17th/21st Lancers Photo album .

Discussion in 'RAC & RTR' started by hornetsfan, Jan 12, 2011.

  1. hornetsfan

    hornetsfan Junior Member

    Hello ,
    I have just bought a very nice photo album which belonged to "Buck" Boyd of 17th/21st Lancers .The album dated 1937-1939 , it covers his service in India NWFT , mostly around Meerut . I believe he may well have been a driver of Light tanks .
    There are many photos of light tanks , large uniformed group photos and sporting group photos ..it seems he was a keen boxer and athlete for B squadron .
    Ideally I would like to know "Bucks" christian name and if he servived ww2 . There are 2 photos in the album which date to ww2 ...one of him in uniform at Dunstable downs 23 oct 1941 and another large group photo with men in WW2 uniform .
    Frustrating the group photos are not named , if anyone has a similar album to the same regiment , date and location perhaps we could swap notes .
    Any help would be greatly appreciated .
    many thanks
    jim
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    Try contacting the Regimental Association of the Queens Royal Lancers I know they have all issues of the Regimental Journal for the 17/21L available on DVD

    QRL Regimental Association
     
  3. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Hornetsfan
    It should be recalled that in the period 1937-39 the 17/21st Lancers were STILL cavalry- as were the 16/5th Lancers- who left their horses in Egypt on their way home from India for mechanisation in 1940- notwithstanding that ALL cavalry units were supposed to mechanise in 1922 !

    both 17/21st and 16/5th along with the Lothian and Border Horse then became the 26th Armoured bde within 6th Armoured Div in both North Africa and Italy - landing in Africa with Valentines with 2 pounder guns - against the infamous Panzer Mk IV and Tiger VI with 19 foot long special 75mm and 88mm guns - that might have been lots of fun !
    Cheers
     
  4. hornetsfan

    hornetsfan Junior Member

    Hello Tom , apparently they received several different marks of light tanks in 1938 while in India . I have the evidence of this clearly within the album .There are plenty of photo captioned 17th/21st Lancers with light tanks featured .
    The photos attached are captioned MKVI Meerut 1938 I believe Boyd who is in the Lancers is driving .
    cheers jim
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    Oh that second picture will get Adam excited !
     
  6. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    The Regiment was mechanised in 1938 - though the officers still carried riding crops in 1972!
     
  7. hornetsfan

    hornetsfan Junior Member

    Hello Jedburgh, I will follow up on your lead .
    many thanks
    jim
     
  8. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Jedburgh - the 17/21st were always a funny lot - probably stamped their feet until they had a few covered carriers - 16/5th on the other hand left their horses in Egypt on their way home in 1940 - and my Daughter still sends a cheque every year for the upkeep of the descendants..she's like that !
    Cheers
     
  9. Bodston

    Bodston Little Willy

  10. hornetsfan

    hornetsfan Junior Member

    Thanks Boston ..it looks interesting ...there are also a few photos of roll royce armoured cars in the album.
    I will add a few more images tomorrow .#
    many thanks
    jim
     
  11. hornetsfan

    hornetsfan Junior Member

    Another photo from the album ...Buck is in the centre . Is the helmet he is wearing a tank driver helmet for the period ?
    It seems to be a different sort of pith helmet with a thick leather rim ...I have similar photos in another album dating mid 1930s with tanks in India .
     

    Attached Files:

  12. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Hi Jim, I've just remembered where we 'met' before. Feel a bit 'duh' at recently linking to your site as I now realise I'd seen it before.
    Few things I like better than Interwar shots of armour etc., so cheers for these.

    On the Helmet; If it's not just another pithy type, My addled memory thought at first it looked like a German WW1 pattern, or even the French at a push - but looking in the books I suspect it's what would be a pretty new British lid for the period.
    British M-36 Tank Crew Helmet of the Royal Tank Corps
     
  13. hornetsfan

    hornetsfan Junior Member

    Hello Von Poop , I know we have conversed on another forum site but have we met anywhere else ?
    I have another very similar photo album to the lancers album ...it features the tank regiment in the same region ..ie 1930s North west frontier territory , its a fantastic album as it has around 70 photos of light tanks and Rolls Royce armoured cars .
    The 2 attached photos show more clearly the helmet I'm referring to .
    many thanks
    jim
     

    Attached Files:

  14. hornetsfan

    hornetsfan Junior Member

    Hello ..more images from the Tank reg album in India mid 1930to late 1930s .
    First 2 images show light tanks dress up as trucks ..disguised to entrap ambushers . ..was this common at this time ?
    Third picture of tank ..can anyone please help me identify it .
    many thanks
    jim
     

    Attached Files:

    Bodston likes this.
  15. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    3rd Tank is a Medium Mk. III of the 1st tank Brigade.

    I think these are of the 'Mechanised Force' exercises, where the British Army first experimented with the correct use of fully motorised armies. Edit - Nope, see below. ~A
    Same vehicle type in very similar plumage to the 3rd in the David Fletcher book of the same name, 1934 exercise.
     
  16. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Adam,
    Checking further, but this website states it is a British Army Mk 1 Light Tank.

    I think it is wrong.

    THROUGH THEIR EYES - TANK REGIMENT 1930s NWFT INDIA

    Adam is correct.

    http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/505853-2/Medium_Mk_III_tank_IWM_KID_4625
    Vickers medium Tank Mk III
    Regards
    Tom
     
  17. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    That's Jim's site Tom ;).

    Developments of the a6e1 '16 tonner'.
     
  18. hornetsfan

    hornetsfan Junior Member

    Thanks for the identification of the Medium MKIII tank .

    The tanks dressed up as trucks date to Dec 1936 the other photos on the same page show hostilities with light tanks in action destroying a village nr Biche Kashkai .
    There is a sikh on rear tank which confirms photo taken in India NWF . they are captioned as being "Q" tanks designed by Capt Hoad to trap the ( Waqers ?) ..presumably derogatory for the local tribesmen .
    I'm assuming they were used to counter those attacking convoys ....can anyone find a similar photo ? any information would be great ..I have tried, but found nothing .
    many thanks
    jim
     
  19. Bodston

    Bodston Little Willy

    Thanks for the identification of the Medium MKIII tank .

    The tanks dressed up as trucks date to Dec 1936 the other photos on the same page show hostilities with light tanks in action destroying a village nr Biche Kashkai .
    There is a sikh on rear tank which confirms photo taken in India NWF . they are captioned as being "Q" tanks designed by Capt Hoad to trap the ( Waqers ?) ..presumably derogatory for the local tribesmen .
    I'm assuming they were used to counter those attacking convoys ....can anyone find a similar photo ? any information would be great ..I have tried, but found nothing .
    many thanks
    jim

    I have not seen or read of them before. There is nothing about them in the relevant chapter of Liddell Hart's 'The Tanks' but it does condense twenty years of tanks in India into a few pages. I would love a good book detailing the period.

    I found mention of them in Fletcher's 'Mechanised Force'. However a ruse, later adopted in the desert was first used in India when two machines from 2nd LTC were fitted with canvas covered frames that made them look like ordinary lorries... There is no evidence to suggest that they were ever used in this way.
     
  20. gordon wainwright

    gordon wainwright Junior Member

    Another photo from the album ...Buck is in the centre . Is the helmet he is wearing a tank driver helmet for the period ?
    It seems to be a different sort of pith helmet with a thick leather rim ...I have similar photos in another album dating mid 1930s with tanks in India .
    the guy with the cup looks like William Wainwright (my grandad), my dad says he became a chef as he used to be a butcher before he joined:)
     

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