Second type of Birch Gun, with gun shueld.
This blog provides images and information on interwar tank development by Vickers Armstrong Ltd. The photographs used have come from two works albums from Vickers Armstrong Ltd, held by the Beamish Museum and used here with permission. They also cover other vehicles including half tracks and wheeled transport.
Showing posts with label 1925. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1925. Show all posts
Tuesday 14 July 2015
Wednesday 8 July 2015
Light Tank Mk1 - Okehampton 1925
Rough going on exercise at Okehampton - the caption for the final photograph reads "the white marks on the rocks show marks of tracks"
Tuesday 7 July 2015
Trials at Wool, February 1925
The Trials at Wool (at Bovington) in 1925 predated the establishment of the Experimental Mechanised Force by two years. From the photographs it appears they were particularly lookng at the performance of various vehicles - tracked, half tracked and wheeled - for moving the artillery. This included having them attempting to climb Gallows Hill, the occasion on which Adolphe Kegresse legendarily threw his hat in the air shouting "The wheel is dead" after one of his vehicles outperformed all the wheeled contenders. The letter or number contained in some of the captions designates the particular vehicle being tested, and these letters or numbers are displayed on the vehicles in the photographs.
The photographs in this post are captioned "general" - those with identified vehicles have posts of their own,
There are also photographs from test and exercises at Oakhampton in 1925, the Dominion Premiers Exhibition in 1926, and the Wool trials of February 1927.
13 pounder on experimental mounting, 1924-5
Of this vehicle BT White, in British Tanks and Fighting Vehicles 1914-1945 states;
A contemporary of the Birch guns, although designed for lighter field pieces, was the Light Artillery Transporter built by Sir WG Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd in 1924. This vehicle, which carried a 13 pr gun (although a 3.7 in howitzer could be substituted) had the engine - a 48hp AEC 4-cylinder type - at the rear and the gun mounted at the front. There was no armour protection for the crew, but the Transporter was designed to be inconspicuous to make it more suitable for close support work. Only the prototype of this experimental vehicle was built.
Ingoldby Tractor, 1924-25
This photograph seems to have been used in Philip Ventham and David Fletcher's book Moving the Guns, p 53. Note the unusual round sectioned tracks.
Birch Gun, 1925
This is the first type of Birch Gun, issued to 28th Field Battery of IX Field Brigade Royal Artillery for trials. The second version is modt easily recognisable by having a gun shiled. The third and final version had a circular barbette providing the crew with all round protection.
These two other versions are illustrated in other posts.
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