Royal Tank Corps
including Armoured Car Companies
Page under construction
In 1920, twelve Armoured Car Companies were set up as part of the Tank Corps, absorbing units from the Machine Gun Corps; eight were later converted into independent Light Tank Companies. All disbanded before the outbreak of the Second World War. [1]
By 1936 most armoured cars in service in India had been replaced by light tanks and the cars were distributed to volunteer forces in India and neighbouring countries.[2]
Service in India
The information available online is scattered and fragmentary.
This link is from the medal dealer DNW and lists various medals for sale in 2004 awarded to members of the Tank Regiment. Generally details of the Company are not given. Note these are the medals from one collection, so the list is not exhaustive
- India General Service 1908-35 with clasps
- Malabar 1921-22 this was awarded for the Moplah Uprising and the 8th Armoured Car Company was involved
- Waziristan 1921-24
- North West Frontier 1930-31
- Mohmand 1933
- North West Frontier 1935
- India General Service 1936-39 with clasps
- North West Frontier 1936-37
- North West Frontier 1937-39
7th Armoured Motor Battery, MGC
A member of the 7th Armoured Motor Battery, MGC gained the Indian General Service Medal with clasp Waziristan 1919-21 Pte A N Showell MGC. charliesmedals.co.uk
1st Armoured Car Company
- Private Harold Bryant’s gravestone at Peshawar reads: "Private Harold Bryant. 1st Armoured Car Company. Royal Tank Corps. Killed 23rd April 1930. Aged 25 years. Erected by the officers, NCOs and men of the 1st Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps."[3] He was a despatch rider who was knocked from his machine during a riot situation in Peshawar, had a petrol soaked carpet thrown over him and was burnt alive.[4]
- A member of the 1st Armoured Car Company gained the India General Service Medal with clasp North West Frontier 1930-31 Pte P J Goodard R Tank C charliesmedals.co.uk
- C 1933, the 1st Armoured Car Co. was at Cawnpore and Calcutta. [5].
- The 1st Light Tank Co took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937.[6]
2nd Armoured Car Company
- The 2nd Armoured Car Company was equipped with Rolls Royce cars in 1920[7]
- C 1933, the 2nd Light Tank Co. was at Peshawar.[5]
- Photograph 7th May 1934: An officer of the 2nd Light Tank Company on patrol near the Khyber Pass in Afridi tribal territory. In the background is the Safed Koh range of mountains with the entrance to the pass itself. Getty Images
- Page 6 of this link has a photograph captioned: Light Tank Mk IIB Indian Pattern of the 2nd Light Tank Company RTC, crossing the Nahakki Pass by mule track, Mohmand Operations, North West Frontier, September 1935 [8]
6th Armoured Car Company
- A forum post stated "My grandfather served in the Tank Corps until his demob in 1922. He was last posted to 6 Armoured Car Company, Bareilly, India." In response "6th Armoured Car Coy was formed in Baghdad in 1921 from spare personnel of 1st & 2nd Armd Car Coys (themselves ex-4th Bn Tank Corps). They took over the Austin armoured cars and personnel of 7th Light Armoured Motor Battery, Machine Gun Corps until they got new Rolls-Royces. At the end of 1921 the 6th went to India to join the 7th-11th Coys", quoting Liddell-Hart's The Tanks Vol.1 [9]
- C 1933, the 6th Armoured Car Co. was at Peshawar (for Razmak).
- The 6th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[6]
7th Armoured Car Company
- The 7th Armoured Car Co Tank Corps arrived in India in February 1921 with Rolls Royce Cars. They went to Peshawar and then to the Frontier. They formed protection picquets. In 1922 a section was sent to Malakand to assist the Chitral Relief Column and in May 1924 to Kohat for the Ellis murders. Pte P Donegan R Tank Corps was awarded the Indian General Service Medal with clasp Wazaristan 1921-24 charliesmedals.co.uk
- C 1933, the 7th Light Tank Co. was at Quetta.[5]
- In 1935 the 7th Light Tank Co. in Quetta was called out to patrol the streets after an earthquake to prevent looting. They also used their vehicles to pull down the damaged buildings.[10]
- The 7th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[6]
8th Armoured Car Company
- C 1933 , the 8th Armoured Car Co. was at Delhi (for Peshawar). [5]
- The 8th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[6]
9th Armoured Car Company
- The 9th Armoured Car Company arrived in India in April 1921, with the 10th ACC.
- C 1933, the 9th Armoured Car Co. was at Razmak (for Delhi).[5]
- The 9th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[6]
- This link, (dnw.co.uk) concerning the medals of Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant E. L. Parkin contains an image of a certificate for “Devotion to duty” awarded to L/Corpl E L Parkin 9th Light Tank Company during Waziristan Operations 1936-37 (Final Phase)
10th Armoured Car Company
The 10th ACC arrived in India with the 9th ACC in April 1921. They proceeded to Bareilly for training with Ford Box bodies. At the end of 1921 they went up to NW Frontier and there absorbed the 5th, 7th & 16th Armoured Motor Batteries now all called the 10th Armoured Motor Brigade they were armed with Jeffrey Quads.
They all operated on both the Takki Zam line and in the Tochi Valley and were active daily patrols. Two noteworthy events happened.
1) March 1922 at Idak a pigeon carried by the cars reported an ambush, flying five miles in five mins.
Later in year the Company was in action against a raiding party at Hinnis Tangai Ridge.
In July 1923 six cars moved 140 miles in 17 1/12 hours taking part in the surrounding of the Hisa Mahal Nabha State. The Maharaja received an ultimatum and soon afterwards was dethroned. Colonel K Wigram congratulated the cars on their performance.
Pte P C Chalmers R Tank Corps was awarded the Indian General Service Medal with clasp Wazaristan 1921-24 charliesmedals.co.uk
11th Armoured Car Company
- C 1933, the 11th Armoured Car Co. was at Lahore.[5]
- The 11th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[6]
- The 11th Light Tank Co. was part of the Razmak Brigade in Waziristan in 1939[11]
Regimental journal
The Tank Corps Journal, first publishe 1919-1920. The title changed in 1923 to The Royal Tanks Corps Journal. The National Army Museum catalogue lists volumes from No 1 1919–1920 to No 15 1933-1934 (missing No 11-12) .
This link says several articles on the campaigns in Waziristan 1921-24 were published in the Tank Corps Journal in the early 1920s[12]
External links
- Machine Gun Corps Wikipedia
- Royal Tank Regiment Wikipedia
- The Tank Museum at Bovington Dorset
- The Royal Tank Regiment Association
- Jeffery armored car Wikipedia
- From Jose Luis Castillo‘s blog "Armoured Cars in the WWI"
- Jeffery-Russell Armoured Cars of the 7th Armoured Motor Battery (AMB). Waziristan, ca. 1920
- Standard Armoured Car 'Indian Pattern', 10 AMB (10th Armoured Motor Battery) Ferozepore, Punjab, India 1915
- Napier Armoured Car 'Indian Pattern', 10 AMB (10th Armoured Motor Battery) Ferozepore, Punjab, India 1915.
- Straker-Squire Armoured Cars 'Indian Pattern', 11th AMB. 1915, Ambala, India.
- Cadillac Armoured Car 'Indian Pattern', Calcutta, India, 1916 15th Armoured Motor Battery (15 AMB) formed by three Cadillac Armoured Cars (type closed roof) Calcutta 1915 Rebuilt in 1916 by the East Indian Railway Workshops at Lilooah, near Calcutta. Was called Noah’s Ark by the special form of the roof (closed and high), designed for street fighting.
- Fiat Armoured Car ‘Indian Pattern’. North-West Frontier, c. 1918.
- Jeffery-Russell Armoured Car. India, ca.1919
- Crossley Military Vehicles after WW1 crossley-motors.org.uk
Photographs
- Photograph: Jeffery Quad armoured cars on reconnaissance in Waziristan, 1920 National Army Museum
- Photographs North-West Frontier Province, 1930s The photographer was probably a member of the 8th Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps. From “Andrew M Brownhill"
- Photographs of Royal Tank Corps armoured cars in India 1920s, from ‘through their eyes' photostream flickr.com
- Photograph of Crew 1, tagged India 1930s flickr.com, Photograph of Crew 2, tagged India 1930s flickr.com
- Photograph of 7th Armoured Car Company in Peshawar, late 1920s/early 1930s from The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments:1918-1939
- Photograph of Tank Light Mk IIA flickr.com A comment under the photograph advises this type of tank was in service in the 1930s on the North West Frontier of India .
- Photograph of Light Tank Mark IVA Indian Pattern The description says "This tank was only used in India so was probably at Ahmednagar, in the mid 1930s"
References
- ↑ Royal Tank Regiment Association: Between the Wars
- ↑ Armoured Car Section, BAF [Burma Auxiliary Force] from Steve Rothwell’s The Burma Campaign
- ↑ Stephen Lewis' Soldiers Memorials , Graves in India, letter B
- ↑ Military History Forum thread
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Royal Tank Corps by Michael, asmrb.pbworks.com Date not stated, but probably with details c 1933
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Report on Operations in Waziristan 25th November 1936 to 15th December 1937" London Gazette Supplements "1st Phase", "Second Phase", "Final Phase"
- ↑ The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments 1918-1939
- ↑ Light Tanks Mark I-VI ] by Major General N W Duncan www.scribd.com
- ↑ Army Rumour Service Forum
- ↑ Britain's Light Tank Mk II, Mk IIA, MK IIB wwiivehicles.com quoting The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles - The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, General Editor: Christopher F. Foss, 2002
- ↑ Waziristan Campaign Order of Battle 1939 from A Story of War
- ↑ Great War Forum thread Tank Corps in India/Waziristan 1921