wattie Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 I was clearing my desk today and found a picture I took many years ago at the Pontrilas training area Herefordshire when I was in the TA . It look like the MOD reg is 15ZB?5 I think its a Comet but seems to have been modified and the gun does not look correct the radios were still in it ,as I recall there was also a Daimler armored car cannot remember which type and quite a few 25pdr guns littered about the area. The vehicle was very complete and as Pontrilas was a secure training area had no public access so nothing was robbed or vandalized . Did it ever get recovered ? be a shame if it went for scrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 It is indeed a Comet, modified as a mobile target. I have seen at least one on a range somewhere but can't now remember where. Another one sat outside a TA centre and I believe went into preservation. There was a much more heavily up-armoured conversion done of the Centurion in a similar style. Several of them were put out on the Warminster side of SPTA when Centurions were declaired obsolete after the first Gulf war. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draganm Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 an article from 2014 talked about them felling 1000 tree's to build the new, state of the art, SAS training facility there. Seems very unlikely that any range targets would have been left, unless it was tucked into some obscure, out of the way, corner. hopefully it's pulling gate-guard duty somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatchFuzee Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 wattie, if you can remember the location where you took the photo of the Comet you could look on Google Earth. You may be lucky and find that it is still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 good old google earth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattie Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 wattie, if you can remember the location where you took the photo of the Comet you could look on Google Earth. You may be lucky and find that it is still there. Thanks, I did give that a try but the photo was taken late 70's/80's 30 years plus now ,there was also a bit of an internal rail system on the site but it was not in use . I think the site was an ammunition compound prior to it becoming a training area. There were 25pdr's around some of the bunkers ( I think I have photos of them somewhere) but they are probably long gone now as is the Comet. John Watt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Podesta Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 (edited) Hi John, I remember all those vehicles when I was at the camp in the early 70's but they were nearly all taken away before the end of the 70's. I wasn't an enthusiast then and didn't take much notice when they disappeared the last vehicle there was one of the 25 pounders which was still there in the late 90's but I expect that has gone too now Bob Edited January 6, 2016 by Bob Podesta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisgrove Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 The School of Infantry at Warminster had a mobile Comet target vehicle when I did my Platoon Commanders Course in Jan 1963 (Yes it was cold, but I hit the thing with my practice Energa grenade). Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchinuk Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 [ATTACH=CONFIG]111462[/ATTACH] This tank, or one with similar modifications, was outside the museum in Winchester in the 90s. jh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattie Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 Hi John,I remember all those vehicles when I was at the camp in the early 70's but they were nearly all taken away before the end of the 70's. I wasn't an enthusiast then and didn't take much notice when they disappeared the last vehicle there was one of the 25 pounders which was still there in the late 90's but I expect that has gone too now Bob Hi Bob I suppose it is that long ago I first went to Pontrilas in about 1975 and went back several times until about 1986 . I will see if I can find some pictures of the 25 pdr's . At around the same time I remember vehicles on Sennybridge a Churchill and a LVT ,I think the Churchill was fairly complete but the LVT was not so good . I also have pictures of these somewhere. I joined the MVCG in 1973 so was interested in these vehicles in fact the more I think about it there was a lot of stuff littering these training area's Thanks for your reply John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Podesta Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Hi again John, I do remember those vehicles very well as we used to use them to hide in and around while training in Pontrilas The last 25 pounder was there up until the middle 90's I asked if I could have it they said yes at first but them quatermasters changed and that was the last I heard about it All the best Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattie Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) Still clearing my desk found picture of 25 pdr at Pontrilas whouls seem they are all gone now. Edited January 10, 2016 by wattie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattie Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 Next question what happened to this Sherman in a children's play park in Holland in the early 80's, I recall a midget submarine also on the same site, probably German. I cannot remember where this picture was taken. What great things to play on can you imagine this in a play park today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattie Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 Does any one know what happened to this pink Sherman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurice Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 it has been moved to an indoor storage , it is still alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattie Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 Thanks for the up date. I hoped it deserved a better fate than the scrap man . I think the engine was still in it might have been a multi bank, it looks very complete . Is the intention to get it running again ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64kj90 Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 What great things to play on can you imagine this in a play park today. there used to be a tank on the waste land outside the TA centre in Prestatyn. The REME used to practice recovering it, but we used to play in it in the evenings. The TA welded the turret hatch open to stop anyone getting stuck in it. Then one day it had gone! It might have been a comet, and would love to know what became of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 there used to be a tank on the waste land outside the TA centre in Prestatyn. The REME used to practice recovering it, but we used to play in it in the evenings. The TA welded the turret hatch open to stop anyone getting stuck in it. Then one day it had gone! It might have been a comet, and would love to know what became of it. Try sending a PM to canuck 109 he might well know the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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