Markings and Insignia for Armour in the BEF

Discussion in '1940' started by LondonNik, Jan 3, 2011.

  1. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Some photos from my collection/book. the upside down tank, burnt out i think has RMY 353. one tank has FME 907. Tanks on the beach, Germans have put a number on them. Think the photos were taken in the dunkirk area?.
    tank dunkirk.jpg blown up tank dunkirk.jpg british tank dunkirk book.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2019
    von Poop likes this.
  2. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    Some photos from my collection/book. the upside down tank, burnt out i think has RMY 353. one tank has FME 907. Tanks on the beach, Germans have put a number on them. Think the photos were taken in the dunkirk area?.

    Thanks again. The resolution is a bit odd - are these very small pictures magnified? Anyway, my sixpennyworth:

    1. A Mk VIB probably from one of the cavalry units as it seems to lack a prominent AoS number on the lower front plate. The white recognition square looks positively luminous. No wonder it has been disabled.

    2. I agree - a Matilda I with RMY 353. It has suffered massive damage. What hit it - an aircraft bomb?

    3. I have never seen all these types in a Dunkirk beach picture before. Two Morris CS9 armoured cars, a Guy armoured car, a Mk VI and various Matilda I and IIs. It would be good to see a higher res picture of the Guy as it could add to the meagre information we have about its colours and markings.

    4. I have seen this one before somewhere (ebay?). It is a MkVIB of 3 RTR (9 on a green background) so probably in or near Calais.

    Andrew
     
  3. Noel Burgess

    Noel Burgess Senior Member

    Picture 3 with the armoured vehicles lined up - it occurs to me that maybe they were positioned by the Germans, perhaps for an exercise in vehicle recognition or perhaps for testing effects of various weapons upon them - hence the sequential numbering.

    Just a thought
    Noel
     
  4. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Picture 3 with the armoured vehicles lined up - it occurs to me that maybe they were positioned by the Germans, perhaps for an exercise in vehicle recognition or perhaps for testing effects of various weapons upon them - hence the sequential numbering.

    Just a thought
    Noel

    I share your thoughts Noel. I'm not sure that it's a beach and that concrete hardstanding makes me think of an airfield or military camp. Possibly a German facility for trying them out (before they shot at them).
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Rich, Ref post 60 can you check and see if Grasshopper gets a mention in ATB's Blitz in the West-I'm sure I've read about that tank before and there's a nice RTR article in that book.
     
  6. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Rich, Ref post 60 can you check and see if Grasshopper gets a mention in ATB's Blitz in the West-I'm sure I've read about that tank before and there's a nice RTR article in that book.

    Not obviously in the photographs and certainly not in the index. Is your copy more than hopping distance away ?:)
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Yeah thats why I asked you :lol: If its where I'm thinking it will be with the burning Matildas in the wood pictures. Page 400 and something ish?
     
  8. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Yeah thats why I asked you :lol: If its where I'm thinking it will be with the burning Matildas in the wood pictures. Page 400 and something ish?

    What did your last servant die of ?:)

    The two in the wood (page 347) are 'Glanton' and (according to the caption) 'Gloucester' On p.348 is 'Good Luck' . There is mention of 'Guinivere' in the text and the Mk1 'Garbo' is on p.349. That's all I can see.
     
  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Mmmm I swear I've seen it somewhere :lol:

    Thanks for looking-I'll have a brandy in the library ;)
     
  10. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Thanks again. The resolution is a bit odd - are these very small pictures magnified? Anyway, my sixpennyworth:

    1. A Mk VIB probably from one of the cavalry units as it seems to lack a prominent AoS number on the lower front plate. The white recognition square looks positively luminous. No wonder it has been disabled.

    2. I agree - a Matilda I with RMY 353. It has suffered massive damage. What hit it - an aircraft bomb?

    3. I have never seen all these types in a Dunkirk beach picture before. Two Morris CS9 armoured cars, a Guy armoured car, a Mk VI and various Matilda I and IIs. It would be good to see a higher res picture of the Guy as it could add to the meagre information we have about its colours and markings.

    4. I have seen this one before somewhere (ebay?). It is a MkVIB of 3 RTR (9 on a green background) so probably in or near Calais.

    Andrew

    Sorry about the res and the photo of the guy + tanks is not good to start with.
    tanks.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2019
  11. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    Mmmm I swear I've seen it somewhere :lol:

    Thanks for looking-I'll have a brandy in the library ;)

    Can't remember seeing it in a book but here is a picture of it I found on ebay. The locusts on the Grasshopper in Jan's picture have moved out of shot by this time.

    There is a white (or gas paint?) recognition square on the front.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=46111&stc=1&d=1298257235

    Andrew
     

    Attached Files:

  12. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

    Deleted
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017
  13. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    Hi -
    2. It's not a Matilda 1 - have a look at the visible roadwheel - it looks like a carrier of one type or another.;)

    3. It looks like a range. The numbers are target numbers and the fact that these are all british may be for evaluation purposes or just practise - the poor old CS9's won't take much of a hit though. Range vehicles in the UK have been (still are?) also numbered.

    Cheers, Nick

    2. Whoops - not looking properly. How about a Windsor Carrier?

    3. I agree. There is no evidence that this lot would have met up on the beach.

    Andrew
     
  14. idler

    idler GeneralList

    2. Whoops - not looking properly. How about a Windsor Carrier?

    Windsors appeared in the second half of the war, and this one has a pre-war registration plate by the look of it. Most probably a Bren Carrier.
     
  15. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    You're right. I'm going to shut up now before I look any more stupid.

    Andrew
     
  16. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

    Deleted
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017
  17. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    So that is a third VRN for DREADNOUGHT?

    By the way - how do you view an IWM film? Do you have to buy a copy to see it?

    Andrew
     
  18. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

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    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017
  19. JCB

    JCB Senior Member

    'Bannockburn' in the Maginot line , a Vickers I think . From the excellent 1st Lothian and Borders Yeomanry website ,which also has good soldiers photos of pre war Rolls Royces and Lanchester armoured cars.
    Also a good account of a 1940 action at Cany-Barville (2nd pic tank 'Blue Bonnet') the Vickers appear to be death traps .

    1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry

    Craig
     

    Attached Files:

  20. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

    Deleted
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017

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