john_g_kearney

Another great show, many thanks to all concerned.

It was grand to see the T34/85 again so soon - it and its dedicated crew had been at Tankfest only a few days previously.

John.

Yes, another great day at the Yorkshire Wartime Experience - many thanks to all concerned.

John.

I think they are CC60L, not CMP C60L.

My impression is that they were both supplied with cabs, which have been cut off. The near lorry has retained its windscreen, but the far one has not.

I have just noticed a detail - the near one has its L census number stencilled on the wood below the door aperture.

John.

These wrecks are British Army lorries (perhaps operated by British colonial troops) used in Ethiopia in circa 1941. I think they are Canadian-built Chevrolet CC60L. Are the timber cabs a common conversion in East Africa please? If not, it is odd that there are two identical next to each other.

John.

Well remembered, John! I searched for 'railway' and found the post. It does indeed look like a signpost directing traffic to 40 ASP.

John.

The last photograph I posted is the bomb - it is about 4 times bigger than the bomb/shell in front of the ute.

Yes, I dare say it took some machining...

John.

It does have the look of a shell about it.

This is the bomb:

Many thanks, Wally, Richard and John.

Re the ute, the similarity of design between the various manufacturers does complicate things...

Re the bomb in front of the ute, there is an even bigger one to the right (which I have cropped off). Unexploded bombs seem to have been favoured for decorating the car park at Alamein station.

John.

The Ford ute does indeed look very like the Alamein vehicle. How likely was it that an Australian vehicle was in the Western Desert - how much MT, if any, did the Australians bring with them when they arrived in theatre?

John.

Many thanks, John.

I have found another 40 ASP lorry in the far background of a photograph. No mystery about the lorry itself - a Bedford - but what is the semi-trailer intended to carry?

John.

Another photograph of an 40 ASP vehicle - it is at Alamein station. I presume it is Canadian built, but cannot ID the manufacturer.

John.

Yes, it says Ambulance - but my guess is that it is a 6x4 Ford WOT1.

John.

I don't know the unit here - all that is written on the back is Aboukir, Egypt.

Nice collection of vehicles though.

John.

Many thanks for the clarification re the role of an ASP.

John.

This is the man possibly wearing cook's whites. (Looks convincing to me...)

John.

Not sure if this member of 40 ASP is going to bother with a mug...

Did an Air Stores Park handle food, drink and clothing, or only such as fuel, oils and parts as required by aircraft?

John.

Many thanks, John. Detail views here.

As well as the German jerrycan, note too the German 5 cm ammunition box - I think the stencil reads '5 cm KWK" ie the ammunition for the 5 cm gun as fitted to versions of the PzKpfw III.

John.

It helps a lot, Ted, many thanks.

John.

Richard and John, many thanks for your various responses. Unit is 40 Air Stores Park, serving in the Western Desert. I believe the unit went to Italy subsequently.

Here are members of the unit with a different trailer. Is that a sun helmet on the ground far left?

John.

This is the group photograph. Is it possible to ID the type of trailer please, I wonder?

John.

Many thanks, John and Richard.

I have found another view of it - a tiny part of a group photograph, here much enlarged. Is it looking more like a Chevrolet from this angle?

Any thoughts on the tank please - water or petrol?

John.

This photograph is of members of 40 Air Stores Park, serving in the Western Desert circa 1943. Any thoughts about the tanker lorry in the background please? The chassis looks military with its single instead of twin rear wheels, but the tank does not (to me at least...)

John.

I too have been wondering if the photograph was taken in the latter part of the campaign in Tunisia.. An oddity though is that the American soldiers appear to be equipped with the M1917 helmet (see below) rather than the M1.

I wonder if the man on the right is the driver of the lorry? His sun helmet does not appear to be British. Could he be Free French, and the lorry also be allocated by the British to the French? If the badge on the lorry is French, it would explain why there is no arm of service marking.

John.

Would anybody care to comment please on the divisional sign worn by this Austin K3? It appears to be the 12th (Eastern) Division, but this was disbanded after Dunkirk. The photograph is not captioned, but it appears to show US infantry being disembarked from a liner so it was taken post Dunkirk. (Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, 8e00065)

John.

It would be interesting to know what was in the rear body of the armoured CMP in the photograph - but the body was cropped off by the photographer. This is the complete photograph. The other two lorries are presumably civilian-owned and are in a convoy protected by the Royal Artillery gunners manning the CMP.

John.