To my surprise, I haven't been able to find a photograph of this contraption, predecessor of the unditching beam. I know I've seen one in the past, but nothing comes up now. Anyone got one to spare?
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
BTW, there's the real thing in the storeroom at Bovington, along with many of the models and other stuff that there wasn't room for after the big refurbishment. I took a lot of photos but never got round to posting them. This plaque, or one like it, is also there, on a shelf and wrapped in Bubblewrap.
-- Edited by James H on Friday 18th of June 2021 03:30:44 PM
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
From The Tank in Action by Captain D.G. Browne (1920):
For permanent use over soft ground, iron shoes or "spuds" were clamped at intervals along the tracks; while in addition each tank carried a pair of what were known as torpedo-booms. These were cigar-shaped objects of wood and iron, about six feet long, to be clamped to each track by chains when the tank became ditched. As the tracks revolved, these booms in theory were pulled round underneath the tank until they became jammed in the ground, when, the tracks being thus brought to a stand still, the machine was able to climb out over them in the normal way. In practice, although of great use on many occasions, these booms were found to be too small and weak. In soft ground they often were dragged under the whole length of the tank and up to the surface again behind: in hard ground, the chains were apt to part under the strain. A greatly superior development of this idea was tested and adopted after the battle of Messines.
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
No worries, I found it with an online search. I haven't been to Bovington yet. Most of the time I was in the UK was with family doing touristy stuff. I did get my turn a few times at the at the TNT show (former On Track show) in Folkestone and a few hobby shops a while ago (Cromwell Models, etc.).
