Unit Identity! 6 April 1942, South Downs

I've just come across this photo with the caption:-

Churchill tanks on parade on the South Downs ready for an inspection by the Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 6 April 1942. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Oliver Lyttleton, Minister of State for War Production, and General Sir Bernard Paget, C-in-C Home Forces.

Has anyone any idea what unit it is? I have a hunch they're Canadian possibly 'The Calgary Regiment'!

 

Deleted!

 

6th April 1942 was Easter Monday - as it was a public holiday even in war time it was normal to hold Easter Monday parades where the public could view - see this one on the same day in Oz circa 1942, An Australian armoured division kitted out with newly... Photo d'actualité - Getty Images Is the caption accurate?

 

175 was indeed the AoS Serial for the Calgary Regiment, but only if associated with the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade sign.

Here we have an Army Tank Brigade sign ("diabolo"), so this might be 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (East Lancashire Regiment) of 33rd Army Tank Brigade, although the AoS Flash for this unit is supposed to be plain green, whereas the photo seems to show a two-colour Flash.

 

Possibly 148 regiment RAC had the 175 vehicle mark. They had Churchill’s up until 1944.

Alex

 

1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade; see my 2014 post with link to my website: Pictures of Churchill Tanks.

 

I'd go along with the handwritten remark on the IWM caption sheet as cleverly noticed by Diane above. The diabolo unit sign definitely means an Army Tank Brigade (and not a Canadian one), so either 25 or 31 Brigade as per the Exercise Tiger OOB also found by Diane. Several reasons confirm the handwritten caption:
- 25 Army Tank Brigade had a Black diabolo, while 31 Army Tank Brigade had a Green one. The photo shows a diabolo not dark enough to be Black and of one single colour (thus excluding my previous theory of 33 Bde which had Green over Black), meaning it must be Green i.e. 31 Army Tk Bde
- the tank names which are vivible on a couple of tanks (when zooming the IWM image): STOUT (6 Tp B Sqn), SAXON (8 Tp B Sqn) on the left and SAND(Y)? on the RHQ tank on the right, are typical of 141 RAC whose tanks names all started with an S.

At that time, it seems that the AoS Serials of Army Tank Battalions in an Army Tank Brigade were indeed 172, 173 and 175 on a Blue over Brown flash, again compatible with the photo.

So, for me there is no doubt that they are 141 RAC tanks.

 

There are several other images in the set taken that day, but the only one that is likely to reveal any more tank specifics is here:

PRIME MINISTER VISITS S.E. COMMAND

 

Here's one of the Canadian ones in the same area:





Apparently now removed and destined for France:
Iconic South Downs landmark to be moved to France

 

The Churchill on the left does not appears to wear any of the regulation markings though...

 

Dates certainly fit. Good detective work, Michel.



From here:

 

Guys many thanks for all the info, appreciated!

 

Might need an update.

 

I had a look through my The Churchill Tank and the Canadian Armoured Corps and I have to concur. No Canadian Churchills had a diabolo marking.

 

I believe this post confirms that the tanks on H18500 are from 141 RAC. See this reference to a tank of 8 Tp B Sqn named SAXON:
'Execution' of Crocodile crews

Michel

 

The tanks in the foreground of H 18500 are definitely from 141RAC. From the bottom of the photo, the first four tanks in each of the centre and right-hand columns are from 141RAC (Unit Serial Number 175), the rest are from 9 R Tks (Unit Serial Number 173 - just visible in H 19498 post #10). Both regiments provided men and tanks for the parade in front of Churchill that 6 April 1942.

There are likely a few more tanks from 141RAC behind the camera. B Sqn provided the bulk of the tanks from 141RAC, also here are two RHQ tanks and one from C Sqn (4th up in centre column).

John