What tanks are these?

[david moore]

One puzzle Adrian. These vehicles are headed south - towards Southampton presumably - and then on to France? So, if they arrived like this from the USA - how come they got to north Wiltshire en route? Maybe delivered to Liverpool or even Avonmouth - too dangerous to ship direct to Southampton perhaps - U-Boats and all? Then a long cross-country drive behind Diamond T's ? Ferocious use of gas - or diesel? Why not take the waterproofing stuff off on arrival to save some weight - or maybe want to keep it on for the cross-channel piece?
Note how one diamond T has uncoupled from it's trailer to double-head on the steepest bit - 10% grade there. Leaving a loaded trailer on a steep hill? Wow!

[tankbarrell]

Diesel in the Diamond T but as to why etc, I don't know. I would imagine the box might be left on until landing in France but only if this were some time after D Day. I noticed the trailer. Either the other tractor has a problem or the hill is too steep for one. An M10 is not making the trailer fully loaded but it still might be a bad bit of gradient. The brakes on the Rogers trailer are very good, they work on all wheels and the parking brake keeps them on. They likely chocked it too.

[david moore]

A bit off-subject I know but in the background to the photo we are discussing you can see Marlborough GWR station (where my father liaised with Sgt Oscar Fulk to direct ammunition trains to the huge Savernake Forest US Army ammuntion depot just two miles south of Postern Hill). Also arriving at that station after D-Day were ambulance trains with US wounded headed for the 347th MASH hospital in Marlborough. Attached is a picture of one such ambulance train - you can just see the red cross on the roof. Austin ambulance in US service. Alao a photo of US Dodge ambulances delivering to the hospital, Also a photo of Sgt Fulk in his jeep .He stayed on in the UK after the war and ran a pub sadly without his jeep! My dad stayed pals with him.
Also loading or unloading Churchill tanks there.
Maybe that's the clue - those tanks were sent by rail to Marlborough station and unloaded there? But again why not rail them all the way?!
Photos courtesy of Neil Stevens.

[david moore]

Here is the Churchill photo

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by david moore

A bit off-subject I know but in the background to the photo we are discussing you can see Marlborough GWR station (where my father liaised with Sgt Oscar Fulk to direct ammunition trains to the huge Savernake Forest US Army ammuntion depot just two miles south of Postern Hill). Also arriving at that station after D-Day were ambulance trains with US wounded headed for the 347th MASH hospital in Marlborough. Attached is a picture of one such ambulance train. ....

I had a look on line for Savernake Forest. Quite an amazing long history for one patch of woods. The map guy just couldn't resist reading how the modern-day searches were conducted.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/re...glish-heritage