Post War Staghounds in Canada

[David Dunlop]

You are probably wondering what happened to this poor Staghound.

We subsequently found out the two of them had been taken out to the Range when Carpiquet Barracks closed (uncertain if they were still operational at that time or been 'Gate Guardians') by the military and used as targets for a 17-pdr. On the first photo posted you can see the ingoing rounds to the right side of the vehicle. On the left side are the exit holes and related steel plate fractures. The rear photo also shows a ricochet exit, probably off an engine block. Several 17-pder solid shot projectiles were found in the area on this second trip. We guess the range would have been less than 100 yards at the time of the shooting.

The remaining photos show some parts details of the front of the hull, turret and what was left of the external fuel tank rails and stowage boxes. Lots of wiring and stowage clips still to be seen inside the hull and many of the stowage identification decals were still readable inside the hull and turret.

[motto (RIP)]

There was a bombing range at Werribee just west of Melbourne, Australia that was well out of use when I first visited it in the seventies. At that time I was involved in helping a friend remove the remains of three Fairy Battles from the range. Not that there was much left of them.

Also on the range were two Staghounds the hulls of which were quite intact and at least one of which was still sitting on its axles minus wheels. Stags and Battles must have been natural targets on colonial ranges at the time.

In 1994 I was staying with Robert Gill just outside of Vienna in the village of Grossenzersdorf. (Spelling ?) Robert had a huge collection of HMVs and was in the process of acquiring a Staghound that had come off a range somewhere. He asked me if I knew where he could get a right hand rear spring and hanger brackets for it as they had been blown off and lost or destroyed. I remembered the Werribee targets and said 'lend me your phone and I'll find out".

I spoke to a fellow I knew back home who would know if the Stags were still there and was informed that they were. Some time after my return I made arrangements with the people who were farming the area to go down and remove the wanted parts which I then air freighted to Vienna on Lauda Air as requested.

I never heard any more from Robert and have wondered ever since what became of the spring and hanger brackets and the vehicle they were destined for. In the intervening years I did hear of somebody with a Stag in Europe that was in need of a rear spring and attaching parts. Another coincidence?

David

[Paul Dutton]

My sister lives in werrebee, where was the range?

[motto (RIP)]

Hi Paul

The range I am referring to was west or southwest of the Victorian Werribee shotgun range clay target facility. This is accessed off the Ballan road opposite Cobbledicks Road. There was another bombing range nearby but I never went there so don't know where it was.

If you want to know more I will see what I can find out.

David

[David Dunlop]

Well as luck would have it, I was rummaging for some 19-Set documentation and found a chunky envelop full of old Polaroid pictures. And in them discovered this lot. These were taken in 1979 on my first visit to the old Langruth Bombing and Gunnery Range site and are of the first Staghound remains we found there. As you can see, forward of the engine compartment, not much was left and fresh cutting had taken place on one of the sides a day or two before our arrival. On the horizon of the second photo, centre and to the right, you can just make out a long berm behind which are two or three clumps of poplar trees about three quarters of a mile away. The berm is about 5 to 6 feet high and is part of the circular Eastern bombing target. The grey pile of metal in front of the Staghound and behind it somewhat, is the remains of a Fairey Battle sitting on it's back (the last photo).

As noted earlier, the range was extensively cleared a number of years later and this Staghound wreck, and the Battle, disappeared. However, the second wreck then surfaced, as shown in the earlier post.

Now if I could only find the rest of the photos I have been looking for…

David

[Rob Fast]

great pics. Cheers Rob Fast

[David Perrott]

Hi all , slightly off topic but if anyone has any Fairey Battle parts a would be interested as i am restoring a cockpit / forward fuselarge section for static display .

Also i have Staghound fuel tank currently running on ebay , funny how the Staghound/Battle paths keep crossing.

cheers dave