Austin armoured cars with Dunsterforce

[Ignatieff]

Anyone know...

1. What could these would have been painted?
2. Any markings they would have carried?
3. Any extant photographs?


It was a well recorded expedition.  Any or all help gratefully received

Thanks

S

[marianas_gamer]

Steve,
I think that Juergen has posted pics on the BOB board on Facebook.
Lon

[Emir of Askaristan]

I think I have the book....let me look in the morning!

[Etranger]

According to Landships they had 24 of the Series 3 or 1918 pattern Austin AC but no photos to go with that. http://www.landships.info/landships/car_articles.html?load=car_articles/Austin_British_Use.html

[tin shed gamer]

I'd go with khaki brown.(the tone in the pictures can be compared with the uniforms,which in turn are easily identified)
The 24 18's can be compared against the 17th on the western front as the were formed and in action in roughly seven days and as they had the rest of the shipment of 18's its very likely they took them to France in the same livery as the ones shipped to Dunsterforce. All these cars were painted packed and ready to be shipped to Russia.
No one would have un packed ,repainted ,then repacked them to ship to the middle east.
You'd need to look at the early actions of the 17th as later on the crews did repaint they're  18's.

Mark.

[pocoloco]

"...led Britain to establish Dunsterforce... one element of this force, known as Duncars, consisted of the survivors of Locker-Lampson's division, now in Army uniform, under the command of colonel Crawford, and the Austin armoured cars now languishing in Britain. A last-minute change of policy in the United Kingdom meant that only twenty-four of the forty cars actually reached the Middle East, so the remaining personnel formed motor machine gun units, transported in soft-skinned vehicles.
...the remaining Austins in Mesopotamia later formed No. 7 LAMB, although at least two of them were incorporated into the Railway Armoured Motor Battery RAMB... the cars were coupled back to back and fitted with flanged railway wheels... carried spare lengths of rail to patch up the track in the event of sabotage, and for a while [carried] the names Valiant and Warsprite... another car belonging to this strange, unsung unit was Malaya, a converted Indian pattern Fiat."





(source: War Cars by David Fletcher)

So not that much about the colours there, only the mention about the Army uniforms.

Just wondering if anybody has done a conversion of the Austins for railroad use? Would make a nice scenario, e.g.. the two linked Austins, crews fixing a broken track when enemy launches their ambush...

[Byblos]

DunsterForce armoured car brigade (From M H Donohe 's "With the persian expedition" appendixes)

Commanded by Colonel J D Crawford

Squadron(s) of 8 cars each (A , B & C squadrons and even D & E squadrons at Zinjan !)

(There is Motor MG Companies but I don’t know what it is !? MG on T Ford !?)

Mobile hospital of 50 beds & supply column

Originaly known as Locker – Lampson Car Unit & worked in Russia

Formed in England (End of 1917) from RNAS & officers / men serviced in Russia & personnel from Motor / munitions works

The last party leaved Russia in March 1918

Beginning of the concentration at Hinaidi (Persia) in May 1918

21 officers , 450 other ranks , 8 AC , 24 Peerless lorries , 30 touring cars (T Ford !? But there is Vauxhall staff cars too) , 44 Ford box vans , 32 motor-cycles (You could find T ford touring cars & Box vans from Reviresco miniatures)

There is Vauxhall tender & Ford ambulance too

Petrol dumps established at Tak-I-Garra , Kermanshah & Hamadan

Operations 1) against Jangalis 2) With Bisherakoff in Caucasus 3) At Baku & 4) At Zinjan

At Baku they fought alongside with Russians AC Austin , it seems there is “Heavy Russians AC with 3 pounds guns” too (Garford – Putilov !?)

It seems the Austin AC are very weak with their back-axle, and they had got Ruberrine tyres at first , pneumatic tyres at the end

Beginning of the withdrawal on October 2nd 1918 to Persia