vehicle marking

[No Signals]

Anyone know what the '17' plate on this wartime vehicle relates to? UK based vehicle, HAA site. ATS and RA, probably 2nd AA Division vehicles.

 

[Ivor Ramsden]

My references aren't very detailed for home-based units but my best guess is HQ Corps Troops (17 on a black square) or Corps RA Staff (17 on a red/blue square). However I would expect Corps Troops vehicles to have a white strip across the top of the square so this might be wrong.

 

I can't identify the formation sign either so there's much teeth-gnashing going on here.

[No Signals]

Thanks for the suggestions Ivor, much appreciated. Having had a similar predicament with the Formation sign I have spent a long time with enlarged screen shots of the vehicles and the badges on the uniforms. I came to the conclusion they are a variation on the 2nd AA Div 'witch'. As per here, in fairness it may have lost a bit of clarity in the switching from one bit of software to another.

 

 

You can of course take a look at the whole short film I took it from here -

 

http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/hunshelf-gun-site

 

and try and extract some images fro yourself. The 'witch' is, I feel, clearer on one of the other views of the Bedford MW. I am of course very happy to stand being corrected. All part of the learning! A very nice little bit of film in its own right.

 

Duncan

[79x100]

The identification of the formation sign seems correct to me and it's also visible on the bugler's sleeve.

 

I wouldn't expect to see a Corps bar above the Arm of Service sign on a vehicle bearing a divisional formation sign....but as per Ivor, I'm also puzzled as the only written evidence that I've seen for the use of '17' after the post-Dunkirk revisions to AoS serials is at Corps level.

 

There appear to be no surviving details of the serials used by Air Defence Great Britain. They do seem to have rather been left to their own devices in terms of organisation and equipment.

 

The only mention that I can recall of AA signs was on MLU, but it related to what seems to be a later period than depicted in the film which I think I'd date as 1941/42 ?

 

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=246

[No Signals]

 

The only mention that I can recall of AA signs was on MLU, but it related to what seems to be a later period than depicted in the film which I think I'd date as 1941/42 ?

 

 

 

Although the film opening states the gun was there from 40 to 45, one other source suggests it was removed as early as '42, maybe early 43?

[Richard Farrant]

I was looking at the division sign on the left hand vehicle, the 15cwt. The background colour looks to be light blue, but that does not align with any AA divisions, but the design on it does look like 10th AA division, which has a background of a khaki colour on their shoulder flashes, but was the AA division covering Yorkshire at that time.

[No Signals]

 

2nd AA. The info on them I have seen so far suggests some of them were in Yorkshire. Somewhere I have a variation on the badge that resembles the form in the film closer - Sods Law I can't find it at the moment :-)

[Richard Farrant]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]99749[/ATTACH]

 

2nd AA. The info on them I have seen so far suggests some of them were in Yorkshire. Somewhere I have a variation on the badge that resembles the form in the film closer - Sods Law I can't find it at the moment :-)

 

 

Just had another look at the film and the shot of the bugler, shows definitely the shoulder flash of 10th AA Div, as does glimpses of other gun crew.