I was reading the 7RTR war diary for the end of 1940 (Operation Compass) yesterday and was surprised to see references to Matildas equipped fascines and anti-mine rollers for the initial attacks. Do any photos exist of these early devices? Was there an automatic way to release the fascines or did someone have to get out and do something to drop them in a ditch?
I've come across plenty of later war images of Churchills with fascines, but can't think of one illustrating a Matilda. However, for the (sort of) correct period, here's a French Char B (bis) (No.124 - 'Dauphine' of 4e cie, 511e RCC) similarly equipped ... Dave
Your best bet is to get a copy of David Fletcher's Matilda Infantry tank 1938-1945. It has all the pictures above and more. As he notes on page 15: Another solution developed for Bardia was the following: "One such device was a bridge pushed on tracks that had been cannibalised from Universal Carriers ahead of the tank. The bridge was place in position by pushing it into the ditch. It was then detached and the Matilda Senior could drive over it. " from The Steel Wall Queen Part Two
Wow, that's FANTASTIC stuff, thanks guys! Maybe I need to revise my avoidance of Osprey books. (They're just so small...)
Osprey books are very hit and miss so I understand your trepidation. However there are certain authors that do good stuff within the confines of the layout. David Fletcher's produced a bunch of books for them. The Fortress series is usually very high quality and they cover subjects often under represented in the literature. All in all, a mixed bag but I do own a few.
I wondered if the bogies came from the 'tracked recovery trailers' found by Rick Wedlock as they don't look like quite like carrier suspension: Recovery & Repair - Vehicle pictures. Unfortunately, the 'bits' carrying the axles don't match, though it's possible they're variations of the same thing.
The interwar 1-pr anti tank gun was the other thing that sprang to mind, but the tracks are a bit narrower:
Was there any problem in steering these into position? As I see it, they look as if they can only be pushed in a straight line.