Sand channel, PSP, Marsden matting

[jack neville]

Originally Posted by Little Jo

Hi All

I have been having a debate with some mates for a while now as too whether any WW2 LRDG Jeeps carried "Marsden Matting" on their vehicles. We are all sure we have seen photos of the matting cut down and attached to the side of the LRDG Jeep.

I have spent hours on looking at LRDG sites checking equipment and photos of LRDG vehicles and only found Marsden Matting attached to the side of their trucks, but I could not find any LRDG Jeeps with cut down matting carried on their Jeep. We are sure we have seen photos somewhere but we cannot remember where. I am sure that matting would have been of benefit for any vehicle working in desert country.

Can any MLU member out there assist in solving our debate or if they have seen Marsden Matting carried on any WW2 Western Desert Jeeps.

Cheers

Tony

Although Marsden Matting or PSP was developed by the USA just before the war, the Commonwealth forces were running around North Africa long before the Americans became involved. I am thinking that is why you only see the British sand planks on vehicles. The Americans had not supplied any PSP at that stage. Re-enactors and Hollywood throw a few curve balls into the historical equation, probably because they can't get the British planking. Or the lazy restorers find the PSP easier to obtain. And don't do their research.

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by jack neville

... Or the lazy restorers find the PSP easier to obtain. And don't do their research.

Or maybe they take advantage of the fact that it their truck to do with as they see fit?

[Little Jo]

Hi Guys

The half size Marsden Matting sheets attached to Tony's Dodge look good to me and it appears that a lot of work has gone into the fitting of the matting to the vehicle. As Mr R H Clarke has said, in the end it is Tony's vehicle and I don't think it detracts from the overall vehicle. I note Tony also has a flashing light on the roof, a safety item for slow moving vehicles. I use a flashing light on the rear of my Jeep when travelling on freeways and country roads as a safety aid which works for me.

Cheers

Tony

[Mike Cecil]

..... and here's me thinking you were hanging it from the sides as a stand-off protection against RPGs (so common along the roads of Tasmania...)


Nice neat job of mounting, by the way.

Mike C

[Monkey Man]

Thanks for the compliments, I am not trying to hijack the thread BTW, just showing what I have. As you can see a bloke should get around to finishing the edging on the bodywork where the matting mount is, very slack of me indeed. Like you Tony, The amber light is for breakdowns and slow vehicle convoy use and as I always go to the tail of the line I am also support vehicle with tools and towstrap as required plus all relavent communications to try and keep things together on events etc.
I have set up the rear of the truck up with 2 marker lights turned out and fitted with 55w lights (soon to be led inserts in ALL lights on the truck where practical) for worklights, a tank headlight for a reverse light and a full set of front and rear marker lights set up for DIER (RTA) standards so I keep the trucks look but meet all roads standards required, I also had to keep the mardsen matting within the bodylines to legally be able to carry it on the vehicle (commonsense anyway really)
here is a rear view of the truck and the matting on it so you can see it's profile against the custom body.
Mike, RPG's not so common here now, IED's and Guerilla warfare are the go, the Bogans have been watching too much TV and it's had a bad influence on them
I was thinking of doing tail-lights on the Corio trailer in the same manner to match the vehicle, that would leave 1 of the little "pietin" style lights (like an ACCO has) to go to a lucky recipient whom needs one.

Best Regards - Tony Eagling