The 4th Royal Tank Regiment carried a distinctive "Chinese" eye...

We had them all the way to amalgamation with 1RTR in 1993.

 

There was also an RE8 paid for by a similar donation that had an eye painted on it

The Central tank work shops in France were largely manned by Chinese but the painting of individual markings on tanks at the time was very much a matter for the. battalions and the crews them selves. There are for example at least a couple of examples of maple leaves even though the Canadian Tank Corps was still in training back in England.

 

All the RTR AFV’s currently sport the ‘Chinese Eyes’ and have done so since the 1st and 2nd amalgamated in 2014!

 

Hi does anyone have information regarding my dad Reg Whitehouse who was in the 4rtrs during the war.Moving up through Italy.

 

Unfortunately I've not really studied them myself. My grandfather was with them only, quite a while prior to ww2, in the early 1930's...

Have you looked at some of the other possible 4-RTR tags?

i.e. - 4 royal tank regiment | WW2Talk

It might make sense to post something too in some of those if there looks like being something of more relevance in them to WW2 in Italy etc. .?

I think some of the earlier links in this thread have ceased to lead to the sites where I previously saw some info.

Though this is still currently, I think, an accessible site - 4and7 RTR - Home Page

Also there are a few RTR groups on Fb. .?

 

Is anyone good with faces?

Intrigued as to whether my grandad is the guy 2nd from left in the thread photo.

Left top centre is taken from the thread photo and the figure in the middle reminds me of my grandad, Norman Brown.

Top left is an un-dated pic from the war with him on the right.

Bottom left is him at Tobruk in December 41 (8 years later?) and he is on the left

The solo picture is also undated.

 

The Tank Museum



"To someone with an interest in the subject it might seem odd to be using an obsolete Vickers Medium tank in artwork intended to impress people with the power of Britain’s tank fleet, but, just like today, most people seeing this wouldn’t have known the difference.
A British propaganda poster dating from 1942."

 

The Tank Museum



"In 1927, Winston Churchill inspected the Mechanized Force on Salisbury Plain, including the Vickers Medium Mark II tanks of the 5th Battalion."

Vickers Medium etc.

 

Ian,

I have 7882286 Pte N Brown in my list for 4RTR in 1939.

This person appears to have not gone into captivity at Tobruk and survived the war so does this fit with your Grandad's story?

Your Grandad's service records are an important and useful start to finding out more - there's details about how to do that on this site somewhere.

best, Nick

 

Thanks for your message, Nick.

By coincidence I have only this week found out that my granddad was evacuated from Tobruk before it fell to a hospital in Palastine (possibly Jerusalem) and recuperated with a local family.

He returned to active service with the 42nd RTR in July 1942

Best wishes

Ian

 

World War 1...

THE CHINESE LABOUR CORPS ON THE WESTERN FRONT, 1916-1918

IWM Q 9861 and a series of pictures....
Object description
Mechanics of the 51st Chinese Labour Company repairing engines at Tank Corps Central Workshops. Teneur, spring 1918.

 

https://twitter.com/mbarnesn16/status/1542098904145170434?t=ZGXOSHoZ40IfV3poQfOJ0A&s=19