Interwar Tank Development: 2015

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

Vickers Armstrong photos from the Evening Chronicle/Tyne & Wear Museum Service

A while ago the Evening Chronicle published a gallery of photos from the Tyne & Wear Museum Service relating to Vickers Armstrong, ranging from around 1900 to 1948.

They can be found here and form an interesting addition to the pictures from the two Beamish albums here on the Interwar Tank Development Blog. Not all of course are interwar.

Among the interesting things:

#1 Shervick Tractors - manufactured from cut down British Shermans in 1948 for use in the Ground Nut Scheme;

#6 1931 pattern Vickers-Carden-Loyd amphibious tank swimming in the River Tyne

#19 the handsome armoured cars based on Morris Commercial D chassis which were sold to Siam

#8 the rather bizarre man cages

#7 Carden Loyd Mk VIs

Saturday, 1 August 2015

Media Page updates

A number of further Pathe News clips of interest have been added to the Media page.

The Same Old..."Mud" has an intriguing shot of a REME detachment riding in a Burford Kegresse armoured MG Carruer half track

Our Mechanized Army (1930) is from the Dominion Premiers exhibition nd has a Light dragon towing a train of six tracked trailers, a Medium Mk III driving through a wall, a Carden Loyd Mk VI mortar carrier being loaded on a pontoon, and a Vickers Medium Mk II crossing a pontoon bridge. The vehicle #5 shown towing a large trailer seems to be a Guy 8 x 8 tractor with tracks provided over its rear wheels.

Speed and More Speed is the Watchword of the Army Today shows 1936 exercises in Sussex, including 1st battalion DLI in Tractor, Light GS, Mark 1s, in their role as an experimental MG battalion.

Friday, 31 July 2015

Check it out

I have added a new permanent page to the blog to host David Fletcher's Tank Chats, which the tank Museum has published on YouTube.

This is a series of short films with Mr Fletcher talking about vehicles in the museum's collection.

Theose of interwar interest include the Vickers Medium and the Type E; the Carden Loyd MG Carrier; and Lanchester armoured car; The others in the series include the WWI Mk II tank, and the A 13 Cruiser and Mk VI B Light Tank.

Friday, 24 July 2015

Vickers Medium at works, no armament

Col Breyer D of A

The D of A was the Directorate of Artillery, part of the Master General of the Ordnance's Office with the responsibility for placing government tank orders with manufacturers. I have no further information on Colonel Breyer or which of the officers in the photo he is.

Vickers 16 tonners Ns 1 & 2 1927

The captions read 14mm turrets and petrol tank protection. No front plate. 14 mm turret walls and tank front. 9 mm sides. The twin guns were not good for the want below for two belt boxes.

A1E1 Vickers Independent under construction 1926

The caption reads Independent: 28mm plating in F.C and turret. £ pdr and Vickers in main turret. $ auxiliary turrets. Rear L.H. was anti aircraft.

Armstrong Siddeley Dragon

The Dragon towed the gun instead of carrying it like the transporter. This is the vehicle which inpressed Captain Sheryer so much at TTS as a machine of great reliability, making a run of 100 miles in one day with only one involuntary stop, and was the first tracked vehicle to last 1,000 miles before track wear put it out of commission. The engine was an air cooled aircraft enginee.

18 pdr Transporter 1922

This machine carried the 18 pdr inside the vehicle, rather than towing it like the later Dragons. The Vickers Armstrong captions state 80 HP Wolse;ey engine, 20 mph. !st machine builtat Sheffield. Weight 5 3/4 tons without gun and crew. Drg started Merch 1922. delivered to Farnborough end of November.

18 pdr Transporter Mk II was about 63 track. Mk III was 66. Hence the wide ramp on one side.

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Mark "C" Japan 1927

Birch Gun 1928/9

The third and final type of Birch Gun, Mk IE, the last two vehicles built. The gun was houses in a barbette. The top half of the shield was open at the rear.