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mk6 cromwell


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the top armour above the drivers seat was removed to allow easy access into the front of the hull which considering my waistline is a good idea.

in the first pic you can see the armour top plate sitting at an angle on the hull resting on the side if you follow the hull side toward the back you'll see 4 large bolt holes on top on the outside of the hull. these are the turret ring retaining bolt holes, this is how they managed to get a 20 pdr to fit, by simply welding a plate onto the side with 3 strengthening gussets underneath which extended the hull enough to fit the 66" ring needed to take the 20 pdr. such a simple modification it makes you wonder why they didn't do it from the start and fit it with a 17 pdr.

crom18.JPG

crom17.JPG

crom20.JPG

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the first pic is the centaur which is an early version of the cromwell, i'll explain why i put it in later.

the third pic shows the rear and the has writing on it, the mk 6 denotes the type of tank, the mk6 has the 95mm close support gun and the type f denotes the type of hull, the early hulls had the drivers hatch opening on top but it was found that the hatch could not be opened when the turret was traversed at an angle as you can see in the pic of the centaur, this was not ideal when the driver needed to bail out which is why they changed the hatch to side opening, there are various other changes to stowage aswell but the basic construction is the same as the earlier marks. T120582 is the army reg number and when i get round to searching the archives at bovvy will supply me with the tanks history. Ps 251-32 is the finnish army reg number from it's time as a charioteer, it served in the finnish army from the mid fifties until around 1980 when it was put into storage and was eventually auctioned off in 2006.

crom19.JPG

crom22.JPG

crom21.JPG

tanks 007.jpg

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T120582 is the army reg number and when i get round to searching the archives at bovvy will supply me with the tanks history.

 

I wouldn't count on it. All you'll get is a copy of the Key Card where it will be one of several and it will give you it's post-war number and engine number together with it's disposal fate.

 

The best way is to work backwards from the Charioteer card. This will cross reference the ZW or ZS number to its ZR, (presumably) Cromwell number and that card will confirm the earlier details.

 

Individual record cards are, AFAIK, extinct.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

the turret ring shown is from the centaur and was in remarkably good condition considering it had been on salisbury plain for 40+ years.

once the ring is fitted the transformation from charioteer to cromwell is complete, although there are also one or two other bits to put back on :D

crom36.JPG

crom38.JPG

cromwell 008.JPG

cromwell 010.JPG

cromwell 013.JPG

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i have to say that all of the above work has been carried out by bob grundy and his team at british military vehicles and i couldn't be happier with what he's done so far, not just the quality but the speed and efficiency and all at a very fair price, thanks bob

 

 

rick

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yes the tank is in amazing condition even the brake seals were still useable which is something that i thought would have perished years ago, i guess i just got lucky. the engine has been rebuilt already and is waiting to be refitted, the gearbox is also done and hopefully next week if the weather holds the hull will be blasted and primed and the refitting can start. the only hard part is the turret which is in a bad condition and will need to be patched on the roof but it's no big deal and can be done with a little time and money. the only problem i have is the main gun which i cannot find, maybe i will be able to get onto the ranges and swipe one but if not i can always make a dummy up until something better comes along. next year i think i will be driving it :cool2:

 

 

rick

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Hat`s off to you Rick for taking on the project & preserving our Military History & to Bob & his team for their hard work. Keep posting the photo`s etc as it`s fascinating to follow. Look forward to seeing it thundering around the areana at W & P 2012.

 

Steve

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i have few options open to me with regard to the centaur, i can leave the turret off and convert it to an arv which would be alright with me as i served 14 years in the reme or i could use a mocked up turret or an original and put it to back to a gun tank but using a meteor so it would be a cromwell, i would like to use a liberty but they are as rare as rocking horse sh1t so it will have to be a meteor.

i'm also considering getting 5 or more turret rings made from my original before it's fitted, this would enable me to get the centaur back to a gun tank and would help any other restorer's with their projects.

 

rick

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