amazing what you find when you have time

[Richard Farrant]

Hi Wally,

On the first page you posted, at the bottom is listed a Ferret and a Saladin laying at RAOC Rowcroft Barracks. As I worked at the REME workshops at that location at Ashford, I recall the Ferret being one of the types used in Malaya, with the extended top to the hull with the turret on top of that, I beleive it may have come from a cadet force or gate guardian as it was pretty rough and neglected. The Saladin had been used for recovery practise and had been rolled over many times, I think all the mudguards and side lockers were missing, the Tank Museum had contacted me to give a report on it, but it was in to bad a condition.

[REME 245]

Surprisingly a small number of the extended turret version were brought back to the UK to see service with the TA.  The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry had a least one and the later Royal Yeomanry at least two.   I had one which I never got round to restoring which had served in both Regiments.   I have been unable to find out who now has it. 

[fv1609]

I remember seeing one in Pounds yard (indoors) & another with several other Ferrets at Boscombe Down partially filled with concrete used for payload trials or something.

[fv1609]

Found the Ferrets tucked away at an air show at Boscombe Down in 1990, far more interesting than looking at aeroplanes.

 

[john1950]

Also a Landy getting into the picture.

[Mark Ellis]

16 hours ago, fv1609 said:

Found the Ferrets tucked away at an air show at Boscombe Down in 1990, far more interesting than looking at aeroplanes.

 

Personally, I can't work out if this is an Armoured personnel carrier, or an Armoured car with balconies 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Mark Ellis

[10FM68]

I think some were retained by the regulars as well.  I'm pretty sure this example, which I photographed at Westdown Camp, Tilshead SPTA, in about 69/70, belonged to 15/19KRH.

[REME 245]

The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry examples had their Regimental Crests applied in the same positions as these in the form of colour decals.  These look very similar to the RWY Crest but obviously if you were there at the time and examined the vehicles closely you must be correct.   I would not have imagined that a regular Regiment would wanted these vehicles with their inherent stability problems due to their raised height.  There must have been hundreds of the others marks in storage at  the time.

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by REME 245

[REME 245]

[10FM68]

1 hour ago, REME 245 said:

The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry examples had their Regimental Crests applied in the same positions as these in the form of colour decals.  These look very similar to the RWY Crest but obviously if you were there at the time and examined the vehicles closely you must be correct.   I would not have imagined that a regular Regiment would wanted these vehicles with their inherent stability problems due to their raised height.  There must have been hundreds of the others marks in storage at  the time.

 

 

Well, I'd sooner trust your evidence than mine given how long ago it was.  Certainly 15/19H were there at that time because I was given a ride in one of their Centurions and allowed to fire the turret Browning!  But, it looks to me as though those Ferrets certainly don't have the 15/19H badge on the turret - they look much closer to the RWY.

[wally dugan]

CLIVE was looking for  a list of foreign manufactured armour at FVRDE  and remembered  FV426 mockup sorry do not have a picture or drawings  but funny the other day my wife watched a salvage hunters from the hovercraft museum and there was a number of FVRDE mockups from beverley and the westland helicopter made out of wood on truck the museum at beverley had a large collection of mockup models from FVRDE BOVINGTON collected some when l was there

[Mark Ellis]

1 hour ago, wally dugan said:

CLIVE was looking for  a list of foreign manufactured armour at FVRDE  and remembered  FV426 mockup sorry do not have a picture or drawings  but funny the other day my wife watched a salvage hunters from the hovercraft museum and there was a number of FVRDE mockups from beverley and the westland helicopter made out of wood on truck the museum at beverley had a large collection of mockup models from FVRDE BOVINGTON collected some when l was there

This place ?
https://www.hovercraft-museum.org/collections/ 

[fv1609]

Ok Wally thanks for looking.

Mark at that Hovercraft museum there were a number of models of projects that included Project Prodigal for a vertical take-off fighting vehicle. Several companies submitted their ideas for creating such a thing. I used to have the paperwork for the Shorts version of how it might be achieved with a jet engine mounted vertically in the centre of the vehicle.

There is a model of that at the museum. I have photos of a wind tunnel model I don't know if that is what is on display or whether there is a more comprehensively structured model.

[Mark Ellis]

I wonder if the Alvis / Westland one is there as well?

[Mark Ellis]

They put a Stalwart up against a hovercraft, at that site near Matchams on the Dorset border.

Someone said they had a copy of the film, but it's not materialised yet.

[wally dugan]

It came a long way from them early trials clive the mock up drawing was of the models held at BEVERLEY when the rep from Bovington came to FVRDE he was allowed to take only tracked mockup models he spent most of the day with me so any of those he took should be at the museum

[andym]

On 12/31/2023 at 1:05 AM, Mark Ellis said:

They put a Stalwart up against a hovercraft, at that site near Matchams on the Dorset border.

Someone said they had a copy of the film, but it's not materialised yet.

That will be QinetiQ Hurn these days, methinks.

Andy

[fv1609]

Saw these at Instow 2008

[wally dugan]

Last week l was offered a ledger from the MEXE interwar period from a deceased estate they sent a page from it which includes a list of registrations  for such as morris eight wheeler new hudson motorcycle douglas matchless silver arrow  O.E.C latil  tractor truck manufactures and car l have now purchased it and a wait for it

Edited January 29 by wally dugan

[wally dugan]

The ledger from MEXE has turned up a few items one of the most important thing is to do with the contactors involved in the rebuilding of equipment under the ARMY AUXILIARY WORKSHOPS and the names of companies involved which for me is the best break through l have had. Any way here are a few items the one on the trials of staff cars HUMBER and JAGUAR  para one made me smile with the comment on the sword

[10FM68]

Isn't it extraordinary that Jaguar offered a car with a fixed driver's seat!  The poor old 6' tall officer trying to get out of the back of a saloon car wearing a sword and spurs, gets my sympathy!  Trying to do it from the back seat of a Discovery 2 is bad enough!  

[wally dugan]

Another prototype the VAUXHALL/ ALBION shame it did not progress in this form as the trial reports were  very good

[wally dugan]

Over a long time in fact in one case fifty years l have built up friendships with three people whom all share a common interest that of collecting documents each a different branch of the uk armed forces that of equipment and vehicles ARMY NAVY and AIR FORCE. Up to few years ago we met once a year at the WAR and PEACE SHOW but covid and old age has caught up with one or two us now it's email phone. In the last few years all of us have had the question what are you going to do with them after you are no longer here followed usually by l will have them well this last week we met for the first time to swop items of interest to each other and we discussed that very subject in my case l made my opinion  clear that l have put in place my wishes to there future. The attached is what l brought back a pickford  box L28 W18 H 13 very heavy as can be seen the lid has a bit of dust on it from long term storage

[Mark Ellis]

I'd love to see it all digitised (properly), and freely shared with the world

[wally dugan]

MARK  a interesting idea but who is going to do this and why should they may be a national museum l do think so a few months ago a well known publisher  of military documents contacted me about a document he had seen a BEVERLEY   wanted to know about it  he was told that apart from the one he had seen l knew of two others l suggested he contact the people who disposed of the documents by giving them away  if a organization that is entrusted to preserve the history of the british army  has so little regard for these important documents WHY would l hand over my collection to any body to me it is beyond price