WW1 Military Motors - 1916 set x 50 cards

[Lancashire Fusilier]

For the Daimler-Foster Heavy Tractor to have run safely on railway lines, it's wheels would have to be flanged.

LF

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Royal Marine Artillery used the Daimler-Foster Heavy Tractor to haul it's huge 6 inch and 12 inch gun barrels, and also parts of those guns.

Here are 3 photographs of an RMA Daimler-Foster Heavy Tractor transporting a massive 6 inch Mk.VII gun barrel in July 1917, mounted on an equally massive 8 wheeled trailer.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

2

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

3

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[GRANVILLE]

It's easy to forget that the traction engine was doing the work of heavy haulage until these sorts of heavy tractors were developed - essentially a traction engine given a petrol engine. Have you got any images of traction engines in military service?

David

[Lancashire Fusilier]

It's easy to forget that the traction engine was doing the work of heavy haulage until these sorts of heavy tractors were developed - essentially a traction engine given a petrol engine. Have you got any images of traction engines in military service?

David

David,

Yes, and here are two Army Traction Engines for the price of one.

This photograph shows 2 ' Fowler ' Traction Engines, one being brought up to tow the other out of trouble.

This photograph was taken near Feuchy on the bank of the Scarpe River in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France in April 1917.

Regards,

LF

IWM6180 This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The British Army had been using ' Fowler ' Traction Engines long before WW1, and here is a photograph of 2 Fowler Traction Engines crossing the Modder River during the Boer War.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[GRANVILLE]

Excellent.You can also see quite clearly how those rear drive wheels were in fact 8' in diameter!

David

[Lancashire Fusilier]

John Fowler founded his Traction Engine business, John Fowler & Co., in Hunslet, Leeds around 1850.

Here is a 1911 ' Fowler ' Traction Engine Co., advertisement.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Have you got any images of traction engines in military service?

David

David,

Two more photographs of that ' Fowler ' Traction Engine in trouble at Feuchy.

Regards,

LF

IWM6180 This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

2

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[GRANVILLE]

Looking at scenes like these you really get a feel for how war can actually bring out invention and how some folk looking on will have said to themselves - there just has to be a better way i.e. more capable machines etc.

I presume the engine in trouble was originally trying to move the artillery piece - the barrel of which you can see in the first photograph?

David

[Lancashire Fusilier]

I presume the engine in trouble was originally trying to move the artillery piece - the barrel of which you can see in the first photograph?

David,

You were correct, the ' Fowler ' Traction engine was towing a 6 inch gun, or had just towed the gun into position, at the time it sank in the mud near Fuchey, and I found another 2 photographs showing the mishap, it was on the road between Blangy and Feuchy.

Regards,

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Or was about to tow ..............

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[GRANVILLE]

It's quite fascinating the way that the photographer has thought it a fitting subject enough to take so many photographs around the same scene.

David

[Lancashire Fusilier]

It's quite fascinating the way that the photographer has thought it a fitting subject enough to take so many photographs around the same scene.

David

David,

That particular War Photographer, Lt. J. Brooke, would wander around the battlefield, thankfully, taking photographs of just about anything that caught his eye. As a result, we have many of his photographs which document daily life at the Front.

His subjects included some pretty obscure matters, which again, were part of a WW1 soldier's daily life.

Here are some of his other photographs, non-vehicle related, but nevertheless interesting, they include a sign informing that a well had been poisoned, battlefield signposts made from rifles, and fly covered German dead.

Regards,

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Battlefield signposts.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Fly covered German dead.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[johnboy]

Are we slowly moving away from WW1 Miliitary Motors?

[GRANVILLE]

Are we slowly moving away from WW1 Miliitary Motors?

I wouldn't say so.

David

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Are we slowly moving away from WW1 Miliitary Motors?

Not at all, just adding to the comments in post # 2339 regarding the particular War Photographer who took the various photographs of the ' Fowler ' Traction Engine stuck in the mud, and by giving details of that War Photographer and showing some other examples of his excellent photographic work, I hoped those viewing this Thread, would have found that both interesting and worthwhile.

As you know, and whenever possible, I do like to give background to the photographs I post.

Regards,

LF

[johnboy]

Fair comment.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The British Army's 15th Armoured Motor Unit based in Calcutta, India, obtained 3 Cadillac motorcar chassis locally, which were converted into armoured cars at the nearby East Indian Railway's workshops in Lilooah.

Originally, these armoured cars were based on an open-topped design with seating for 6 occupants.

However, in many instances of civil unrest in and around Calcutta, these open-topped armoured cars proved vulnerable to attack from above with small arms fire and missiles coming down on the armoured cars from tall buildings and roof tops.

These armoured cars were returned to the railway workshops at Lilooah where they were rebuilt to a new design which added a roof to the armoured cars, this added roof design giving these armoured cars the nickname of ' Noah's Ark '.

In addition of the added roof, multiple firing ports for machine guns, rifle and small-arms were also added, providing these armoured cars with the ability to fire their Maxim machine guns and rifles in every direction.

In some of the photographs taken at the time, these armoured cars are shown bristling with 4 Maxim machine guns and 16 rifles, which based on the size of the interior of the armoured car, it would have been impossible to accommodate all the occupants needed to operate all that firepower.

These were however, excellent armoured street fighting vehicles, which was their main function in Calcutta.

Attached is a photo of the 1916 ' Indian Pattern ' Cadillac armoured car in its original open-topped configuration, plus 2 photos of the converted armoured car with the added roof, and also an interesting photo of the armoured car's interior with it's ' Noah's Ark ' roof.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The 1916 ' Indian Pattern ' Cadillac Armoured Street Fighting Vehicle of the 15th Armoured Motor Unit based in Calcutta, shown bristling with Maxim machine guns and SMLE rifles.

LF

IWM These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

2

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Interior of the 1916 ' Indian Pattern ' Cadillac Armoured Street Fighting Vehicle, showing the ' Noah's Ark ' roof design.

LF

C/o War Cars - D. Fletcher. This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.