Royal Tank Corps

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Armoured Motor Batteries and Armoured Motor Brigades of the Machine Gun Corps

Armoured Car Companies and Light Tank Companies of the Royal Tanks Corps

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By 1936 most armoured cars in service in India had been replaced by light tanks and the cars were distributed to volunteer forces in India and neighbouring countries.[2]

Armoured Motor Batteries and Armoured Motor Brigades MGC 1915-1921

"Armoured Motor Units began to form in Spring of 1915 utilising vehicles donated by rich Indians and Europeans. This was overseen by Colonel Lord Montagu (Inspector of Motor Vehicles, India and later Brigadier General, Advisor on Mechanical Transport Services, India). Only No 1 AMU had reliable vehicles - three Rolls Royces which, like the other cars were armour-plated by Indian Railway Workshops, and this unit acted as a Brigade HQ for Nos 1, 2 & 3 AMUs. Most of the other vehicles were unsuitable and it was not until 1918 that improved cars were made available.

The Units were re-designated Armoured Motor Batteries in 1917 and during this period, British and Indian crews were gradually replaced by MGC personnel. The British crews had originally been provided by Territorials from garrisons in India. By 1919, Nos 2 & 3 Armoured Motor Brigades were formed from Nos 4 - 12 AMBs, whilst Nos 13 - 16 AMBs remained un-brigaded. At the commencement of the 3rd Afghan War, No 1 Armoured Motor Brigade was reorganised into five Regular and three Auxiliary AMBs which served in the Khyber and Chitral areas. HQ No 10 Armoured Motor Brigade, formed in the UK, commanded Nos 5, 6, 7 & 16 AMBs and operated in Waziristan and Mahsud". [3]

The following War Diaries are available at the National Archives, Kew

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. He is also mentioned in this link from Artfact, quoting details from a Spink and Sons sale in 2007. "7 Armoured Motor Battery was formed Dera Ismail Khan in July 1915 with Indian crews and served in India with Derajat Brigade. Took part in operation on the North West Frontier with 10 Armoured Motor Brigade during the Third Afghan War. Their cars were transferred to 10 Armoured Car Company, Tank Corps in October 1921".

External links

  • Machine Gun Corps Wikipedia. The Motor Branch of the Machine Gun Corps formed several types of units: motor cycle batteries, light armoured motor batteries (LAMB) and light car patrols.
Note in India, the units were known as Armoured Motor Batteries (AMB)

Royal Tank Corps

Service in India

This link is from the medal dealer DNW and lists various medals for sale in 2004 awarded to members of the Tank Corps. 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

1st Armoured Car Company

  • The 1st Armoured Car Co. equipped with Rolls Royce cars was sent to Iraq in March 1920 to help put down a rebellion [4]
  • This Great War Forum post indicates that 6 LAMB became part of the 1st Armoured Car Co. of the Tank Corps at the end of 1920. 6 LAMB had a Rolls-Royce armoured car called Cleopatra in 1920. Others were called Harvester, Avenger and Chatham. This comes from the unit war diary of the time, which is found under WO 95/5206 at Kew. 6 LAMB were under 17th Indian Division at the time and was based at Ramadi, Iraq.
  • The 1st Armoured Car Co. had arrived in India by 1925 [5]
  • 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."[6] 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.[7]
  • 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. [8].
  • The 1st Light Tank Co took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937.[9]
  • The Company does not appear on a listing for 1939 indicating it had been disbanded and/or absorbed[5]

2nd Armoured Car Company

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 [11]
  • 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[9]
  • The Company does not appear on a listing for 1939 indicating it had been disbanded and/or absorbed [5]

7th Armoured Car Company

  • This Great War Forum post indicates the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car "Silver Snipe" served during the 1920s in India as part of the 7th Armoured Car Co.
  • 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
  • Photograph:7th Armoured Car Co. in Peshawar, late 1920s/early 1930s[4]
  • C 1933, the 7th Light Tank Co. was at Quetta.[8]
  • 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.[12]
  • The 7th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[9]
  • The Company does not appear on a listing for 1939 indicating it had been disbanded and/or absorbed [5]

8th Armoured Car Company

  • Captain George Archibald Rosser served in Malabar, in command of No 8 Armoured Car Co., later transferring to No 9 Armoured Car Unit, then serving in the Waziristan Campaign[13]
  • Page 108 The Mapilla Rebellion 1921-1922 Printed by the Superintendent Government Press Madras 1922 Archive.org, mentions the 8th Armoured Car Co. in the Moplah Uprising or Malabar Rebellion.
  • The 8th Armoured Car Co. was in Kirkee in 1926, with commanding officer Lieut Colonel Charles Arthur Bolton[14]
  • This link refers to photographs taken by Private H J Dibble No 2 section 8th Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps taken in India from October 1925 to January 1930.
  • William (Bill) Marsden 1911-1969 entered military service on 12th Sept 1930, enlisting in the Royal Tank Corps as a regular soldier. He spent four years in India on the North-West Frontier, whilst attached to No 2 Section, 8th Armoured Car Company. [15]
  • Download a 1976 Interview with Nigel William Duncan Reel 7 Aspects of period as officer with 8th Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps in India, 1931-1932: posting to unit in Dehli, 1931; crowd control duties including electrification of armoured cars; crowd control duties at Chandi Chowk; question of suitability of armoured cars for policing role; health problems in India; character of Crossley Armoured Car. Imperial War Museum
Note: No. 2 Section 8th Armoured Car Company may have operated independently, as it appears it was on the North West Frontier in 1931, not in Delhi.
  • 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"
  • C 1933 , the 8th Armoured Car Co. was at Delhi (for Peshawar). [8]
  • The 8th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[9]
  • The Company does not appear on a listing for 1937 indicating it had been disbanded and/or absorbed after its action in Waziristan [5]

9th Armoured Car Company

  • The 9th Armoured Car Company arrived in India in April 1921, with the 10th ACC.
  • This link (scroll down) describes the Rolls Royce Indian Pattern armoured cars, dating from 1922, issued to the 9th Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps [2]
  • C 1933, the 9th Armoured Car Co. was at Razmak (for Delhi).[8]
  • The 9th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[9]
  • 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)
  • The Company does not appear on a listing for 1939 indicating it had been disbanded and/or absorbed [5]

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
  • Grave at Quetta - "In memory of No. 7878958 Private P.C. Griffiths. 10th Armoured Car Company. Royal Tank Corps who died at Quetta 15 June 1930." [16]
  • C 1933, the 10th Armoured Car Co. was at Kirkee.[8]
  • Obituary of Captain Frank Naughton, GC who as a private in the 10th Light Tank Company, based at Kirkee, saved a colleague from drowning August 5 1936 and was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal. The Telegraph 22 Jun 2004 There is a photo of him in this link
  • The Company does not appear on a listing for 1937 indicating it had been disbanded and/or absorbed. [5]

11th Armoured Car Company

  • C 1933, the 11th Armoured Car Co. was at Lahore.[8]
  • The 11th Light Tank Co. took part in operations in Waziristan during 1937[9]
  • The 11th Light Tank Co. was part of the Razmak Brigade in Waziristan in 1939[17]
  • The Company does not appear on a listing for 1939 indicating it had been disbanded and/or absorbed later in the year. [5]

Regimental journal

The Tank Corps Journal, first publishe 1919-1920. The title changed in 1923 to The Royal Tank Corps Journal. The National Army Museum catalogue lists volumes from No 1 1919–1920 to No 15 1933-1934 (missing No 11-12) .

Australian War Memorial Research Centre, Canberra ACT Australia has volume 8, no. 85 (May 1926)-v.18,209 (Sept. 1936) and Nos. 1-3, Jan. 1937-Jan. 1938

This link says several articles on the campaigns in Waziristan 1921-24 were published in the Tank Corps Journal in the early 1920s[18]

This link refers to an article "Tanks in India" by General Sir John Crocker which appeared in the Royal Tank Corps Journal of July 1925[19]

Jeffrey Armoured Cars

Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars

Crossley Armoured Cars

After the First World War, the British Army in India had a requirement for Armoured Cars for areas such as the North West frontier. A delegation was despatched to Britain to see what was on offer and particularly to look at the offerings from Rolls-Royce as their wartime models had performed well. As well as being expensive they surprisingly were unable to get over the gradient test on the cross country trial. There was also at the trials a 1 1/2 ton Crossley based on the chassis that had been intended for a Russian contract that came to nothing because of the Revolution. This was the chassis that was under consideration as a medium truck for India and eventually became the IGL1. It sailed through the trials. An order for 32 followed with bodies by Vickers and these were designated IGA1 by Crossley. These were delivered in 1923 and a further order followed. Total deliveries were about 450. All of these vehicles were fitted with solid tyres presumably to remove the risk of punctures but these were never very successful when used off road as their narrow profile inevitably led to the vehicle sinking up to its axles.[20]

Crossley armoured cars did not prove popular with their crews who found them underpowered and underbraked due to the weight of the armoured body. Brakes were fitted to the rear wheels only which made handling these cars on the mountainous roads of the North-West Frontier of India a tricky business.[21]

External links

Photographs

References

  1. ↑ Royal Tank Regiment Association: Between the Wars
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Armoured Car Section, BAF [Burma Auxiliary Force] from Steve Rothwell’s The Burma Campaign
  3. ↑ link from Artfact, quoting details from a Spink and Sons sale in 2007, for medals of 7808665 Pte. A.N. Showell, M.G.C
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments 1918-1939
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 The Royal Tank Regiment1916 – 1998 army.mod.uk Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "RTR" defined multiple times with different content
  6. ↑ Stephen Lewis' Soldiers Memorials , Graves in India, letter B
  7. ↑ Military History Forum thread
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Royal Tank Corps by Michael, asmrb.pbworks.com Date not stated, but probably with details c 1933
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 "Report on Operations in Waziristan 25th November 1936 to 15th December 1937" London Gazette Supplements "1st Phase", "Second Phase", "Final Phase"
  10. ↑ Light Tanks Mark I-VI by Major General N W Duncan www.scribd.com
  11. ↑ Army Rumour Service Forum
  12. ↑ 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
  13. ↑ wartimememoriesproject.com
  14. ↑ Rootchat.com Armed Forces Forum
  15. ↑ ebay seller grahame555
  16. ↑ Stephen Lewis' Soldiers Memorials , Graves in India, letter G
  17. ↑ Waziristan Campaign Order of Battle 1939 from A Story of War
  18. ↑ Great War Forum thread Tank Corps in India/Waziristan 1921
  19. ↑ Page 124 Corps Commanders: Five British and Canadian Generals at War, 1939-45 by Douglas E. Delaney Preview Google Books
  20. ↑ Crossley Military Vehicles after WW1 crossley-motors.org.uk
  21. ↑ Thread from WW2Talk "Armoured Cars, Tanks, Other Vehicles... & Pith Helmets" with images

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