Tank names

I have learned quite a bit since I first posted the image of the tank bearing the name HUTH, and I am always willing to be corrected.

The assumption that the location was Korea was because of associated photographs in the collection.

I have tried a higher resolution image just for information regarding the badge. That is the best I can achieve.

Stuart

View attachment 854

 

Thanks John - it does help, I know from Bill Bellamy's book that "unofficial" names were sometimes given to tanks (as with aircraft, I assume). I am going to have to go and have a look at the 8th Hussars records.

Stuart - The regimental number of 8th Hussars at least up until 1945, was 45 as shown on all of the vehicles shown on my web site. I don't know if this number stayed with the regiment until later (Korea perhaps). I have attached a photo for comparison, of 8th Hussars in Normandy, I don't think the cap badge is the same. Add this to Angie's comments that 8H were equipped with Centurion Tanks in Korea (I am not sure if that is correct) it doesn't look like the Tank was 8th Hussars (its definitely a Cromwell!).

The thick plottens!

Chris

 

Chris,
8H had Centurion Mk IIIs in Korea. but there were some Cromwells too. 'Cooperforce' used Cromwells. In May or June 1951, I was part of the detail that delivered a Cromwell and Centurion to 444 Forward delivery Squadron (FDS) - hence the reference to Suwon Station on my blogspot!

John

( Anyone who likes old soldier's tales see squadronclerk.blogspot.com )

 

Yes John - I remember now - I also recall something from QRIH Forum referring to a troop "spraying" each other's Cromwells with mg fire to clear the Chinese from them and stop them pushing grenades through the hatches! - I must go back and check!

I've had another look at the cap badge in the photo of the tank "Huth" - it could be 8H, what do you think?
Chris

 

The Redoubt on the sea front at Eastbourne has a Centurion of the 8th Hussars with a plaque saying it saw action with 8th KRIH in Korea. Any ideas why it is at Eastbourne of all places.

 

No idea at all why the 4H/8H/QRIH museum is in Eastbourne. Did the 4H recruit in that area ?

 

Hi, I'm new here and I came across this discussion from Google during some research on Col Henry Huth. I'd like to revive the discussion if anyone wants to join in? I do realise it's quite an old topic but I have a few snippets to offer if anyone's interested?

 

Hussar; There's a fair amount about Henry Huth and the 8th RIH in Andrew Salmon's book, "To the Last Round" about the Battle of the Imjin in Korea 1951, but you probably know that. The reason I posted about him on another thread was that the Irish Hussars dragged my dad out of that battle on the back of a tank after his troop of Royal Engineers were overrun by The Chinese army during the retreat from the Imjin. My dad didn't say much about Korea, well, even less than usual than he did about his war experiences, except to say it looked like the moon - and smelled of shit. He remembers National Servicemen complaining about being called up and telling them how it felt to be just demobbed, just married, just got a job and then called back into the Kate (Carney - army) on your honeymoon.(insert swear words liberally where applicable) He was an 'A' class reserve and was called up in 1950 and didn't go home until 1952.

 

BrianM59
I too was called back for Korea for the Inns of Court regiment - but happily my old wounds from WW2 cut in and so saved me from that journey

Cheers

 

I've got both of Andrew Salmon's books here and they are superb reading and reference material. I also found Richard Napier's "From Horses to Chieftains" an excellent piece of Imjin from a tank commander's perception. I'm an ex Irish Hussar myself and was actually lucky enough to meet Henry Huth in his later years. C Sqn did manage to rescue many of the 29th Bde's forward troops but was unlucky that a disabled Filipino tank blocked their attempt to relieve the Glosters. I'm just in the process of re-reading Max Hastings' volume on the Korean War and I'm surprised how much I'd forgotten but one thing he does say, as does Dickie Napier and your dad, is that Korea stank to high heaven of the human excrement which was used to fertilise everything.

 

Great to hear from you Tom. You're the first IOC man I've ever spoken to. Were you with C Sqn on D+2 when the infamous "incident" happened?

 

Tom - glad that someone escaped that - I doubt you were overjoyed at the prospect. I think this was because my dad was an 'A' class reserve and had signed up in 1940 for so many years in the army plus so many in the reserve? I've got his pay book somewhere.

Hussar - Great to know that I got it right - my dad's been dead for a few years now and as I say, with a bit of prompting and a pint he might chat to my wife about D-Day or his boy's service - and I was lucky enough to meet a couple of blokes that had served with him. But Korea was a closed book and beyond the odd photograph ( and it does indeed look like the moon) or muttered reply, we knew next to nothing. He did have nightmares in the earlier years of his marriage as he worked in a petrol refinery and would get lead and chlorine in his blood, which made him dream anyway and he would swear he'd heard football rattles and would whisper, "Chinks!" in his sleep (no disrespect intended).

He was deaf for a good long time and I'm not sure if this was as a result of action - I recall my mum arguing that he should go and claim a pension, but he was vehemently opposed to that. He had an operation when I was a teenager and for a while he could hear a pin drop, or mutterings of dissent at thirty yards. I do know that he told my mum he would find a quiet job and wrote to her telling her he was safe and had met 'a great bunch of lads', who turned out to be the Glosters. He was indeed a storesman in 55 Field Squadron R.E. until the Chinese invaded and, 'they threw rifles at everyone'. I don't think he'd fired a Lee-Enfield since 1941. My mum remembered the Glosters in the letter and was upset because she read in the paers that they'd been wiped out. Dad had a very inventive turn of phrase and some of the names he used to address us by as kids had military antecedents, 'Admiral Arbuthnot' was one and 'Henry Huth' was another, as in 'Now then Henry Huth, what can I do for you?', perhaps accompanied by a mock salute - hence my inquisitiveness about the distinctive name.

 

i know that this an an old thread but I've been waiting to see if anyone else mentioned that some of the tank names were odd, to say the least.

My favourite was Semper in Excretum, which in dog Latin translated into Always in the shit

Ron

 

Hussar

No No - I was never an IOC man as my wounds prevented me from joining- much to the disgust of the IOC - C.O. who thought that I was wasting my life away - without bothering to read the fine print ...plus the fact that I was a D Day

dodger hiding in both North Africa and Italy when - somehow - my Churchill Tank got in the way of an 88mm a/t gun - sending me to various hospitals for the next six months avoiding a very cold winter in the Northern Italian mountains and

luxuriating in clean white sheets - tended by beautiful nurses - excellent food - everything served to me - peaceful with lots of sleep - some sleep via needles - luxury really - then the idiots sent me back to the noisy bits once more

Cheers

 

Well yes, you can't escape the humour of the British Squaddie. Even in my day you got the odd beauty. Of course it wasn't allowed to call vehicles in sabre sqns odd names but the LAD got away with it. They had an ARV called "Layby Lil" which was a reference to a lady of horizontal refreshment who used to ply her trade in Sennelager.

 

There's no doubt the Imjin gig was a tough one. Mind you engineers were always tough too, as well as being very friendly and easy going in my experience. Was your dad captured with the Glosters?

 

Tom it's an absolute pleasure to make your aquaintance, even if it's only on a chat forum. Always good to meet other old cavalrymen (I was an Irish Hussar). You'll have to forgive me though because I don't know the history of your regiment very well. The only yeomanry regiment I've studied at any length is the North Irish Horse. I have done a little reading however and I was under the impression that the Inns of Court Regiment didn't serve in North Africa which makes me think you were there on attachment to another unit amd funny enough, when you mentioned Churchills I immediately thought "North Irish Horse". Is it possible that I'm actually chatting to someone who served under Lord O'Neill? The Horse are one of our sister regiments by the way and I do know a fair bit about them as well as having their excellent history by Richard Doherty at hand.

 

Hussar100

You keep on getting it wrong so I had better spell it out - IF you will note the lower part of my avatar - it is the insignia of the 21st Army Tank Bde - the sister bde of Gerry's 25th ATB - and of which we served near in North Africa and

Italy....and when my regiment - 145th RAC was broken up for spares in Dec '44- Gerry's North Irish Horse moved over to 21st ATB to replace us.......

Now the top half of that same avatar depicts the insignia of the 6th Armoured Division which I joined AFTER discharge from hospital as at that time my regiment of 145th RAC was long gone and I joined the 16/5th Lancers and finished

off the war in Austria with them - thus making me an ex Cavalryman.

So I never did serve under Lord O'Neil but on a request from Gerry - I did journey to Coriano Ridge cemetery to photograph his head stone along with Gerry's squadron and tank commander - Major ?....and further - there are

photographs and a thread commemorating a luncheon in North London of three ex cavalrymen including Gerry - Ron Goldstein and myself - somewhere in the archives of this forum - and I await Gerry's articles on my Brigade...!

Cheers

 

Had to post the link to this lovely picture Tom

Hussar100- click on the link to see Ron, Gerry and Tom
http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/12714-a-historic-meeting-in-london/


Lesley

 

Sorry Tom, my eyesight isn't great, even with spectacles. Thanks for keeping me right and thanks to 4jonboy for the link to the picture.