Post by Diarist on Sept 15, 2014 16:44:46 GMT 1
Yesterday Guy Simmonds and I drove to Bulford in one of oür new Hillman Minx 1935 staff cars, (six arrived a couple of weeks ago and we shall be receiving six more next month). Bulford is home of the 3rd Infantry Division and is near to RAF Netherhaven. We covered the distance in just over 3 hours. We reported in at the Divisional Hq and Major Wingate was requested to meet us there - they had received advance warning about us from our Hq.
Major Wingate arrived and after we had been introduced we gave him his new 'official' orders. There was no mention of anything about Sudan or Abyssinia. We brought that subject up at lunch when we were alone. Wingate was very happy about the prospect of going to Sudan again. Officially we are putting together an Armoured Division, (on paper), and he would be part of the divisional artillery team. We couldn't get into details because nothing had yet been decided and it was the General's job to tell him that.
This afternoon we received a memorandum from the MoD that our team in the USA had located an aircraft engine that has been developed for use in armoured vehicles. It uses gasoline and is rated at 400 bhp - much more than the 150 bhp engine planned for A9 and A10 tanks being developed. If we can build that engine under licence in the UK it would radically change our tank designs. In the meantime a dozen have been placed on order.
Things are beginning to take shape.
Major Wingate arrived and after we had been introduced we gave him his new 'official' orders. There was no mention of anything about Sudan or Abyssinia. We brought that subject up at lunch when we were alone. Wingate was very happy about the prospect of going to Sudan again. Officially we are putting together an Armoured Division, (on paper), and he would be part of the divisional artillery team. We couldn't get into details because nothing had yet been decided and it was the General's job to tell him that.
This afternoon we received a memorandum from the MoD that our team in the USA had located an aircraft engine that has been developed for use in armoured vehicles. It uses gasoline and is rated at 400 bhp - much more than the 150 bhp engine planned for A9 and A10 tanks being developed. If we can build that engine under licence in the UK it would radically change our tank designs. In the meantime a dozen have been placed on order.
Things are beginning to take shape.