[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

A couple of points: It's worth repeating that Canadian mortar carriers are the true Mk.II. They are basically Mk.I's with different stowage and all the extra holes riveted shut, hence the resemblance. What people generally refer to as "Mk.II" carriers (i.e. with the tubular metal on the top of the armour, stepped mud guards and 'Welsh Guard' stowage) are really Mk.II* carriers. Second, as the mortar configuration was of little use in the post war Canadian army, many Mk.II mortar carriers, like the one on the float above, had some or all of the mortar brackets removed and replaced with bins from a Mk.I to make them more 'infantry'. That would explain evidence of a battery box having been mounted on the rear plate