An armoured car used for home defence service and training. It was literally an 'armoured' car - with an armour-plated hull mounted on the Flying 14 saloon-car chassis. Standard's 46hp petrol engine struggled to cope with the two-ton weight of the Beaverette; its maximum speed was just 24mph.
Germany, 1945 C Sqr ARV outside a tavern. The whereabouts of the crew is a mystery.
Unknown location/date C Sqr ARV. Note the straw-filled canvas 'lean-to' where the crew slept during 'safe' times. The gentleman goose-stepping in front (rather too expertly for my liking) is my Dad.
Husum, May 1945 C Sqr ARV preparing to enter Husum with crippled Honey in tow.
Husum Barracks, Aug 1945 C Sqr ARV loaded and ready for final journey to Hamburg (Cromwell in the background).
The ARV was a Sherman tank with the turret removed. With a crew of five its mission was to recover tanks and other vehicles which had been rendered immobile for whatever reason.
23H had three ARVs, one per fighting squadron (A, B, C); they followed their respective squadrons into battle. It was equipped with a towing cable and winch and, lacking a turret, its only armament was the hull machine gun.
The Cruiser tank Mk V or A13 Mk III Covenanter was the first cruiser tank design to be given a name. Designed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway as a better-armoured replacement for the Cruiser Mark IV, it was ordered into production in 1939 before pilot models were built. Problems with the design only became apparent after production was under way. It was used in the home defence and training roles but never left the British Isles as poor engine cooling caused versions MkI-MkIII to be declared unfit for use overseas. More than 1,700 of the type were built.
The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks during the early part of the Second World War. Over 5,000 tanks were manufactured and they made important contributions to the British victories during the North African Campaign. The Crusader would not see active service beyond Africa, but 23H used a modified version in an anti-aircraft role.
With its heavy armour, the Matilda II was an excellent infantry support tank but with somewhat limited speed and armament. It was the only British tank to serve from the start of the war to its end, although it is particularly associated with the North Africa Campaign. It was replaced in front-line service by the lighter and less costly Infantry Tank Mk III Valentine beginning in late 1941.
More than 8,000 of the 'Tank, Infantry, Mk III' Valentines were produced, accounting for approximately a quarter of wartime British tank production. Developed by Vickers, it proved to be both strong and reliable.
The arrival of the Sherman tank caused shipment problems - they could not be transported by rail on the standard 'flat' wagons because they were too high to pass under bridges and through tunnels. The Ministry of Supply therefore commissioned the construction of the 'Warwell' wagons, which were produced by Gloucester Carriage & Wagon Co, Head Wrightson and Southern Railway.
