Australian Grants uncovered

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Restorers finding slightly more than they expected to when going to look at another Grant: https://youtu.be/q8HJCDEQGyc

[Mike Kelly]

There was a Grant just down the road from me, it had been parked since just after the war, no doubt it was one one of the Hayward tanks. It had rested for 40+ years derelict in an old abandoned saw mill off Mizpah Settlement road.

The neighbour's son told me he spotted what looked like a heavy length of pipe sticking out of a clump of thick brambles and weeds, the tank was completely hidden by the years of blackberry and jungle like growth. The pipe turned out to be a barrel of course.

This tank went to the Narre Warren North complex.

[David Dunlop]

Hi Mike.

Did the Grant outlast the Matilda in Australian Army service or did they both exit around the same time?


David.

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Hi Mike.

Did the Grant outlast the Matilda in Australian Army service or did they both exit around the same time?


David.

I believe the petrol powered Grants were disposed of early after the war but the diesel powered version was kept in service til the mid 1950s. History: http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/Arm...les/m3ph_1.htm

Matilda history: seems that they were declared obsolete at wars end. https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/a...ia/aus_matilda

Found this on the windscreen panel of the farm jeep I bought 3 years ago: 4th Arm regiment sign . The jeep is a mish mash of parts so the windscreen could be from anywhere.

The other link is: my 1940 C8 had this scratched on the Instrumant panel - VX 65738 JS Hunter, he was a tank gunner in the 2/4 Arm regiment on Bougainville Island.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

I came across this “barn find” video too. Fun to watch and amazing to see what is still out there. In between all this heavy metal the CMPs are merely there as a backdrop, it seems.

[Mike Cecil]

Robert Parker's collection at Seymour, Victoria, now being disposed of by his son. The collection was known about by quite a few people but has not been for sale previously, so not so much of a discovery as a 'release'.

Mike K: 4th Aust Armoured Brigade Group, not regiment. Matilda tanks were also retained for the post-war Army until the mid-1950s, as were LP2 and 2A carriers. Matildas equipped the CMF armoured brigade in NSW, while Grant M3A5 tanks equipped the CMF armoured brigade in Victoria. The video shows a glimpse of a post-war unit sign, so that Grant at least was a mid-1950s disposal.

Mike

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Robert Parker's collection at Seymour, Victoria, now being disposed of by his son. The collection was known about by quite a few people but has not been for sale previously, so not so much of a discovery as a 'release'.

Mike K: 4th Aust Armoured Brigade Group, not regiment. Matilda tanks were also retained for the post-war Army until the mid-1950s, as were LP2 and 2A carriers. Matildas equipped the CMF armoured brigade in NSW, while Grant M3A5 tanks equipped the CMF armoured brigade in Victoria. The video shows a glimpse of a post-war unit sign, so that Grant at least was a mid-1950s disposal.

Mike

Ok thanks for that. Yes the 4th Aust. Arm. Brigade, I did know there is a difference but I was too lazy to look it up.

I remember seeing the Rod McPh pics of his time in the army with the LP carriers in the 1950s.

The Matilda article I linked to article has a few holes in it then, it doesn't mention any post-war use apart from a few used for training at Puckapunyal. I do know of a Matilda hull at Lakes Entrance , but that was years ago, don't know if it is there still or how complete it was.

This guy wrote this pertinent comment but the author of the main article has not updated his post-war use history:

Andrew Maysays:
August 12, 2019 at 11:08

"CMF units used Matildas from 1948 to about 1952. 12/16 Hunter River Lancers used Matildas. There is a photo of a Maitilda next to a Centurion at Singleton camp around 1952. They were replaced by Staghounds."

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Part 2 is online now too.