Armoured Car I.D.

[RedCoat]

Hi everyone,

Just picked these bits up from a relative of mine and they relate to P.D.Debrow (my grandad). can anyone I.D. the car for me please, Find the pic at My Webpage its under 'Peter Desbrow'

Thanks,Donnie

[Old Tom]

Hello,

Its a Rolls-Royce and, I believe, the HMAC indicates it belonged to the RN, perhpas the RNAS.

Old Tom

[RedCoat]

Hello,

Its a Rolls-Royce and, I believe, the HMAC indicates it belonged to the RN, perhpas the RNAS.

Old Tom

Thanks for the quick reply tom,

Ah really, because my grandad was R.A., maybe he just saw it on his travels and decided to take a pic of it. Could it have been used by officers to have a look at the line without getting in harms way?

Donnie

[GWRCo]

...........HMAC means His Majesties Armoured Car. The photie has a roundel on so this is post war, the vehicle is a 1920's RR armoured car as it has the solid wheel covers. The RAF had armoured car squadrons in such places as africa, palestine, etc, for local peacekeeping 'keeping the local hostile population under control'. A very effective show of strength when the locals normally had camels, horses, and antiquated weapons to retaliate with!

tim

[RedCoat]

...........HMAC means His Majesties Armoured Car. The photie has a roundel on so this could be very late war, or indeed the 1920's when the RAF had armoured car squadrons in such places as africa, palestine, etc, for local peacekeeping 'keeping the local hostile population under control'. A very effective show of strength when the locals normally had camels, horse, and antiquated weapons to retaliate with!

tim

Thanks mate,

Now i am in a situation, his son was RAF and served in the 1920's in the middle east. Do i say that it was P.D.Desbrow that took the photo in ww1, or his son in the 1920's?

Donnie

[GWRCo]

............let them know it was his son who took it at the time. Being RAF in the Middle East, it would have been a common sight seing these vehicles! Those in the know will point out the differences between 1stww and 1920's pattern armoured cars!!

tim

[Pegasuss]

Donnie.

Just for Comparison, Take a Look at these:

WW1 Armoured Cars

(There is an R-R right at the Bottom of the Page)

[RedCoat]

thanks for the help guys

Donnie

[centurion]

This machine is a post WW1 Rolls Royce either a 1920 or 1924 model. The main clue is the solid as opposed to spoked wheels so the photo must have been taken post WW1. The name looks familiar. There were a number of variations on the 1920 and 24 models (for example the RAF had some things different from the army - as ever! I'll take a closer look 2nite and see if I can be more precise.

[chris mccarthy]

I think the RAF museum has an example of the real thing.

[centurion]

Its definitely in RAF use - we should all have seen the RAF roundel on the side - Duhhh!

It looks to be an RAF type 1924 model as it has the wider wheels of this version and no louvers in the radiator doors (Army versions in RAF service had the louvres) more later.

[david murdoch]

Hi Sorry to come late to this - been away from the forum for a while.

Looking at the photo and the previous replies - definatly in RAF service in middle east sometime between the wars - late twenties maybe early thirties. Looking at it I would say it is possibly original 1914, car with a new set of wheels!

The turret is the givaway - the later models had a taller turret - the part below the sloping roof was deeper (see the pics for comparison).Top pic has original turret and later wheels - note the big roundel on the turret rooftoo.

Certainly some of the original cars belonged to RNAS, then Motor Machine Gun Corps then Tank Corps and finally back to the RAF. Some going all the way into WW2. The wheels on this one look like the 1920's pattern - I would imagine as the old spoked wheels gave out they would all have ended up with solid wheels by the late twenties. Some of the later thirties/forties photos show the cars with heavier truck wheels fitted.

The name Cheetah rings a bell - the names usually stayed with the car when the owners changed and the naming patterns were peculiar to the original units - example one unit all the car names began with C! I'll have a dig and see if I can find it - may pin your location down a bit.

Hope this helps.

David.

[david murdoch]

Check this link out - for some good info on Rolls Royce cars in RAF service. The name Cheetah is noted as being in 4 section, No.1 armoured car company based in southern Iraq in the thirties. This unit was previously No1 armoured car company Tank Corps, and prior to that L.A.M.B brigade MGC(M) Mesopotamia.

http://rroc.org.au/library/sg_ac.html

Here's another pic of two Rolls - different turret patterns, and uprated wheels.

Cheers David

[centurion]

No its not a WW1 car with new wheels its a 1924 model RAF pattern see my points re wheel thickness and radiator vents. Not all the 1924 models had the taller turret (a masive one inch higher!) some had surplus older turrets fitted.

[RedCoat]

Wow thanks for all the info guys,

Donnie