FV 430 SERIES COLOUR SCHEMES

We have sorted out the FV 430 Series variants elsewhere on the site

Now the matter of detail

I believe the FV432s (definitely-and probabley some other variants) were painted the standard BAOR drab olive green. I have a photo dated Spring 1970 showing this livery

However other postings on the site show matt black patches on the vehicle sides to break up the vehicle outline. When was this modified colour scheme introduced?

Secondly at the time of the FV 430s introduction the unit TAC signs painted on the front and rear of all vehicles changed from the WW2 system of Arm/Service coloured background with unit number super imposed on one wing and a formation badge on the other to the present day system of small white numbers indicating unit/formation on one wing and small Union Jack on the other. Were any of the early FV 432s delivered with the original TAC signs?

Finally I remember some vehicles displayed their radio call sign on a (detachable?) white numbers on a black background board on the vehicle sides not front or back. Seem to remember that this was not universally adopted with some saying this board made a perfect aiming point or any opposition anti tank gunner or missile operator

Comments please

at 22 sigs we repainted our wagons in the summer of 1970. we discovered some interesting colours when we started stripping the old paint off. apparently some of the wagons had been painted in 1956 a desert shade ready for egypt.

reg

Umm! More like Aden 1966

JPW wrote:

We have sorted out the FV 430 Series variants elsewhere on the site

Now the matter of detail

I believe the FV432s (definitely-and probabley some other variants) were painted the standard BAOR drab olive green. I have a photo dated Spring 1970 showing this livery

However other postings on the site show matt black patches on the vehicle sides to break up the vehicle outline. When was this modified colour scheme introduced?

Secondly at the time of the FV 430s introduction the unit TAC signs painted on the front and rear of all vehicles changed from the WW2 system of Arm/Service coloured background with unit number super imposed on one wing and a formation badge on the other to the present day system of small white numbers indicating unit/formation on one wing and small Union Jack on the other. Were any of the early FV 432s delivered with the original TAC signs?

Finally I remember some vehicles displayed their radio call sign on a (detachable?) white numbers on a black background board on the vehicle sides not front or back. Seem to remember that this was not universally adopted with some saying this board made a perfect aiming point or any opposition anti tank gunner or missile operator

Comments please

In '66 our brand-new Abbot/432 fleet were nice, shiny Bronze Green and burnished to a stupidly high gloss.

I agree, the olive drab came in early 70s and I think the black paint came in within two years of that.

The small unit signs were on our Honest John equipments in early '62.

...and finally, if a hostile is close enough to read a veh's callsign he certainly won't need it as an aiming point !

Peter
No vehs were issued with their Tac signs already painted on, it was a Unit responsibility to add these.

The FV 430 series did not enter service until the mid 60s, prior to this infantry were either lorry mounted or in Saracens and REME were using the International Half Track for fwd repair and by Fitters Tps in Arm Regts. The first that I came into contact with was the Abbott in 68 at RSA Larkhill.

430s were issued in the old olive drab colour, when the colour scheme changed and IRR paint was introduced in the 70s it was a Unit responsibility to paint them. It was only later(80s?) when they woke up to the health hazard created by dust when rubbing down IRR that resprays were carried out only at approved locations and during base overhaul, that said many units ignored the hazard and continued to repaint themselves.
Bob

that said many units ignored the hazard and continued to repaint themselves.
Bob[/quote]



That'll be the Gunners, then!

No names, no pack drill!!! Never understood the relationship between Gunners and lengths of wood!!!
Taking cover.
Bob

Very tactful, Bob !

Could've been QOH, REME used to call them "Donks" I recall.

None taken!!

I'm sure that at "Shiny" 20 they were all glossy green and then painted in cam before ex'es

in fact I know they were, they must have had tons of layers of paint

Oh and then painted glossy green again after the ex.

Perhaps the desert colour found underneath some 432,was the mud paste from Soltau Training Area that we had to daub the units in before an exercise.
But many of those 430's with desert colours, could have been those deported by the man of the moment Colonel Ghaddafi in 1969,when he kicked us out of Libya.
Just around mid-1970 the same time that we were issued with the new DPM combats,we started to repaint our 430's in cam. Remember using the electrical Sanding Machine off the 434 to break up the sheen of the paint, until I was informed that the machine is 440 Volt AC, and that there was an ongoing fault with the earthing system generally.

Many thanks to the authoritive and amusing response to my original query

Reg
I think the 22 Signals Regiment vehicles may have been part of the earmark for the 1956 Suez crisis, can well remember as a schoolboy that many REME Workshops went on to extended hours working to carryout urgent maintenance/ modificaion tasks. When complete the vehicles were marked with a large white H on the sides. Perhaps some of our veteran contributors can confirm

Gallahad
Can remember the scenes in Buller Barracks when one of the GREN GDS 432s was returned from Libya, to say it was mingeing was an understatement. Seem to recall that there was no permanent pool but a number of BAOR based Mech Bns gave up one/two of their vehicles each Spring to form a small training pool in the Desert, needless to say everybody claimed to have sent one of their most reliable vehicles and a heap of rubbish was returned The LAD Fitter Sections muttered, got out their toolboxes and set to to rebuild the battered hulk sometimes watched by an anxious driver.

I was recalled for Suez, 3 Inf Div, 1st Guards Brigade, 2 Bn Scots Guards .. All our vehicles were painted in Desert scheme with a white painted 'H' on sides and tops of vehicles .. at one time it was classified in messages I handled as Operation Poker, but I have Googled it and checked other sites and saw no mention of Operation Poker.

Len (Ciphers)

JPW wrote:

Many thanks to the athoritive and amusing response to my original query


Gallahad
Can remember the scenes in Buller Barracks when one of the GREN GDS 432s was returned from Libya, to say it was mingeing was an understatement.

JPW . Looks like we were at Buller Bks together,as I remembered that 430 well. It took a couple of servicings to get rid of the yellow sand from the power pack bay. VM's normally used to forage in the power pack bay after the pack was lifted, looking for the usual lost spanners,but not with this one from Libya, as we were scared of coming across a scorpion.

JPW wrote:

Many thanks to the athoritive and amusing response to my original query

Reg
I think the 22 Signals Regiment vehicles may have been part of the earmark for the 1956 Suez crisis, can well remember as a schoolboy that many REME Workshops went on to extended hours working to carryout urgent maintenance/ modificaion tasks. When complete the vehicles were marked with a large white H on the sides. Perhaps some of our veteran contributors can confirm

JPW
I'm not veteran from this time...but if the Royal Signals history is correct not 22 but 1 Corps Signal Regiment Maresfield Barracks Hereford recorded to Suez as 2 Corps Signal Regiment Aug to Dec 56
http://royalsignalsbaor.blogspot.com/

Gallahad

I was across the Square with 2 SCOTS GDS in Waterloo Barracks

Berlin Brigade had all of their armoured vehicles painted in urban brick colours. Looked strange when first seen but you very quickly realised that it actually worked in an urban environment.