Fugly

FERRET 05 CC 85

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1964/02/23/FS230264002/?s=armoured+car

WAS THIS A FERRET ?

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1961/09/22/FS220961002/?s=armoured+car

Ferret 00 da 54 film ref fs200861006 greatshot

humber pig 31 BK 02

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1961/08/20/FS200861010/?s=armoured+car

Here is an idea.

ITN archive news reports are available to purchase

see http://www.itnsource.com/

They have footage from Northern Ireland, Lebanon, Falklands , Gulfwar, BAOR, Cyprus, Kosovo, much of which features MOD Landrovers, Ferrets, Saracens , Saladins etc etc Some of the clips are held digitally and can be previewed on line - They are high quality films from conflicts all over the world. ITN are happy to transfer 10 news reports to a DVD for £149 plus Vat . If there are 10 people who can find footage of there cherished vehicle then that is only $14.90 plus VAT per person. I want two movies so I only need another 8 ?

If you can spend a few minutes searching you may strike gold AND SEE YOUR BELOVED ON SCREEN !! :cheesy:

I am happy to pay for the DVD initally based upon requests from individuals, and then will arrange copies to be sent out?

Anyone interested ? I will start looking through the clips to spot reg numbers .

Spent a total of about 13 hours unseizing the mantlet/mount on my Saladin - The gap between the mantlet and the turret is about 2 mm , just allowing paint scrapers to be used as chisels, and hacksaw blades if you are lucky. Thanks to John over at Canterbury who has restored 2 Saldins for his very useful advice. Plusgas works very well. Got through 4 scrapers, several hacksaw blades and plenty of penetrating oil.

Anyway, pictures says a thousand words.:-)

I have just been looking at some old news clips from ITN

http://www.itnsource.com/

and if you search "Ferret or scout car, or ferret, or BAOR etc " there are some great films of Ferret scout cars etc being used. You can view the preview. I searched Saladin and they have some footage of Omani Saladins firing , but there is no preview available.

05 CC 91 is seen leaving a transport aircraft in cyprus. The lebanon footage shows several desert coloured turreted ferrets ,

I you have already seen these clips please ignore this

Jim

Here are some more pictures, taken around 1971 in Oman , One is titled "National Day 1971" and the other two are called "Mudhai 1971". These photographs are courtesy of Geoff Begley.

Hello All

Following on to my other thread trying to research my Saladin , I have now been given the go ahead to show some of these pictures. They have come via a serving member of the Oman army who has ben involved with rebuilding a few of their gate guardians (ferrets and a Saladin). The vehicle shown are 82, 101, and 84 (These are the ones with visible numbers) Mine was vehicle 81 . Some of the pictures are poor quality as they appear to have been photographed behind a glass panel (I assume they are part of a display) . The Oman Armoured car squadron was not huge in numbers , so if you have an ex oman Saladin , yours may be here ! What is quite interesting is the location of the bridge plate on the R/H upper hull - mine was in the same place , also note the layout of the registration numbers ( Arabic above , western below).

Even the dates on the cartridge cases found in the hulls matched - 1970 . 75 ish. There was a conflict in that area during the early seventies, with lots of Support from UK contracted soldiers, specialists training the local troops :-Dand and units of the SAS were also there.

Anyway I will post more pics as I get them .

Well don't hold back man! The rest of us following along at home here would like to see those pictures as well. . . . now back to the studio.

 

 

R

Ok - I have had the go ahead to post some pics , so I will start a new thread caled "In service Pictures of Oman saladins"

Please have a look !

So it matches up with all those I saw at Sturminster Marshall? Although the word at the time was Yemen, that was only on a gossip basis.

Hello Clive

Looks like it , it would seem that they were swapped for scorpions around 1980 / 82 and ended up back in the UK. I wonder if they all still exist ? There were quite a few on the photos you posted , and it looks like they originally had about 36 Saladins. At least one was left behind and has recently been renovated by a chap in Oman who works for the Army, along with 2 ferrets (and a chieftain?).

He has been kind enough to dig up a few photos and I will post them when I can get his approval.

I am very busy un seizing the mantlet on my Saladin - and have had some expert advice from Jon in Canterbury - just need to put some elbow grease into it !!:-D

Will post a few pics asap.

Well don't hold back man! The rest of us following along at home here would like to see those pictures as well. . . . now back to the studio.

 

 

R

I will put afew pics on as soon as I get the go ahead - dont want to upset anybody at his end. He has sent me a pic of vehicle number 82 (and others) in service , mine was 81 so he is going to do some further digging around.

Hello All - very happy to have just received an email from a contact abroad who has just confirmed my Saladin has come from Oman - I had received some great help from members on the forum but have just received conclusive evidence. It now has a clear identity and I have pictures of some of its sisters in the armoured car squadron.

Hello All !

Just updating this thread - I am shotblasting the turret at the moment and can find no numbers or markings on the rear of the turret, some of the Saladin's in the pics kindly sent to me had clear markings on the back so I presume its not from that source . An earlier pic (see above ) shows a yellow disc on the side of the hull below turret - may be an oddly placed bridge plate? There is only one or two layers of desert yellow on the turret, with some green camo.

Found quite a few cartridge cases under the gearbox, all from around 1974. After studying a lot of the components there doesn't appear to have been any mods / rebuilds done (can't see and stamps etc). The rear plate has convoy markings on it , and shows an earlier layer of a green paint under sand yellow, one of the final layers of paint is a light green colour painted over the convoy marking. Hope to find more clues inside . Always keen to hear from people with ideas on its background.

Gents,

 

Can you help with a bit of insight please. My recently acquired Saladin was very nicely restored by a precious owner several years ago but had always been kept in a heated building. For this first winter here in Indiana I cannot give it the same warm accommodations, although it is indoors. It has surprised me by being completely leak free, with not so much as a damp spot. We recently had some very cold weather, where for several days it was 8 degrees F ( -13C) and checking it daily, was still dry even after the weather warmed up to more normal temps. Then we had a single day where the high was 63F (17C) and that evening I had puddles at 4 of the 6 wheel stations. The trails were down the inside of the backing plates and tires. It appears to be hydraulic fluid so I am assuming the wheel cylinders are to blame. Is this a common situation with this type of vehicle? I can only theorize the metal wheel cylinder bores contracted in the cold weather and then when they expanded in the warmer temps the rubber cups did not make the trip with them. I am inclined to start her up and see if they will pump up and reseal, but thought I should check here with those who know before I made any large errors in judgment. Thanks for any help you can give. Regards, Bob

Hi Bob

Mine doesn't leak at all ...... Ever....... Dry as a bone all year round ...... doesn't matter if its hot or cold ............. consistently dry.......:nut: (Mainly because it hasn't seen any fluid for years!!.) Hope you are well Bob and having fun . As you can see I have just started work.......

This is a great picture - very atmospheric !

And 08BB52....

Please note these photos have arrived here courtesy of an ex Royal dragoons soldier called Gordon Evans who has kindly given me his permission to post them.

And here is 08BB80.....

Hi Jim

 

I'd like to see Ferrets 00CA71 and 00CA90 please :-)

 

Cheers

 

Matt

Here they are ! Hope it is 00CA71 (gained a turret??) May be its 00CA21 ?? hard to read the number plate.

Please forgive me if I have misread it !

Here is the first pic -

Yes it looks like its part of the MG mount .

Here are some pics !

Cheers - It would make sense the the MT was for "mounting" - :-)

Very satisfying to get a result, however small, especially under ardous conditions. Best of luck with the rest of it

Cheers for that - Whilst crawling around I spotted this - another little buzz !! Its reffering to the Browning .30 fitted at some point - It say Browning No 2 Mk 111 serial number MT124162.

I wonder if this was the guns serial number ?

:nut: Hello all

Hope the snow is not stopping all your vehicular activities. I just thought I would give you all a quick insight into my evening , and how a little event made me very happy.

I have started in a minor way to restore my Saladin, and yesterday I finally got the turret undercover ( after promising myself to do it since April ) - its now in a garage where I can work on it . The whole vehicle , and all its parts are now protected from the elements. Yesterday I scraped a lot of ice off the turret it and today it had thawed out.

Tonight , I had only intended to do little bit of work on it - playing really, but after seeing the number of seized parts all over the hull and turret , I wanted to "have a little go" at unseizing something. Armed with a tin of WD 40 . some spanners and a (SMALL) prybar I set to work on the gunners hatch - aware that it is "spring loaded" with a torsion bar , I worked slowly and was able to get plenty of WD40 into the joints . I clambered inside and unseized the locking catch ( no mean feat as the turret is sat on a wooden pallet so my work area is only 2 feet high on the inside).

I suspect the hatch has not been opened for over 20 years - so , expecting a long job I climbed out and started to work on the hinge .

Slowly, very slowly I was able to get some movement , as it moved in went more WD40 - and 20 minutes later the hatch was wide open - a further 20 minutes and it is closing smoothly, the torsion bar doing its job , springing the hatch open 3 inches from the fully closed. I,m a lucky boy and if some of the other hinges are as forgiving as this then I will be more than happy. I left the "shed" smiling .

I know I have a lot of work to do , but each little job is a step forward !!

It does lead me on to a question on modification plates. ( I spotted one on some equipment bolted to the turret) - If a vehicle was sold to an overseas government , would it have been modified on the same basis as if it had been with our MOD ? Does anyone know ? I know there will not be a definitive answer but generally speaking were modifications kept up to date on vehicles used by foreign governments?

Would like to see them when you get them Jim, I had a Saladin Once. I always thought they were a Handsome looking vehiicle, though impracticable for our purposes. Buy hey, when has 'Imparacticable' ever meant anything sensible to us Military Vehicle owners!

:-D "impractical" ??? What does that mean I consider that for entering a war zone a Saladin would be very practical. Not so hot down at Sainsbury's.

I am being sent the photos , as soon as they arrive I will post them,

Jim