Ivor Ramsden Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Here's a few photos of MT belonging to the 15th LAA Regt RA (TA) in Eritrea, North Africa and Europe. There's plenty more where these came from. What shall I post next? M16 quad .50 half-tracks in Manx Regt markings? More Morris CDSWs? CMPs? Anybody's welcome to use them, or PM me for larger files, but please acknowledge the source - Museum of the Manx Regiment - if you use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radek Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Great, the nice tree Austins, have you any anothers pictures with Austins? Many thanks Radek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panelvan Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 hi radek dont know if i cocked up my reply so here goes again... as an ex pat manxman i was interested in your pics. have you any showing dodge wc 42 / ton panel radio vans ? its a long shot but they were in the desert... ellen vannin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 Hi Panelvan and Radek Here's a couple of Austins for you, Radek. The Tilly is in Eritrea (now Ethiopia) and the one showing off its Caunter type camouflage is in the desert. I haven't got any photos of Dodges other than the one here which I think is a Canadian Dodge lorry. I'm too lazy to get my book out so maybe someone will tell me if I'm right? The 15th LAA seem to have used Morris Commercial wireless trucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 Oh dear, I've just had a look in the book. The Dodge is a Ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcspool Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 (edited) Here's a few photos of MT belonging to the 15th LAA Regt RA (TA) in Eritrea, North Africa and Europe. There's plenty more where these came from. What shall I post next? M16 quad .50 half-tracks in Manx Regt markings? More Morris CDSWs? CMPs? Thanks for sharing these pics, Ivor! What to post next? More CMPs please! Thanks, Hanno Edited December 10, 2008 by mcspool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcspool Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 (edited) Here's a few photos of MT belonging to the 15th LAA Regt RA (TA) Speaking of 15th LAA Regt and CMPs, a friend of mine has a CMP F15 w/20-mm Polsten which is painted in painted in D-Day markings 15th LAA Regiment. I understand these were the markings he found on the truck when restoring it. Would the museum have any wartime pictures of this type of truck? Thanks, Hanno Edited December 10, 2008 by mcspool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 Hmm, I wondered when somebody would ask. I've got no documentary or photographic evidence at all of CMP 4x2 15cwt AA vehicles being with the Regiment, but that's not to say there definitely weren't any. However, to quote Lt Col Brian Mylchreest, CO of 41 Battery at D-Day and later CO of the Regiment: "The only 20mm I remember were on tracked vehicles". These were Crusader AA tanks which the Regt were equipped with for a brief time around D-Day. I've had a close look at the Canadian photo that I understand led the CMP's owner to put 15LAA markings on it. I can't see any of the Polsten 20mm-armed vehicles actually carrying such markings although there are some clearly-marked 15LAA Morris wireless trucks driving past them. I'm prepared to be convinced otherwise if anyone's got evidence ... And I understand the CMP's for sale if anybody's interested. Hanno, here's a nice 15cwt CMP in the desert. I don't have any good photos of them in Europe - they all tend to be hiding behind people or trees! The Morris 8cwts were delivered to the Regiment here in the Isle of Man early in 1939. One of those is top of my wants list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Fascinating pictures Ivor. Always so much more interesting and useful when the unit can be identified. Can you by any chance read the census number on the C.6653 contract Norton that the officer is seated on ? If it's any help, it would be between C4316278 and C4320277 The bike is a late 1940 produced machine and looks to be still wearing it's original Khaki Green finish. Do you know when that particular photo was taken ? ...and the inevitable question - Any more motorcycles ? I imagine that a Manx unit would have contained plenty of keen motorcyclists ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 Can you by any chance read the census number on the C.6653 contract Norton that the officer is seated on ? If it's any help, it would be between C4316278 and C4320277 The bike is a late 1940 produced machine and looks to be still wearing it's original Khaki Green finish. Do you know when that particular photo was taken ? ...and the inevitable question - Any more motorcycles ? I imagine that a Manx unit would have contained plenty of keen motorcyclists ? Hi, 79, I hope you don't mind me calling you that for short! Happy to oblige, the census number is C4318425. The photo date isn't certain but it would not be earlier than January 1941, when the Regiment arrived in N Africa. We've got disappointingly few motorcycle photos bearing in mind the Island's connection with bikes. Here's what we've got. Maybe you can tell me a bit more about them? The Norton 16H is RMT540 / C399XXX. Photo taken in Liverpool late 1939. The Enfield - is it a WD/C? is C3922765, taken in Weymouth in mid-1940 There's another shot of Norton C4318425 with the officers doing silly things, but of course they're doing them in an officer-like way. I don't know anything about the other desert Norton photo which was taken on 18th November 1941. Can't make out the number - after sending myself cross-eyed staring at the screen and trying to enhance it it looks like it starts C433 but that doesn't fit with your sequence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Thanks once again Ivor for some wonderful pictures. Pre-war bikes and Service Dress - Old photos don't get much better for me. I think that RMT 540 is actually a 1939 C10 BSA. If the census number begins C3995, that would confirm things. Delivery of contract C.3939 (C399327 - C399926) commenced in May 1939. What rank did Callow hold in the photo ? The Enfield is also a 250, a WD/D from contract C4452 (C3922045 - C3922944) Both of these 250 sidevalvers were regarded more as light communications machines and were generally retained for home service. I suspect that the 'other' desert Norton is a slightly later one from Contract C.7353 (C4386027 - C4403026) Machines up to about C4392000 still had those rather peculiar double steel toolboxes visible in the picture. I now know that they were 'Footrests, trick riding, officers for the use of' which also explains why most of them are so dented and twisted ! Rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les freathy Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Ivor, out of interest how many troops were recruited into the manx regiment. I assume that most were from the Island or were they like many other units and made up numbers with others, also when hostilities ended and the lads returned home did the equipment come home with them cheers Les Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcspool Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 (edited) Hmm, I wondered when somebody would ask. I've got no documentary or photographic evidence at all of CMP 4x2 15cwt AA vehicles being with the Regiment, but that's not to say there definitely weren't any. However, to quote Lt Col Brian Mylchreest, CO of 41 Battery at D-Day and later CO of the Regiment: "The only 20mm I remember were on tracked vehicles". These were Crusader AA tanks which the Regt were equipped with for a brief time around D-Day. I've had a close look at the Canadian photo that I understand led the CMP's owner to put 15LAA markings on it. I can't see any of the Polsten 20mm-armed vehicles actually carrying such markings although there are some clearly-marked 15LAA Morris wireless trucks driving past them. I'm prepared to be convinced otherwise if anyone's got evidence ... Ivor, I presume you are referring to the attached picture? The thread On a Normandy beach... at Maple Leaf Up Forum decribes the source and conclusions deducted from it. Apparently the markings are to be found on the AA trucks in a large-size scan of the picture. I could check if there were any remnants of markings found when it was restored. I was hoping you could confirm those conclusions from other sources, but obviously you can not. Thanks, Hanno Edited December 12, 2008 by mcspool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 (edited) Hanno and Les, Thanks for the link to the MLU thread, I hadn't seen it before. I've got a copy of the book with the photo in it. I've scanned it at hi res and studied it in detail and I simply can't see the markings described in that thread. The Morrises are clearly marked with the Desert Rat and the white 73 on the red/blue RA arm of service square, which indicates without any doubt the Manx Regiment. The CMPs don't have those markings. Here are detailed scans of the three CMP vehicles in the picture. The first one is almost clear enough to read the census number. The leading vehicle in the second photo has on the back what appears to be the metal box which covers the loading mechanism of a Bofors gun. This in itself suggests a link with a Bofors unit, which the Manx Regt was. The date of 8th June which is quoted in the MLU thread would be correct for the 15th LAA going into Europe. The caption in the book dates it at 20th July but I'm sure this must be wrong because by this time the Regiment was well inland, also in the photo everything has that "just invaded" look, if you understand what I mean. Have a look and let me know what you think. I'd be very pleased if we could establish that the 15th LAA had Polstens on CMP trucks. Then I'd have to approach the Lottery people again to see if they'd fund the purchase of Dave's superb CMP. Les, the Regiment was raised in the IOM in 1938. It kept a strong Manx identity throughout but many replacement Gunners were from the UK. The Regt lost a complete Battery (No. 129) in Crete and this was quickly replaced by No.1 Bty, a Regular Army unit of UK Gunners. Ivor Edited December 12, 2008 by Ivor Ramsden Missed a bit out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 Well blow me down! I've looked at the second photo again and there sure is what could well be a Desert Rat on a white rectangle and 73 below it on a barely visible red/blue AOS square partly hidden on the RHS of both the CMPs. The mark on the LHS of the nearest truck is the Battery mark of 42 Bty (blue square with red lower left quarter) letter "Y" for Y Troop, and vehicle number 1. We might be re-writing history here! I must show this photo to Lt Col Mylchreest. Now where's the phone number for the Lottery people? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan C Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Ivor, my name is Juan Clague and as a fellow Isle of man resident I am very interested in the Manx Regiment. I am also a keen modeller and am currently working on the amazing Bofers gun kit from Bronco. However in trying to produce the kit as the version used by the regiment in Crete or the Western desserts I have come across several problems. Most photographs currently on line show the regiments guns without shields and appear to be manual control type. Detail is very hard to come by on the front wheel assembly and how the wheels were removed when in the emplaced position. Do you have any really clear photographs that could assist me in details of the actual manx guns. Ps really looking forward to seeing your Morris Bofors in the flesh this year. Regards Juan Clague. My email is juan _clague @msn.com in case it does not come up as an attachment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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