After a gap of some weeks, some progress again, this time on the front brakes.
 
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http://armouredcarmk4.blogspot.co.za/

On 10^th July 2015 a group of 1SSB headed by Fanus Buys came for a walking tour. They were amazed to see all the collections of old vehicles, tractors and military vehicles. They took a lot of pictures. They were in love with this place, saying it’s wonderful and clean. After their enjoyable walking tour they made a braai at waenhuis. They said they will come back again. Here are some photos.

The Sandstone Heritage Trust Military Division has acquired a very useful ex British Army, ex Iraqi War, recovery vehicle. The primary reason for acquiring this is not to represent it as a particularly important military vehicle, particularly due to the fact that it has limited African connections, but more as a practical device.

This particular truck was designed to operate under combat conditions and can load or off-load 16-tons of ammunition or other materials in a very short space of time. This has practical benefits for us in an operational sense on a big arable farm and therefore it is another example of how Sandstone attempts to use Heritage items for the benefit of the business overall. In other words, our Heritage assets are being trained to pay their way.

The sun doesn't often set on Sandstone's restoration programme in the Military Vehicle department of our Heritage collection. A scrap diesel refuelling tanker was located some time back in the yard of a dealer in these items. It has now been completely rebuilt and restored and is ready for use. In this case it is being towed by an entirely original Buffel Troop Carrier which is able to double up as a security vehicle for the Security Department and can refuel agricultural machinery in the field at the same time. It is very much a case of using top quality Military technology to further the crop production programme.

Sandstone Heritage Trust participates in Change of Command Parade.

On the 24th of January 2014 the General Officer Commanding SA Army Armour Formation Brigadier General Burgert Christiaan Gildenhuys, SM, MMM handed over Command to Brigadier General Andre Retief SM (with bar) MMM at a Change of Command Parade at the Tempe Military Base in Bloemfontein.

Sandstone has a close working relationship with both the South African Army Armour Formation and the South Africa Armour Museum and was invited to the parade which was attended by Wilfred Mole and Michael Myers.

Sandstone was honoured to have its Sherman Tank take part in a drive past at the parade with other current and museum armour. The Sherman was driven by Sandstone's Desmond Clarke.

Sandstone has worked with Brigadier General Retief over many years and his appointment bodes well for the South Africa Armour Museum and Sandstone's relationship which will no doubt continue to grow from strength to strength.

We wish Brigadier General Gildenhuys and Brigadier General Retief all the very best with their new appointments.

Marmon Herrington Armoured car goes for restoration

A decision has been taken to commence the restoration of the Marmon Herrington Armoured Car supplied to us recently by the Armour Museum at the School of Armour in Bloemfontein (see: http://www.sandstone-estates.com/index.php/military-vehicles/40-military-vehicles/2914-military-vehicles). This project is typical of the type of cooperation which we enjoy with this fine organisation.

Step one will be to evaluate the condition of the vehicle and then the work will proceed. In this case we are out sourcing the restoration to Jan Fouche & Sons in Lichtenburg who are specialists in the restoration of old World War Two Military vehicles.

New Military vehicle store completed

Apart from planting grass on the approaches our Military store is now complete. Here are some pictures of the vehicles being put in position.

Military vehicles

Part of the Sandstone Heritage Trust's collection of historic vehicles includes a wide selection of Military vehicles which have a direct relevance to the campaigns in which South African soldiers fought, from the Anglo-Boer War until the present. The collection begins with ox-wagons which were the preferred transport for both man and materiel of those early wars, and includes a Fowler Road locomotive Crane Engine which itself is too 'young' (1905) to have taken part in the Boer War, but which is similar to several brought to SA by the British forces to transport equipment to the men at the front during
that campaign.

From the First World War, but on the side of the Germans, the collection includes a Feldbahn 2' gauge steam locomotive from 1915. From WW2, the Sherman Mk 4 in the collection was the mainstay of the Armoured units for the length of the Italian campaign. A Canadian Pattern Ford truck also comes from this era, but little else.

From a South African point of view, there has to date been a gap in the collection, that of a Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car. Many of the 5 746 vehicles were made here in South Africa, for our forces serving in East Africa and the Western Desert. This picture was taken of my late father, Lt John Selfe (on the turret) with his crew, somewhere near Gazala.

At last, as an extention of the arrangement between Sandstone Heritage Trust and the Armour Museum at School of Armour in Tempe, an example of the most popular Mk IV has been obtained and is now on the way to the Collection to be restored to running condition.

This example is of the Mk IV, the design of which was a radical departure from the Mks I to III, with its engine in the rear. More than 2 000 of these were built. The steel, no more than 12mm in the front and 6mm elsewhere, came from the newly established ISCOR (Iron & Steel Corporation) in Vanderbijl Park and the assembly of most of the vehicle was done by Dorman Long. The engine is a Ford V8 Petrol 'flat-head' and the four wheel drive transmission came from Marmon Herrington, which gave the vehicle
its name.

The sequence of photos shows it being loaded on to a Sandstone low-bed.

The main armament is likely to be the 2-pounder with a .30 Browning Machine Gun. So there was not much protection for the crews either in armour plating or fire-power. They relied on the Armoured Cars' mobility and the good navigation skills of the crews. My Dad said when they got into a scrape, they'd simply head southwards into the empty desert and pursuit normally dwindled!

We look forward to seeing this 'missing link' as part of the Sandstone Heritage Trust collection of Military Vehicles!

Andy Selfe

August 2013

Daimler Ferret Mks I & II

The first production Ferrets were built from 1952 and the last was built in 1971. It was a development from Daimler’s famous Dingo. In all, 4 409 were built. It was the basis for the Fox which first appeared in in UK 1969. It was used in many countries from Abu Dhabi to Zambia as a scout car along with Tank and Armoured Car units.

Specifications:

Engine: Rolls Royce B60 Mk 6A 6-cylinder petrol engine

Power: 129 BHP at 3 750 RPM

Transmission: Wilson Epicyclic gearbox

Length: 12’ 7” (3.84 metres)

Width: 6’ 3” (1.9 metres)

Height: Mk I (w/o turret): 4’ 9” (1.45 metres), Mk 2/3 (with Turret) 6’ 2” (1.88 m)

Laden Weight: Mk I 4.22 tonnes, Mk 2/3 4.4 tonnes

Speed: 58 MPH (92 km/hr) on the road

Fording: 3’ (.9 metres) (without preparation) 5’ (1.52 metres) (with kit)

Trench crossing: 4’ (1.22 metres) with channels carried on front

Vertical obstacle: 1’ 4” (.4 metres)

Gradient: 42% (20.7 degrees)

Range: 109 miles (300 km)

Crew: 2 (Driver and Commander)

Armament:

Mk I: Pintle mounted Bren gun

Mk 2/3: Turret mounted .30 / 7.62mm Browning, elevation +45 degrees, -15 degrees, 360 degree traverse, non-powered.

Ammunition: 2 500 rounds for BMG

In South Africa in 1988, it was proposed that they might be used by 44 Parachute Brigade (Parabats) either as Scout Cars or with the turret removed, as tow vehicles for Anti-Tank weapons. They would have beenmodernised. It is not clear whether this took place.

Compiled by Andy Selfe from information contained in Armoured Fighting Vehicles of the World by Christopher Foss and South African Arms & Armour by Helmoed-Römer Heitman