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#1
05-05-20, 17:11
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Ram ARVII
Regarding Ram ARVII production,
There were definitely more than one built because I have seen the remains of two. Hopefully photos below, sorry that they are rather poor. The more intact one was at Cashmore's scrap yard in south Wales in March 1981. Someone showed me a photo in a book about scrapping railway rolling stock (no idea which book but I seem to remember it was right at the back). I visited and managed to get in and take photos. I expressed an interest in buying it but was told it was too useful as an anchor point when winching scrap around the yard but they would let me know if it became available. A year later the yard had been cleared and when I found my previous contact he said that he didn't think I was serious. What was there was in reasonable condition but there was no visible army registration. The destroyed one was on Sennybridge AT2 range in August 1988. It was totally destroyed but obviously not the same one as it still had its overhanging rear armour. Adrian Barrell in post #2 of this thread gives post war registration numbers for 47 Ram ARVIIs. These numbers would have been issued against existing serviceable vehicles (in 1947) that were being renumbered from their wartime 'CT' numbers which would have been unchanged from when they were new gun tanks. The 'RE' prefix on what I assume to be the prototype CT159854, is not a conventional addition but I have seen Sherman V ARVs in Normandy with REC prefixes replacing the T so this is presumably a version of that. This all fits in with an order being raised in May 1945 to convert 100 vehicles but cancelled five months later. I do not have access to their record cards but if they exist they will give the 'CT' numbers against the post war style numbers and also disposal information which might be interesting. I think it is safe to assume that at least 47 Ram ARVIIs were built and that 47 remained in service post 1947. They would have been very useful as they were faster than the Churchill ARVII but had the same winching ability though they were not as good in very heavy going. Last edited by David Herbert; 13-05-20 at 22:46. Reason: Added the bit about Sherman V ARVs 
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#2
06-05-20, 02:43
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Cashmore of Newport scrap yard 1969
David - is this the photo you meant? From the book Steam for Scrap. Poor quality I'm afraid but it just shows the tank at the right of the picture. The caption says that it is one of three Sherman tanks sent to Cashmores and that they were flail tanks. The yard is (was) at Newport, Mon - at least it was Monmouthshire when I lived in Cardiff in the 60's!
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#3
06-05-20, 09:37
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Cashmore's Scrapyard, Newport, 06/67
Quote:
"British Rail Riddles Standard Class 5MT 73116, being scrapped in 1967. Death amindst the carnage for BR Riddles Standard Class "5MT" 4-6-0 No.73116 "Iseult" being torn apart at Cashmore's Scrapyard, Newport, 06/67." BR_Riddles_Standard_Class_5MT_73116_(8255953496).jpg Source: By Hugh Llewelyn - 73116Uploaded by Oxyman, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde...curid=24383308
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Regards, Hanno --------------------------
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#4
06-05-20, 11:12
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Well done David and Hanno ! I hadn't expected it to found so quickly. Yes that's the photo, very sad to see the 5MT being cut up.
Judging by the shed and the crane in the background, the Ram is exactly where I saw it in 1981. It is obviously the same one as the 'modifications' are the same. When I visited Cashmores there was no suggestion of any other tanks so presumably they had long since been cut up. This one had only survived because they had used it as a dead weight to winch against. There were cables around both middle bogies with shackles on them and a huge winch at the base of the big crane in the background of the book photo. I wonder if the steam guys took any earlier photos ? A lot of the big scrap dealers that got the big contracts to scrap the British railway system when it was radically cut back in the 1960s had previously cut up vast amounts of WW2 surplus armour. There are many stories of fields full of tanks etc being cut as there was simply no use for them once smaller friendly countries had been supplied. There must be photos of these in the UK similar to the photos that have come to light of the Deelan (? sorry Hanno) dump in Holland. David
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#5
10-05-20, 09:37
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Ram ARV II survivors
Quote:
Thanks for sharing your sightings. I recall you telling me about that Ram ARV II at Cashmore's Scrapyard, not about the one at Sennybridge AT2 range. It is confusing that the period documentation refers to Ram Mk.I and Mk.II ARVs which refer to the type of tank which was converted, rather than the type of ARV. Attached is part of the listing of Ram tanks Struck Off Strength (S.O.S.) and transferred to the British Army in June 1945. It lists the census numbers of the ARVs converted from Ram Mk I and Ram Mk II. Ram_tank_SOS_to_British_06-1945_misc.jpg
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Regards, Hanno --------------------------
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#6
10-05-20, 13:19
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Quote:
To further confuse things a lot of the early official correspondence about Rams refers to them as "Canadian M3 tanks" and for a long time Sextons were referred to as "Ram 25pdr SP". David Last edited by David Herbert; 10-05-20 at 13:24.
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#7
10-05-20, 23:56
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A bit off-topic but....
Not a Ram I know but another Cashmore shot from February 1969 showing not only another standard 5MT ready for slaughter but a Churchill? The caption again refers to it as "a flail tank".
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