garibaldino Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 Hi, My first post on here. I have a brass plate from a Churchill IV tank. It has the following info on it and is covered in what looks like sand coloured paint. Churchill IV Makers No VM4074 WD No T31550R Date ----42 I know the tank was built at the Vauxhall works and somewhere have a copy of the original order from the Government for a batch of 1500 tanks. Does anyone have any further info about the individual tank or,highly unlikely I know, any photo's please? Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 Hi Pete.. welcome to the forum, maybe you could tell us a bit about yourelf & vehicle in the Introductions & Welcome section http://www.hmvf.co.uk/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=38&board=19.0 Cheers Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garibaldino Posted November 10, 2007 Author Share Posted November 10, 2007 Lee, Thanks for the welcome, I've posted my "hello". Cheers, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Im guessing Bovingdon would be a good starting place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garibaldino Posted November 10, 2007 Author Share Posted November 10, 2007 Hi Rick, I've already tried Bovington, that where I got the copy of the original Government order. No joy at the Vauxhall works either. I know some people collect photo's and info and was hopi ng I might get lucky. Cheers, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Seems to be a pattern developing lately One fellow has a Stolly wheel and no vehicle now we have a plate from a tank and no tank? mmmmm :whistle: :dunno: ;-) The out come will be interesting to watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 I have a switch from a Lancaster bomber but guess what..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Ah - but at least next year you can get the Haynes manual for one!!! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 I went into the regimental tailor and said, "I have this button. Can you sew a shirt on it please?" Actually, after transfer to Pay, I found myself in the same block as the QM's Clothing Store. Because they always liked to think that buttering me up would get them preferential treatment, I'd walk in holding two socks and ask, "Can you exchange these please? I had two pairs of socks but I lost one of each pair." I still have a dozen or more pairs of the then-new Socks, Poly-Wool which replaced Socks, Poly-Cotton after the Falklands. Still great for keeping your feet warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garibaldino Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 Thanks for the helpful replies gents!! :roll: :dunno: :whistle: Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Hi may not be of uch use....... but if you find the rest of the tank in the spares box you could borrow my drivers manua l for it :-D Ashley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Thanks for the helpful replies gents!! :roll: :dunno: :whistle: Cheers Gents - can we help Pete out here with any advice/leads?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garibaldino Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 Ashley, That symbol donating your gender sums you up perfectly!! :-D Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossie Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 hi Do you know if it was still in service after 1949 if so all the registration cards are in Bovington. when the current registration number system. alot of them were converted to Petard AVRE's and these survived untill 1953 -55 or converted to arvs or bridgelayers and ARKS which were still in service till early 60's. if you look on this site http://www.armourinfocus.co.uk/a22/index.htm there are some Mk4 AVRE's listed check these. Ossie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garibaldino Posted December 11, 2007 Author Share Posted December 11, 2007 Hi Ossie, Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately i don't know when it was in service at all, but I'll have a look at the lead you've given. Cheers, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 (edited) Probably not much use to the original poster- but T31550R is from a batch of Metro-Cammel Churchill and would be originally built as a Mk2 and was remanufactured (probably by Vauxhall) as a Mk4. probably subjected to several rebuilds hence the R. Of its immediate siblings in the same batch - T31505 Mk 2 Leopard final use as a dead load for training RASC tank transporter crews in using Dysons. T31531 a Mk2 Shipley 43RTR the often photographed training regiment using early Churchills. T31540 a Mk2 Agile 51RTR T31546 rebuilt as Mk4 bridgelayer became 44ZR65 and handed off to South Africa. T31552 rebuilt as Mk4 B/L became 44ZR52 served in BAOR struck off April 1958 probably to targeting. T31557 a Mk2 is shown in a photo in David Fletchers Crocodile book in Osprey Vanguard series as an experimental twin OKE flamethrower serving with a OTU. Edited October 5, 2010 by steveo578 capitalisation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REME 245 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 No individual vehicle war histories survive for any WW2 British vehicles. Unit war diaries often list the numbers of the tanks on strength but you will have to do your own research on units which used this particular mark and do your own reading at Bovington. The bible on Churchill's is obviously David Fletcher's book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 No individual vehicle war histories survive for any WW2 British vehicles. QUOTE] Not strictly true. Bovington does hold a few individual record cards for tanks. Unfortunately none of mine! The wartime history of my Cromwell is documented though with no great degree of detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 (edited) Thanks for that Adrian -i was about to reply but a PM popped up when I came on line. I have seen several registration cards for Churchills -as had the member K/A ossie -I cannot post them here for copyright reasons, the ones I have seen cover vehicles that survived WW2 and and therefore they include numbers that were transfered to the Post war registration system, they are listed by Mark gun type specialism (Bridge layer) many include engine number and list final dispossal - Hard target (sometimes with the range) scrap dealer (by name for example Cohens) all on one line with many annotations. Whether anyone has gotten further with these registration cards I don't know -there was a plan to get Bovington Friends to do the collating- personally I would have been happy to sort these out but no-one got back to me so I assume some-one else was doing it. BTW for anyone who wants any info on Churchills I have an incomplete list of vehicles which I have worked on for many years by noting down anything that comes up -for example anything found in books, articles, photos war diaries etc. If you have a particular number I might be able to help- less than 50-50 chance but better than nothing. Steve Edited October 7, 2010 by steveo578 addition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Steve, are you referring to key cards, the cards with 10 vehicles on each? These exist for most vehicles but give no clue as to service history. The individual service cards are the rare ones as these go into more detail but I believe they were all, generally, destroyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Yes- as usual you're right:D I was refering to key cards - as an aside I wonder if the casualty cards were retained or destoryed- as they were on punch cards -the type used in primative computer/ jackard readers, they too were probably sent for recycling -the card quality was evidently very high. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Good point and it reminds me of something else I've noticed though a little off topic. I have a few preliminary handbooks and manuals that were obviously cheaply produced in small numbers for and probably by the Army. The covers are invariably recycled card, often with pension details or similar on the reverse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.