Adrian Barrell

Rh front chassis rail, under the wing but behind the wheel ISTR. It will be 981**** or similar! Easy enough to get an age related plate, you just need a dating letter from an approved club. MVT and IMPS are on the DVLA list.

Or a crate of Tui...

Steve, I was aware that the vast majority of plate was home produced, and certainly all the later production. I'm not altogether sure why manufacture was continued in metric sizes, probably just because that's always how it had been! I actually just measured a couple of Cromwell turrets to confirm this and found the following. Cromwell turrets used a 1/2" ms inner shell with a 20mm BP roof welded in and 1 3/4", 2" and 2 1/2" BP plates bolted on. So not all armour was metric, perhaps it was just the thinner sizes. Certainly Cromwell engine decks are 14mm and Churchill VII turret roof is, like Cromwell, 20mm. All grist to the mill!

British armour plate of that era was all metric, it was a result of buying armour before WW2 from Austria I believe. All the wartime British tanks I have had anything to do with had metric armour and imperial everything else! In some ways it makes restoration work a lot easier!

Because I suspect the CAA will gleefully investigate this themselves. They may involve the AAIB, especially if there is a suspicion that the aircraft failed to perform as expected but we will have to wait and see.

I doubt one will be published. It's not an AAIB investigation so it's only likely to be known about by those involved.

Wikipedia has a little, though as always with wiki, it may be total rubbish! It gives a gross weight but looking at the other models specs, I would estimate about 120T empty.

Absolutely! The tank museum do it to a minor degree but a tank show with participants from all the big museums and collections would be excellent!

Always happy to receive visitors!

Israeli contract FN30. http://browningmgs.com/FN/01_30.htm

Cheers Bomber, nice to know I'm not senile....yet!

It's an M40 but unless IWM have sold it, it's not privately owned. ISTR it originally came from Rotunda about 20 years ago so maybe on loan to IWM. Can anyone confirm if privately owned?

Nah, I use those as skips........:-D

The composite body is not that rare at all, a lot of the rebuilt MDAP GMCs had them, mine did!

That is a crappy makers plate isn't it! I would have expected a cast plate as on other British vehicles but perhaps it is an indication of it's builder.

I have T65563 listed in contract TM5406 covering 474 TPC no1 mk2.(T65441-T65914) Also in that contract are 287 TS&C no1 and no2, T65915-T66201 and 239 TT no2, T66202-T66440. This contract was issued to Mr V Loyd himself.

The 2" mortar rounds were only smoke with a tiny propellant charge, not fun to be next to if they caught fire but nothing like a load of HE main armament rounds!

Alex, yes that's the same vehicle. The hull went to the IOW to be appraised for restoration but as far as I know, nothing has happened since, a great shame in my opinion.

Thanks Steve, I've calmed down now....... All this goes to prove that you can't make bold statements from isolated incidents. The Churchill VII had 6" of frontal armour but it was not unknown for a hit on the visor plate to drop the whole plate into the drivers lap. Probably very rare but it did happen. All tanks were being penetrated, the ones that didn't catch fire as readilly were perhaps better for the crew.

They have? The Bovington A30 is well known, though sadly unrestored but where is the other one? I must have missed that!

No it wasn't, there is at least one in preservation in the US and I suspect a few more around the world.

I'm amazed at those numbers Steve, only 750 served? When you think the Brirish Army received around 17000 Shermans.....

Oi! Wash your mouth out......:box: :-D

Whilst it is a shame that so many have gone under the guns, the use of redundant tanks as targets has actually resulted in many rare vehicles being saved for restoration. In most cases, they would have been scrapped long ago if not put on ranges so the nett result is probably a positive one.