Tank names

"It wasn't the tank that won the war, it was my boy Willie!" Title of the Royal Tank Regiment's march.



That's me in the centre aboard that last Churchill I crewed. It was a Mark V and her name "Ballyrashane" - all the tanks of the North Irish Horse were named after towns in Ireland, both North and South.

 

This is Korea.

The tank is named HUTH and the registration number appears to be 27ZR62. There is a figure 43 in a square to the left of this number. The badge of the beret of the standing man is not clear but it may be the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars

 

It looks like a Comet, right?

Aye
MalcolmII

 

Thanks for that - I really do not know.

Stuart

 

Originally posted by Gerry Chester@May 12 2004, 10:04 PM
"It wasn't the tank that won the war, it was my boy Willie!" Title of the Royal Tank Regiment's march.



That's me in the centre aboard that last Churchill I crewed. It was a Mark V and her name "Ballyrashane" - all the tanks of the North Irish Horse were named after towns in Ireland, both North and South.
Looks like an AVRE with a petard. Is it?

How effective was it?

 

Originally posted by Stuart Brown@May 13 2004, 07:35 AM
This is Korea.

The tank is named HUTH and the registration number appears to be 27ZR62. There is a figure 43 in a square to the left of this number. The badge of the beret of the standing man is not clear but it may be the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars.
8th Kings Royal Irish hussars would make sense. They were deployed in Korea from November 1950 to December 1951. That is, they were the first armoured regiment deployed, along with a squadron of the RTR, which clearly the badge is not.

My point being is that I am sure that later on the main tank deployed in Korea by the British was the Centurion with the 20 pounder gun, so the tank in the picture favours it being an early photo, probably in the summer of 1951 (they wouldn't have their shirts off if it was winter in Korea!).

 

Originally posted by angie999@May 15 2004, 01:44 AM
Looks like an AVRE with a petard. Is it?
How effective was it?


She was a regulat fighting Churchill mounting, not a petard but a 95mm. We carried HE, HE/AP and Smoke ammo but we only fired the HE in action for which purpose it was more effective than the 75mm guns - the task of looking after Panzers was left to our 6-pdr Churchills. Although it was a short-barreled gun it had a good range - the longest recorded in action (in Italy) was by Mark Vs of one of our fellow regiments, who successfully engaged targets 5,000 yards distant.

 

Originally posted by Gerry Chester@May 15 2004, 04:10 PM


She was a regulat fighting Churchill mounting, not a petard but a 95mm. We carried HE, HE/AP and Smoke ammo but we only fired the HE in action for which purpose it was more effective than the 75mm guns.


Thanks for clearing that up. I hadn't realised that the 95mm had such a short barrel as I have never seen a good picture of one before, but I should have checked first to establish that the Mark V was the version fitted with it.

(Actually, I have got a picture of a Churchill fitted with a 95mm in a book, but it is a head on view, which gives no idea of barrel length)

 

Originally posted by MalcolmII@May 13 2004, 04:08 PM
It looks like a Comet, right?

Aye
MalcolmII
It is actually a Cromwell (A27). They are very similar and the hulls are almost identical, but the Comet (A34) has a different turret, cast as one piece and not welded and rivetted as the Cromwell turret is in the picture.

I have now been able to establish that there was an armoured force of Cromwells and Churchills deployed with 29th Infantry Brigade, but this did not include 8th Hussars, who were in any event equipped with Centurions.

 

angie999

Thanks for the information

 

The tank is named HUTH

Sorry lads ,stumbled across this site while looking up an old friend' now departed on Google.
If this tank was deployed to Korea it may have been his own mount,as I know he served there with the Hussars. His name is Col. Percival Henry Huth and as far as I know he commanded tanks in North Africa,Korea,and was the first ally into Belsen if I remember the note on the wall of his bathroom correctly!
He would never talk much about what he did in his career,which frustrated a much younger me.He was more into his horses and his farm by then.He did tell me he captured a German soldier who was holding his men at gunpoint by hitting him with a stone and shouting "Bang".The German dropped his gun and the Col. grabbed it and captured him.
If anyone else had told me this I'd say it was Bull,but he was one hardy old bird and I believe him.He said he didn't want to kill the guy and that fits with what I know of him.
He told me also that during an action in Korea they had to retreat with all guns blazing.The Koreans just kept coming with only the front line armed.The rest chucked rocks until someone in front got shot so they could get a gun.He said,in the end they had to stop firing as the machine guns got so hot.
He never again bought anything from China,Japan,Korea or any eastern country but had a grudging respect for the Germans.I think his family were German bankers going back generations though.
Sorry for rambling on as a new poster,but just remembering a friend and taking a very nice whiskey in his memory,though he was a Gin man himself
If anyone can point me towards any more info on Col. Huth I'd appreciate the help.
Thank you for your time.

 

Musashi, welcome to the group and thank you for the above information. Am always willing to learn and my assumption was that the tank was named Huth. My assumption, also, was that the location was Korea due to associated pictures.

The picture was with many more , the locations being Palestine, Korea and UK training establishments. From the pictures I made a small web site, not as professional as this one but just to show the pictures and include search words.

The site is at :-

Reverend Pointon’s Pictures

(a few links require attention)

 

Musashi, welcome to the board, and thank you for that background. Sounds like Col. Huth was quite a character. Do tell us about yourself, and jump in. You're very welcome here.

 

I'm just an Irish guy who happened to know Col. Huth and Col. Paddy Jolley in their later years.Have had relations die in war from the Somme on up.Apparently some of my Dads Uncles used to get in a fight every "Fair Day" in the square in town with some other guys who fought at the Somme as neither party had seen the others there,so someone must be lieing right?
Tried finding info on Col. Huth online and came up empty.Col. Jolley however was noted as Bursar of a prestigious local school and a great man for the field trials,and I've seen his Springers work and they were great!
They never referred to themselves by rank but you knew they were different to most people.Col. Jolley only ever answered to Paddy and Col. Huth would cripple me working even though he only had one lung at this stage.He referred to himself as being "full of Gin" but a tough old guy.
Only person I saw them shun was an ex Major who,during a shoot on Henry Huths farm, did not correct those who referred to him as Colonel. "Never mind him! He's only a bloody Major" was Col. Huths advice to this beater
Apparently Col. Huth was up for General but turned it down, he was also at one time a Queens Messenger carrying Diplomatic pouchs around,along with his FS and a Webley revolver he had no faith in.He said they would not stop a man with the .455 round? Apparently it was from bitter experience.He featured in a documentary on Korean War years ago but damned if I can trace him on the web!
His widow has since died and his step daughter is on a yacht in Monaco or somewhere,fair play to her!

 

I knew Henry Huth. Great guy! I was his Squadron Clerk in Korea when he was commadning 'C' Sqn, 8th KRI Hussars. He was most definately a warrior of the old school. From time to time, in Korea, he would in somewhat laconic conversation with Pat Hartwright and Jimmy Marshall recall skirmishes in Normandy and Holland. As a young trooper I was agog!

 

Hi John

Welcome to the forum!

Chris

 

Hello Chris,

Thanks ! I am sorting out some 8H Korea photographs for your site - I haven't forgotten. Simply have to fit it in to my work load ( all sorts of good things happening). Who ever said being retired is easy ?
Getting back to the thread. My Cent III tank in Germany was named 'Craig an Erin', I was told it was the name of a racehorse but I never did verify that. Tank names carried the intial letter of the Sqn letter, although 'A' Squadron was referred to as 'R' Squadron , so make of that what you will !

Best

John

 

John, welcome to the forum! You're very welcome here!

 

Thanks John - no rush B)

I am fascinated by Tank Names - is it usual for a Tank to be named after an officer as in "Huth"?

I am curious to know how a regiment chose its tank names, in WW2 8th Hussars had tanks calls "Hurstwood" in HQ squadron and Bill Bellamy's Tank was I think called "Abbot of Chantry" (A Squadron) (tho' later nick named "Little Audrey - Abbess of Chantry", the late Les Dinning's Tank was also called Little Audrey and is preserved at the Thetford Forest memorial to 7th Armoured).

Is there a source where these names are recorded?


Chris.

 

Chris,

I do not know if it was the norm for squadrons ( in other regiments) to use the initial letter for their tank names, certainly the 8H did when I was a member of the regiment. I never saw a tank with the name 'Huth' on it ! Then again, any extra-squadron unit might have used their own names - 'Cooperforce' for instance may have used names that were different from the regimental ones. Sorry to admit that at this distance in time I cannot recall other tank names from my time with the 8H, but they were usually recorded in copies of the Regimental Standing Orders. I can remember seeing a list of names for 8H tanks attached to RSOs when I was stationed in Multan barracks in Tidworth (1950). Hope this helps.

John