The Royal Artillery Display Salisbury Plain 1968

[Marmite!!]

The Royal Artillery Display Salisbury Plain 1968

 

 

A Stalwart getting a bit excited, don't know how he managed that?? :shocked:

 

 

 

Honest John Launching at The Royal Artillery Display on Salisbury Plain in 1968

 

[Morris C8]

Good photos, we used to go there most years when we were in the army cadets. in the 60s/70s. Great day out. we were there on the last fireing of the 25Pdrs. Larkhill.

[Bob Grundy]

Now if I could only recognise the back of my head...........

Yes you could que up and get a wad of cotton wool for your ears, aim and fire a live round from a 25pr at some derilict aircraft. Cerificates for this were given, I remember the massive stack of ammo that just had to be expended.

Some things you never forget.

[fv1609]

Interesting that the six Rovers that one can just about see, all seem to have identical disruptive black patterns.

 

Regulations for painting vehicles later encouraged one third to be black arranged to try to mask corners of the vehicle & to avoid having identical patterns within a Unit as this would help an enemy identify a particular Unit.

[RecyMech]

Great pics, thanks for a look. Eeeee bah gum, we had some kit back then.

Nowadays that lot represents the entire strength of the army....

I exaggerate of course (or do I?)

 

I think the Stolly is just a bit randy & about to hump an Abbot

 

Quote;- Interesting that the six Rovers that one can just about see, all seem to have identical disruptive black patterns.

 

Well it is the RA after all Clive.

Beyond the average plank to design two variations of green & black :cool2:

 

H

[spider]

Interesting that the six Rovers that one can just about see, all seem to have identical disruptive black patterns.

 

Regulations for painting vehicles later encouraged one third to be black arranged to try to mask corners of the vehicle & to avoid having identical patterns within a Unit as this would help an enemy identify a particular Unit.

 

Hi Clive

 

When serving with LAD 47 Fld Regt RA, our EME's Land Rover was taken off the road by the C.O. because it was not painted the same pattern black and green like all the others in the regiment.:laugh:

 

Ten years after these photos were taken our regiment was taking part on artillery day. As the gun fitter for 31 Battery I had to be around in case the gunners broke a gun (as if they would). The battery was short of gun numbers so I volunteered to be part of A sub's crew. As we entered the arena the driver of our 1 tonner shouted "The accelerator cable has broke", we were going nowhere. Some bright spark said "let’s pull the gun". We jumped out the 1 tonner and ran like mad with 2 tons of light gun. Even manhandling the gun we still beat the gun from the commando battery behind us into action. Word came from the Brigadier that we looked very impressive appearing out of the dust created by the other vehicles and guns.

 

I don't think one of us got our breath back until after the display.

 

 

Yours

 

Spider

[AlienFTM]

The Stolly doing the wheelie. Reminds me of Ex Bugle Call, June 1976, funnily enough on Larkhill Impact Area and probably not a million miles from where these pics where take,

 

Every A Veh in UKLF was gathered outside the back of Aliwal Bks, Tidworth, home of 15/19H since the previous month on our return from NI. We had a leisurely start to the exercise, simply driving out of the back gates. Most of them had been transported in.

 

The object of the exercise (if you'll pardon the pun) was to make a film showing a Soviet armoured brigade advancing across tank country and meeting the sort of killing zone we would see on the Goodwood of Ex spearpoint in 1980 (see thread).

 

Even though we had every A veh in UKLF, we still learned that each vehicle represented a platoon of three. That's how poor the army was. Following year we managed to ship a short armoured division (3 Armd Div) to BAOR, but it was only last year that I discovered the full OrBat for an Armd Div was 9 major units and not the five we had in 3 Armd Div.

 

We were each issued new callsign boards. If I remember correctly 4 Tp, B Sqn, 15/19H became callsigns 126, 127 and 128 for the duration. the net was too full for anyone to speak, so just like the Soviets we represented, all traffic was one way and downhill.

 

After a couple of days' rehearsal, we headed for the Impact Area and went for it.

 

The "brigade" motored over the Impact Area at speed. Our BMPs ... I mean Scorpions ... were giving it all they had. Understand that a month previously we had been on the streets and lanes of West Tyrone and Fermanagh and before that the regiment has been on tanks. We were enjoying the new thrill of being sports car cavalrymen.

 

I looked to my left and saw one of our Scorpions up on its left track and bombing along. The grass had grown well in the spring of that long hot summer and had apparently levelled the holes in the impact area (where the RA used to drop their shots onto the Plain) until 127 put one track into a crater and as it flew out of the other side, it rocked up into the air.

 

I nudged Troopy, my New In Green vehicle commander fresh out of Sandhurst and indicated.

 

At this moment the unmistakeable voice of our CO (combat half colonels have a certain aura on the net and no amount of trying will cover it up) came up on the net and said, "I'll see the driver of 127 in my office when we're back in camp."

 

Made me laugh.

[spider]

Hi AlienFTM

 

I lived just down the road to you in them days. I was at 10 Field Workshops. I think I got caught up in that exercise>. Our FRG was out running behind the likes of 4/7 Goons replacing power plants every two minutes. The likes of me as a gun fitter shouldn't have had much to do with what was going on but some how it was my turn to go out with the FRG when the call for a gun fitter was made. Combats on, SLR in hand off I went to help on of the Goons gun fitters change a barrel on a Chieftian, in noddy suits, in the hottest summer I have ever known. >

Top the lot it did not need replacing cos we put the same bu**er back.

 

As for your Scorpions, the previous unit to have them was 1 Tanks. I was detatched to them to help their gun fitter do some mods to the traversing gear. Wizzing the turret around I became aware of some black berrets in the gunners sight. So I shouted, "Turret traversing, get your f***ing heads out the way". There was a clattering sound of someone climbing on the turret. Very soon followed by a upside down and very red RSMs head poking through the commanders hatch. "Next time you tell the CO to get his f***ing head out the way don't forget to say SIR":D