Another Traunch of Ken Parkers Pictures.

[billywizz]

"A" Sqn march past



"A" Sqn Tankies



At the swimming pool Hobart Barracks



Cathay bogged.



Cathay before going into hide.



Cathay in hide.



Chequers in laager.



Chequers.



AKC Hobart Barracks.



Sleep at last.





Hobart Barracks Swimming Pool

[billywizz]

Pictures always conjure up memories. I remember a certain 2Lt Sinclair riding his motor bike off the top stand of the swimming pool, did not do him or his bike much good.

The AKC, visited that establishment on so many occasions.

Any one able to tell me the significance of the C/sign 993A

[texas]

A quick list of " A Sqn Tankies "
L to R Jock Burton ,Dave Rogers ,Benji Kelly ?
Kneeling Darkie Rawson & Keith Bleakley.
This must have been 1st troop in 1958.

[roger319]

Tex are you sure its Dave Rogers, Iam thinking of Dave Rogers who was involved in Helicopter accident after joining AAC?

[arthur3bums]

May 17, 2009 19:43:07 GMT billywizz said:

Pictures always conjure up memories. I remember a certain 2Lt Sinclair riding his motor bike off the top stand of the swimming pool, did not do him or his bike much good.

The AKC, visited that establishment on so many occasions.

Any one able to tell me the significance of the C/sign 993A

Over on Arrse's RAC thread, the answer to this from a couple 'senior' chappies was 99= Callsign indicator ie: Armoured, and 3A would be 3rd Troop Sgt of any Sqn as Sqn's weren't sub-designated at that time in the old C/S system the new more familiar one coming in during the very early sixties. So presumably Ken would be right that this was A Sqn just that it's the Tp Sgt of 3 Troop. Equally of course, it could have been third Tp Sgt of B or C Sqns.
A question from me - Did the Third always number the Troops through the entire Sqns IE: In the 70s/80s 1 Tp A Sqn, to 17Tp D Sqn (missing out 13Tp)? It seems to be pretty unique within the RAC that we did that??

[soprano54]

May 19, 2009 15:41:26 GMT arthur3bums said:

May 17, 2009 19:43:07 GMT billywizz said:

Pictures always conjure up memories. I remember a certain 2Lt Sinclair riding his motor bike off the top stand of the swimming pool, did not do him or his bike much good.

The AKC, visited that establishment on so many occasions.

Any one able to tell me the significance of the C/sign 993A

Over on Arrse's RAC thread, the answer to this from a couple 'senior' chappies was 99= Callsign indicator ie: Armoured, and 3A would be 3rd Troop Sgt of any Sqn as Sqn's weren't sub-designated at that time in the old C/S system the new more familiar one coming in during the very early sixties. So presumably Ken would be right that this was A Sqn just that it's the Tp Sgt of 3 Troop. Equally of course, it could have been third Tp Sgt of B or C Sqns.
A question from me - Did the Third always number the Troops through the entire Sqns IE: In the 70s/80s 1 Tp A Sqn, to 17Tp D Sqn (missing out 13Tp)? It seems to be pretty unique within the RAC that we did that??

Arfur the fourth tank Sqn didn't appear until sometime in the late 70s, up until then it was A, B, C & HQ, from what I've heard the 3rd had always numbered their troops in this way, I also know that the 6th did also!

[billywizz]

I do not remember much about a forth tank Sqn, A, B, C, & HQ Sqn which embraced Recce Troop I was familiar with then some time late 60’s early 70’s Cmd & Spt Sqn appeared..

Still a little confused over the C/s 993A but accept it is an arm indicator which probably had been painted on the bazooka plate for the purpose of an exercise. Later of course we know that arm indicators where featured with a single letter for example Tango 11, India 11, Echo 11 and so on.

In the late 50’s it was common for the infantry to travel on tanks up to the point of assault where upon they would dismount do their stuff and leave the area clear for the tanks to advance. Then came the Saracen APC which in an assault would follow close behind the tanks and at the appropriate time dismount and clear the area forward of the tanks. Then came the 432’s which operated in similar fashion.

In the late 50’s one Infantry Battalion we worked with was the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders I do remember them being carried on tanks and also at a later date being equipped with the Saracen.

The arm indicators as I remember them came very much into their own with the introduction of combat teams & battle groups.

The two pictures below supplied by Ken Parker are both “A”Sqn tanks but for exercise purposes I believe were used by the infantry.