StoneRoad2013's photos with the keyword: Bovington

Ferret armoured car, in UN colours.

The Tank, Heavy Assault, Tortoise (A39) was a British heavy assault tank design developed in World War II but never put into mass production. It was developed for the task of clearing heavily fortified areas and as a result favoured armour protection over mobility. Although heavy, at 78 tons, and not readily transportable, it was considered reliable and a good gun platform. Only a few prototypes of the Tortoise had been produced by the end of the war.

British TV 1000 "Rhino",1959 "Road Reg No. UXM 312" It was designed by the Fighting Vehicle Research and Development Establishment in Surrey in 1959 mainly as a test rig for various transmission systems and was remarkable, for its time, in that it skid steered like a tracked vehicle rather than the conventional method, like a car. It is powered by a Rover Meteorite V8 petrol engine rated at 535 bhp and was reckoned, in its day, to be the most powerful wheeled vehicle in the world The wheels are fitted with huge (1800x24) heavy duty cross-country tyres which, originally, had variable pressure control. Although it was never intended to be a combat vehicle in its own right Rhino was tested, at Lulworth, as a wheeled rival to Contentious, an airportable tank destroyer. A gun sight was fitted and the driver was instructed to try and keep a target tank in his sights as he drove Rhino across country - it proved virtually impossible. At some point, around 1966 the vehicle's wheels were removed and replaced by suspension units and a form of pneumatic track known as the Bonmartini system. This appears to be to the design of Count Giovanni Bonmartini but presumably it did not work because the vehicle was subsequently restored to its original appearance.

info board for "Praying Mantis" ... might be classed as a good idea but not one that worked !

The Praying Mantis was an attempt to produce a low-silhouette vehicle that could still fire over obstacles, it might be classed as a good idea but not one that worked !

Info panel for the failed 2-pounder barrel.

Catastrophic barrel failure, somewhat akin to the cartoon illustrations.

information board for the RTR memorial.

The Royal Tank Regiment Memorial Statue.

The tank that begat all tanks ... and the turntable is safely fenced off

Lanchester armoured car, Mark 2.

WW2 1941 German Sd Kfz 2/2 Kleines Kettenkraftrad Half-Track Motorcycle.

Main battle tank for UK armed forces in the 1970s - 80s. . Personal anecdote - was being driven home (at night) on the A36, which crosses part of the training area on Salisbury Plain, when the car came to an abrupt halt - there was a tank crossing in front of us, I was surprised at the length of it.

Valentine - bridge layer. (apologies for the focus, the pointnshoot camera was not working properly (the focus settings) were not right in these conditions, although I thought they were)

Information board for the Thornycroft Bison.

Thornycroft Bison. An attempt to use concrete as armour for protecting troops defending airfields. Probably not that good an idea !

Display of tank barrels, various calibres / designs and ages.

Info panel ref the display of tank gun barrels