Jack Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 This was at Bovington at the weekend - haven't seen it before :argh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 In't that an Austin? There were pictures of something similar in Britian at War, taken in the Far East. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Ex Irish Army Leyland TE2 armoured car built in 1935/36, in service until early 80s in reserve! Based on Landsverk armoured car design and fitted with Landsverk turrets. The bodies were built in the cavalry workshops. For more details see Irish Army Vehicles, Transport and Armour since 1922 by Karl Martin, an excellent book. The Irish Army took much smaller home made Ford armoured cars to the Congo in the 60s, the Cobbaton collection has one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 The Irish Army took much smaller home made Ford armoured cars to the Congo in the 60s, the Cobbaton collection has one. Not any more its in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin http://www.museum.ie/en/exhibition/gallery/photo-gallery-soldiersandchiefs.aspx?image=9d6c2034-63e9-4d5a-b18a-867ee4e00767 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I'll be up in Collins Barracks in a couple of weeks, will get some photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Sean, yes that would be good. When it was at Preston's half of it was painted a bluey grey, which I could never work out why. I've got a picture of one I took at a Duxford show over 20 years ago I'll try to dig that out. That book you mentioned when was that published? I've got Karl Martin's "Irish Army Armoured Cars" published in 1983. Not sure if that is the armoured car content of the bigger book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Published Sept 2002 by the author ISBN 0-9543413-0-9 152 pages, over 400 photos. Includes a whole page about paint schemes. His preamble mentions the 1983 book but doesn't state whether the new one was an expansion on it. It does appear to include just about very single vehicle the Irish Defence Forces have ever owned. Huge list of thanks that seems to cover half the DF Staff plus David Fletcher and Bart Vanderveen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REME 245 Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Unless I am mistaken Bovington have had this vehicle for about 20 years in their reserve collection. I believe Prestons example has recently gone back to Ireland as a swap. I think his new 17 Pounder was part of the exchange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Ok, some piccies from the Soldiers and Chiefs exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland. Very good exhibition dealing sensitively with Irish soldiers serving both home and abroad with various armies. Much is devoted to UN service. 1940/41 Ford Mk VI armoured car based on commercial chassis, bodied by Thompsons of Carlow, (earliest versions were bodied by the GSR railway workshops at Inchicore). This is what the Irish Army used in their first UN mission to the Congo in 1961!! Panhard armoured car as used in the Lebanon in 70/80s Bren carrier and Landsverk L60 tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 This is the setting for the museum, Collins Barracks (formerly Royal Barracks), was the oldest continually occupied barracks in Europe, what you see is only about 1/3 of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest catweazle (Banned Member) Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Thanks for those Sean.CW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Sean yes good to see those. Nice to see the vehicles themselves without being swamped in too much clutter. I know dioramas & all that sort of thing are impressive but they are a darn nuisance if its the vehicle itself you are interested in. The Panhards also used to patrol the border in the north. I've never yet seen any Pigs used by the Irish UN contingents. If they used them in Cyprus I just wonder if they were the same Pigs used in rotation by the Canadians & the Danes? I see the number of Irish recruits increasing for the British Army: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7749793.stm And here is the Ford when it was at Preston's in 1995 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Sean, yes that would be good. When it was at Preston's half of it was painted a bluey grey, which I could never work out why. I notice in the carrier picture that it is also painted half grey Clive ! I wonder , did the notes on this vehicle explain why Sean ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 I don't recall what the notes said but from 1941 all Irish Army vehicles were painted 2 tone grey, upper surfaces dark, all others light grey. That Bren does seem to half grey half green though, no idea why. After 1954 up to the 60s it was Quaker Grey 629, a BS colour which is what I suspect the L60 and half the Bren is painted in. (info from the book I mentioned before) The book also gives a recipe for a milk/ cement wash to be applied to requisitioned vehicles! Recipe is 1 1/2 parts milk to 1 part cement with either 1/4 or 1/2 part soot depending on shade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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