Degsy Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I think T Ward would refer to Thos W Ward who were scrap metal merchants as well as being engineers and quarry owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Have you checked out this thread, it wont answer your question but has info on your cromwell. http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?t=11351 Ashley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 Missed that the first time around! I have seen the MAFVA site before though and I'm a great fan of Peter Browns research. It does clearly show the current naming 'rules' though as AlienFTM was describing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Adrian, Not really concerning the Cromwell but do you have any notion of where you will be taking the M4A4 this season? I'd like to hear that engine running :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Alastair, the only confirmed attendance so far is at Debach, a local airfield museum open day on June 7th. Adrian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annie Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Philip Clapperton was my father. He did indeed work for Kings the scrap metal dealer and steel stockholders when he retired from the Army. He was vastly knowledgeable about tanks and other armaments and would have loved to have been in touch on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Welcome to the Friendly Forum, Annie. The internet can be a wonderful place. Best wishes, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted June 1, 2010 Author Share Posted June 1, 2010 Annie, so good of you to join, welcome. I would have loved to have met your father and it is to my eternal regret that I did not put more effort into tracing him sooner. I assume from this that he was indeed Capt. Clapperton of the Royal Tank Regiment? I did try the Regimental Association as soon as I found out about my tank but they had no record of him as a member. Did your father leave any photographs or memoirs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utt61 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Seeing they used at least one other French-inspired name, APREZVOUS, or "after you", could ANNOUS have come from "à nous"? This tentatively translates as "for us" or "to us". I wondered if this could be the case. There was a fairly famous 1931 film entitled "A nous la liberte" but it doesn't have much military connection (about convicts excaping from prison), alternatively perhaps "a nous la victoire" (literally "victory to us") might well have been a topical battle-cry (this latter was the French title for the 1981 film "Escape to Victory"). Overall I think this is more plausible than the 'back passage' derivation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utt61 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 I entirely forgot to add to my previous post how fascianting is the history that you have found about this project! Personally I find that researching the history of an artefact, especially one that has as much history as this, is every bit as satisfying as the restoration itself and really helps add relevance to the project. Thank you for sharing it with us, and the best of luck with the restoration. I am really looking forward to future installments.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 Overall I think this is more plausible than the 'back passage' derivation! I think any explanation is more plausible than that...... just the way my mind works sometimes!:nut: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 I entirely forgot to add to my previous post how fascianting is the history that you have found about this project! Personally I find that researching the history of an artefact, especially one that has as much history as this, is every bit as satisfying as the restoration itself and really helps add relevance to the project. Thank you for sharing it with us, and the best of luck with the restoration. I am really looking forward to future installments.... I agree! It is so rare to find a bit of history like that. I too am itching to make a start..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Adrian You've already done more in restoration terms than most will in several lifetimes so you should feel quite entitled to take it a bit slower. Enjoy the family - the tanks will always be there if you want them but kids grow up in the blink of an eye !! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I too am itching to make a start..... So - will it be done in time for A&E? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 So - will it be done in time for A&E? I think it can be done, I'll post Adrian an emergancy restoration pack*, that should cover it. *1 off: Brillo Pad 1 off: Tin of Olive Green 1 off: Can of Easy Start 1 off: Roll of Duck Tape 1 off: Small pot of Fairy dust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 I think it can be done, I'll post Adrian an emergancy restoration pack*, that should cover it. *1 off: Brillo Pad 1 off: Tin of Olive Green 1 off: Can of Easy Start 1 off: Roll of Duck Tape 1 off: Small pot of Fairy dust I was getting worried until I saw the last item! Sorted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mu5tard Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hello, this is my first posting on this forum having just joined - hello folks. I have a specific reason for joining inasmuch as when clearing out my mums home I found a stash of photos of my late dads from WW2. Analysis and research of the photos leads me to 1RTR Desert Rats, more specifically A Squadron Troop 6 (under Capt Clapperton). Dad was a tank driver and I have photos of him sat in the drivers position in Apache 6B a Cromwell Mk4 I think with a slightly shorter barrel than the others alongside such as Alexander, Achilles, Assassin etc. Would very much appreciate contact with anyone who can help shed some more light on dads north european tour from 1943/44 (age 18) thru to mid 1947 when he was demobbed. Dad would not tell us about what he got involved in in this period, although he still had nightmares until he died 18 years ago....even then he was still fighting the war in his sleep. I have the 1RTR war diaries just arrived ex Bovington, but if anyone has old family records they are prepared to share then these will be of immense value to my brother and I. Any help much appreciated, I am not a tank buff, vintage motorcycles is my bent. sincere regs Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Andy, welcome to the forum. I was very interested to read your post, for obvious reasons. I would very much like to see your photos of the tanks, I am always hopeful of finding one of mine. Capt. Clapperton was troop leader of 2 troop, his wireless station was 6. Your dads tank, APACHE, T189521, was an original 1st RTR tank and was a 75mm Cromwell IV. It's commander was Sgt G McKee. ACHILLES, T189511 was also an original IV and was knocked out on 14th June. ALEXANDER and ASSASSIN were replacement tanks. I hope to soon see some pictures from Capt. Clapperton, your dad may be amongst them. If you could get some copies of your dads photos of the tanks, I would be very grateful and of course cover any costs. Posting them here would be great too! Adrian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supertrack Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 "Apresvous" is french "annous" is not french , maybe " a nous" is right name I think is that because , first in France we said before " apres vous " and after we said "a nous" it's salutation like "apres vous madame" "after you madam" after it's " a nous " "us to go " It difficult to explain but i think is right :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 While I can't be sure of the origin of "annous" with regard to its use by 1st Btn RTR. It is also a fairly common Palestinian familly name now common worldwide as well as in the levant and in the Emirates -There were several names in 1RTR 1944 lists that have middle eastern, arabic or persian origin. 1Btn RTR served in Eygpt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lssah2025 Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 (edited) Annous /Annas is Arabic, but pronounced Annous, a lot of times they spelled it how it sounded, and since the 7th was in Africa, they used a lot of Arabic, Moroccan and English words mixed together. Annous (Annas) means people. Another was alla keefek which can be translated as "take it easy". The famous shufti cush (cus) which is "show me you pu***". another is Ala Kareem "The generous", and a few other ones I can't remember. Edited October 9, 2013 by lssah2025 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super6 Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 2 troops tanks were named as follows. ANNOUS APREZVOUS APACHE ACHTUNG I thought it might be Latin but also found nothing on the net. The other thing I came up with is a bit tenuous but.... As Capt Clapperton was the senior officer in the sqdn after the sqdn commander, Maj Crisp and moved up to HQ when needed, I compared the names of the HQ troop tanks to find a link. They were:- ANWENOIT ANWECANDOIT ANSODOWE Obviously a corruption of And we know it etc. and I wondered if my tank had been named as a follow on such as 'And us'. This would have course been abbreviated to ANUS so would have needed to be changed or at least modified a bit! I'd hate to think my tank was named arsehole....:red: First time I read the name this occurred to me too!! Great minds think alike, others........... etc Going by your other analogies could it have been/meant AND NOW US? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lssah2025 Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Haa that is a great point Adrian, I showed the spelling to one of the local staff here, and he told me it was the correct spelling in Arabic for "Family" so if you look at Ann Us (one whole group, or family). Kinda freaky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Git Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Adrian, got any recent piccies mate, I'm feeeling a bit starved for Cromwell resto's now that Rick's is on the road :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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