Artefacts - Pictures of the men from the units that served with the Division
The purpose of this page is to provide a source of pictures and other information relating to the men and units that served with the Division. It will change as and when items are available to be added to it. Please be patient as one or two pictures may take a little while to load. The main sections are;
The set below are from the collection by Capt G Lawrence (3RHA) courtesy of his son Ray Lawrence.
2 pdr Portee Crew resting by their vehicle (The man in the middle is Thomas Drury) |
Distributing the water ration. This was 2 pints per man per day. Note cloth RHA Titles on the Sergeants epaulettes. |
Enjoying a warm by the fire. |
AOP Stuart, rather badly packed by the side of the road. |
3RHA J Battery Sub-Section E. Note the RHA badge on the shield and the letter E. |
RHA J Battery Sub-Section F. Note the RHA badge on the shield and the letter F |
3RHA J Battery Sub-Section G. Note the RHA badge on the shield and the letter G. |
3RHA J Battery Sub-Section H. Note the RHA badge on the shield and the letter H. |
Probably the same gun crews as above, but this time in overalls working on the guns. |
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3RHA on parade after the end of the N African Campaign in Tunisia, 1943. |
Another photo of 3RHA on parade after the end of the N African Campaign in Tunisia, 1943. |
Officers of J Battery, probably after the end of the N African Campaign in Tunisia, 1943. |
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Resting by the beach. Probably near Homs before going to Italy. |
Resting by the beach. Probably near Homs before going to Italy. |
Quad Tractor, probably in Italy |
25 pdr on tow, probably in Italy |
Loading a HQ truck ready for Normandy. |
Part of the Normandy Armada. |
Onboard the LCT |
Onboard the Landing Ship, with smalled landing craft alongside. |
A ship on the way to Normandy. |
Unloading the HQ Vehicle in Normandy. The the background between the wheels there is an AA tower on a Mulberry Harbour. |
Battery command post map table. |
Other end of Command Post vehicle. |
A Bridge not for crossing! |
Pontoon Bridge |
Divisional HQ Jeeps crossing ther bridge. |
One of the Division's command vehicles crossing ther bridge. I believe this is ACV1. ACV1 was described as 'G' - controlling the hour by hour direction of battle tactics |
Triple 20mm Polsen AA team guarding the bridge. |
Jeep somewhere in Europe, clearly showing the Gothic J Battery badge. |
With a Division HQ vehicle behind it (AoS 40), No 5 command vehicle, denoting Divsional REME, stuck in some mud. The Divisional Artillery vehicle was No 3. |
More pictures of 3 RHA
2pdr Anti-Tank Gun from J Battery 3 RHA mounted Portee in 1941. |
The men of 3rd RHA being inspected by Montgomery in 1945 | ||
25 pdr of D Bty, 3rd RHA in action near Boissey, August 1944. |
Commanding Officers AOP Sherman in Normandy. Note Z on the hull denote CO's Tank. |
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M Battery HQ Vehicle. The H denotes it as being the vehicle of the Command Post Officer. |
Quad Tractor from 3 RHA. The Letter A denotes it as being the tractor for the first gun in the senior troop of D Battery. |
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A 25 pdr Gun and crew from 3 RHA near Stramproy December 1944. |
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Battery Commanders AOP Sherman from M Battery, 3rd RHA |
Battery Commanders AOP Sherman from M Battery, 3rd RHA. The Gothic M is visiable on the turret. |
Battery Commanders AOP Sherman called Pegasus IV, from M Battery, 3rd RHA. The Gothic M is clearly shown on the turret. |
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Some Pictures of 4th RHA In the Desert
1941 |
1942 |
Gun and Limber in Tow |
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25pdr Gun, Limber and Crew, from 4th RHA ready for action in 1941. |
Men from 4th RHA digging a gun pit, while the 25pdr Gun, Limber and Quad Tractor wait in the background. |
Quad Tractor, Limber and 25pdr gun, of 4th RHA, on the move in 1942. |
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Officers Mess of F (Sphinx) Bty, 4th RHA, Ben Yussif Camp, 1941 |
A gun detachment from C Battery, 4th RHA enjoy a 'wash and brush up' while with 'August' Column in the desert south of Mersa Matruh, 1942 |
Men from K Battery, 5 RHA, with an improvised oven made out of old Ammunition boxes, cooking in the desert, September 1942. L - R: Bdr Colin Tovey (TOSKA), L/Bdr Lesley Vince, L/Bdr Bob Lerche (JOCK). Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes |
Another of the men from K Battery, 5 RHA, with an improvised oven, cooking in the desert, September 1942. L - R: Colin Tovey (TOSKA), Arthur Rose (Mary), Harry Dormer, Jim Cromley, Lesley Vince, Eric Smith, Bob Lerche(Jock). Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes |
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The Troop Leader's Half Track from 'C' Troop, CC Battery, 5 RHA, (as denoted by the TLC markings) near St Joost in early 1945. Courtesy of James and David Allen. (NB. 5 RHA used TLA and TLB for G Battery, TLD and TLE, for K Battery and TLA C and TLH for CC Battery) |
The rear of the Troop Leader's Half Track from 'C' Troop, CC Battery, 5 RHA, (as denoted by the TLC markings) near St Joost in early 1945. Courtesy of James and David Allen. |
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Sextons, Half-tracks and an Armoured Ammunition Truck in the field, from K Battery 5th RHA. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
Sexton from K Battery, 5th RHA. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. | ||||
A Sexton SPG and Creew from K Battery, 5th RHA. |
Sexton 5 RHA Europe 1944, named Bubbles III, from 'B' Troop, 'G' Battery (Mercers Troop). NB. It is the '76' below the Divisional TAC sign, above the drivers hatch, which denotes that it as a Sexton from 5th RHA |
5th RHA Sexton from K Battery, in action near Sittard. |
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Men of CC Battery in Sains en Gohelle, France 1944 |
AOP Cromwell, Hollenstadt, Germany 1945 |
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K Battery AOP Cromwell and crew 29th November 1994. (James Allen is second from right). Courtesy of James Allen & David Allen.. |
K Battery Sexton called 'Dagwood'. |
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Sexton 5 RHA Europe 1944, from 'H' Troop, 'CC' Battery. NB. It is the '76' below the Divisional TAC sign, above the drivers hatch that denotes it as 5 RHA. The 'H' above denotes the troop which is different to normal practice. Courtesy of William Parfitt & Mark Smith. |
Another Sexton from 'H' Troop, CC Battery, showing the compartment cover and the various items stowed above the engine |
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Men from the Light Aid Detachment for 5 RHA, Holland December 1944. Courtesy of William Parfitt & Mark Smith |
Haltrack 'F1' with Articifiers sign above the cab from the Light Aid Detachment for 5 RHA, Holland December 1944. Courtesy of William Parfitt & Mark Smith. |
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Men from CC Battery (most likely from 'H' Troop), 5 RHA, Europe 1944 or 1945, with a well laden lorry behind them. Courtesy of William Parfitt & Mark Smith. |
Men from CC Battery (most likely from 'H' Troop), Hamburg 1945. Courtesy of William Parfitt & Mark Smith. |
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Sexton of Sub-section H, 'H' Troop, CC Battery, 5th RHA, denoted by the HH on the AoS. Photograph from Leonard Smith, courtesy of his family. |
Picture of same Sexton S234682, showing the CC Battery badge on the side. Photo Leonard Smith and courtesy of his family. |
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OP Cromwell from H Troop, CC Battery. 5 RHA somewhere in Germany 1945. Behind it is the same Sexton as in top right, second row down S233704. Photograph from Leonard Smith, courtesy of his family. |
H Troop, CC Battery, 5th RHA somewhere in Germany in 1945. Note AOP Cromwell in the foreground and Sextons behind it, some with their covers in place. Photo Leonard Smith and courtesy of his family. |
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The A2 Ammunition Lorry from H Troop, CC Battery, 5 RHA, complete with armour. This is in the background of the above right Troop photo. Photo Leonard Smith and courtesy of his family. |
Two men from H Troop, CC Battery, 5 RHA probably in 1945. Photo Leonard Smith and courtesy of his family. |
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A member of H Troop, CC Battery, 5 RHA probably in 1945. Photo Leonard Smith and courtesy of his family. |
Men of CC Battery, 5 RHA enjoying a 'picnic' probably in 1945. Photo Leonard Smith and courtesy of his family. |
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The crew of a Sexton from H Troop, CC Battery, 5 RHA, preparing for the Victory Parade in July 1945. Second from left in the photo is Leonard Smith and the photograph is courtesy of his family. |
Two of the same crew in a less formal pose before the Victory Parade in July 1945. Photo Leonard Smith and courtesy of his family. |
Men of K Battery, 5th RHA at the Olympic Stadium, Berlin 1945. Top Left: Sgt (Dodger) Green, Top Right: Bdr Colin Tovey (Toska), Bottom Left: L/Bdr Johnny Gallon, Bottom Right: Sgt Guy Lewis. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes |
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Men of K Battery, 5 RHA, before the Berlin Victory Parade. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
Men of K Battery, 5 RHA, relaxing on some logs before the Berlin Victory Parade. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
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More men of K Battery, 5 RHA, before the Berlin Victory Parade. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
Sextons and Half-tracks probably from K Battery, 5 RHA, before the Berlin Victory Parade. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
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The Troop Leader's Half Track from 'E/F' Troop, K Battery, 5 RHA, (as denoted by the TLC marking) before the Berlin Victory Parade. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
'Jock' (Rob) Lerche with his Sexton and some of the crew, K Battery, 5 RHA, before the Berlin Victory Parade. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
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Men from K Battery, 5th RHA beside a Sexton. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
Men from K Battery, 5th RHA beside a Half-tracks and Sextons during the Berlin Victory Parade 1945. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes. |
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A group of recently liberated Belgiums with a Sexton of G Battery. Courtesy of Albert Burnikell and his son Bryan Burnikell |
The crew of a Sexton from G Battery, with Albert Burnikell in the rear left. Courtesy of Albert Burnikell and his son Bryan Burnikell |
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CC Bty Mess Queue. My father is fourth from the left, so this is probably Battery HQ. |
Men from CC Battery HQ. My father Dvr/Op Alex Paterson is second the right. |
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Men from CC Battery HQ in the snow by a AOP Cromwell, clearly showing the CC Bty Badge, with a local. This is in Hingenderstraat in Sint Joost the Netherlands in late 1944 or early 1945. My father is in the leather Jerkin, smoking a pipe. L-R Gnr Ronald Hobbs (G Bty), Mia de Brouwer, Gnr Alexander Paterson (CC Bty), unknown |
The below set of photographs have kindly been given to me to added to the website by the family of L/Bdr W Archer. The all relate to G Battery (Mercer's Troop) RHA. Copyright © W Archer and his family. Click on the image for a larger version.
A few items belonging to Sergeant Rodger Newton May, CC Battery, who was awarded the Military Medal after fighting west of Agheila on December 15th 1942. Courtesy of Pierre Price.
Three photographs of 'K' Battery, 5th Royal Horse Artillery.
Pre-war photograph of some of the men and officers of the Battery.
Photograph from Bill Jones, courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes
Back Row: Talbot, Jack Boyd, Tilling, McFadden, (?), Cpt Wells, Lt Chris North, (?), Squires, Bill Slack, (?), Cornwall.
Middle Row: Tugwell, Pashby, Winstanley, Ellin, McPherson. Moyes, (?), Briggs.
Front Row: Jock (Bob Lerche), Bowman, Bill Jones, Pritchard, (?), Geordie Hodgeson
Surrey, 1942.
Men of K Battery, 5th RHA in Surrey 1942. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes
Berlin, October 1945.
Journey's end. Men of K Battery, 5th RHA in Berlin 1945. Courtesy of 'Jock' (Rob) Lerche (K Bty) and Barry Forbes
'CC' Battery, 5th Royal Horse Artillery, Berlin, October 1945.
Men of CC Battery, 5th RHA in Berlin October 1945. Courtesy of Alexander Paterson
If you are in any of the three pictures of 'K 'and 'CC' Batteries above or know someone who is (or would like a higher definition copy of them) please contact me as my own father is in the one of CC Battery.
Roll of Honour for 5th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (1939 - 1945)
Please click on the image below to view the larger image which may take a little while to open
There are more pictures of 5th RHA during the Victory Parade in July 1945 on the Italian and Northern Europe Page. Click here to go there now.
The set of photographs below are from the collection of Sergeant W. Paul DuPre, courtesy of his son Peter DuPre. These cover from the pre-war period to 1945.
Main gate guard 8th Hussars, Abbassia 1938 |
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8th Hussars on the Egyptian - Palestine Frontier before the war, in 1938. |
Time to start digging! |
Desert truck on patrol |
Recon meets native patrol |
Assembled trucks ready for action, Egypt | Pulling water from desert well. |
Reinforcement encampment near Tripoli |
Assembly with Jeeps and medical van: Europe |
A cold snowy burial service, somewhere in NW Europe 1944/45. The cruel reality of war! |
Tanks of 8th Hussars waiting to cross the Rhine at Brunen
Recovering a Challenger Tank Destroyer from a river
Chaffee and Honey Tanks of 8th Hussars HQ (Recce) Squadron, outside Hamburg, 1945
8th Hussars, Berlin 1945
There are more pictures of 8th Hussars during the Victory Parade in July 1945 on the Italian and Northern Europe Page. Click here to go there now.
Please also see these photographs on flickr, from Noel Taylor, whose grandfather Henry Hessey was in 8th Hussars.
Rolls Royce Armoured Car in the desert in 1940. |
Morris Armoured Car crossing the frontier wire into Libya in 1940 |
A Fordson Armoured Car of 'D' Squadron (RAF), 11th Hussars, fitted with an extra pair of light machine-guns mounted on a 'Scarff Ring', on the turret as additional protection against air attack. The two crew in 'side caps' are RAF personnel, with a Hussars instructor behind them. |
In Humber Armoured Cars
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Moving upto the front in Humber Armoured Cars |
Moving through the wire |
11th Hussars HQ, making use of an umbrella, liberated from a Cairo bar or restaurant |
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Marmon-Herrington Armoured Cars. Some have the turret removed and are fitted with a 20mm Breda guns |
The crew of this Humber II Armoured Car from 'B' Squadron were the first vehicle into Tripoli |
Being inspected by Winston Churchill and Montgomery |
A Troop equipped with French 75mm guns mounted on US Halftracks in Italy |
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C' Squadron Outside Ghent September 1944, in Daimler Armoured Cars |
No. 1 Troop, D Squadron, in Germany. The White Scout Car carried troops that could dismount and fight on foot, to carry out patrols, out flank enemy positions, etc. |
Daimler 'Dingo' Scout Car armed with twin Vickers K Machine Guns |
Humber Scout Cars of D Squadron outside the Town Hall, in Hamburg, 3rd May 1945 |
Men of No.1 Troop, C Squadron, with a Daimler Armoured Car, September 1944 |
Vehicles of D Squadron in the main square of Tonning after VE Day |
Daimler Armoured Cars of 11th Hussars, entering Berlin with Major General Lyne, the Divisional Commander, taking the salute. |
Daimler Armoured Cars of 11th Hussars, during the Victory Parade in Berlin, 21st July 1945 |
Sgt (later Sgt Major) Bernard McGuire, 'B' Squadron, 11th Hussars, receiving his Military Medal from Field Marshall Montgomery (Note the use of Royal Armoured Corps shoulder title and the 11th Hussars badge below the Divisional Shoulder Flash) |
Tpr Gordon Scaddan, 11th Hussars (Note the use early war uniform, (circa 1941) and the 11H brass titles on the epaulettes and the collar badges of 11th Hussars |
Pictures of the 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment
More pictures of 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment, courtesy of Rick Allenburg. More are available at http://www.bchomesellers.com/ww2/index.htm
Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car called Rooikat II |
Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car called Jakhals II |
Another picture of Jakhals II |
Men of 4SAACR with their Marmon-Herrington Armoured cars. |
Two pictures showing the radios of Marmon-Herrington Armoured Cars | |
The radio inside a Marmon Herrington armoured car. Picture courtesy of Rick Allenberg. | A second picture of the radio inside a Marmon Herrington armoured car. Picture courtesy of Rick Allenberg. |
A Queens Bren Gun Carrier in Normandy
1/5th Bn. The Queens Royal Regiment.
1/6th Bn. The Queens Royal Regiment.
A9 in Cairo in 1939 | On manoeuvres by the Pyramids in January 1939 |
On a train to Mersa Matruh |
Practising with infantry in preparation for Operation Compass |
RHQ Radio Vehicle in 1939 |
Crews in Matilda Tanks while on loan to the Australians in Tobruk, 1941 |
Men from B Squadron 's Hertogenbosch, 1944 |
Being inspected by Montgomery in Holland, late 1944 |
1st RTR on the way to Berlin, 1945. The Colonel's Tank, "Iron Duke IV", 60 miles from Berlin. On the turret the flag on the left is the Cambrai RTC flag and the one on the right is the Regimental Flag. |
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Being inspected by Montgomery in Berlin, 1945. The Triangle signs of the turrets indicate that 'A' Squadron is closest to the camera. Also note the tanks are all Comets, except for the Cromwell CS version in the lower middle of picture. The tanks carry the 52 AoS sign over the 22nd Armoured Brigade Sign. |
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A10 (MK II) Cruiser Tank before the Battle of Beda Fomm | A13 (MK IV) Cruiser Tank undergoing maintenance after the Battle of Sidi Omar |
A9 CS Tank from 2nd RTR guarding the Derma Pass in 1941 |
A9 CS Tank knocked out at Beda Fomm |
After Beda Fomm, complete with souvenir Italian hat. |
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More pictures of 2nd RTR after they left the Division can be found on the main 7th Armoured Brigade Website on the Burma Pictures and Middle East and Italy Pictures Pages.
A10 CS Tank from A Squadron 3rd RTR practising firing Smoke shells in the desert, east of Mersa Matruh, August 1941.
'A' squadron with 'Honey' tanks in the desert |
Fitters with a Staff Car |
Men of 5th RTR inspecting their new 'Honey' tanks in the desert |
Crew of Grant tank in the Desert 1942 |
5th RTR in Spararise, Italy October 1943 |
Sherman Fireflies and some crews, Germany 1945 |
Comet Tank of C Squadron, 5th RTR in Ghent during the celebration of the liberation in Sept 1945. Photo Gordon Johnson, courtesy of his daughter Gillian. |
Light Tank MK VI from A Squadron in action |
Men of 6th RTR beside their Grant Tank |
Attacking St. Joost with support from Churchill 'Crocodiles', January 1945 |
Holland, 1945 |
In a Bren Gun Carrier |
Pictures of 15th (Isle of Man) Light Anti-aircraft Regiment.
The six pictures below are all courtesy of the Manx Aviation & Military Museum/Museum of the Manx Regiment
Bofors AA Gun being towed by a Morris Tractor |
Bofors Gun and Crew in the Desert |
Bofors Gun and crew Gambut |
Morris C 9B SPG 40mm Bofors in the winter on 1944/1945. Its probably from D Troop, 41 LAA Battery from the D on the side. |
M16 Quad 0.50 Cal AA Halftracks 1945 |
Celebrating VE Day near the Kiel Canal. |
C Troop, 41 Battery, 15th (IOM) LAA Regiment |
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C Troop, 41 LAA Bty, 15th (IOM) LAA Regt, 10th August 1945. Picture courtesy of Alf and Ray Parish. |
Some more pictures probably of 41st Battery, 15th LAA Regiment in the Middle East 1941 or 1942
4th County of London Yeomanry, being inspected by General Montgomery, England 1944 |
AA Crusader of 22nd Armoured Brigade (TAC sign = 50) on loan to 4th County of London Yeomanry landing on 7th June 1944 |
A Sherman Firefly landing on 7th June 1944, from the same LST as the Crusade AA tank above right |
65th Anti-Tank Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry)
MMG Carrier of 3rd Support Company, Northumberland Fusiliers, in late 1944 or 1945
Note Vickers MMG on mount in Bren Gun Carrier.
Trooper Ted Fogg (Div TAC HQ) by his truck in North Africa |
Men from Divisional HQ on a Crusader Tank |
The 'Kentucky Minstrels' from Div TAC HQ in the desert |
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Men from Divisional TAC HQ with a Jeep in the desert |
Trooper Ted Fogg and colleagues from Divisional TAC HQ pose with a Tommy Gun on a Jeep in the desert |
Trooper Ted Fogg (Div TAC HQ) in his truck in North Africa, with a colleague |
Humber Scout Car from Divisional HQ in late 1944 (NB. The same Humber can be seen in the Victory Parade pictures with a Russian Officer and loudspeaker system.) |
Hopeful of going home, after being told they were soon be sailing away from Africa, but alas they were headed for Italy, via Salerno. |
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Men of Divisional TAC HQ in North West Europe |
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Sgt Ernest Webster (Divisional HQ) on the left, somewhere in Germany, 1945 |
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Men of Tank Troop, 22nd Armoured Brigade on board SS Orion bound for the Middle East, 1941 |
Men of Tank Troop, 22nd Armoured Brigade near Mersa Matruh 1941 |
Crusader MK I from Brigade HQ at Sidi Bish Camp in February 1942 |
There are more pictures of 22nd Armoured Brigade in North West Europe on the Italy and Northern Europe page.
22nd Armoured Brigade Workshop REME
(covering the journey from Aunay-sur-Odon,
Lisieux , Vimy Mechelen, Weert up until Hamburg) - Courtesy of Keith Brooker,
from his collection of Leslie Mutten's photographs.
REME CMP Trucks on the road, crossing the Belgium - Netherlands Border |
More REME CMP Trucks parked on a road, somewhere |
REME Workshop base, Weert, The Netherlands. |
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REME ARV Cromwell |
Tank transporter with Cromwell |
Recovering a 5th RTR Sherman Firefly, watched or more likely helped by PoWs |
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Rear of ARV Sherman |
Sherman ARV, adorned with Nazi flag! |
Rear of Leslie Mutten's ARV Sherman |
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Off the Landing Craft |
Queuing for a cup of tea, from an Austin truck |
REME Trucks covered in snow |
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ARV Cromwell |
Testing a Wasp Flamethrower Carrier |
Rather battered Workshop sign. (NB. The 99 denotes the REME Workshop attached to an Armoured Brigade, in this case 22nd Armoured Brigade Workshop) |
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Recovery in the mud! |
Brewing a cup of tea, somewhere in Europe. The crew have written their names on the side of the truck |
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