One buried and one not

[Cletracker]

Long time since I posted on this forum. I have previously recovered a UC sitting on a farm far out in the mountains by draging it over an icy lake. More info on that in this thread : UC Recovery over ice

Well I have since then located a few UCs and a couple of weeks ago I hired a small digger and set of to a location where a UC was supposed to be dug down. An attempt to find it two years ago was a big failure but this time I had better information. On location I was totaly lost and had a hard time orientating where it was buried. I had no info on at what depth it was buried but assumed that it had beed buried not more than enough.
After half an hour I finaly found a trace of metal in the overgrowth.
I have now tried to post pictures for an hour but just can´t get it working. Here is a link to my homepage with a few pictures of the buried UC.
Link to buried UC

I also went to look at a very nice UC hidden in the woods, pictures of this on my homepage as well. Link to nice UC hidden in the woods

Regards
Erik

[Bob Carriere]

You are a brave, brave man .......... lots of work ahead of you restoring that one.

Thanks for the pictures.... love to see your discoveries..

Bob C

[Roddy de Normann]

Erik -

Great pics - Ref the Carrier in the woods, can you recall what the T-number on the side was in full ?

Roddy

[jack neville]

I remember reading of a carrier being unearthed in New Zealand I think in wheels and tracks years ago. But this story is fantastic. Well done and good luck. I love seeing restorers who take on real challenges. Whether in the recovery or the restoration of a basket case. All too easy to blow a coat of paint over a barn find that has an engine that already runs and has everything there but I take my hat off to efforts like this.

[Rick W]

Good find!

[Ben]

Nice collection of crawlers, I've got a Bristol 10 too.

[Cletracker]

Originally Posted by Roddy1011

Erik -

Great pics - Ref the Carrier in the woods, can you recall what the T-number on the side was in full ?

Roddy

T-number 28945, does this say anything? There is leftover from an insignia also, se picture here

I have permission to recover the buried UC but I´m not sure if I will do it or not. The other one is under negotiation.

Erik

[servicepub (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Cletracker

... a couple of weeks ago I hired a small digger... Regards
Erik

Can I assume you found a short Australian somewhere?

[kevin powles]

HI, Nice finds, I am currently knocking to bits a carrier which was buried in the ground for thirty years, you will be suprised how the soil can preserve a carrier.

good luck with the recoveries.

kev.

[Lynn Eades]

T28945 (if I understand correctly) from Nigel watsons book, is from the first U.C. carrier contract to Ford of Canada, and would be the 105th. one built.
Contract CDLV73, Nos. CT28841 to CT29140. (qty 300)
It would be interesting to know the upper and lower hull numbers.
A very early MkI*

[Cletracker]

Well the numbers are what I can see from my pictures. I don´t see any T or TC so there can be more numbers also. Weather was awfull with a lot of rain and the combination of poor clothing and a tens overgrowth the photosession was cut down to a minimum...

Any thoughts about the insignia?

Erik

[Lynn Eades]

Sorry, I have no idea about the insignia.
There is no "Sight' on top of the steering box housing, indicating an early carrier.
does it have the sprung loaded arms on top of the adjustable bogie brackets?

[Cletracker]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Sorry, I have no idea about the insignia.
There is no "Sight' on top of the steering box housing, indicating an early carrier.
does it have the sprung loaded arms on top of the adjustable bogie brackets?

I´ve sent you an email.
Erik

[Roddy de Normann]

Erik -

Lynn beat me to it !

'Insignia' looks like a yellow 19 on a black square, poss the 'Arm of Service (AoS)' marking...various clour combinations denoting the unit. Unfortunately, I have little idea of Canadian AoS but someone out there will...I will try to do some digging.

Roddy

[Andy Foulds]

Originally Posted by Cletracker

I have permission to recover the buried UC but I´m not sure if I will do it or not. The other one is under negotiation.

Erik

Someone will always be interested in the buried carrier if you get chance pull it out.... you might even get me interested in buying it

[kevin powles]

Andy,

You being converted from Ferret's to Carrier's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Well done a step in the right direction, another name change by deed poll ?????.

Kevin.

[Haridimos]

Erik,
a friend of mine found a Bren Carrier at Malmo, in a junk yard, back in 2003. It was completely butchered, all the front armor was cut.
I wonder if it is still there!

Kostas

[Cletracker]

Originally Posted by Haridimos

Erik,
a friend of mine found a Bren Carrier at Malmo, in a junk yard, back in 2003. It was completely butchered, all the front armor was cut.
I wonder if it is still there!

Kostas

Interesting but I don´t think it´s still there. Scrap prices has sky rocketed since then and everyone has cleared their yards. But who knows, I may be wrong. Please ask your friend where in Malmo and I will check it out.

Nearly all UCs I have seen in Sweden has had the armour cut in one way or another.
Erik

[RichardT10829]

I would dig that carrier up any day of the week, as Kevin says the soil can preserve metal... Even some of the track can be used !

[Cletracker]

I'm sure everything there is in good shape. Tracks even had a good flex when walking on them. Problem can be the poor road that I'm obliged to repair if damaged by the digger and hauler truck.
As you can see on the photos soil has not got under the tracks... Very poor filling, luckily. Will decide recovery or not next week.
Erik

[Andy Foulds]

Originally Posted by kevin powles

Andy,

You being converted from Ferret's to Carrier's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Well done a step in the right direction, another name change by deed poll ?????.

Kevin.

I don't know about that I'll always have a Ferret but driving Ricks carrier was great fun and I would like to have a go at rebuilding a carrier myself. I don't know if I would keep the petrol engine though, the flathead engine from my limited experience is a pain. That might just be Ricks teething troubles with his vehicle so I'll reserve judgement till a later date.

Andy

[Cletracker]

Boys, tomorrow I´ll make a try to recover the burried UC. The road is very weak so I will start with a 3,5ton crawler digger. If possible we´ll bring it to the surface and when colder weather comes I´ll bring in a wheel loader to carry it out. I have no idea what to expect of this but it sure is a funny and interesting project.
Erik

[derk derin]

My carrier was buried in the ground for nearly 35 years and it came out fine.Took me 7 years to finish but it can be done. For the complete story go to;Buried Mk 1 Bren carrier Restoration.





Good luck with your project.
Regards,Derk.

[Cletracker]

Well now it´s dug up and it looks kind of sad, nothing remains from fenders and up... One track is moving and when powerwashed hopefully both will turn. Don´t know what to do with this UC. Still on location and will be moved when the road is better. Engine still in it, don´t know about the gearbox yet.
Erik

[eddy8men]

well done erik, another carrier has been saved

[jack neville]

Why do people make a habit of burying bren gun carriers?

[Andy Foulds]

Originally Posted by jack neville

Why do people make a habit of burying bren gun carriers?

Armoured vehicles of various types have been used in breakwaters and the like for many years there bulky, heavy and were surplus and cheap to.

Cars and Motorbikes have been used before now to bulk up garden features and as hardcore for garage bases.

[RichardT10829]

well.... Americans so I am told are famous for burying surplus kit.....Brits have a nack of dumping them in the sea....Canadians so i am told were one of the only coalition countries to hold on to equipment, or at least take it home.

there is a chap who has just located and recovered 12 perfectly preserved MkXIV spitfires buried in their crates in Burma..... there is treasure out there folks, you just got to find it

I would not mind a crack at raising one of the shermans sitting on the sea bed off Malin Head

[eddy8men]

rich you don't need to go to ireland, there's a sherman buried under a post office sorting building in leeds

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by RichardT10829

well.... Americans so I am told are famous for burying surplus kit.....Brits have a nack of dumping them in the sea....Canadians so i am told were one of the only coalition countries to hold on to equipment, or at least take it home.

there is a chap who has just located and recovered 12 perfectly preserved MkXIV spitfires buried in their crates in Burma..... there is treasure out there folks, you just got to find it

I would not mind a crack at raising one of the shermans sitting on the sea bed off Malin Head

The Spits are coming home..!!

Twenty Spitfire discovered buried in Burma to return to the UK

News

by World Warbird News

A Spitfire Mk XIV at Duxford (Photo Brian Proctor (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)).

This is such extraordinary news that one wonders if it can actually be true: the Telegraph reports that twenty Spitfire Mk XIV* that were discovered buried in Burma will be returned to the UK. David Cameron himself, having taken an interest in the case, has asked and obtained permission to recover the aircraft from the Burmese government.

The aircraft were buried at the end of World War II with some possibly being added a few months later, as they were no longer needed for operations. To avoid having them fall in the wrong hands, they were buried in their transport crates covered in waxed and greased paper, with all seals tarred. As a result, one can hope they are still in very good shape and could quickly be restored.

It is thanks to David Cunhall, a 62-year old British farmer, that the Spitfires were found. Having heard of their burial, he took 12 trips to Burma to locate them, spending over £130,000 in the process. He eventually found them in February. Having informed British authorities of his discovery, his story caught David Cameron’s attention, which explains the Prime Minister’s unexpected intervention.

The aircraft are to be dug out by a team which is already in place in Burma, and the salvage operations should begin very soon. The cost of the entire operation should near £500,000 but David Cunhall was reported as saying he hoped he could recover his money and dreams of seeing an entire squadron of flying Spitfires.

*Although we had initially indicated that the aircraft were Spitfire Mk II, the aircraft are Mk XIV with possibly some Mk VIII as well.

Read more:

The Telegraph (on David Cundall)
The Guardian
Mail Online