Army Vehicles - 1960s

That pattern of sidelight could be found on all sorts of vehs, right up to the Centurion.
All those interchangeable parts, instrument panel, two speed gene, slave lead socket assembly und so weiter.
Those were the days !

Wilf wrote:

Anyone remember the Dingo? I certainly don't but my step dad (Ex 1st KDG) tells me they used them in Malaya during the 1950's

Wow !
Look at those petrol cans !

Wilf wrote:

Anyone remember the Dingo? I certainly don't but my step dad (Ex 1st KDG) tells me they used them in Malaya during the 1950's  

Yes sir !  Me sir,  I remember Dingos.  Not through personal contact but just seeing them around on schemes & things.. Had me going back to my refs.  " Dingo", they say was never an official name, it was the Daimler Scout Car Mk.1..  An angled seat for the driver enabled it to be driven smartish in both directions.  That pot shaped crew compartment became the basis for the Daimler armoured car & the Ferret.  There's a video clip of an Oz Dingo going at a lick in two directions, but I'm not clued up enough to try to post it.

Then, thinking back to the good old days, coming back to the 1960's topic, I was reminded of a Commer truck we had on loan for a MACC task in the Western Highlands.
Looking that up tells me it was a Commer 4 x4 GS Q4,  something less frequently around than RLs & such.  REME had some with a box body, so did the Scaleys.  Sappers, like my lot,  got a tipper version.  The front end,  tapered  bonnet & tall, narrow radiator grill with headlamps built in alongside, always reminded me of the same manufacturer's Super Snipe limo.  The beast we borrowed irritated when the transfer box discarded all its ball bearings and laid them out at neat intervals on a dusty track.

i was in 75 avd raoc . brackley mid 50s , the depot was an old ww2 bomber airdrome , a hugh vehicle park , we had just about every british army vehicle from motorbikes to centurion tanks , even tank transports were enormous , scammel ,mack , diamond t , thornecroft antar , austin tilly you name it we had it , i believe there were upwards of 38 thousand vehicles on site , we had great fun cabbying along the runways in all sorts of vehicles , we even used to race in the old bren carriers , as far as vehicles go that depot was an education inb itself , but the biggest laugh was owing to the suez crisis fuel was on ration , now virtually every vehicles fuel tank had lots of petrol or derv in , a lot of senior and junior ncos made a lot of money ,there were lots of farmers needing fuel for tractors etc and plenty of civilians with cars , but the biggest customers was the yanks on surrounding air bases , we had one sgt in out mt section used to own a caddilac, but as is the way of human beings some got too greedy and s,i,b, took an interest , the bubble had to burst and a few were sent to colly and the mallet ,but for anybody interested in vehicles that was the place to see , , ginger

Standard gear in 6 Armd Div 1952 - 56 KDG's if I remember correctly used them as recce vehicles.

Len (Ciphers)

ciphers wrote:

Standard gear in 6 Armd Div 1952 - 56 KDG's if I remember correctly used them as recce vehicles.

Len (Ciphers)

Same time with the Mailed Fist as me Len......... Almost ! 54-56 me.
Can't remember KDGs though. Would it have been 3 DGs or 3rd Carbineers who had the Cents in Osnabruck ? Got to admit my memory's a bit dodgy on that point. Ox & Bucks LI for sure, 5 RHA at Dodesheide, Sappers in Robert's Bks and my lot, 16 LAA RA at Quebec.

3rd Carbs for sure, did a great small arms course with the Ox and Bucks and at 20 Armd Bde we had the 17/21 Lancers all in Cents.Great days.

Len (Ciphers)

KDG's were the 6 Armd Div Recce Regiment based in Neumunster in the early 50s

Shelldrake wrote:

Tis indeed, I learned to drive on one, that and the Champ.

Gasp ! You learned on a synchromesh gearbox ?
We had to suffer the 1 ton Austin's "crash" gearbox.
You WIMP !

brum wrote:

Shelldrake wrote:

Tis indeed, I learned to drive on one, that and the Champ.

Gasp ! You learned on a synchromesh gearbox ?
We had to suffer the 1 ton Austin's "crash" gearbox.
You WIMP !

We were Boy Soldiers, our bodies were still developing.  

We the 13/ 18 Hussars  took over the AFVs in Neumunster from the KDGs, I joined them in 1956. Also  DAIMLER armoured car,and the heavy troop had the AEC Matador, we were all familiar with all of these AFVs , still looked like new after all those years of srvice.

JPW wrote:

KDG's were the 6 Armd Div Recce Regiment based in Neumunster in the early 50s

Thanks for the clarification JPW..........  Looks like Ciphers was correct & my knowledge of 6 Armd Div's composition was limited to units stationed in Osnabruck, the Frozen North as it was to the Brits in the '50s.   I presume Neumunster might be down near old Munster...... way out of our travels unless we had to go to BMH or pick up the post.  The only Neumunster on my 1: 1000.000 road map is some sixty odd clicks north of Hamburg, but I've been caught out before by an
apparent lack of originality when the Germans allocated a name for a populated area.

Cartav

The KDG (and the 13/18 H), as Kieler Sprotten will confirm, were really way up north in the Neumunster beyond Hamburg. Steve will endorse your comments regarding lack of originality of some German place names, he and I are having real fun and games deciding exactly where certain units were in 1945/46.

Anyone remember the Wombat? I have draged one of these things half wey accross Germany, Denmark and Norway but never got to fire it!

Big_Mike

Big_Mike wrote:

Anyone remember the Wombat?  I have draged one of these things half wey accross Germany, Denmark and Norway but never got to fire it!

Big_Mike

Couldn't you unhook it then ?  

army vehicles well this numb nut is picking his favourite

toys for christmas , who said the chinks aint human ginger

He's a bleeding Gook, not a Chink ...Mein Gott ... I forgot, you can't say that anymore.

Len (Ciphers)

That Oriental chappie on the right, he's got nearly as many medals as Prince Charles. I wonder what he did to get them ?

(What's Korean for "Walt"?).

[quote="brum"]That Oriental chappie on the right, he's got nearly as many medals as Prince Charles. I wonder what he did to get them ?
/quote]

Probably won 'em off a GI in a game of 3 Card Brag........ or Chinese Chequers.

One of my offspring has a medal now for doing a short stint in Afghan, whilst being safely tucked up in Camp Bastion on a cost saving exercise which sees expensive civilian expertise being provided to back up the military who no longer have their own uniformed experts.

The North Koreans have just released an 85 year old American who they suspected of being a Spy. Apparently he entered the country "Disguised as a Tourist" so, if you do not wish to be arrested on your next watersports holiday in Wonsan, do NOT step off the 'plane in Pyongyang dressed like this. Looks a wee bit like Gordon, don't you think?

Enjoyed reading all comments from all of you on the vehicles you had to drive in your time in the forces. I was trained as a driver in 31 regt RA at Rhyl in Feb 1959 on 3ton Bedfords with a crash gearbox what a lot lads could not cope with ,in our troop some had been back squaded from previous intake and still could not work it out.We had to have 3 days in classroom leaning about the workings of the vehicle,from the engine oils,gearbox and transferbox oils,antifreeze,and all tools carried on it ,including a BIRMINGHAM srewdriver!.It also involve static driving where you had to learn how to get into the cab without pulling on the steering wheel,use gearstick,handbrake,clutch,and accelerater,and do all hand signals plus use of mirrows and leaning out of open to reverse..The noise made by 20 odd bods in bulled boots doing all these things was quite a laugh.We were all alowed 3 weeks to pass the driving test,i was lucky i passed on the 7day.
Got posted to 47GW REGT RA in Dortmund last week of march1959 and was give abrand new RL Bedford on charge. The regt had alot of Yankee International 6x6 trucks which we all had to be able to drive as well as all the british vehicles so alot to have a cabby in...MICK.

Where's that North Korean General been, with all those medal ribbons !!!!! I don't think they have had any foreign postings !!!!

Jimsigs

Back to vehicles and maybe a tad before the '60s........... Whilst watching repeats of MASH on the festive tele I was reminded that the Yank transport was all finished in drab olive green paint which was a logical top dressing ( & still is !). For some reason all our QLs, Austin 1-ton & Champs in BAOR in the late '50s were issued and maintained in glossy dark green. Apart from that, there was a wealth of non-tac finishing on transport which might have been required to blend into a rural background. Union flags, yellow bridging plates, red & white wheel nuts, tac & div signs, etc., etc. And to maintain the shiny finish it was SOP in 16 LAA Regt to wipe down the whole of the exterior with a diesel soaked wad of cotton waste. Maybe the diesel was practical, for on exercises out in the sticks the trucks soon acquired a layer of hard to remove North German dust.

Cartav,

What memories come flooding back of your mention of QL's and champs etc. When I was in Herford (1952), we had a champ for the Rhine Army Commander of the day. (General Sir Richard Gale), which featured 4 stars. Went down to Dusseldorf on a trip driving it with another mate, we stopped off at to take photos with the star plate uncovered. Forgot to put cover on drove into the barracks in Dusseldorf complete with 4 stars showing. Got a rocket with reprimand for my sins.
Also remember cleaning the vehicles with diesel on top of the very green paintwork. Vehicles we had at the time were : 3 ton QL wireless HP with 53 sets, a WOT 6 Fordson battery charging vehicle, 3 Humber 1 ton utility vehicles for the Telefunken VHF radios, a couple of Opel cadet cars and a couple of 15cwt Bedford trucks. We had great garages to house the vehicles thanks to the barracks being an ex German Tank Regiment.
Memories, Memories.