Jump to content

Vehicle markings (Saracen)


trophy160

Recommended Posts

My Saracen is all ready for its outings to various shows this year, I've added various pieces of external kit appropriate to the vehicle but what it lacks are any sort of vehicle markings, because I don't know what they should be!

 

I can see from its service record that whilst in NI my Saracen was used at different times by the the 9/12 Lancers and the 15/19 Hussars. It would be nice to reflect one or other of these on the vehicle, what would be appropriate?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To my mind it depends what era you want to depict. Some like to display all the markings that would have ever been on the vehicle during its entire service life including the depot markings that were to be obliterated before issue to a unit.

Worth bearing in mind that under CRAOC orders 1977 that heraldic crests & fancy emblems that identify units & formations were to be done away with by March 1978. None the less, particularly these days, unit pride often seems to override these restrictions that were embodied in JSP 341 Chapter 12. If you are depicting NI it is likely that markings would be minimal & later be restricted to the white wing lettering encoding the District & Unit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Clive, I was unable to obtain its history pre 70's so most of its history relates to NI and hence related markings for that period seem the most pertinent to use. It's use by the two regiments above were early/mid seventies, from your comments it perhaps would have had minimal markings then?

Nic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nic I think yes fairly minimal, fancy markings would not be a great priority in the circumstances & some vehicles might be frequently repainted to obliterate coloured paint thrown at the vehicles.

 

Then there is the question of what green paint to use for a particular era :-D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Have you got any more information on date, theatre, etc that this vehicle was with 15/19H?" asked an ex-15/19H who crewed a Saracen ACV in 1979 between crewing CVR(T) and Ferret.

 

If it also lists 17/21L, my guess is this vehicle may have been based in Omagh. 17/21L were in Omagh early in the troubles, followed by 16/5L, 1RTR then us. It was only toward the end of the tour (I joined from training very late, in 76) that I discovered we actually had Saracen APCs. Our troop never took ours out.

 

Apart from once guarding and recovering a breakdown, I only once travelled in company with Saracen. Both events at night. The latter, end of tour, all the drivers had left early with the advance party for CVR(T) conversion and I got an hour's training before taking out a Ferret, driven on my Group A civvy licence.

 

Driving past an RUC station somewhere like Fivemiletown, Sixmilecross, Augher, Clogher (when your instructions are "keep up with the Saracen" you don't really care where you are). Object lesson. When a six-wheeled Saracen glides over speed bumps and through a chicane round an RUC station, don't try and do the same in a much smaller Ferret. Least it taught me how to take speed bumps at speed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...