Carrier World Record Attempt

[David Hardway]

For those that can there are more pics here

https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Z...05628582806071

Dave

[Rob Beale]

The record is likely to stay in the antipodes, so what about another YOTC over your side of the ditch eh Colin? A lot of us would like to come over to see.

Pic below shows 10% of the fleet heading home to Gisborne.
The one in the dumper body is a farmer's conversion of an LP2, and is due to have a timber deck installed. It is am example of 'Swords to plough shares"

The rearmost UC1* carrier on the trailer is waiting on the side and rear plates. I hope to get them soon. It has so many borrowed parts to be returned!

The carrier's first run was at the motor camp after fitting the steering box, fuel lines, battery leads, solenoid and making the seat squabs and backs! It towed the AOP onto a transporter for the run to the airfield, and had a brief drive on unloading. The major test was the record run around the airfield, so I am very happy with it. There are a few adjustments to make, but the steering is precise.

The other pic shows the horse team waiting to pull the limber and 18pdr out onto the airfield. They will be doing the ANZAC Parade in Wellington this year, so it was a good try out for them in front of crowds. The big challenge will be the steel wheels on sealed roads!

Rob

[Ben]

Hi Robin

I'm even more impressed that as well as help organise the event you managed to get your MK1 running. It was a long way off when you sent me the pictures.

Was Shaun involved with the horses? I remember him showing me some pictures when you were all over at W&P.

Ben

[Rob Beale]

to use the Aussie vernacular! but there was a great group of carrier owners there. A lot of work happened on site in the days leading up to the show. We had many willing helpers. Alex did a sterling job bringing it all together.

Another carrier was subject to a lot of work on site to get it going, and it too completed the 2 miles. For mine I just followed the critical path to get it mobile and presentable (from the front at least!)

There were two NZ LAV III on site, crewed by the successor to the Mounted Rifles regiments. The two Bren carriers MkI were the start of the mechanisation of the mounted rifles, and the Gisborne Museum LP2 served with the Wellington East Coast Mounted Rifles in WW2.

Shaun brought his LRDG jeep to display this time. (He does Mounted Rifles rather than horse team). Many of the Kiwis in the LRDG were from the Divisional Cavalry, who were drawn from the Mounted Rifles.

Post war the NZ LP carriers were used largely by the support weapons platoons of the Infantry Battalions. This was a return to the role carriers were designed for!

The pics show the Bren's maker's plate, and the tool stowage for a post war LP2A conversion, and the replica Mk IV with it's realistic painting. Pics from Dave Hardway

Rob

[Ben]

Original Brass plates on British carriers/tanks are rare enough but to see one that hasn't had the makers name removed is wonderful. Nearly all the ones from Bovington have had them ground or hacked off. I've always assumed it was done as the vehicle went into frontline service. Later on they were much simpler just showing the type and T number.

[John A. Rippingham]

Hello Ben,

The makers plates had the factory address's removed after dunkirk. Most vehicles had the big brass plates pre-dunkirk, post dunkirk the bedfords had a smaller plate with no address on, or as you say the larger plates had the address machined off.
The plates i have seen with the address milled or ground off, were done at the factory, post dunlirk, judging by the type of machining used, and the age of the vehicles i've seen them on. The vauxhall factory was heavliy bombed in august 1940, and quite simpily we had given them the address to do it. I'm not sure if other manufacturers suffered the same.......

Sorry back to carriers now

John

[The Bedford Boys]

Here's a couple more vids for you guys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TohG9UVKHfU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcVZqTSsg7w