Landships II

Definitely Austin, 17th Bn Tank Corps 1918

Not Peerless - that used a truck chassis that was somewhat longer than the armoured body, so the chassis rails stuck out at the back. It was a post-war vehicle, afaik Pattern 1919.

Rob wrote:

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Is that a chock dangling from the rear of it?

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 Looks like one to me although I'm not sure what they'd need it for I assume the Austin had a parking brake?

gemsco wrote:

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What sort of flag is that ?

stange design of the tyre surface !

gemsco

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 I think this is Russian "Prowodnik-Columb" tyres - last model of 1917 (typical "Prowodnik" later profile). Austin/4 built for Russian army, because Revolution, was in Russia no comming.

No, the tyres don't match - although there is similarity. The ones Ivan has pictured show a number of chevrons (about 7) pointing in one direction, then another batch pointing the other way, then another change, etc.

The tyres in the original photo have an "X" then a solid diamond-pattern, then another "X", another diamond, etc. Quite possibly the same manufacturer or nationality, but a different tread pattern.

Here's a couple I found at short notice!

 

Take a look at the off side front on the Daimler and the N/S/F on the Napier ambulance to the far left of the second picture. 

I've been playing with the brightness and contrast on the Napier picture but the pale grey tyre is so bleached out it's hard to say for sure... it could well be a different pattern though.

Digging through my Austin armoured car pics pretty much all of the later types have those pattern tyres... oddly enough most of the Russian Austins have tyres with transverse grooves

I think we have a winner... Clincher tyre ads from 1916 and 1917.