Info Please re: AEC Matador

[Bob McIntosh]

Here's a photo of my father's truck taken in England in 1940 or so. He served with the 5th Medium RCA, 7th Battery as a BSM.
My question is - would these trucks have been used in Italy ?
I know from records that the ship that carried 5th's original guns and gear to Italy was bombed and sunk by the Germans.
Any info would be greatly appreciated. I also have a few more photo's of his truck if anybody is interested.
Cheers
Bob

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Hi Bob
Welcome to MLU.
"World War Military Vehicles" by G. N .Georgano shows a nice shot of a Matador towing a 3.7 mobile AA gun on a mountain hairpin turn "...in Sicily or Italy...". So while the Matadors were used in Italy, I could not say whether "your" ones were. Someone else here probably knows all about them though.
Feel free to post some more pictures, just love those Matadors!
Regards
Rich.

[Les Freathy]

Hi Bob

very interesting photo, many Matadors found there way to Italy much of the british stuff coming over from the desert campaign. As your father unit was med artillery i take they were issued with 5.5 howitzers. I used to own a Matador and at the time collected a lot of photos on the subject in both military and ex military use and would appreciate you posting the other photos, with the sinking of the transport ship would that have been the whole regt equipment or part of that suffered the loss
cheers
Les

[Bob McIntosh]

Les,
Here are a few more photos of a Matador taken in England 1940-1943.
My father is sitting in the cab.
The caption on the back of the photo where the boys are looking up says Bombers overhead "

From the records I know the 5th's heavy equipment and 5.5 guns were
were destroyed in Dec 1943 while the ship was waiting to be off loaded at Bari Harbour.
The ship was bombed by German fighters.
The 5th had to wait for replacement 4.5 guns that did not arrive until Feb 24th 1944.
I've seen a nice photo of a Matador tractor and 4.5 or 5.5 gun on display at the British War Museum. Unfortunately there's none at the Canadian War Museum.
Bob

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bob

Thanks for posting those pictures, our club newsletter has a regular feature called "Dads Photos" were we run photos from peoples family albums. There is something special about pictures like yours that have a personal connection to the people in them and who took them.

Cheers Phil

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi Bob;

The answer regarding what artillery tractor the 5th Medium was issued with in Italy might be contained within their War Diary, which can be obtained from Library & Archives Canada by means of an inter library loan.

Microfilm Reel T-15911-15912 covers the period for September 1942 to April 1944.

Library & Archives Canada reference:

Reference: RG24 , National Defence , Series C-3 , Volume 14395 , Reel T-15911-15912
Serial : 507 , Access code: 90
File Title: 5th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
Outside Dates: 1942/09-1944/04
Finding Aid number: 24-60

Cheers

[Les Freathy]

Thanks for putting the Matador photos up its much appreciated, i wonder how far down that ship is and full of all that kit, mind you it was probably smashed as it hit the bottom. If only we could pull the bung out of the oceans to see whats down there
thanks again
cheers
Les

[Steve Guthrie]

Hi there

Thanks for sharing the photos!

Back when the CWM vehicle collection was at Vimy house, one of the vets doing interpretation, a former carrier driver, proudly pointed out the five restored carriers in the collection. The next vet I spoke to was a former medium gunner and bemoaned the lack of a 4.5 or 5.5 inch gun in the museum and wondered why the hell they couldn't trade 'a couple of those carriers' for one.

Steve

[Bob McIntosh]

A few years I was at the CWM . They do have a very good collection.
The closest gun to a 4.5 or 5.5 is a Russian Howitzer. They do have a very
good example of an Artillery tractor towing a 25pdr (I believe ).

You're very lucky to have had the chance to talk to a RCA vet.
I've started my amateur research late in life and wish I could have
the same opportunity.

I did ask a volunteer at the CWM why there wasn't a 4.5 , 5.5, or a Matador
on display. His response made a lot of sense. He told me at end of the war
The Canadian Government decided to sell their surplus overseas equipment
to those Governments those countries had to rebuild their armies.
Makes sense instead of shipping all that stuff back home.
Cheers
Bob