Army Vehicles - 1960s

Nobby wrote:

Hussar100 wrote:

I remember seeing Centurion Target Tanks. This was in England (Salisbury Plain) not BAOR. It was a load of Jocks from various infantry outfits who were the drivers. Uparmoured to 80 ton but with the same pack and gearbox. It seems the main fault with them was the reduction of main brakepower to 4 seconds of foot on pedal which made for some interesting downhill journeys along Sack Hill, Warminster (if anyone remembers that particular elevation?), particularly if the unfortunate Scottish chappie driving the panzer happened to miss the downchange on the non-synchro box.

This is 1 of 2 Cent Target tanks that we had in Albuhera Barracks in 1982. The strangest feeling, driving around the range and getting fired at!

Fantastic picture Nobby.

You're dead right - it is often quite unsettling when people are shooting at you which is why we often wondered why anyone would volunteer for the job!

Bit before the '60 r, but still going strong in the late '50s was the short wheel based Bedford MWD 15cwt we had and which was WW2 issue. Only 2- wheel drive and originally our bty.Sigs. Mike truck with an "FFW" suffix to its name ( Fitted For Wireless). My mate Jock Cairney and I inherited it for dvr,instruction. The cab was canvas topped, we rarely had it closed. Driving position with low seats, legs straight out, was more akin to something sporty.
The crash box with a short, stiff gear lever and none of that cissy synchromesh made double-deeing a necessity, but those gears were on its big brother the QL ,too, something which had to be learned.

I'd signed the book, had it on charge nominally whilst employed in other things. This led to a problem when I had to get rid to go on the advance party when the regt moved back to UK. Once a sigs wagon, the back which we filled with half a dozen drivers under training had been kitted out with folding tablea & chairs, battery charging stuff and cradles for a couple of 19 sets. Some frantic searching unearthed most the bits which hadn't been used since VE -Day or there abouts, I managed to get the clearance chit signed.

those bedford 15 cwts we had a few of them as water bowsers , terrible things bomb along the road brake and the water used to push you along a bit further , remember in the 50s anti freeze was a modern fingy and not many depots had it , when we took off the rotor arms at night to deter thieves , we also had to empty the radiator , that was a pain in the neck , ginger

The bedford RL was an easy one to "hotwire" as well, the fuse box was in the left hand footwell, against the engine bay wall. just cross the fuses over and you had ignition. Favourite army vehicles, Austin 1800. NOT

Some old models here

The museum is located on the site of the World War 2 and post-war Weybourne Anti Aircraft Training Camp. Weybourne Camp is north west of the coastal village of Weybourne.
During World War 2, the camp was surrounded by a perimeter anti-tank ditch and defended by a system of gun emplacements and barbed wire. The interior of the camp consisted of groups of Nissen huts, barracks and other military buildings. The cliff top to the north was covered by a line of heavy anti-aircraft guns and batteries, slit trenches and pillboxes.
After the war, the camp became known as the AA permanent Range and Radar Training Wing[1] and gunnery training continued until 1958. The site still has a RAF radar receiving station and is the location of the University of East Anglia Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory and a Metrological Station.
The site is owned by Sir Peter de Savary

part two

What an amazing place, DeeZ, such a variety of kit !

My compliments on the quality of the video footage, by the way.

Great videos as usual, Jack.

cartav wrote:

Bit before the '60 r, but still going strong in the late '50s was the short wheel based Bedford MWD  15cwt we had and which was WW2 issue. Only 2- wheel  drive and originally our bty.Sigs. Mike truck with an "FFW" suffix to its name ( Fitted For Wireless). My mate Jock Cairney and I inherited it for dvr,instruction. The cab was canvas topped, we rarely had it closed. Driving position with low seats, legs straight out, was more akin to something sporty.
The crash box with a short, stiff gear lever and none of that cissy synchromesh made double-deeing a necessity, but those gears were on its big brother the QL ,too, something which had to be learned.

I'd signed  the book, had it on charge nominally whilst employed in other things. This led to a problem when I had to get rid to go on the advance party when the regt moved back to UK. Once a sigs wagon,  the back which we filled with half a dozen drivers under training had been kitted out with folding tablea & chairs, battery charging stuff and cradles for a couple of 19 sets. Some frantic searching unearthed most the bits which hadn't been used since VE -Day or there abouts, I managed to get the clearance chit signed.

As an Army brat, the Bedford 15 cwt MWD ('Mickey Mouse') was my school bus in BAOR and, later, in East Africa. Two wooden benches in the back, a knotted rope to swing into or out of the vehicle - bliss! My favourite army vehicle by far - although I always had a soft spot for the Saracen after my younger brother (when 9) drove one onto the parade ground just before the GOC's inspection! The band provided a distraction while the MT section rescued our kid and the armoured hulk.

[quote="Dee Z"]The museum is located on the site of the World War 2 and post-war Weybourne Anti Aircraft Training Camp. Weybourne Camp is north west of the coastal village of Weybourne.......
The site is owned by Sir Peter de Savary  
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Late congrats on the video, which I've only just opened after some break in
comms due to one thing & another........... On the subject of vehicles, although not 1960's stuff, it was interesting to see the brief shot of a Humber 8cwt FFW.
For them as don't know ......... probably weren't born yet ! ....... this was a WW2
4 x 2 and was odd in that the whole of the back end was detachable from the chassis. This bit had folding legs which could support it when detached to become a static radio station or command centre. My refs don't say how it was lifted, but when kitted out for two ops. with radios, batteries, seating etc, it must have been more than a four-man lift.

[quote="twroberts27

[/quote] - although I always had a soft spot for the Saracen after my younger brother (when 9) drove one onto the parade ground just before the GOC's inspection!
[/quote]
A Saracen ?
Aged 9 ?
Blimey, he must've had strong legs !

I learned to drive in a champ and then they gave me an Austin 1 tonner with a crash box to take the test in!!! Army logic. I also nearly ended my days driving an AEC 10 tonner with no power steering. I pushed the wheel one way while changing gear and tore a muscle in my back. One of the lads came into the ablutions while I was having a wash and said, "My God! Have you seen your back? The last time I saw a bruise like that was on my Dad after he died." That had me scuttling off to the sick room I can tell you.
Favorite drive? Chieftains were fun. As was the LAD 434 I had. When I was attached to 4 fd regt RA we had a young gunner who climbed into a Centurion OP when the engine was running and pulled one of the tillers. Made one hell of a mess of the interior of the building and surrounding vehicles as it neutral turned.

[quote="steve1226"]I learned to drive in a champ and then they gave me an Austin 1 tonner with a crash box to take the test in!!! Army logic. ....[quote]

Apart from staff cars, I suppose the Champ was the first bit of MT with a synchromesh box........ don't know about the Jeep, never got my hands on one.  But double -D gear changes were the norm for many. The cheaper cars usually only had three gears with no synchro on first.  Before that innovation. , even earlier cars with crash boxes might have the accelerator pedal in the middle of the three to help to "heel & toe" .   ie left foot de-clutching, right toe on the brake pedal, right heel on the gas to rev up in neutral when changing
down & slowing.  That complicated stuff in a helicopter is a doddle in comparison and driving  a QL or an Austin 1-tonner was easy.

Old Buckenham airfield

That's an amazing collection of mil hardware, makes our local transport festival look miniscule !

I got quite nostalgic, listening to that K60 engine wailing away in the background.

I didn't join until 1976 but there were still a few of these knocking around. We had an RL as FAMTO waggon at 1ADOC (Soltau) being a petrol engine it was faster than the MK's and there was space under the passengers seat where you could fit two yellow handbags quite snugly.




For those who may not know... the yellow handbag:

i was doing driver training in chilwell 1956 they had just started changing the rl for the old type 3 ton bedford , i much prefered the old 3 tonner to the rl ,

Nice to see the old RL again.
We were in Hohne, early '71. Waiting for the wagon to pick us up in Bergen, one morning, we noticed that the thermometer, on the wall of the chemist, read -25.
Eventually the duty truck turned up, (an RL), very late and the driver explained that he'd had to go around, bump starting the squadron MKs. It was too cold for them to start.
It was a good wagon, the RL, but I preferred the MK, it was more comfortable.

I seem to remember when on exercise in the winter we would use an eager beaver to 'slave' the knockers, winter excercises would have ground to a halt without a beaver with a slave lead. Knockers would never start below freezing but once fired up they would go anywhere... albeit slowly. We were using them right up until the end of the 1980's and although some people tend to look back to the knocker fondly, I much prefered it's replacement. The TM may not have been quite as robust (Squaddyproof) as the knocker but it was a damned sight more comfortable and unlike the knocker it came in left hand drive.

   

[quote="Wilf"] We had an RL as FAMTO waggon

"FAMTO", blimey, that's one I'd forgotten !

gingerjim wrote:

i was doing driver training in chilwell 1956 they had just started changing the rl ..........

Time sounds about right........ I drove my first RL in Spring of '56 and that might have been when 16 LAA moved back to UK. RLs were still going strong in TA up to late, late 1970s. What happened to I-tonners ? Did nothing replace the Austin, which became one of my favourites........? . Tan leathercloth inside the cab was almost like a car. No heater then, but no draughts either. And you could kip laying across the front seats whilst the two others of an OP were happy to spread out in the back.

The Fordson E4 was one many might not have come across....... purely a LAA tractor, I think, and could have been replaced when
L 70s came in instead of the Bristol Bofors around the late '50s to early 1960s. Another comfortable, draughtproof truck with a 3.9 litre V8..........but not much use for towing.

[quote="cartav  What happened to I-tonners ?  Did nothing replace the Austin, which became one of my favourites........? .
[/quote]I hadn't really thought about that before but I imagine the Long Wheelbase Rover moved into the 1 tonner's role.

brum wrote:

Wilf wrote:

We had an RL as FAMTO waggon

"FAMTO", blimey, that's one I'd forgotten !

At least you could have a decent kip in the MK. FAACO and FATSO, any more for any more?

Tbh, I reckon you would have to be a very tired contortionist to get to sleep in the cab of an MK. You had to put it in first gear and try to ignore the cupola footplate between the seats that your arse was resting on. The best place to kip in the winter was the passenger seat of a knocker. Push the back of the seat forward so it's flat, drop your large pack & webbing in the footwell, roll out your doss bag and sleep full stretch, after a week of living in a hole in the woods it was like the presidential suite at the London Hilton. In the summer just roll out your doss bag on top of the canvas, you sink between the superstructure just enough to avoid rolling off in your sleep...of course if you did roll off, it was quite a drop!