wireless
 

Would they have arrived from the UK with wireless sets installed ? I would say highly unlikely .

Not much room inside the turret for a wireless ! The 11 set and its ancillaries are fairly bulky and not easy to fit in the turret . The UK 11 set manual does describe a AFV installation with a intercom system option but no specific tanks are mentioned .

The 101 set was around for sure. Being a slim design it may have been used .

This pic is a scene up near Seymour . A 109 set in a carrier . I would discount the 109 set being in the MkVI as the 109 is too large.

A good read is " Tanks in the East" authored by Kerr , he was in the 9th Div cavalry reg. in Syria . He describes his units Vickers tanks going into battle with the Vichy French .

Mike, I read somewhere that the tanks were fitted with a very limited amount of the No 7 radios and very few if any still exist. I was also told that there was under 100 of the radios made in total. If that was the case then I can certainly understand why there is next to none left. I am yet to verify the information. There would certainly be enough room at the back of the turret to fit a smallish type radio as the No 7 from what info I have was smaller that the 11 or 19 sets.

(Now we get to see him make one of those...)

Hi Colin,

The No.7 set was British and only a few were built according to WftW, Vol1, which goes on to say they were fitted to Light Tank Mks 2, 2A, 3 and 5, so presumably not fitted to Mk6A.

The WS7 was pretty much a failure, with production ceasing in 1936 - a year before the few tanks Australia ordered arrived in Australia. Plus newspaper reports of the time mention that the tanks were to be fitted with wireless communications in Australia. For a time, they were certainly equipped with a voice tube between the CC and driver (which evidently didn't work because of the noise of the engine in the driver's ear!) So I think you can discount the No.7 ever getting to Australia: Mike Kelly, what do you think?

The No.9 set was the one that superseded the No.7. Complete it weighed 192 pounds, and measured 41ins long, 16 ins high, 12ins deep. According to WftW, these sets were fitted into the turret bulge of the Mk6A in the UK, with the two 6V batteries in the well of the turret turntable. The WS 109 was the version made in Australia. The dims were 16.5ins H x 25.5 ins L x 10ins deep for the set, and 13.5 x 14.5 x 8.5 for the power supply, the whole unit weighing 201 pounds. It went into production in late 1939. (WftW V1)

An Australian-built set would be the more likely, I would think, but unless you can locate some images or paperwork to show exactly which set was in use in the Australian Mk6A, this is all conjecture boiling down to the 'most likely'.

Mike

Regarding the driver's seat: they look identical to the driver's seat of a Canadian Ram tank. The design of these was inherited from the Canadian built Valentine tanks which were a copy of the British built Valentine. Very similar seats were used in Daimler Mk1 armoured cars and quite a few British commercial vehicles of the period.

You have done a great job of reproducing it, and well done for not "simplifying" it to save time. Actually that applies to everything you have done so far - brilliant !

David

Thankyou all for your comments and information. :thup2: :)
I have had to give myself a reality check and go back a step or two and get back on track. It is very easy to make parts that make something take shape which is what I have done but I am going back to my original path and do the inside and mechanical or I will have to pull it all apart even more.
I have been busy freeing up all the linkage and there is a lot.

I also happen to notice that the farmer had modified the driving arrangements and made his own style of plate as you can see in the first photo. He must also had a Bren Gun Carrier as well as I just happened to see the shape of the plate and it is a side engine cover off a carrier. I have never had an original before but now I do.
Time to do the internals.

See, this project hasn't been a waste of time after all! :rolleyes

Wireless set No. 9
 

To get a indication of the size and bulk of the UK No. 9 wireless set , this training film depicts the set being set up in the field . AWM F05239

The Aust. WS 109 set appears to be a altogether different design compared to the UK 9 set. https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/mil_gb...s_set_no9.html

I can't imagine how they managed to install a No. 9 set and its battery inside that little tank !

Tony, I'm so glad I'm not wasting my time :D
Mike you are right, they are enormous. I think it would still fit in the back of the turret as it would be about 4' across and the batteries would be down in the turret basket. How things have changed :teach:

I am fortunate to have an original clutch, brake, Accelerator floor plate so I replicated one today and some more linkage. The plate has a 1/4' wire edge which I can do on my bead roller.

There are quite a few panels inside the tank that this machine will be very useful for. I cut the holes in it with my cnc plasma cutter.

I want you to be my neighbour...

I want to move into your garage/work shop

Hi Colin,

Three photos off the web of the Pucka Vickers and another two from somewhere else.

Regards Rick.

Attachment 95337 Attachment 95339 Attachment 95340 Attachment 95336 Attachment 95338

Hi Rick, thanks for the photos. I sure would to borrow the Pucka one for a few months.
I have been doing the internals for the last week or so. I have a few originals to copy which is always a bonus.

After spending a couple of days making two sets, I should have remembered that old rule! "Measure twice, cut once" or never assume, or don't take things for granted. After completing the two set and bolting them together then doing a test fit I found that although the originals looked great they were in fact out of shape. I decided to do two complete new sets and new forming dies. It was definitely worth it.

They are a good fit and straight just like they are supposed to be.

With all the photos of the Vickers I can't seem to find one of the bracket that is in the last photo here. Does any one know what it is for. It's not for a jack but it does look about the right size for a Vickers water jacket.

Nice
 

:salute: :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute:
:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Hello again, Colin.

I am curious about the internal layout of these tanks, in regards to power plant and crew accommodations, in the overall evolution of tank design.

From the World War One beginning for tanks, where everything was just stuffed into an essentially common interior, creating a rather noisy, foul environment for the crew, the Second World War tank had developed isolated engine and crew compartments with vastly improved crew conditions. Gun fumes were still an issue I think until the postwar development of the barrel mounted fume extractors.

How does the Vickers appear to fit along this evolutionary line?

David

David
Take a look at the CVR(T) Scorpion and Scimitar, there are many parallels.

Regards Richard

Odd bracket
 

Colin,
It might be part of the bracket for holding the oil can, cannot make out the exact position in relation to the engine bay/rear crew section. I have some stowage diagrams that may help.....maybe not !!!
One of the drawings (not numbered) has a layout of some internal stowage on the hull sides, there does not seem to be a bracket listed as such, but there were all sorts of items stashed there. The drawing shows clips and fittings, hope this helps a bit ???

I will email you some stuff later.



George.

Colin, is that in the engine bay? Is it the generator mount?

Nearly an inside photo but not quite.

Attachment 95605

Another from the web.

Attachment 95606

Regards Rick.

Lynn, no, the engine bay is in the front part. The generator is bolted directly to the engine. I'll get a better perspective photo tomorrow. It holds something about 4" in diameter and I have only seen one other tank with it in view as per the photo att.
Rick, I think that is the Duxford one and one in Egypt.

Could it be for storing the 4" smoke launcher tube?

Hi Jordan, that too crossed my mind as I have never seen one in the flesh. They do have a detachable one that fits on the drivers side of the turret so you may very well be right. I'll get some close ups today.

The 4" discharger tubes were an outside thing. There wouldn't have been the need to take it off and store it inside so I doubt it's for that.

Well I don't think it is for smoke discharges as it is for about a 6" dia item. It is aluminium and it's fabricated. It is just above the floor level and it is not covered by any bulkhead panelling. It has those two threaded holes and I can't see anywhere for a strap to hold something down. It does not line up with anything on the engine and I cannot see where there is any wear marks :rolleyes :rolleyes :confused :confused