challenger

Comet, one of several on the range at Kirkcudbright. I have quite a few photographs of the Comets there, would it be useful if I stared another thread just for the Comet at Kirk. If not I will continue to post here. These are all of the same vehicle.

As far as I can remember they were painted camouflage when we got them from the RUC. Was a bit odd using that camouflage in urban areas but the rest of the Regiments vehicles were also that scheme, although better painted. I remember being told that the stripes in the Cam were to be not less than 18 inches and not any wider than 24 inches. The things you remember. There was only two Mercedes Water Cannon used by the Army, we went to Bonn to be trained by the German police, brought them back in the dead of night in a Shorts Belfast. Think one of them was written of being driven by the RCT, they tried a sharp maneuver whilst the water tank was half full. A little uncontrollable when not full or empty at speed.The fourth picture is a practice riot with some obliging infantry. I have more but it will take time to locate them, I will post them when I have them. Photographs were taken on the New Lodge Road and Girdwood Park 1970

Yep I will dig them out

No didn't get the tie I had moved on to Cyprus by the time the tie was organized. I only served on the Mercedes and the Commer. I would agree that the design of the Commer was not great and, as I said, the water cannon role was not very well fulfilled. It was slow and handled like a lump of jelly. Bullet proof though, well sort of.

What happened to these? I think there was one in the RCT museum at one time. When I worked the pump it belong to 17th/21st Lancers and was used in Belfast and Londonderry. Photographs taken 1970 Girdwood Park Belfast. The brick marks after a night on the town can be seen all over the front. I remember from another forum the comment that the pump exhaust put fumes into the fighting compartment and that the crew had to wear respirators. I don’t remember that problem and we only wore respirators to combat the CS gas that was about. Of course a respirator will be of little use when trying to overcome exhaust fumes. We took these from the RUC when we got rid of the Mercedes Water Cannons that we had used for some time. The decision being made because the Mercedes were not armoured. As a water cannon the Commer was way inferior to the German vehicle but the bad guys had started firing bullets.

Yes a Conqueror, 07 BA 74 The vehicle is actually a rebuilt Caernarvon. These pictures taken at the same time as the Sherman picture. Tank in the background? Comet, one of several at Kirkcudbright.

Sherman at Kirkcudbright you will get an idea of what the salt air does to these vehicles up there. These were taken September 2011.

M60A1 and Chieftain looking the worse for wear. Both vehicles used as recovery aides in Oman. As far as I know they are still there. This photo was taken about four years ago.

Heard last year that the trustees of the Tank Museum have decided that if an item cannot be displayed then it is to go. So maybe the scrap man really is coming.

Sorry about that, I have some of the Canadian ones in Various places in Canada somewhere. They are still in situ and looked after although the ones I have seen have most of the inards removed. I will dig them out and post them, might not be soon as we have just moved house.

Hello, does the RLC museum contain the stuff that was in the RCT museum? If so do you still have the Humber water cannon as used by the RUC then the Army in Northern Ireland? Interested because I was a crewmember for a while when they were operated by the RAC. Regards, Peter

Two more Sherman that are now long dead. Below: A later build Sherman that was part of a batch that was given to Canada by the US at the end of the war. There are many undamaged examples in cities around Canada. This one was in the impact area at the British Army Training Unit Suffield BATUS. We moved it in the late eighties so it would be within the range template for Chieftain and Challenger. Below: An early vehicle that was on Lulworth ranges. A few days after this was taken the turret was taken off by a hit from a 120mm DS/T. Technology obviously moving on for practice ammunition to do that damage at 1000m. I promise the next pictures will be better quality.

Yep that's the one, judging by the incompletnes I would say it was dumped as scrap. I'm glad I joined this site lots of people with interesting info.

This was taken in Omagh Northern Ireland in 1970 I believe the vehicle was withdrawn early 71. It was used as a part time snow plough but not exclusively. I don’t know who the smart REME chap is. I used to see this vehicle cutting about but was always a problem to start as I remember. The picture appeared in the 1970 issue of the White Lancer and Vedette, the journal of the 17th/21st Lancers.

I am being very dim, it is not Horston but Haltern SW of Munster. Quite a large training area mainly used for recovery training. Quite a few wrecks there including three Conquerors. They do move around quite a bit there is some information about them in Bob Griffin's book Conqueror.

Took this in dockside Manila 2010 don't know much about it except someone put in a lot of effort to get it out of the jungle. Looks ordinary to me but I know little regarding Sherman.

A long way from home. A T34/85 in Nigeria being used as a recovery training aide. It still had oil and rubbish leaking out of it.

A Conqueror at Horsten in Germany

An early Centurion at Kirkcudbright One of several Comets at Kirkcudbright

Hello from Dorset, you may be interested in some photographs that I have taken over the last twenty years. These three are from Oman and Kirkcudbright. The Tortoise was photographed last September.