Landships II

Rob · Legend

Gun Carriers in action

philthydirtyanimal · Commander in Chief

How about a movie? I know it's not a photograph, but, well, hey, it's a movie!

At 4m14s approx there is 'Darlington' with a 6"26cwt (I think), followed by 'Kingston' (empty). Then there might be two more, or it might be the same two; something funny happening with the edit!

http://www3.nfb.ca/ww1/wartime-film.php?id=531528

You can click on full screen (plein ecran) to make it bigger.

(The rest of the film just has boring tanks in it;�such as�a composite Mark V*)

kieffer · Commander in Chief

Hi Rob,

the picture I found is from Armoured Fighting Vehicles in Profile, Vol.1.
The carrier has a 60pdr. on board.
The text only mentions that Mk1 carriers were used at the Third Ypres 1917, some did several night shoots, puzzling the German army by moving position.

regards, Kieffer

Rob · Legend

philthydirtyanimal wrote:

How about a movie? I know it's not a photograph, but, well, hey, it's a movie!

At 4m14s approx there is 'Darlington' with a 6"26cwt (I think), followed by 'Kingston' (empty). Then there might be two more, or it might be the same two; something funny happening with the edit!

http://www3.nfb.ca/ww1/wartime-film.php?id=531528

You can click on full screen (plein ecran) to make it bigger.

(The rest of the film just has boring tanks in it;�such as�a composite Mark V*)

At one point when it shows the two carriers, there's a Sunbeam ambulance behind - the expression of the driver who throws his hands up in the air, no doubt at the lack of progres stuck behind the carriers, is brilliant!

�

MTorrent · Lieutenant-Colonel

Here are couple of quite good photos:

CharlieC · Legend

Both of these images are in the Landships article on the Gun Carrier. They may have been taken during official trials - in the first image there is a tadpole tank in the background with a tarpaulin over it.

Regards,

Charlie

Gwyn Evans · Legend

The photos posted by MTorrent were taken at Dollis Hill. The wall in the background is the giveaway (OK, someone will say it's only a wall, but I'll still say it's a wall in Dollis Hill!).

I have some info on the firing of artillery from GCs in anger but will need to dig it out. It comes from the War Diaries.

Gwyn

philthydirtyanimal · Commander in Chief

For those people unfamiliar with London tourist attractions, Dollis Hill is not one of them. Nor is it like Hamburger Hill, or Hill 145.

It is just a bland suburb, on a slight rise in the ground in the north west of London, where the Mechanised Warfare Department once had its experimental ground.

Rob · Legend

I'd really like to see the information on the firing of guns from the carriers, Gwyn.

Interesting to see that Dollis Hill is just a stones throw away from the (in)famous Brent Cross shopping centre in north London. ah happy memories!

matti64 · Private

...And of course very close to the Welsh Harp Resevoir, where flotation trials of the MkIX took place.

Rob · Legend

David Fletcher in 'British Tanks 1915-19' also gives the location for the photograph as Dollis Hill

PDA · Legend

I've just received "Moving the Guns" by David Fletcher & Philip Ventham.

On page 19 is a small photo of a Gun Carrier (Darlington) with a 6in Howitzer, and the caption places it in France. A very quick scan of the text says they were in action at 3rd Ypres. The 6in could be fired from the carrier, and they could fire off 3 "shoots" from different positions in the course of a short Summer night.

HTH