Oxford Carriers

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Piotr,

Originally posted by Petrus
The Oxford on an museum display may be seen at http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=56357, which is the Axis History Forum.

Ah, I see - you put it in your Photobucket after you found it there.

That picture of the Oxford with the BAT recoilless gun comes from http://homepage.mac.com/barrybloke/lightning.html.

Thanks, seen that one before.

For the picture seems rather unclear I am not sure if it actually shows the Oxford (undoubtly the vehicle is towing a 17-pdr AT gun).

Please take a look at what is in this picture's background (I think it could be the Oxford as well):

Perhaps you can identify this?

Yes, both are Oxford Carriers.

What is intriguing the author of the text at http://users.chariot.net.au/~jahill/army1.htm says that when, in the beginning of the 1950s, he served with the Grenadier Guards the battalion's anti-tank platoon was equipped with the 17-pounders and turretless Stuart light tanks (he calls them "Stuart Gun Towers") as the guns' tractors not the Oxfords whatsoever.

No doubt the Stuart 17-pdr Gun Tower was the most numerous tracked 17-pdr tractor after WW2, many were converted end kept in service for quite a long time. In fact, a good number of the surviving Stuart M5A1 tanks today are ex-towers.

According to Tim Royall's research the future of the Oxford was dead-ended when the War Office decided that all future field and medium SP guns were to be mounted on the CT25 chassis, a further development of the CT20 Oxford. When the RAC had changed their mind in favour of what was to become the FV300 series and the RA also agreed to this series, the fate of the Oxford was sealed. However, the Oxford Carrier served on with the Infantry in various roles including that of a A/T gun tower, but my guess is this was only done to make best use of what was already produced (like the case of the Stuart gun tower).

Hanno