chrisgrove

A few more! Once again; aplogies if I've duplicated any. The grandchildren are here for a few days before Christmas and its bedlam here! Chris

Sorry guys; family crisis has left me with no time for the next installment today. Tomorrow, I hope. Chris

Hi Clive Herewith next installment - maybe some still in BW as the colours are so muted that its quite hard to tell at a casual glance. When I've finished the pigs, I'll give you some fibreglass armoured vehicles - most, as far as I remember are from Derry, just post Motorman. I'll study your questions, but am not sure I can answer many of them! Apologies for any duplicates; photobucket is not showing my pic numbers! Sandbags on Mk Is - I have no idea - never even noticed them! But I attach a better pic of one for you. White panels on offside mudguards; I have a faint memory that they were like blank reflective number plates, so plastic, white, reflective. Chris

Right guys; first installment. Sorry Clive the first two are Mk 1s from Palace Barracks Holywood in 1970, not 69 (according to my record of service anyway). And, by the way, the AoS on the left of the second pic, which my machine has blanked out, was 39/9 in white on a red square. Colour of those Mk Is was DBG (ie, slightly shiny) with matt brown patches The next three are Mk IIs from Fort Monagh Andersonstown in about 1976 or 77. That's all the black and white ones; next installment will be in glorious technicolour. Chris

Hi guys You might get bored with me! I have about 25 pics of in-service pigs in NI; Mk 1s in 1969 at Palace Barracks Holywood and Mk 2s at Fort Monagh in Andersonstown a few years later. Complete with pastel emulsion paint decoration courtesy of Turf Lodge and one hit by a 3.5 rocket launcher. Watch this space but its my bedtime now. But no funnies like flying pigs as we never had any! Chris

1. Unlikely to be ex-RAF with that callsign painted on the door. Probably ex BATUS. 2. With antenna mounts on the tub, and a callsign, could well be an FFR and thus 24 volt. 3. Well, I've done Medicine Hat, Alberta to Toronto, but it did take a few days (but the car came off a scrap heap). Edmonton would be a bit further. Chris

A Base Vehicle Depot is a large warehouse where vehicles not immediately needed by units are stored. They are available to units short of vehicles for whatever reason, or to units entering theatre. They may even be pre-allocated to reinforcement units. The divisional sign you describe is almost certainly that of 3rd Infantry Division. There was no 3rd Armoured Division until 1978 when all the divisions in BAOR were armoured, 3 Div then continued to use the same sign, though these were generally no longer painted on vehicles. A binned vehicle is, as you suggest, one designed with bins and cupboards inside in order to carry stores. Chris

A Base vehicle Depot is a warehouse where vehicles that are not immediately needed for issue to units are held. They are available for issue to units that are short of vehicles for whatever reason, or to units entering theatre. They may even be pre-allocated to reinforcement units. The divisional sign you describe is almost certainly that of 3rd Infantry Division, though, on vehicles, the black triangle is normally painted on a red disc. There was no 3rd Armoured Division until 1978 when all the divisions in BAOR were armoured. Chris

Hi guys I've answered my owm question by asking Les Freathy (well known modeller and also the author of a couple of well known (well, if they're not, they should be) books on British Softskins) if he had any info. The text of his answer was not very encouraging but he attached a pic of the water tank version of this trailer which reveals that the number plate (vertical format - three lines with two digits on each) was attached to the right hand (yes RIGHT) mudguard just above the refective T trailer marking (of the time). It surprised me as the later light fitting had the number plate attached to the outrigger to the left of the tailboard - you can see the frame for it on the pic above.. Chris

An interesting point. This trailer carries a reflective T trailer marking on the rear. Does anyone know when the reflective T was replaced by a reflective triangle in similar style? Chris

Nice pic of this trailer, even if the subject is a little overgrown. This trailer had several different lighting plans. This is, I think, the last with outriggers carrying lights, reflectors at front and rear, and the number plate at rear left. I am making a model of the beast; I can cope with the lights, but can anyone tell me where the number plate was carried on the first version, when there were just a couple of red lights mounted on the outside of the rear? Chris

Many thanks to all those who have contributed to this thread. I didn't expect so much interest. However, the mount is clearly not what I see on my pic. On closer perusal, I reckon it is just one of the cabtop hatches open (think the temperatures in Egypt). Chris

I have seen a pic of one in Malaya with a turret added rather like the Dingos out there. Don't know how many got there. Chris

Thanks all. I am in contact with Richard via PM. It's not really vital as I cannot read the number plate of the truck, so will go for a likely Humber one, nor the markings, but since Dad was a Para (actually 3 Para but was posted home shortly before Suez and spent much time in the War Office trying to source the various bits we needed but had scrapped) I will guess 2 Para for the markings as the pic looks like well down the canal! I guess that not many of the trucks actually mounted the MG mount. Chris

Hi Richard, The link is on Page 10 of Zero-Five-Two's blog on the Restoration of a Militant Mk 1 Tanker - in the Restoration Blogs heading. Chris

Delighted to say I have just found a pic of a Humber 1 ton of AATDC (Army Airtransport Training and Development Centre) with the rear Pegasus about to jump into the centre of the truck. Delighted because the only decals I have (in 1/76 scale) face that way! Maybe not all airborne soldiers were aware of the convention. Chris

My records indicate that 11 Infantry Brigade left 4 Div in Jun 1942 so that 12 Inf Bde was the second senior Brigade of the 4th Division for the Italian and Greek campaigns. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that the Royal West Kents have had (and still have, as far as I know)a club for members of 1RWK from the Italian campaign which is known as the 62 Club. When I asked why, I was advised that 1 RWK carried the AoS number 62 throughout the Italian campaign. That would suggest to me that their vehicles were marked with a white 62 on a green square, indicating the junior unit in the second senior brigade in the division (as well as the 4 Div sign, of course). My references also suggest that 1 Infantry Brigade (Guards) left 78 Infantry Division in March 1943 so that 36 Infantry Brigade was the second senior Brigade of 78 Div. I am also confused with the suggestion that 6RWK were the senior unit in the brigade, when, as far as I can see, 5 Buffs ought to be the senior. If I was going to mark up a vehicle of 6RWK (as I might very well do one day), I would give it a white 61 on a green square. You do not ask for details of 5RWK who were the senior unit (the only British Battalion) in 21 Indian Infantry brigade, the junior Brigade of 8 Indian Infantry Division. However, they ought to be showing white 69 on a brown square as well as the three yellow clover leaves (with stem) on a dark red background of 8 Indian Div. Hope this helps. Chris (not quite ex-RWK as they amalgamated just before I was commissioned)

The cabs of many Cold War era British trucks (even post 39-45 but pre-Cold war) had a hatch above the passenger seat around which were to be seen four round headed knobe fixed to the cab roof. I have always understood that these were for a machine gun (bren, I assume) mounting, but I have never seen a picture until now. I have a pic of a Humber 1 ton (FV1600) at Suez with something fairly substantial mounted on the cab, but the pic is too fuzzy to be able to see the details. Does anyone have any pics of such a mount? Chris

Sam Sing in Hong Kong used to make all sorts of webbing items. As far as I remember his webbing looked much like the issue stuff, but faded much quicker! Chris

I have to say that following a Martian recovery up a moderately steep hill - this year or at the end of 2015 - was a very frustrating business! Chris

You may well be right, but all the pictures of Martian gun tractors that I could find were while they were equipped with 5.5s. Towing a 25 pounder with a Martian would definitely be overkill; 25 pounders were towed by Quads or Bedford RLs. Incidentally the picture of the Priest in the 'Guns used by the regiment' section is a Sexton. Chris

All the Militant artillery tractors I've seen have rounded rear wheel arches; this looks like a GS 10 tonner to me. Am I missing something? Chris

The School of Infantry at Warminster had a mobile Comet target vehicle when I did my Platoon Commanders Course in Jan 1963 (Yes it was cold, but I hit the thing with my practice Energa grenade). Chris

Yes, but the spare wheel should still show if the print is the right way round! Chris:-D

Hi rivet, Sir I am a modeller, currently making a small model of an MWD and have been lurking all the way through your blog. Much useful stuff for me there. But what I would really like is an idea of what the exhaust system looks like. It would appear that the manifold is on the left of the truck, and as far as I can see (not far!) the whole system runs down the left side. OK, it is hard to see the exhaust system in pictures of a real truck - and harder still on a model about three inches long - but I would be very grateful if you could let me know roughly how long the silencer box is (boxes??) and where the end of the exhaust pipe sits. TIA Chris