work correctly and I have permission to repost on here.  I'm just liaising with Joris on the best place to put them.

Andy

[Richard Farrant]

Hi Andy

I was having the problems you related to where Excel was trying to repair. After trying several times I gave up. Annoying as I am keen to see the records. Hope they can be displayed on here.

regards. Richard 

[ted angus]

Look forward as this will be an outstanding piece of reference data thanks TED

Thanks ANDY.

Richard  I had the same problem, there is a note on there saying there is a problem re the complete document- scroll down and you will come to see all attachments click this and they have split it into 7 seperate documents,  again there is a problem- at the moment I have managed to download pt 4, 6 & 7  but I am sure with repeated tries I will get them all TED

[andym]

Thanks to some excellent hand-holding from Joris I've now managed to upload the working set of files.  You'll find them in the Downloads section of the site, the direct link should be: http://hmvf.co.uk/files/category/2-merlin-archive/

There's a big green button saying "Download this file" but it actually lets you download all seven Excel files.

Andy

[sirhc]

Thanks Andy. Do they have the 01FDxx to 08FDxx missing from the original release spreadsheets?

Chris 

[andym]

9 minutes ago, sirhc said:

Thanks Andy. Do they have the 01FDxx to 08FDxx missing from the original release spreadsheets?

Chris 

Yes indeed, in the first file.  01FD00 is apparently "Tank Combat 120mm Gun Chieftain Mk 10".  All my vehicles are there on inspection.

Andy

[sirhc]

10 minutes ago, andym said:

Yes indeed, in the first file.  01FD00 is apparently "Tank Combat 120mm Gun Chieftain Mk 10".  All my vehicles are there on inspection.

Andy

Perfect, thanks again.

[ChasSomT.]

According to these lists, there were 347 CVR(W)  Fox  registrations. My, limited, research can only find the British Army admitting to ever having  200 In service.

I see that a small (?) number were sold abroad - was it Policy to give these vehicles a British ARN, does anyone know?

Does anyone know how many Foxes survive?  I reckon 20+ 

 I Don't do Facetube, but I understand there is a Fox group on there - I may have to ask a relative to have a look.

 

 Regards,

 

 'Chas.'

[john fox]

2 hours ago, ChasSomT. said:

According to these lists, there were 347 CVR(W)  Fox  registrations. My, limited, research can only find the British Army admitting to ever having  200 In service.

I see that a small (?) number were sold abroad - was it Policy to give these vehicles a British ARN, does anyone know?

Does anyone know how many Foxes survive?  I reckon 20+ 

 I Don't do Facetube, but I understand there is a Fox group on there - I may have to ask a relative to have a look.

The Facebook group is more to do with ex crew reminiscences, there are very few current owners who post on it. Good for in service pics though and some excellent tales.

if you include those in museums/gate guards there must be many more than 20 survivors 

[sirhc]

3 hours ago, 00EC25 said:

The Facebook group is more to do with ex crew reminiscences, there are very few current owners who post on it. Good for in service pics though and some excellent tales.

if you include those in museums/gate guards there must be many more than 20 survivors 

There are more than 20 but less than 50 from memory. I did start a list a long time ago. Of course there are lots of vehicles hidden away in sheds that are not well known so there could be more.

[john fox]

4 hours ago, sirhc said:

There are more than 20 but less than 50 from memory. I did start a list a long time ago. Of course there are lots of vehicles hidden away in sheds that are not well known so there could be more.

agreed, spent this afternoon trawling the net and have identified 32 so far, plus the 2 hulks shown on FB, but I suspect there must be more than the 5 I've got so far in the USA and is there really only 1 in Aus/NZ . Don't suppose you still have your list to compare notes to? I need to fill in a few VRN on those I know exist but not their numbers (eg museum ones)

[sirhc]

 

54 minutes ago, 00EC25 said:

agreed, spent this afternoon trawling the net and have identified 32 so far, plus the 2 hulks shown on FB, but I suspect there must be more than the 5 I've got so far in the USA and is there really only 1 in Aus/NZ . Don't suppose you still have your list to compare notes to? I need to fill in a few VRN on those I know exist but not their numbers (eg museum ones)

I'll have a look tomorrow and maybe start a new thread to see if we can identify them all. 

[Richard Farrant]

1 hour ago, 00EC25 said:

 and is there really only 1 in Aus/NZ . Don't suppose you still have your list to compare notes to?

John,

There are two in Australia, that I know of. One I saw there around 1996 came out of one of the Ludgershall sales with a Scorpion turret on it. The other went over there much later to Tasmania (it was from Surrey), this I believe is now in Western Australia. I do not have note of the numbers.

regards, Richard

[ChasSomT.]

What a response, thanks everyone.

I was in The Royal Yeomanry from before Fox was introduced. I went on a D + M Instructors course on Fox at Bovvy, hence my interest.

Wasn't there a difference in the turrets between Fox and Scimitar, requiring a 'spacer' when Sabre was made?

How then, where they able to mount a Scorpion turret on  a Fox?  Intriguing.

Please do post a list of the VRNs of the survivors.  I see there is one in a Polish museum, but couldn't see a number on it.

I believe Ricardo was it? were involved in trialling a diesel conversion for possible use by the Mexicans? Does anyone know anything about this?

Are there any books about CVR(W), or with a chapter or two on them, does anyone know?

All these questions, sorry, just one more - any ideas re: the discrepancy in the numbers -  VRNs for 347,  the British Army only admitting to having 200 ?

Thank you everyone who responded.

 

  Regards, 

 

 'Chas.'

 

 

[Richard Farrant]

8 hours ago, ChasSomT. said:

 

Wasn't there a difference in the turrets between Fox and Scimitar, requiring a 'spacer' when Sabre was made?

How then, where they able to mount a Scorpion turret on  a Fox?  Intriguing.

 

I believe Ricardo was it? were involved in trialling a diesel conversion for possible use by the Mexicans? Does anyone know anything about this?

Are there any books about CVR(W), or with a chapter or two on them, does anyone know?

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Chas,

I worked on the CVR(W) Fox vehicles from when they came into service in the 1970's until they were withdrawn, as well as some privately owned ones since. At the Command Workshops we had the Royal Yeomanry ones coming through in large numbers and later on a number of other regular units with them. A delight to drive but not to work on. They were not good for spares, having to wait a long time, and I can see that there was never going to be the amount of parts stock as was with Ferrets and Saracens, etc. Engines and gearboxes were regular problems, and don't ask about changing the complete steering assembly!!

The Scorpion turret, from memory I think this is the story. Some Foxes were selected for conversion and sales for Mexico, as I recall, some of Royal Yeo vehicles. I believe a different turret was going to be used. I think the deal fell through as there were some turret-less Foxes sold at Ludgershall, with Scorpion turrets sat on top of them, the original Fox turret going on to the Scorpion to create Sabre, using an adaptor ring.

There is a book on the CVR(T) written by the former curator of the Tank Museum, Col. George Forty. It has a chapter on Fox in it.

The Scorpion Family by George Forty published by Ian Allan  ISBN 0 7110 1175 3

regards, Richard