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Falklands CVR(T)s


Peter4456

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OK. So based on one or two new posts on this thread we have further progress on the identities or possible identities of most of the CVR(T)s sent to the Falklands with the Blues and Royals. Five vehicles are now confirmed, and three have possible identities which hopefully can be confirmed by some one more knowledgeable than me:

 3 Troop

23   Scorpion   02 FD 92 (?).  Scorpion / Sabre 02 FD 92 is pictured in page 2 of this thread in a posting by teletech. I am assuming that it is in the thread as it has been identified as an ex Falklands Scorpion. As 23A has been identified, 24 is most likely 02 FD 76, and 24A has a VRN starting 03 FD, by process of elimination 02 FD 92 would most likely be 23. In USA.

23A Scorpion   03 FD 38 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

23B Scimitar    06 FD 06 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

23C Scimitar    06 FD 97 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

4 Troop

24   Scorpion   02 FD 76 Confirmed today by Charlie2356. Scorpion / Sabre. Part owned by barrynevuk, Middlesex.

24A Scorpion   03 FD ??

24B Scimitar    0? FD ??  Possibly 03 FD 34 or 03 FD 84? based on the notes by Charlie2356 following studies to the images on this post.

24C Scimitar    05 FD 72 (?)  Unfortunately, both the line-up picture at  Southampton and the rear view taken on Ascension Island are not great quality, and my attempts to enlarge the images weren't a great success, but based on these two photos 24C could be 05 FD 72.

REME

28A(?)  Samson   00 GM 45  Confirmed VRN, as on pictures on this post.  The Callsign 28A is based on the post by FV1609, and I wondered if it was  rebuilt as it was only a few months old? Thanks to sirhc for a copy of the Merlin Archive on this vehicle it obviously was rebuilt, and served with various units including a spell at BATUS in Canada. On 15/08/2013 it was at Witham (Specialist Vehicles) Ltd. However, the next entry reads "Date Not Recorded - RHG/D LAD". So at some point it was cast, but within the last nine years it has been taken back on strength, and has actually gone back to the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). Is it still serving with them?

So can anyone confirm that Scorpion / Sabre 02 FD 92 is definitely a Falklands veteran? If so, it is probably call sign 23, which would also mean that all of 3 Troop's vehicles have survived.
Scorpion / Sabre 02 FD 76 is now confirmed as call sign 24 of 4 Troop. However, we still do not have an identity for Scorpion call sign 24A other than 03 FD ??.  Scimitar call sign 24B could possibly 03 FD 34 or 03 FD 84? Can anyone confirm this, or if mistaken assist in providing an alternative identity. And is Scimitar call sign  24C  05 FD 72?

This would also suggest that if the information is correct, six of these machines are still around, with one of them possibly still in service.

Can anyone out there add to this, or confirm whether the list is right or wrong?

David

 

 

 

Edited by David I
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OK. So based on one or two new posts on this thread we have further progress on the identities or possible identities of most of the CVR(T)s sent to the Falklands with the Blues and Royals. Five vehicles are now confirmed, and three have possible identities which hopefully can be confirmed by some one more knowledgeable than me:

 3 Troop

23   Scorpion   02 FD 92 (?).  Scorpion / Sabre 02 FD 92 is pictured in page 2 of this thread in a posting by teletech. I am assuming that it is in the thread as it has been identified as an ex Falklands Scorpion. As 23A has been identified, 24 is most likely 02 FD 76, and 24A has a VRN starting 03 FD, by process of elimination 02 FD 92 would most likely be 23. In USA.

23A Scorpion   03 FD 38 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

23B Scimitar    06 FD 06 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

23C Scimitar    06 FD 97 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

4 Troop

24   Scorpion   02 FD 76 Confirmed. Scorpion / Sabre. Part owned by barrynevuk, Middlesex.

24A Scorpion   03 FD ??

24B Scimitar    0? FD ??  Possibly 03 FD 34 or 03 FD 84? based on the notes by Charlie2356 following studies to the images on this post.

24C Scimitar    05 FD 72 (?)  Unfortunately, both the line-up picture at  Southampton and the rear view taken on Ascension Island are not great quality, and my attempts to enlarge the images weren't a great success, but based on these two photos 24C could be 05 FD 72.

REME

28A(?)  Samson   00 GM 45  Confirmed VRN, as on pictures on this post.  The Callsign 28A is based on the post by FV1609, and I wondered if it was  rebuilt as it was only a few months old? Thanks to sirhc for a copy of the Merlin Archive on this vehicle it obviously was rebuilt, and served with various units including a spell at BATUS in Canada. On 15/08/2013 it was at Witham (Specialist Vehicles) Ltd. However, the next entry reads "Date Not Recorded - RHG/D LAD". So at some point it was cast, but within the last nine years it has been taken back on strength, and has actually gone back to the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). Is it still serving with them?

So can anyone confirm that Scorpion / Sabre 02 FD 92 is definitely a Falklands veteran? If so, it is probably call sign 23, which would also mean that all of 3 Troop's vehicles have survived.
Scorpion / Sabre 02 FD 76 is now confirmed as call sign 24 of 4 Troop. However, we still do not have an identity for Scorpion call sign 24A other than 03 FD ??.  Scimitar call sign 24B could possibly 03 FD 34 or 03 FD 84? Can anyone confirm this, or if mistaken assist in providing an alternative identity. And is Scimitar call sign  24C  05 FD 72?

This would also suggest that if the information is correct, six of these machines are still around, with one of them possibly still in service.

Can anyone out there add to this, or confir whether the list is right or wrong?

David

 

 

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Well, way back on 12th September  2009 the question was asked "Have any of the CVR(T)s used by the Blue & Royals in the Falklands War survived into preservation?"

It looks as if five of the nine vehicles sent so still exist, three of the Scorpions, and two of the Scimitars. However, two of the three Scorpions are now Sabres. It is also possible that the Sampson exists, and could possibly still be serving with the Blues and Royals.

And it would seem that all of 3 Troop's machines are still around, with three at Eden Camp in Yorkshire, and one in the USA.

Not so much luck with 4 Troop. Only one vehicle Scorpion  02 FD 76 call sign 24  being positively identifies and being Can anyone fill in the gaps? known to have survived. There are a couple of possibly identities for others, but no details of their current status.

Here is the latest revised list 

3 Troop

23   Scorpion   02 FD 92 Confirmed. Scorpion / Sabre  Charlie2356 confirms that in the Haynes CVR(T) book 02 FD 92 is identified as an ex Falklands Scorpion, although it does not confirm the call sign.  But, as 23A is 03 FD 38, 24 is 02 FD 76, and 24A has a VRN starting 03 FD, by process of elimination 02 FD 92 has to be 23. In USA.

23A Scorpion   03 FD 38 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

23B Scimitar    06 FD 06 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

23C Scimitar    06 FD 97 Confirmed. At Eden Camp.

4 Troop

24   Scorpion   02 FD 76 Confirmed. Scorpion / Sabre. Part owned by barrynevuk, Middlesex.

24A Scorpion   03 FD ?? Possibly 03 FD 34 or 03 FD 84? Both are / were Scorpion / Sabre. based on the notes by Charlie2356 following studies to the images on this post.

24B Scimitar    0? FD ??  

24C Scimitar    05 FD 72 (?)  Unfortunately, both the line-up picture at  Southampton and the rear view taken on Ascension Island are not great quality, and my attempts to enlarge the images weren't a great success, but based on these two photos 24C could be 05 FD 72.

REME

28  Samson   00 GM 45  Confirmed VRN, as on pictures on this post.  The Callsign 28 is confirmed in the Haynes CVR(T) book as posted by Charlie 2356. and  a copy of the Merlin Archive on this vehicle posted by sirhc confirms it was rebuilt. On 15/08/2013 it was at Witham (Specialist Vehicles) Ltd. However, the next entry reads "Date Not Recorded - RHG/D LAD". So at some point it was cast, but within the last nine years it has been taken back on strength, and has actually gone back to the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). Is it still serving with them?

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a copy of the Merlin Archive on this vehicle posted by sirhc confirms it was rebuilt. On 15/08/2013 it was at Witham (Specialist Vehicles) Ltd. However, the next entry reads "Date Not Recorded - RHG/D LAD". So at some point it was cast, but within the last nine years it has been taken back on strength, and has actually gone back to the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). Is it still serving with them?
 

that’s not what it means at all, it just means no date was recorded for that entry. It will be in private hands or scrapped.

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5 hours ago, sirhc said:

a copy of the Merlin Archive on this vehicle posted by sirhc confirms it was rebuilt. On 15/08/2013 it was at Witham (Specialist Vehicles) Ltd. However, the next entry reads "Date Not Recorded - RHG/D LAD". So at some point it was cast, but within the last nine years it has been taken back on strength, and has actually gone back to the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). Is it still serving with them?
 

that’s not what it means at all, it just means no date was recorded for that entry. It will be in private hands or scrapped.

Having looked at Merlin archives in the past for various other vehicles, I am pretty sure where there is an entry at the bottom stating 'Date Not Recorded' this is the first holding unit and it would been in a period well before the Merlin system was introduced. Merlin does not always give a full history if the vehicle had been in service for a long time.

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  • 2 months later...
On 4/25/2022 at 10:09 AM, fv1609 said:

This table covers the callsigns of interest for an Armoured Regiment that appears in Armour, Volume II, Part 4, The RAC Compendium 1971.

Receipt_2022-04-25_100046.thumb.jpg.96efd433bcadec30f773cb2657a030f3.jpg

Worth bearing in mind that while this callsign table indeed accurately reflects the state of affairs on Corporate, within a month of the end of hostilities it became obsolete.

A Defence Council Instruction dated 1 July 1982 gave a complete rewrite to this table (there were differences between infantry, armour, everyone else callsigns that told a keen enemy operator the clue that this was, in this case, an armoured or recce squadron net). Every formation and unit net was redesigned to look the same.

At the same time, IKTUGWEFA was dropped, since it explicitly told you what the net was, replaced by a daily changing prefix.

There was a complete overhaul of Voice Procedure.

And the concept of midnight became a thing. Heretofore, the day started at 0001 and ended at 2359. Urban myth declared the missing two minutes (2535901-000059) to be your own time. Midnight was now defined as 0000 at the start of the new day.

Six weeks later I transferred out of armoured recce into a desk job, only for my new unit to discover my old role and put me in charge of their radio net on exercise.

Edit. Worth noting that Armour Volume 2, whence this came, was subtitled The Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment. Armour Volume 1 discussed the Armoured Regiment.

Another edit. In 1975, I was taught IKTUGEFA. At some point in the following seven years, Whiskey, the Artillery alternative prefix was added. Possibly 1977, when ownership of ATGM (Swingfire) assets passed from the RAC to the RA.

Edited by AlienFTM
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