Quad No. 34 – new owner, new identity

[Chris Hall]

Last December, I did a trade with Phil Woollard, swapping my Panther G for his Morris Quad, limber and 25-pdr field gun. The Panther G was fun to have, but I sort-of got it by accident (long story), and it never fitted with my personal zeitgeist, which can loosely be defined as ‘British Army vehicles in uncommon circumstances’. The Quad is a better fit with that. That's my excuse, anyway .

Our Phil is a clever chap. As well as doing a nice build, he’s a whizz with the electrical side. Way beyond my skill base ! So I decided to do it ‘by the book’ and swap things for the new Armortek Motion Control Module, which fits in the back (just !). I’ve managed to maintain most of Phil’s ‘clever bits’ though, such as the working fanbelt attached to the lovely replica engine, which I’m now controlling from a proportional channel on the Tx (so it only runs when the engine is on display with the bonnet hinged back).

The setup was originally painted dark green, but then got a blow-over in Desert Sand, with markings for the Desert War. Not my zeitgeist (that word again – Google it !), though. Those who know me know that I’m interested in the more obscure military areas, and WW2 Desert / Normandy / Eastern Front is far too mainstream for me - I'll happily leave that to others. But I’ve had a long-term interest in the Korean War (1950-53), and this is a chance to scratch that itch. It’ll also fit nicely with the current interest in post-WW2 armour.

So No. 34, and its associated limber and gun, is going to become 45th Regiment, Royal Artillery, 29th Independent Infantry Brigade, UN Forces, Korea. More specifically, the 45th were heavily involved in the Battle of the Imjin River (Solma-ri) in April 1951, which is famous for the last stand of the 1st Battalion Gloucester Regiment (the Glorious Glosters). But that overshadows the role of the other units involved – the Royal Ulster Rifles, Northumberland Fusiliers, 45th Regiment RA, 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars (using Centurion III’s), Belgians and Luxembourgers - all of whom managed, at great cost, to hold and repulse overwhelming Chinese forces (3 armies !) and thus save Seoul. If you don’t know it it’s a fascinating, and humbling, story.

So that’s where I’m going. The electricals are now largely sorted out, but the historical research is taking me in interesting directions. I now know more than I ever wanted to about immediate post-WW2 British Army paint – yes, I’ve been researching how paint dries !

All the best,

Chris

[Stephen White]

How refreshing Chris, to bring something new to the party. Sounds like you could do with all four volumes of Dick Taylor's Warpaint, must be something in there about Korean vintage drop-short kit. (Sorry, I meant long range snipers). No, must stop saying that. Did I tell you the one about the Gunner and the monkey.......

Stephen

[Chris Hall]

Stephen -

You are a little stirrer, aren't you ?

The 'firing safely from the rear' boys were acknowledged to be an integral part of the Solma-ri battle, even though the 25-pdr wasn't really powerful enough by 1951. The essential fire support for the infantry was maintained throughout the 4-day battle - at one point, a single gun was used to fire directly at the charging Chinese over open sights, at a range of only 150 yards, under the command of Lt. George Truel (promoted to Captain after the action). During the battle 45 Field Regiment lost 7 Officers and 29 men, mostly from Forward OP attached to the infantry units.

For Solma-ri, the Glosters and 170th Independent Mortar Battery RA were awarded a US Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation - however, this was widely felt to be for the whole 29 Brigade. For 45 RA numerous awards were made - MC's, MM's and MID's, and also US Silver and Bronze Stars. But the ultimate award has to be the George Medal awarded to Captain Acton Henry Gordon "Spud" Gibbon of H Troop for refusing to divulge information while a Prisoner of War, despite extreme torture.

And the Quads were liberally stocked with Lee-Enfields, Stens and Brens for point defence - not just for hanging laundry over .....

And there, M'Lud, the defence rests

[Stephen White]

Yes, military humour can seem a bit strange but..... to be serious, Gunners are very much up the sharp end. Not so sharp as the Royal Armoured Corps.... but sharp none the less.

George Truell was a very model of a quietly spoken gentleman. He ran the Tactical Doctrine Retrieval Cell at the Army Staff College when I was a student there (and I think was still there when I returned later as a member of the Directing Staff). He treated students and staff alike, with consummate good humour and unfailing attention. He hid his past in action well.

Did you know he commissioned Terance Cuneo to paint a picture of the action on the Imjin when he was in command of 45 Regt RA?

S

[Chris Hall]

Well, it's been a bad year on the personal front (they don't teach 'Dealing with aged and dying parents 101' at school so you have to make it up on the fly when the time comes ) so progress on my Quad hasn't gone nearly as quickly as I intended. But, as seems to be the way with these things, it finally came together in a rush this week . So here's the (pretty well) finished result:

It's a bit different to the one I got from Phil Woollard ! (see his 'Me Quad' thread for comparisons). The main change, of course, is the colour. Post-War British vehicles were painted in BS224 Deep Bronze Green. And, before anyone says "Ahh, but wouldn't they have just been War Surplus ?" well, yes, but the History of 45RA clearly says that they were completely refurbished before shipping to Korea. So I'm happy with it. But the paint quality up to about 1956 was rubbish, due to post-War shortages of pigments and oils, which caused enough runs and patches to give an RSM a heart attack. So I'm quite happy to have used rattle cans, and say that any imperfections are 'historically accurate' ! Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it .....

The markings are all my own - I find that a very satisfying part of the build. The Unit Sign for the 29th Infantry Brigade was a white ring on a black square, known to the irreverent British Squaddie as the 'frozen a***hole' (Colonial friends may delete one of the asterisks ). The number plate is in the right format, but reflects the number of the kit.

Phil's electrics were very technical and very confusing, so I replaced them with the standard Armortek MCM which is a lot simpler. I did, however, keep his lovely model engine under the hinged bonnet, and even got the fan working on one of the proportional channels. That'll make for a good diorama with the crew gathered around the open bonnet arguing about why the engine won't start ......

And then, of course, there's all the 'Gucci' to add. Dave Dibb (Armorpax) helpfully provided all the bits I didn't have, and lovely things they are too. This model really does cry out for the extras - fuel cans in holders, windscreen wipers, springs, wing mirrors ...... and I added Steve Winstone's superb reflectors. They should probably be painted green, but the brass looks too nice to cover up !

And a few bits of my own. Opening up the roof hatch is a simple job, and it doesn't take much work to give the underneath a bit of detail. The roof cover and the rolled-up radiator blanket were made by my lovely wife. I'm ridiculously proud of the bridging disk, which I made from a flat disk with a loop of wire glued around the edge and then rounded over with Milliput to get the 'dished' effect'.

The crew (four of them, plus an officer) required a bit of kit-bashing. The winter of 1950-51 was bitterly cold in Korea (as the US Marine Corps found out at the Chosin Reservoir) and, true to form, the British decided it would 'all be over by Christmas' so the troops didn't have any cold weather gear. Fortunately the Americans had plenty of it, and were eager to trade, the medium of exchange being ...... whiskey ! So that's why they look a bit 'Yank', apart from the Officer, who has the good old 'British Warm' overcoat. The three in the back are a bit hidden away, though, so I may well use them for a future project of a similar nature where they'll be somewhat more obvious .

So that's basically it. I'm very pleased with the changes, and the opportunity to model a largely forgotten part of 20th Century military history. Driving it is something I'm getting used to - using a Futaba 7C (this model doesn't require anything super-sophisticated) left stick is forward / back, and I managed to configure the right stick so that right is actually right, and left is actually left. Even the steering wheel turns the right way. A rotary encoder was already fitted (thanks, Steve Stuart !) so I can easily play all the sounds.

If I can make a suitable transportation system (ie. something to stop it rolling around in the back of the car) I hope it take it to the Bovington Model Show next weekend.

The limber is almost finished - hopefully this week, to give me something to tow around. The 25-pdr needs a bit more work. But I also have a second limber - 1/3 of an Artillery Regiment towed two limbers (but no gun) in order to maintain ammunition stocks. That should also be something different for displays.

All the best,

Chris

[Vince Cutajar]

Nicely presented Chris.

Vince

[Robert Reid]

Loving the bronze green!

Well done!

Cheers,

RPR

[Kevin Hunter]

Nice work Chris.
Kevin

[Stephen White]

Lovely job, Chris, you've upgraded the model superbly. Good to see you're back in production, Liesel was looking for a friend... I hope we didn't trade whiskey with our Allies, not without suitable warning, although you may have a point as both the KRIH and Royal Irish were in Korea. 45 Regt recruited in West Yorkshire, I believe, so perhaps tea was their stock in trade. Now whisky is another matter..... (wouldn't have traded that for all the cold weather gear in China).

[Chris Hall]

Praise indeed - thanks, Chaps !

And 45RA were indeed the 'West Yorkshire Gunners'. Given the Yorkshire propensity for putting an extra 'e' in everything ..... Put it down to ignorance, as I never touch the stuff (I'm an Armagnac man myself).

Apologetically,

Chris

[Daniel Scholefield]

Very nicely turned out Chris, maybe one day I will get my Quad finished too but for now it remains half-built until I get my mojo back.