Magnakater

One wandered, lonely as a cloud. Yes, another interesting sky after 94BD67 in the north of England! Centurions draw me, perhaps you too? Having also dusted off the salty sinking sands of Egypt we're now back in Tripolitania. Land of sun, sand, sea and Sabratha. Yes, a camouflaged Centurion Mk3, 06ZR62, fitted with a Hohne Organ, had a 'more than once' chance encounter with a US Army Topographic Survey unit who had managed to 'stick' their 3/4 ton truck (Dodge ? something or the other, fitted with winch) on top of a little sand dune. 'Out of nowhere' came the 2nd Dragoon Guards, The Queen's Bays (Cavalry) to the rescue! The tank from B sqn The Bays of course, successfully released the US Army from their entrapment. Notice the H marking. It's summer 1957. 10 Armd Div still nominally in existence and the tank wears the white left-facing standing rhino on a black oval, complemented by a red rectangle bearing a white 50 as the senior armoured unit in the division (the other being 5 RTR at Barce, Cyrenaica). So perhaps not all of the Bays Centurions were daubed in DAK colours for the film makers!

Photo by Thomas Smith US Army

The camouflage could simply be an easy way of covering up (overpainting) the DAK insignia. Magnakater.

MELF 57? One thinks you may be thinking of BFPO 57, the postal address which covered all locations in Tripolitania, even when the few remaining locations became part of NELF, headquartered in BFPO 51, Malta (later becoming Malta & Libya Command). So when I was a far younger 'uman bean' than now, I lived in Homs, Tripolitania, Libya BFPO 57 where, one could sometimes hear the simultaneous distinctive purr of more than 80 B-Series engines of the regiment's armoured cars and APCs. Not that one was old enough to realise, know or be interested in those sorts of things then. Tapping one's Wheetabix, pre-milk addition, was such fun as we competed to see whose cereal would produce the greatest number of weevils! And, if you didn't get them all out, they floated to the top, if you waited long enough! :red:

MELF to my limited knowledge, was MELF, without numbers, headquartered first in Egypt then Cyprus (with their own BFPO numbers based on their locations).

In Cyrenaica District, all locations were covered by Tobruk BFPO 56 and Benghazi BFPO 55.

Of course, there may have been other BFPO numbers assigned to Libya locations though I’m not aware of them, nor do I profess to know when the locations were first allocated a BFPO number. Perhaps a philatelist would know.:cool2:

When at 19 Armd Wksp I used to send off the "State of the Workshops" report every month the HQ MELF 57 Cyprus.

Tony Burton

Popping back to 19 Armoured Workshop at Gialo Barracks (Annexe) and the storm damage, look what else was under the collapsed workshop roof!

Yes, there's the MP LR again, and next to it are, to quote the photographer "The Standard Vanguard is a Phase 1 model identified as such by the spats fitted to the rear bodywork/wheel arches.

This vehicle was in it's civilian colour being a beige cum pink shade so reasonably compatible with our local sand camouflage colour. The black Humber Pullman must have been frightfully hot in the Summer months since it was not air conditioned!".

That scenario would have been worth a few 'extras' for someone, I'm sure! Who parked 'prestige' cars like that under a rickety tin leanto? It wasn't our photographer, I'm sure! :-D

Photo by Tony Burton 56:10 REME

The phase 1 Vanguard "belonged" to CREME and the Black Humber Pullman "belonged" to the GOC Tripoli District and NO it wasn't me who parked them under the rickety corrugated iron roof! lol Tony Burton

Now it’s time to show you Champ chaps and chapesses a Champ! This one belongs to 6 Fd Pk Sqn RE based at Prinn Barracks (it’s what the vehicle flashes, amongst other information I have, are telling me) though we see it outside 5 Medium Wksp REME Gurgi whilst on a REME ‘road’ test following a repair by the said workshop. The REME chap driving it is John Middleton, a National Serviceman who joined up the same time with Tony Burton REME. Both were in the same 56:10 intake and posted to workshops in Tripoli. They became best friends and it is through Tony’s generosity that I can show some of John’s Tripoli photos.

Not sure what the H1 sign means and I can’t make out all the wording on the road test sign. On the top blue bar I believe I see ‘5 Med Wksp ****’, on the yellow bar the word(s) are impossible to read and, the red bottom bar has ‘Road Test’ written on it. Sadly, despite best efforts at remediation, the photo remains, blurred.

Notice the state of the workshop wall; the physical state of the barracks were well below par compared to others used by the British in Libya (as confirmed in official journals of the period). Accommodation was tented apart from a bungalow for the OC.

Photo by John Middleton NS56:10 REME

Sorry but I can't help with the wording on the "Road Test" plate. The ruinous state of the masonry building reflects the ferocity of the fighting there during WW2. One only had to kick the sand around to discover old shell cases, mainly 50cal or thereabouts. Sadly John Middleton died 4 years ago from a brain tumour and our mutual friend Maurice Cooling 2 years ago from Non-Hodgkinsons lymphoma. Tony Burton aka Magnakater.

Parked right next to the LR. Can't you see it? See then, how well that sand blends in with Light Stone to the degree that things become invisible! :-D

Maybe next time it will reveal itself?

 

Oh, whilst replying, I must point out, in my helpful 'mistress of information' capacity, that the badge 'MELF' is the abbreviation for Middle East Land Forces, just in case you were wondering :laugh:

And Tripoli District was MELF 57! Magnakater.

You don't happen to have a photo do you ?

Sadly no Ian. This was 60 years ago! One thing I can tell you is that the vehicle was originally painted khaki so an army vehicle not RAF.

The Moggie has the enlarged rear window of the 1000 which dates this photo as post 1956. I first saw a 1000 in 1957 in Tripoli..

Magnakater QUOTE]

 

I know nothing about cars though the photos show the unit geared up for war, the 1956 Suez invasion and despite not participating, the vehicles remained thus marked, with a H and in use like that for well up to a year and in some cases, beyond, or, were as we've seen earlier, parked up and awaiting use as a hard target. The reverse of the photos says 1956 and Wiki tells me the Moggie with the enlarged rear window first appeard in ...... 1956! :embarrassed: The Moggie is not sand coloured anyway!

 

Wiki is correct. The Moggie 1000 was introduced in 1956 in the UK, hence my comment that the photo must post date 1956

 

• :-) Magnakater
  

Good luck with your restoration Ian. I served my time as a civilian mechanic 1950-56. We had a very early version of your "tilly" as a runabout. It was vitually identical to your vehicles except that it still had the civilian "waterfall" radiator shell fitted. We constructed a sheet metal upper body to replace the canvas tilt making it warmer and drier!

Magnakater

QUOTE=Ian L;468690]Bought these 2 Tillys about 3-4 years ago & put them into storage but now the Humber is on the road I thought I would make a start.

Wiki is correct. The Moggie 1000 WAS first introduced in 1956 in the UK hence my statement that the photo MUST be post 1956. :-)

Magnakater.

QUOTE=BlueBelle;485239]

The Moggie has the enlarged rear window of the 1000 which dates this photo as post 1956. I first saw a 1000 in 1957 in Tripoli..

Magnakater QUOTE]

 

I know nothing about cars though the photos show the unit geared up for war, the 1956 Suez invasion and despite not participating, the vehicles remained thus marked, with a H and in use like that for well up to a year and in some cases, beyond, or, were as we've seen earlier, parked up and awaiting use as a hard target. The reverse of the photos says 1956 and Wiki tells me the Moggie with the enlarged rear window first appeard in ...... 1956! :embarrassed: The Moggie is not sand coloured anyway!

The Moggie has the enlarged rear window of the 1000 which dates this photo as post 1956. I first saw a 1000 in 1957 in Tripoli..

Magnakater

QUOTE=BlueBelle;484991]Well, that's the K9s parked up for now, shelter tents packed away neatly ...... until the next time! :-)

We certainly learn lots here, don't we? Of course we do, all good stuff as far as I'm concerned.

Now, we're back in Tripoli, Tripolitania where 10 Armd Div Ord Fd Pk had been formed from the smaller 25 Armd Bde Ord Fd Pk, which, if I'm not misinterpreting the records, had existed in cadre form as part of the parent unit, 595 Ord Depot RAOC Kassala Bks (Mareth Bks pre-1955). The Ord Fd Pk seems to have been located in some other barracks and not with 595 Ord Depot. Could have been they were at Gurgi which seems most likely as the 595 Ord Veh Park were there, sharing 'the land' (a very basic 'barracks' with supposedly, no accommodation blocks though plenty of .... TENTS!) with 19 Armd Wksp REME and 5 Medium Wksp REME. RAOC Journals are so vague and provide no barrack names for units but they do tell you what the football score was having played against some other unit! Paff!

So, here's the some of the unit lined up in 1956, with their warpaint on (H) ready to go to somewhere they were not allowed to go to after all. Oh, look at all them RL Binners, and even Hippos!

Some vehicles do not display the 97 on the RAOC arm of service flash which makes me think those were issued from the main Ord or Veh depot to bolster the Ord Fd Pk (97) vehicle numbers.

What purpose the rectangular concrete arches serve is beyond me, though there are two b&w signs visible with the closest saying 'Receipts'. Perhaps the other says 'Issues' though I'm told that as stores were for storing, there were never any issues!

Can you see a caged Hippo? I can. A Moggie too!

The "White" is marked with a German cross.... assume that this is a "remnant" of filming for a movie, no?

Hello Kuno.

The White half track with German markings is almost certainly a hangover from either Ice Cold in Alex or No Time to Die.

Both these films were made "back to back" during 1957 by Warwick Films. Ice Cold starred John Mills while No Time starred Victor Mature, Antony Newly, Leo Genn and Bonar Coleano. I have photographs of Queen's Bays Centurions in Afrika Korps livery for No Time to Die. I was temporarily attached to the Bays to supplement their LAD during the making of the latter film.

Cheers, Tony B 56:10

I served with 19 Armd Wksps and also 5 Medium Wksps, later Station Wksps REME, between 1956--58. This location does not look familiar to me at all. I was also temporarily attached to the Queen's Bays during the making of the film "No Time to Die" with Victor Mature, Antony Newly et al[ATTACH=CONFIG]118243[/ATTACH]I know you're all as keen as Richard to see 'those' Libya vehicle photos that I wrote about, so lets start with this: (All photos belong to me unless otherwise indicated/accredited, and where this is the case, I have express written permission to show them. so please, no copying).

The year is 1959/60 or summer 1961. The car photographed is parked up at a barracks in Tripoli, Tripoli it is as (I know it’s not Homs Barracks or D’Aosta Barracks, Benghazi) I can see the Tripolitania Dhow flash on the Bedford RL and on the Landrover (can you?). There’s also a Ferret Mk? and a couple of 1ton trailers (Brockhouse or Sankey – I can’t make out the panel x ribbing?). I’m guessing this was the Tripoli Station Workshop? I also know who the car belonged to (a 2RTR officer) and that it did end up in Tripoli Station Workshop. In which Tripoli barracks though, were the workshops located? The workshops were known in the early 50s as 1 Base Wksp, then 1st Infantry Wksp, then 5 Medium Wksp, then Station Wksp and finally, from 1960 to 1966 and withdrawal of British forces from Tripolitania by March 1966, as 61 Station Wksp though trying to find ‘official’ corroboration is not easy or as yet, complete. The question also is, were the workshops always in the same barracks? Don't be shy in coming forward as I don't know and can't find the answer anywhere, yet. Besides, the REME Museum don’t want to play as they’re busy reorganising their furniture and polishing exhibits having recently moved from Arborfield to Lyneham.

An accredited critic once said of this car that it was the most ineffective bit of engineering since the Maginot Line. The metal was so thin and rickety that you could hear rusting taking place. Its most salient feature was its slowness, a rate of acceleration you could measure with a calendar, frequently losing in drag races with vintage farm equipment. The car was made world-wide and over 2 million of them were sold, thus proving how desperately people wanted cars. Any cars. The car is, of course the Renault Dauphine.