shadow_wolf

Welcome to the forum.

It is called a Vent Tube. they were used to fire the 120mm Main Gun in the chieftain Battle Tank.

held in a magazine on the breech mech in use.

they are ELECTRICALLY fired, NOT percussion.

 

Projectile = Bag Charge = Initiator (Vent Tube) BANG!.....

 

I cannot comment if Challenger uses the same system, as I have not been inside a Chally to date!

Thanks

I'll add a photo of its base today....

So, has this one been saved?

Not sure on that one. I hope it has.

Made by remploy in 1952. Standard issue in all postwar tanks & afv's. They were for the ranging/coax mg's. & also main armament mg's like the .30" cal browing used on ferret,s, saracens ect.

 

I have sold many of these in the past. They are hard to source these days!

 

Used to stow maintainance tools & weapon spare parts & cleaning rod sets for the mg used on board respective afv's in british service.

Cheers for the info ferretfixer

If only we could turn back the clocks, or have time travel, with what we know now, the stuff that we could have saved :-)

Cheers for the help guys

Its in good condition inside as well. Cost me a fiver, there was loads of them, sadly all gone now.

Anyone got any ideas what this is please? I have been told that it could be some type of percussion cap used with the ammo for Challenger 1 tanks...

Picked this up earlier this year. I have been told its the spare parts box for a .50 cal. As it has 'A.F.V' and 'TANKS' + the date 1955, does anyone know what vehicle it is off?

Thanks in advance, Simon.

Welcome to the forum

A friend of mine was doing some building work a few years back on the old Bridgend site. Lots of old arty shell heads turned up, Bomb Squad arrived and declared it all safe, and before they left my mate was allowed to keep one of the heads, which should be mine the next time I see him

Cheers for the info, interesting stuff.

From what I understand the Government changed their minds about 20 years ago, when they realised how many tanks had left the MOD and were now in the hands of public. This meant that the vehicles left at H&M sales/Hanningfield Metals had to be cut up.

I may be wrong so if any one else has any info on this, it would be great to hear the rest of the story...

Some photos found on the web of one of the Churchills found in Iraq.

http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/rich_sahli/churchill_photos.htm

In case any one is interested, just before the place closed down the owner told me how much the MOD wanted for the Ferrets and other vehicles....

If you are reading this, please make sure you are sitting down before I continue.....

Ok, the Ferrets were sold to H&M sales/Hanningfield metals by the MOD for £140 each, and the Scorpions and Centurions were sold for £100 each - as they were more difficult to move :wow:

I nearly fell backwards when he told me this....

Clive there was a covered area near the middle of the yard, like a large car port, the Humber was under there amongst a few other vehicles. It looked like it had come from Northern Ireland.

Cheers for posting them Clive. Do you have any photos of the Scorpions that were there, or the Humber Pig?

I remember how much they wanted for the Ferrets at the time, between £1200 and £1500 if my memory serves me right. And £7000 for the Scorpions. last year I was told how much they had cost to buy from the MOD, bit of a price mark up on them by the time they were sold :shocked:

Cheers, Simon.

Just found number '43' on the web, its famous:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ferret-Scout-Car-18EA24.jpg

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum

I too have heard stories from friends who were tasked with similar jobs at the end of the war. My family knew an old soldier who used to pop round and help with the garden. As a kid I used to hound him for stories about his time during the war. I was always asking him where could I find a Tiger tank, to which he would answer look in the dunes in North Africa if you want to find a German tank.

Anyway, he told me that after the war he was he stationed in Essex, one of the duties he performed was to help bury a tank on Galleywood Common in Essex. Story goes that the vehicle had had engine troubles, the engine was removed, war ends, tank gets forgotten about, and then buried a few years latter without its engine.

This would sound like a wild goose chase if it were not for the fact that other local residents remember the tank being there. Still have not tracked down where exactly the vehicle is, and still have not been able to find any hard proof of its being there, yet I have heard there was a photo taken of it which was printed in a local newspaper.

I also know of an WW2 American jeep in a pond on private land in the same area, but thats another story...

We are already starting to see Spitfires come up for sale, possibly being sold now before there is a few more on the market....

Hi ya,

Lots of vehicles buried - that sounds interesting :-)

These were taken earlier this year just before it was all turned to scrap.

Hello

 

Have you any pics of ferrets there?

 

Cheers

 

Matt

Sorry Toolman, the Ferrets were there at the same time as the Scorpions and other heavy stuff, must have been about 20 or so years ago. I took some photos at the begining of this year, just before the blokes that were running the place left owing the landlords money. Everything that was left was due to be scrapped, Everything :cry:

I was brought up across the fields from Hanningfield Metals/H&M Sales nr Chelmsford Essex.

I remember all the Scorpions and Ferrets that sat there. I'm wondering does anyone have any photos of the tanks in that yard?

If anyones interested, I have photos of some of the equipment that was sold there just before the place closed down, showing what was left before it was all scrapped.