Markings and Insignia for Armour in the BEF

Light tank should be 4 Hussars in Greece 1941

 

I think you've got it Bob - from a modellling website page on the Middle East I found:

"2 Armd Div from 25/01/41
Div HQ 40 black
1KDG (armd cars) 40 black
HQ 1 A Bde 50 red
4 Hussars 51 red

I love this sort of stuff - will take myself off and look up 2 Armoured now....

 

This from 4th Hussars war diary:

13/4/1941 At first light Regt moved into battle positions. 1400 – forward elements of enemy Armd Div reached PTOLEMAIS. Battle ensued. Regt withdrawn to MAVRODENDRI. Four Tanks lost to enemy action, one Tank mechanical breakdown. Orders received to move to GREVENA – drove all night.

18/4/1941 Refuelled at LARISSA and left for PHARSALA at 1100 hours. Road from LARISSA to PHARSALA completely blocked by vehicles, resulting in very slow progress. Bombing and machine gunning attacks throughout the day.
1800 – Sqns ordered by the CO to move independently, if necessary, to harbour 5 miles South of PHARSALA Pass.
2000 – RV South of PHARSALA. 30 Tanks reached PHARSALA. Casualties from GREVENA were 3 Tanks lost enemy action, 2 bogged and 3 mechanical defects. CO called a conference at PHARSALA and in view of severe enemy air attacks and of the danger of being caught in mountain passes in daylight, it was decided to move to LAMIA by night.

Most of their tank casualties were mechanical breakdown, particularly steering defects. As in France the year before, many 4 Husars tank crews ended up fighting as dismounted infantry. They took a lot of casualties from bombing, particularly along the Corinth Canal, but the above seem to be the only tank casualties from enemy action, so is it possible that is either Ptolemais or Grevena in the picture?

 

Matilda 1 T5556 photograph dated 13th January 1940 believed to be taken in Northern France. No name or other details apparent.

 

That's a good start!

Welcome to the forum.

 

Deleted

 

'Gamecock' has been referred to earlier in this thread. Here it is after being relocated to the beute samelstelle. It confirms serial T6736.

 

Same tank, reverse view. T8096



Sorry. Already noted.

Don't know how to delete.

 

Tank T 7251 ? . Has the german marks on the side.
Keith

 

Recognition Squares.

Not being an armour chappie, I'm not sure if these instructions are widely known...From the BEF AFV Diary.

 

Don't think we've seen any clear pictures yet with Hengist on the beach...?



And I bet that this is the Renault which is parked next to Hengist in the Beute Sammelstelle:



Jan

 

Light tank VIb of East Riding Yeomanry after capture.

 

I'm not sure if anyone is collating the markings and units operating Vickers Light Tanks.

This thread refers to Trooper Albert Argyle and his winning of the Military Medal and refers to him as the wireless operator of 3rd Troop, B Squadron, 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards :-

http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/8194-transcript-of-journal-belgiumfrance-may-1940/page-2

In a further thread, reference is made to a photograph showing Argyle's field grave with German inscription, associating him with tank registration HMC 447

http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/56973-temporary-grave-near-ath/

...it may be a small clue in the puzzle.

 

Deleted

 

Good call, Nick. I was so taken in by the German mention of 'tank' that I only looked in my Vickers file and found HMC 647 and simply jumped to the wrong conclusion. If I'd only looked under Scout Carriers as there is a well-known picture of HMC 449 with 4/7 RDG. There are also a number of images of a burned-out Scout carrier from the same regiment, with only 'HMC' visible.

I too noticed the date discrepancy but forgot to mention it. The actions here took place over quite a short period. I don't know where the date of 23rd May came from, unless someone gave an incorrect date for the last time that Bell was seen alive (or one of his comrades drew pay for him !)

 

Rich - as you know, pay parades were one of the main ways in which the Casualty Branch tried to establish the date of death of a missing soldier. This was often the last time a superior officer or NCO may have reported him present. The War Office tended to adopt the latest possible date unless they had eye witness accounts - preferably more than one and corroborated in writing - of death or fatal injury/wounds in the field. The missing persons files are full of such sad - and often exhaustive enquiries. What I don't know, because they won't tell me, is whether or not the CWGC 'inherited' the casualty Branch files - as Diane (dbf) has asserted in other threads, what is in the Missing Persons files is but fragments of one half of the picture. Some enquiry information was doubtless held at unit depots and is now gone for ever, but I wonder what the CWGC actually obtained, if anything?

 

This came in the post today. Has any one a photo of this tank with its ID T number. photo taken in Lowen Belgium.
Keith

 

Is it definitely Löwen /Leuven / Louvain ? If so, then probably 15th / 19th Hussars who, I thought withdrew from Leuven without loss (but took a hell of a hammering shortly afterwards at Asse / Assche). I don't recognise this scene though.

 

Its Lowen. Thanks for the info on the photos. Here is the back of the photo.

 

"Near Leuven"....I think that Andy needs to look at 15/19 H's diary for us....