Does anybody have any references or good photos of the modifications done to HMLS Excellent during WW2? I can't find any really good pictures of the AA gun installation that was added to the roof... although it appears to have replaced the original lookout tower completely. The tank was back in its original configuration when the tank was donated to Bovington so perhaps the original roof panel was simply removed and a new one fabricated.
The central roof panels were bolted in place so that the engine and gearbox could be removed. Substituting a new roof panel would have been straightforward. I must admit that I always assumed that it was simply a coaming built around the existing roof hatch. However, I am not aware of any signs of welding or bolting that would support that assumption. And the roof hatch structure is still riveted together: it has not been dismantled and bolted or welded back together. But I do not recall whether the fixings to the hull top are still rivets or whether they are bolts. The entire raised hatch structure could have been removed, leaving a rectangular opening in the roof.
I do know from a contemporary account that some unspecified parts were scavenged from the presentation Mk IV Female 2790 then still sited outside Victoria Barracks in Southsea. But I imagine they were mechanical rather than structural.
