Rick W Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I was thinking the other day while fighting with a battery compartment lid on the Ferret, when the practice of naming tanks stopped, or if it did? Quite often you see pics of WW2 armour with a name given by the crew on the side of the hull, but Ive never seen any examples of post WW2 armour with names on. Was this a practice outlawed by the army? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I was thinking the other day while fighting with a battery compartment lid on the Ferret, when the practice of naming tanks stopped, or if it did? Quite often you see pics of WW2 armour with a name given by the crew on the side of the hull, but Ive never seen any examples of post WW2 armour with names on. Was this a practice outlawed by the army? I think you will find that post-war armour do still have names on them, usauly the first letter on the name is the squadion it is in Ie, Duke = D squadion in my old mob the ferrets were name after battles houners. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 It's still going on, just depends on the unit etc. Quite often you'll see Challenger 2s with names on the side, FV432s and even CVRTs. Sabres in Kosovo 1999 Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
challengertwo Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 The tradition is still very much alive today, these have been taken over the past 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 lol all those serious names and battle honours and then the reme turn up in magical trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Magical Trevor! Priceless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Magical Trevor! Priceless! :D:D:D Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidewinder Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 There was an internet crazy a few years ago.. 2005/06 time if memory serves. It was an animation of a character called Magical Trevor.. "Everyone loves Magical Trevor, Cos the tricks that he does are ever so clever. Look at him now disappearing the cow!" Wonder if it provided the inspiration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankie88 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 All our tanks had names in the 80's in the regiment.A sqn had names beginning with A and B sqn B and so on.They were never stenciled on though.A big list was kept in RHQ of the names.In the latter days of the 80's it became fashionable the stencil them on again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landyandy Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 this cent arv on slab common is named also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holte999 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I wonder what the best names were/are and why ? I would be good to hear about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schliesser92 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 There was a rumour circulating in the '70s that 3 tanks from B Squadron, QRIH were always parked together, revelling in the names of BULL****, BAFFLES and BRAINS. (like I said, unsubstantiated rumour!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 holte999I wonder what the best names were/are and why ? I would be good to hear about them. That's like how long is a piece of string- Historically British Army naming of tanks and AFVs goes back to almost the beginning of tanks in service. Names often were specific to Battalions or regiments, Some like 4th RTR began with "D" and that ran from WW1 to the end of 4 RTR on amalgomation. Same applied to other RTR battalions for example 9 Btn RTR used names beginning with "I". Other Regiments use names with traditions relevant to their battle honours, racehorses, birds, animals, constilations, towns/cities even famous warships. Some regiments/battalions used naming schemes that divided names by squadron -so simplistically names beginning with A for A squadron B for B squadron and C for C squadron -for example 14th Canadian Tank named their tanks thus- so Amos A squadron- Betty B sqdn and Cheetah C sqdn -but Regimental HQ used R- so Ringer Regiment etc. All can be useful when attempting to I.D. a regiment from a photo although some regiments used the same system on the same tank types -for example Bunty is B sqdn 11 Canadian Tank rather than 14 Canadian Tank -both were using early Churchills so unless you can spot the unit code -for example 175 -for 14th CTB I.D. is a problem. It is very complex -so much so there should be a book about it -there is B.T. Whites British Tank Markings and Names -if you can find a copy. As for naming humour -one battalion named their tanks for heavenly bodies (constelations not good looking women) -one wit petitioned the CO to have the names Castor and Policks included in the naming scheme - working on the idea that Policks would lead to some ammusement on the radio net. I remember a broadcast of 2 way family favourites -in the early 1960s a trooper in Cyprus asked for a mention home -and that he had named his Ferret "mavis" after his mum -only to have the radio presenter ask what's a Ferret? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 As for naming humour -one battalion named their tanks for heavenly bodies (constelations not good looking women) -one wit petitioned the CO to have the names Castor and Policks included in the naming scheme - working on the idea that Policks would lead to some ammusement on the radio net. Surely the Gemini twins were Castor and Pollux? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 antarmike....were Castor and Pollux? Ok so I can't spell:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Don't be hard on yourself, your got Castor perfectly correct! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Well I knew the other one rhymed with B****cks:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
challengertwo Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Here is the complete listing of 1 RTR vehicles from 1998. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 We had a REME LAD FV432 from 2 RTR named Casino. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agripper Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) All the BARV's where named after Rivers, Clyde, Tyne being 2 that I know of. not sure about the others though. Mine saddly is called "Clyde", would have been happier if it was the "Tyne". :-) Edited March 21, 2011 by agripper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 All the BARV's where named after Rivers, Clyde, Tynne being 2 that I know of. not sure about the others though. Mine saddly is called "Clyde", would have been happier if it was the "Tynne". :-) I will refrain from making any comment about spelling.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 Is there any such list of names for Ferrets in service? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handler 69 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 We call the Fox Basil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Surely the Gemini twins were Castor and Pollux? Unless your name is MacAuslan (GMF's dirtiest soldier in the world). They find themselves going out on a night exercise in the desert and it all goes horribly wrong ... until MacAuslan announces that those two stars up there are Gasper and Bollux. turns out that he has been listening to the padre rambling on about the night sky and some of it has stuck. Surprise, surprise, MacAuslan saves the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Between 1976 and 1982 I only ever saw one 15/19H vehicle bearing a name, A Squadron's Saracen ACV in Tidworth (76-77) bore the name GARFORTH VC for Cherles Ernest Garforth, 15H: http://www.nottinghamshire-victoria-cross-memorial.org.uk/Garforth.html I understand that in the mid-80s the practice of naming vehicles became fashionable (maybe because 15/19H were by now on tanks not CVR(T) and in UKLF not BAOR, where the colour scheme was decidedly minimalist due to the ongoing Cold War). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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