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Ferret Interior equipment.


Lord Burley

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hello mate. As said below. the bren is wrong the time i'm portraying with the Ferret. B.t.w hows yours coming along. Any pics to post???.

 

It's a long time ago now. We had Mark 2 with Three-Oh Brownings in NI and Cyprus and Mark 1 with ditto in BAOR. All between 1976 and 1982.

 

Memory tells me every one of them still had the Bren fittings but we never had a Bren to put in it. As another poster said, we just used to sling the SMGs inside wherever was convenient. In fact in 15/19H I cannot really remember a time when any personal weapon was placed in its mount on any vehicle be it FSC, CVR(T), Saracen, Land Rover, 4-tonner etc etc. If the weapon was signed out it was with us at all times and racking / unracking on mounting / dismounting was a waste of valuable time.

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I used to know someone who served in ferrets in BAOR and in NI. He told me that the crews often used civvy gas cookers and thermos flasks in place of the issued kit.

 

I wonder if that was common practice or just within his unit?

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I used to know someone who served in ferrets in BAOR and in NI. He told me that the crews often used civvy gas cookers and thermos flasks in place of the issued kit.

 

I wonder if that was common practice or just within his unit?

 

This was an entirely personal choice. Down to each individual to make thier lives a bit easier/ convienient as appropriate. It was common for a lot of rules to be relaxed whilst on Excercise. If it made your job/ life easier & got the end task completed better than issue kit. It was recognised by wise CSM's SNCO's Etc. That if the guys were happier, well rested (When & where possible!) & some items of kit were pratctical & better than issue stuff. As long as it was safe, they turned a blind eye. I used to wear German Para High leg boots on Manouvers long before this sort of footwear was as common issue as it is today. It made it easier first thing when exiting your maggot to put 'em on. Bugger messing about with DMS boots & puttees! Warmer & a LOT more comfortable & convinient!

Im sure a lot of the other members on this Forum who have served will confirm & add thier own personal preferences too! :cool2:

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I used to know someone who served in ferrets in BAOR and in NI. He told me that the crews often used civvy gas cookers and thermos flasks in place of the issued kit.

 

I wonder if that was common practice or just within his unit?

 

No-o-o it was universal. The issued petrol cookers were filthy and camping gas cookers were so much more efficient.

 

I did once use the issue thermos. We were off on exercise and for once we loaded the Ferrets onto a train alongside the CVR(T)s. For once my driver and I were organised and we prepared a flask of coffee for the train journey. Drove on, chocked up, strapped down, collected kit to take on the train, put the flask on the side bin, catch it with the arm, sickening crunch, warm flask on the outside. Damn.

 

Take the hit for a broken item of equipment and in future we used a NAAFI-purchased flask. Red IIRC.

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Hi Folks,

Well, just to add to this thread!!

If you were unlucky enough to be in the Life Guards in NI on a ferret......We had to have SLR's instead of normal SMG, The beauty of being titled temp, as a rifle sqn. silly B..'s took it to the letter!! Great fun trying to get out in a hurry with a SLR, you should try it some day.....if you want a hernia!!

One good bit of kit we had in Germany tho, which I aint seen yet at any show, was the Ferret heater!!

This was a big 6-8 inch diametre flexi black tube which came in through the rear hatch round the front over the steering column and back out the rear hatch, both ends then fead into a box mounted over the radiator cooling fins!

Anybody else ever seen this bit of kit??

I was in one in NI in 74 so ......Yeah I know .....Old G....!

We also had some 30's converted to 7.62 but that was later on and I never got to play with one!

As original thread was for kit in 80's-90's no good me offering any tips eh? but ....if it never changed, we had smoke grenades in the small bins at the rear of the interior, a flare pistol and schimulees!! but also a classy little box on the left side by the drivers earhole....The anti personnel electrics !!!!!! with a small chain which was lowered through the drainage hole between the drivers legs, made a little "Ticking" sound, followed by a scream from anyone who went to climb on or lean against your ferret!!

Lovely jubly!!

 

All the best,

 

Fred

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Hi Folks,

Well, just to add to this thread!!

If you were unlucky enough to be in the Life Guards in NI on a ferret......We had to have SLR's instead of normal SMG, The beauty of being titled temp, as a rifle sqn. silly B..'s took it to the letter!! Great fun trying to get out in a hurry with a SLR, you should try it some day.....if you want a hernia!!

One good bit of kit we had in Germany tho, which I aint seen yet at any show, was the Ferret heater!!

This was a big 6-8 inch diametre flexi black tube which came in through the rear hatch round the front over the steering column and back out the rear hatch, both ends then fead into a box mounted over the radiator cooling fins!

Anybody else ever seen this bit of kit??

I was in one in NI in 74 so ......Yeah I know .....Old G....!

We also had some 30's converted to 7.62 but that was later on and I never got to play with one!

As original thread was for kit in 80's-90's no good me offering any tips eh? but ....if it never changed, we had smoke grenades in the small bins at the rear of the interior, a flare pistol and schimulees!! but also a classy little box on the left side by the drivers earhole....The anti personnel electrics !!!!!! with a small chain which was lowered through the drainage hole between the drivers legs, made a little "Ticking" sound, followed by a scream from anyone who went to climb on or lean against your ferret!!

Lovely jubly!!

 

All the best,

 

Fred

 

Hello Fred, A good deal of drivers did the MOD with regards to the heaters in the 70'2-80's. BUT, Ignorance was Bliss! They never really thought about Carbon Monoxide Fumes from the exhausts!!

The Ferret is renowned for blowing exhaust pipes. This was a dillberate built in part of the design. The pipes were a loose fit when cold & movable. The idea was that as the engine got hot the pipes would expand & seal themselves. In practice, this was true when they had not been used a lot. BUT, after a couple of years of usage & getting hot/ cold/ hot/ cold. They would erode away sightly & the metal would also settle. This meant small leaks at the joints. So, if you think about it. Air being expelled through the rear vent & then being sucked through your 'heating' pipes. Would also suck the nasty fumes out & blow them into the fighting compartment!! :-X

Health & Safety would absolutely FREAK today if you did that!!

:-D

DONT' do it today Ferretowners!!!!!!! :sweat:

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Hi Folks,

Well, just to add to this thread!!

If you were unlucky enough to be in the Life Guards in NI on a ferret......We had to have SLR's instead of normal SMG, The beauty of being titled temp, as a rifle sqn. silly B..'s took it to the letter!! Great fun trying to get out in a hurry with a SLR, you should try it some day.....if you want a hernia!!

 

Didn't occur to me first time I read this post. 15/19H Omagh posting saw us operating as infantry (off a cavalry OrBat, which made it busy. ISTR Omagh had always been a cavalry posting (it predated the Troubles) but the infantry took it over at the start of the troubles, only to pass it back quickly to the RAC because the infantry were so overstretched. The RAC did the same role off a smaller OrBat.

 

But yes, I too crewed a FSC with an SLR as my personal weapon. Have to say though that the rural role operating out of Omagh meant that we didn't tend to climb in and out every five minutes. Until I read this, I'd never given it a thought.

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