MILITARY VEHICLES #5.

 

 

 

KRAUSS - MAFFEI  LEOPARD 1 ( main battle tank )

 

During the cold war, west Germany designed and manufactured two main battle tanks. The Leopard 1 was the first of these successful designs and was an unqualified success, not only gaining large sales from the west German army but also sales to at least eight other countries.

 

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BMP - 1. (armoured personnel carrier )

 

The Russian BMP-1 went into production in the early 1960`s and marked an important departure from previous armoured personnel carriers. Not just an infantry carrier it provided a measure of combat capability with the vehicle. Its high mobility, effective anti-tank weapons combined with its armoured protection made it a significant addition to soviet battlefield forces. In service - 1960s - max speed - 24.23mph. Engine - 300hp v-6 diesel. Width - 7feet, Length - 22feet.





 



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ALVIS SALADIN.    ( armoured car )

 

The Saladin had a protracted development before going into production in 1958. It entered service a year later and served in all parts of the world. In many politically sensitive colonial situations its heavy gun allowed it to provide effective support as a wheeled tank where a fully tracked vehicle would have been difficult to justify. In service -1959- later 1960s. Max speed - 44.73mph. Engine - Rolls Royce B80 no1 mark 6D. Length - 17feet 3.5inches. Width - 8feet 5inches. Armament - one 76.2mm L5A1 gun, one 7.62mm L3A3 machine gun, one 7.62mm L3A4 machine gun.

 



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ALVIS SCORPION.

 

The Scorpion is a simple vehicle apparently on the straight line of British light tank design, with the engine on the front and turret/fighting compartment on the rear. Apart from the nose which is rounded, there is a well-sloped front plate. The engine was at first the Jaguar J60 4.2 litre petrol engine but a diesel was chosen later during production to increase range. The final one was the Cummins BTA 5.9 litre capable of 190hp, or a Perkins equivalent. The armament comprised the main ROF ( royal ordinance factory ) 76mm L23A1 gun, tailored for the Scorpion in 1973, which could be fed with various ammunitions, ranging from HE to various AP rounds. Also a coaxial 7.62mm L43A1 machine gun. Other equipment included a wireless radio, image intensification sights for the gunner and driver and IF vision, internal commodities comprised a commanders commode under his seat, a water tank and a boiling vessel.

 

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VANGUARD VAN.

 

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BEDFORD TASKER and QUEEN MARY TRAILER.

 

Long serving tractor and trailer designed for the transportation of aircraft. The 5 ton low loading semi trailer entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) just before the outbreak of the second world war in 1939. It was quickly nicknamed `Queen Mary` due to its large size. Its function was to carry component parts of aircraft-fuselages, engines, wings and tail plane sections. This was carried out so efficiently that it still remains in service for specialist movements. The towing vehicle is a post war Bedford `Tasker Tractor`, capable of pulling up to ten tons of weight. During the war, Queen Mary trailers were towed by Bedford OXC and by Commer and Crossley Q tractor units fitted with a special Tasker coupling.

 

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GERMAN HETZER TANK DESTROYER.

 

Introduced in May 1944 the Hetzer was popular with its crews as its manoeuvrability, low height, well sloped armour and relatively powerful gun made it both dangerous and difficult to knock out on the battlefield.

 

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CENTAUR COMMAND TANK.

 

Used by tank formation commanders, it had a wooden dummy gun to create room inside the turret for extra radio equipment. This also enabled the tank to blend in with the standard British Battle Tank, the Cromwell.

 

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GERMAN 150mm NEBELWERFER 41.

 

Originally designed to supply smoke cover, this six barrelled rocket launcher was more often used to deliver barrages of high explosive. The distinctive sound of incoming Nebelwerfer fire earned the weapon the nickname `Moaning Minnie`.



 

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BRITISH DAIMLER MK1 ARMOURED CAR.

 

This reconnaissance vehicle was used by the British Army in the second world war. Vehicles like this served all over the world, particularly in North Africa and North-west Europe. 2,694 MK1 and MK2 vehicles were built.

 

 

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ST GEORGE and LAWRENCE CHURCH.

This interesting church in Springthorpe Lincolnshire UK has a Lincolnshire type of unbuttressed tower, originally Anglo Saxon. It has some surviving Anglo Saxon herringbone masonry at the base. It has a blocked in Anglo Saxon west doorway in which has been inserted a window formed from destroyed belfry lights. The cornerstones indicate that it was largely rebuilt in Norman times. The rebuilding utilised the original Anglo Saxon window. The church was restored in 1864 and again in 1876. The font and the south arcade are early gothic. The stained glass in this church is by Kayll and Co of Leeds. The organ is a manual organ by Joseph Walker, made in 1851 and placed in this church in 1869. It is now in a neo - gothic case, probably since 1889 when the organ chamber was built. The organ pipes are painted in a highly decorative pattern. From the chancel arch used to hang a maidens funeral garland and gloves cut out of white paper, a memorial to Mary Hill, a girl who died in 1814 as a result of an accident whilst ringing one of the bells. Unfortunately when I arrived to take photographs of this church, there was some repairs going on, hence the scaffolding on the outside of the church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1..... restored pseudo - Saxon 1895 Pevsner.       2........ Anglo Saxon window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BICYCLES.

 

PASHLEY ICE CREAM BIKE.

 

Price new - from £12 plus extras, wheels - three. This is a Pashley Carrier Bicycle, made by Pashley Cycles of Birmingham, UK, founded in 1926. This bicycle was used at Coombe Abbey Park for many years to sell ice cream during the summer. It was acquired by Coventry Transport museum in 2011 as a promotional vehicle and has undergone quite a make-over.

 

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ROYAL MAIL BICYCLE.

 

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LADIES TRICYCLE.

 

Made by Halfords of Birmingham this ladies tricycle was loaned to the museum in 1978. The owner had it for cycling to collage but found it difficult to ride. Halfords was founded in 1892 as an ironmongery. In the early 1900s they moved to Halford Street in Leicester and started selling cycling goods.

 

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RALEIGH MONTAGE 1987.

 

An early example of a mountain bike, or MTB, employing the lightweight 501 Reynolds tubing technology. This bicycle came in three frame sizes, with an average weight of only 13.9 kg. It has 18 speed suntour accushift gears, an SR oval tech crankshaft, 501 handlebars and unicrown forks. This example has a 23 inch frame in mint, 22 inch wheels and was purchased in Radcliffe on Trent by the donor, Stuart Price. He formerly used the bike to complete his paper round and later to travel to collage.

 

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RALEIGH SUPERBE 1959.

 

The Raleigh superbe model was always the super deluxe version of their basic top of the line bicycle. It had a full chain case, dynohub lights and a saddlebag. It even had more springs in the saddle for a better ride. Many later ones had locking forks as an anti - theft accessory. It was intended for the professional lady or gentleman who could afford that little bit extra and was always one of the most expensive models of the Raleigh range. The Raleigh " Classic Superbe" is still part of the range today. It has a high tensile frame and drum brakes but is still basically the same bicycle that has carried the Raleigh name for nearly a hundred years. Its price of over £500 may have many previous owners turning in their graves.

 

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RUDGE WHITWORTH FIVE SEATER BICYCLE.

 

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RALEIGH RECORD ACE SPORTS TOURER.

 

Known as the R.R.A. The Raleigh record ace was a top of the range lightweight sports touring bicycle originally designed in 1933 and continuously made ever since. This model is from 1951 and was advertised in the Raleigh catalogue as " The Connoisseurs Choice ". The price of £39-9s-4d in 1951 reflected its quality and prestige as the equivalent price today would be over £1,000. It was individually built to order with a choice of clubman, racing or touring models and with different choice of frame size, colour, gears, wheel hubs, rims and handlebars. The frame is made from lightweight Reynolds 531 butted tubing and this model has a 3-speed sturmey archer gears.

 

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1903 SINGER MOTORWHEEL.

 

This motorwheel was first made by Coventry inventors Edwin Perks and Frank Birch in 1899. The Singer company liked it and bought the idea from them. Singer also gave them jobs at their factory in Canterbury Street, Coventry. The engine could be fitted inside the back or front wheel. Single cylinder 2hp engine. Most of the parts came from Singer Pedal bicycles.

 

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1881 SALVO QUADRICYCLE.

 

Designed by James Starley, with a differential gear which allows the inner wheel to go slower than the outer when cornering. This type of gear is still used on most of todays motor cars.

 

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RAT RACER B2 LAID-BACK BICYCLE.

 

The bicycle designer Mike Burrows, prefers to make laid-back or recumbent bicycles. They are very aerodynamic, making them more efficient and faster than diamond - framed bicycles.

 

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