Post-War British Ram Kangaroo Question

[David Herbert]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

It is confusing that the period documentation refers to Ram Mk.I and Mk.II ARVs which refer to the type of tank which was converted, rather than the type of ARV.

Yes, but note that Ram I and Ram II ARVs with side doors are all Ram ARV Mk.Is and all Ram ARV Mk.IIs are built on very late Ram IIs. and are basically the same conversion as Churchill ARVIIs.

To further confuse things a lot of the early official correspondence about Rams refers to them as "Canadian M3 tanks" and for a long time Sextons were referred to as "Ram 25pdr SP".

David

[david moore]

Not a Ram I know but another Cashmore shot from February 1969 showing not only another standard 5MT ready for slaughter but a Churchill? The caption again refers to it as "a flail tank".

[David Herbert]

Thanks David.

The Churchill is a bridgelayer conversion. You can see the massive low pressure hydraulic cylinder and part of the very long ram rod on top of the tank at the extreme right of the photo. Also part of the bridge launching structure on the front of the tank directly above the loco smokebox. The top of the fighting compartment seems to have been cut out, there was originally a slightly raised commander's position with vision ports where the turret had originally been. By 1981 when I was there there were no remnants of steam locos to be seen.

David