fv1609

What's this Mk 2 military item all about?

Ah yes now you have said it I can see the oriental cats eyes. Interesting range of things that can be read into the drawing which never occurred to me as I start off knowing the answer of course.

Degsy I don't think they are threaded, but you are correct the holes are for all manner of inflammable & generally unpleasant things. Well done, so you have won. Richard seemed to be there then he gave up, maybe its beans on toast night & he can't get back on.

Graham, yes I think it would be painful but impractical as the spheres are rather large for that sort of nethering thing.

Well the old magic is still there. Yes, pretty much. Nope they have other purposes.

Afraid not familiar with that item. This is not a recreational device it has a military purpose.

So it is established that it is spherical & even pre-dates Daniel's 110. I can reveal that it came from a publication circa 1850.

Oh for goodness pull yourself together. It hasn't stopped you getting them right before.

Tony ingenious but nope.

Daniel glad you are joining in. I see what you mean, but this item pre-dates the motor vehicle, even your old 110

Hanno I agree entirely with you that the pig "is an obvious descendent of C15TA". This should be acknowledged more widely, it is particularly obvious when you look at the real Mk 1 which is the FV1609 with its canvas roof at the rear. I have never seen a white Pig in British Army service in Cyprus, all the ones I have seen were sand colour. The Bridge Classification is intriguing. I spoke to a veteran who explained. Makarios et al sort to place restrictions on the use of heavy vehicles on the basis that many bridges were unable to withstand the weight of such heavy vehicles. Overnight the Bridge Classifications were reduced & bridges were thus able to withstand the weight of Pigs falling from '6' to '5' & then even '4'. One always has to evaluate stories told by veterans. I am sometimes told all sorts of nonsense by apparent veterans who have an answer for everything & sometimes seem to improvise. But the vet told the above story was most believable, not only because he told me other details that I knew to be correct but for a couple of my questions he had the honesty to say "I'm sorry I don't know". When someone has the courage to say that, then to my mind their credibility goes shooting up. I am always circumspect of someone who has an answer for everything who will often fail on 'test' questions I pose, which is a terrible shame because there may be some useful info but I can't trust it.

Well if it is a survivor it has the wrong Bridge Classification it should be '6'. Yes I know 30 BK 09 displays '5' & I have a picture of it in Cyprus displaying '4' even. A picture of the pig with '7' would make a nice bit of nonsense for that wikipedi. It makes me cringe when I read the Hornet, Pig & Shorland pages. I cannot understand how the ill informed should contribute to what are regarded by many as a reference source. They have a picture of my FV1609, which is described as between a Mk 1 & a Mk 2, for goodness sake. I gather these things can be changed but I don't see what is to stop corrections being annulled by another poster. So anything I read there on any subject, I am very circumspect about.

Hanno well done finding those especially being able to view the large image which is quite detailed. I have actually seen this pig myself! It was converted into a Mk 2 & ended up in the Grange Cavern Museum, North Wales. But after it closed I don't know what happened to it.

Very nice to see thank you.

Nearly all of them!

Nope, it's spherical.

Tony its much bigger than that.

Can we have a picture? You know the Chassis No. So is there any other info like Contract No, FV No, etc & even the MOD plate showing which MOD Nos, have been struck through? I sort of thought that a trailer only needed a rear foglight if the towing vehicle had one?

Malcolm a particularly big welcome as you come bearing pictures of pigs! I have a picture I bought that was taken a few years ago of 2 pigs in Malta, at an airport I think. Would they be yours or Armed Forces ones. Have you got the British military registration numbers as I can give you some basic history. If its no longer on the vehicle it would be on the contract plate on the chassis if you put your head just in front of the wheel on the passengers side. I would be interested in any other pics you can post. I don't know whether these pigs were ever part of the Cyprus ones. On Cyprus some pigs were also used by Denmark & Canada under the auspices of NATO. It is some years since I was in Malta (honeymoon sometime in 1970s) but I have a feeling I saw a Shorland at the airport. Would that be likely? If so do you know what happened to that?

Nope, looks as if it could be though.

Nope, this is spherical if it helps.

Nope. I'd forgotten about that device, it did have 3 holes, but this is a much bigger thing

Nope, although they look as if they ought to.

Nope, but certainly looks as if it could have been.

Biology?:cool2: