MLU FORUM - disposal of WW1 renault tanks

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disposal of WW1 renault tanks

I had a call the other night from a friend trying to track down the details of a ww1 tank used as alog skidder near Galt Ont in the 1940s. It seems it belonged to (perhaps indirectly) to prominent Liberal politician Norm Hipel who was MPP for the area for almost 20 years. Hipel was also the politician who established the Farm Services Force to help bring in crops during WW2, and also set up the Aircraft Mechanics Training School in Galt in 1939 to train radio operators and aircraft mechanics.
My question - does anyone know more about the use of WW1 tanks as log skidders, how and when they left Camp Borden? I recall that Bill Gregg had an old log skidder tank which he offered for sale, and which was purchased by another member of this forum as I recall.At the time he told me many had been transformed to the log skidder role at a place in Guelph. Later when I rented a barn at the edge of Guelph for storing my treasures, an old guy across the road told me that several hulks had been buried at a Guelph foundry. They had been stripped of all usuable/ recycleable material and the remains buried. the story eas that something about the quality of the armour plate made it ubdesriable for recycling. Anybody got any details they can add to this story???I still have 3 photos of Bill's tank if I knew how to post them!

I was given to understand that Dixon Fuels of Oshawa, Ontario had several Renault Tanks after WWII that they used as log skidders. I once owned one of these & reluctantly & regrettably let it slip from my hands well over 25 years ago. Sometimes finances & external pressure win out. (Unfortunately we often figure it out too late that cash & wives can be replaced but grand old machinery is next to impossible to find!!)

This particular Renault had all doors, the turret & turret base removed. The transmission had been altered to drive from a no longer present engine mounted in the driver's area & the driver now was located where the original engine mounted. The track pads all had square holes torch cut in them to allow snow to be expelled from the area over the sprocket teeth. If you study the pictures of the newly unveiled Renault you will see similar holes in some of the track pads. My unit was a little more complete in the frontal armour but this one looks to still have the engine in the rear.
http://www.warmuseum.ca/newsletter/a...red-rare-tank/

At the time I chased several leads on parts, one being a blacksmith shop in Beaumorris, Ontario where at least one Renault had been converted. Sadly the loose turret that had been described to me had been scrapped 20 years earlier when the shop was torn down. On talking to an elderly local fellow it was confirmed that there had been tank parts there.

There was also at least one blown to bits on the range at Borden.

The man who bought my Renault remains had already bought the parts that Bill Gregg had & he had somehow retrieved many parts from the range at Camp Borden.

Jack,
Did you check to see if Mr Ed Beach,(Bruce Beach), still has his Renault.I think he is still alive and is now digging underground shelters to prepare for the end of the world.
Saw him on television last year.
Cliff

Cliff,

Ed Beach does not have a Renault - he sold it to me many years ago. He & his son are still in the tractor wrecking business though. I bought a pair of wheels for my Kubota tractor from them a couple of months ago.

Jack

Bob,

Re. posting pictures see the thread http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19 or email them to me.

Regards,
Hanno

Years ago I stumbled across the DND disposal files for these. As tractors were a scarce commodity during the war yet industry was gearing up to dfeed the war machine, it was decided that these 6-ton tanks could be sold to 'approved' buyers. Some of these buyers included the Sorel shipyard and other industries, including logging and forestry.
The files included coies of the sales records which showed many of these companies, unfortunately I did not take note of the file reference and have not stumbled across it since the original find (damn!)
Clive

Le Renault at Musée de l'Armée, Paris, France.