Beaverette Light Reconnaissance Cars

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally posted by Neil Ashley
Attached (hopefuly) is a photograph from the book Nederlandse Pantser Voertuigen illustrating a cut down Beaverette in a Dutch Army Depot immeadiately post war.

Another example was discovered in Holland during the 1980's and was featured in Wheels and Tracks.

I understand another picture survives of a Beaverette being landed accross the Normandy beaches.

Can any one comment further on the use of these totally obsolete armoured cars in the North West Europe Campaign.

What an amazing coincidence! I'm just now reading the Regimental history of the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars (7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).

I've flagged several pages for further study/research, and one of the pages contains the following:

"As odd as it may seem to those members of the Regiment who read this account now, the "Beaverette", which made its first appearance on the 8th of November {1941}, was welcomed by the Regiment as their first armoured car in which they could do the job for which they were training. Actually, however, the "Beaverette" was capable of very little. It was a peculiar looking vehicle, standing about 5 ft. and consisting of a few pieces of rather meagre armour-plate clapped around the sides of what must have been the English equivalent of a Baby Austin.

At any rate, the Regiment wasted no time in putting these to use in their training programs and exercises".

No further mention is made in the Regimental history about the employment of this vehicle.