This pic is dated July '45, my grandad is 2nd from left, anyone any clues on the other 3 names or where they are? Looks like they are enjoying a tea break
The tank number might mean something to someone? grandads not in this one unless thats him sat on the tank lol
A fresh faced grandad here, no idea on date other than he's no stripes on his arm, he was made Cpl early '43 so obviously before that, not good at my tank i.d at the moment, anyone know please?
Thanks! Haha yes someone in his squadron wasn’t that hot on taking pictures! The pic I posted of grandad and his Comet also has someone sat on it with no head!
Peter Brown's book on the A13 has that the Mk II was armed with 2-pounder and Vickers and Mk IIA replaced the Vickers with the Besa, so this is clearly a Mk IIA as Frank identified. However within the IIAs "Most IIA tanks had the No 3 Mk I mounting but approximately 25 had the No 4 Mk I mounting. Why this was done was not recorded and later tanks used the No 3. MK I mounting." One of the photo captions in book has the same mounting as in the picture above, and is labeled as a tank with the No 4 Mk I mounting. (IWM E1004 if you want to look it up on their IWM website.) The No 3 mounting is not flat across at the top and bottom but curves out around the 2-pounder, if that makes any sense. So - it is a relatively rare sub-variant of the IIA
I'd say that is your grandad stood in the commander's cupola, as to the location looks like Germany and judging by the fact the Comet is sporting a muzzle cover they weren't expecting anything to happen maybe the pic was taken at the end of the hostilities!
Mate CO's are by their nature very inquisitive creatures and it was all well and good sat in the back of a command vehicle listening to situation reports (SITREPS), contact reports etc etc and looking at a map seeing the battle unfold but there was nothing like seeing it with your own eye's! So the CO would move forward with his Tac HQ, which probably consisted of the two RHQ tanks, a command vehicle, a few armoured cars and most certainly the OC of the RA Battery supporting the regt. He could then make his own mind up as to where support was needed or not as the case maybe!
The number 7 identifies this as an HQ 3rd Armoured Brigade tank not 3RTR. After Calais, back in Blighty, 3RTR spend most of the time before departure to Egypt under direct command of GHQ Home Forces and nowhere near 3rd Armoured Brigade. Another puzzle for you to ponder and solve.
Interesting... Do we know where and when those 25 might have been used? Keith Sorry forgot to add quotes! In reply to Chris C
So there’s the possibility it was taken in France / Calais? Or possibly before they left for France? Sorry forgot to add quote! In reply to MarkN
Sorry, no. That tank only left the factory after 3rd Armoured Brigade had gone to France. You can narrow the timeframe to late June or July 1940 through to when they sailed for the Middle East in the autumn.
Also, the nearest 3rd Armoured Brigade got to Calais was outside Abbeville and there were a handful of German Panzer Divisions on the roads from there to Calais block the path.
So it’s looking like it was taken in the U.K June to September ‘40? My scribbles also says they were under the 3rd Armoured Oct 40 - Jan 41? So in Egypt but not yet left for Greece? Doesn’t look like that sort of environment tho? I really must put some order to my scribbles!
3RTR reverted back to 3rd Armoured Brigade just before they sailed to the ME. They'd only been there a short while when they were reassigned to 1st Armoured Brigade. I suggest the picture was taken between July and when they got on the ship.
