British Valentine Bridgelayer

A British Valentine Bridgelayer (Bruggenleggertank) of the zesde-eskadron Vechtwagens Huzaren van Boreel in Indonesia. The Valentine Bridgelayer was the last version of the tank to see frontline service, and could deploy a medium sized bridge while under fire. A 'scissors' bridge was mounted on top of a Valentine tank. This was normally carried in the folded position, and was raised and put in place using a screw jack. The bridge could span 30 feet wide gaps and carry vehicles of up to 30 tons. A series of tanks were used as the basis for the scissors-bridge. Early development used light tanks. The project then moved onto the A10 cruiser tank, and from that to the dreadful Covenanter cruiser tank. Finally the Valentine was adopted, and entered production at the Southern Railway's Eastleigh Works. This involved removing the turret from Valentine tanks, and these were used on early AEC Mark I armoured cars. Six bridgelayers were issued to each armoured brigade equipped with cruiser or medium tanks. The bridgelayer was used in action in the Italian campaign, in North-Western Europe and in Burma. It was widely used with British and Commonwealth forces.

Source :
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_valentine_bridgelayer.html
http://worldwartwozone.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27464-the-police-actionsindonesian-revolutionary-war-a-forgotten-conflict/

Dutch Troops with British Bren Carrier

The tracked vehicle is a British Universal (Bren Gun) Carrier. The original role envisaged for the Universal Carrier was for a fast, lightly armed vehicle to carry infantry across ground denied by small-arms fire and specifically, the Bren light machine gun and its team, hence the name Bren Gun Carrier. (NB: A broad parallel can be drawn between that concept and the tactics of the APC (M1 L3A1) Troop which carried an Infantry Company. Each infantry section, comprising ten men [one section to a vehicle] possessed a light machine gun crew of three men and a BREN GUN.

Source :
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-armour/allied/bren_carrier.htm
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1529678470646757/

Austin Seven in Yogyakarta

The busy traffic scene on Jalan Malioboro (Yogyakarta) in front of the doorstop of Tugu train station, 19 February 1948. Regarding this photo, I am (Bill) not very knowledgeable on British cars, particularly the smaller "family car" type so I am not positive about this vehicle with camo paint. The closest I have come is possibly an Austin Seven from the late 1930s. Below is a photo of such a car from the rear so you can see the shape of the third side window which is slightly different from other British Sevens.  Let me know what you think!

Source :
http://siks.bpadjogja.info/pameran_virtual/detail/289/18/0

Parade of KNIL Engineers in Andir Square

The military parade of KNIL engineers company in Andir Square (Bandung) after the handover ceremony for the office of Commander-in Chief of the Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (Royal Netherlands East Indies Army; KNIL) from Lieutenant-General Murk Boerstra to Lieutenant-General Gerardus Johannes Berenschot, July 1939. From left to right are: 1938 Chevrolet truck; 3-4 1938 Chevrolet trucks; In front of them a Bedford ASYC; To the rear, a 1939 Chevrolet truck; Another 1938 Chevrolet truck; A 1939 Chevrolet truck; and at the far right is another Bedford ASYC.

Source :
http://indonesia-zaman-doeloe.blogspot.co.id/2015/09/defile-kesatuan-zeni-knil.html

Dutch Military Column in Mount Slamet

These pictures was taken by Hugo Wilmar and shows a Dutch military column in the eastern slope of Mount Slamet area, Central Java, during the first Police Action (politionele actie), 27 July 1947. They were from V-brigade under colonel "Jantje" Meijer. The first two armored vehicle are Stuart M3A1 light tanks with a Canadian origin CMP C 15TA armoured car in the back.

The second picture shows the same tanks with a White M3A1 Scout car in the lead.  Note that the M3A1 was supplied with both a closed and an open drivers cabin!

 Stuart M3A1 light tank followed by Canadian origin CMP C 15TA armoured car

 A Canadian CMP 30 CWT 4x4 towing artillery, rear view.

Source :
http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/nl/items/SFA04:SFA002001237

Movement of Indonesian Army in October 1965

The picture was taken in October 1965 and it show a movement by Indonesian Army in the streets of Jakarta after the failed coup - allegedly initiated - by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). First one, a Toyota Land Cruiser ambulance from the 1960's, then a Daimler Ferret armoured car, and then an Alvis Saladin (FV601) armoured car.

 Another Alvis Saladin (FV601) armoured car. It's a six-wheeled armoured car built by Alvis, and fitted with a 76mm gun. Used extensively by the British Army, it replaced the AEC Armoured Car that had been in service since World War II.

 This one is a Soviet GAZ-69, probably a personnel carrier or maybe a load carrier. GAZ-69 is a four-wheel drive light truck, produced by GAZ (ГАЗ, or Gorkovsky Avtomobilnyi Zavod, Gorky Automobile Factory) between 1953 and 1956 and then by UAZ, in 1956–1972, though all of these cars were commonly known as GAZ-69s. Extremely popular in the Soviet Union, it was copied by a number of foreign companies

Source :
http://indonesia-zaman-doeloe.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/pergerakan-tentara-di-jakarta-setelah_7.html

Indonesian Street Scene in the 1960s-70s

Indonesian street scene in the 1960s/70s. The passenger car based "Oplet" is a Morris Minor, while the car in front of the bakery wagon is a Fiat 1100. The car at the very top of the photo is possibly a Morris Ten but I am (Bill) not positive.  Certainly British but they made so many cars of that size that looked almost identical it is. sometimes hard to make a positive identification with so little detail.

1939 Morris Eight "Series E" Tourer 4-Seater

 The Morris Eight is a small car which was produced by Morris Motors from 1935 to 1948. It was inspired by the sales popularity of the similarly shaped Ford Model Y. The success of the car enabled Morris to regain its position as Britain's largest motor manufacturer.

The car was powered by a Morris UB series 918 cc four-cylinder side-valve engine with three bearing crankshaft and single SU carburettor with maximum power of 23.5 bhp (17.5 kW). The gearbox was a three-speed unit with synchromesh on the top two speeds and Lockheed hydraulic brakes were fitted. Coil ignition was used in a Lucas electrical system powered by a 6 volt battery and third brush dynamo.

The body which was either a saloon or open tourer was mounted on a separate channel section chassis with a 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) wheelbase. The tourer could reach 58 mph (93 km/h) and return 45 miles per imperial gallon (6.3 L/100 km; 37 mpg-US); the saloons were a little slower. The chrome-plated radiator shell and honeycomb grille were dummies disguising the real one hidden behind. In September 1934 the bare chassis was offered for £95.[2] For buyers of complete cars prices ranged from £118 for the basic two-seater to £142 for the four door saloon with "sunshine" roof and leather seats. Bumpers and indicators were £2 10 shillings (£2.50) extra.

Compared with the similarly priced, but much lighter and longer established Austin 7, the 1934/35 Morris Eight was well equipped. The driver was provided with a full set of instruments including a speedometer with a built in odometer, oil pressure and fuel level gauges and an ammeter. The more modern design of the Morris was reflected in the superior performance of its hydraulically operated 8 inch drum brakes.[2] The Morris also scored over its Ford rival by incorporating an electric windscreen wiper rather than the more old-fashioned vacuum powered equivalent, while its relatively wide 45 inch track aided directional stability on corners.

The series I designation was used from June 1935 in line with other Morris models, cars made before this are known as pre-series although the official Morris Motors designation was by the model year (35) even though they were introduced in October 1934. Of the 164,102 cars produced approximately 24,000 were tourers.

Morris Eight "Series E" Tourer 4-Seater used as a Taxi in Batavia, Netherlands East Indies

Source :
http://en.wikipedia.org/

1957 Morris Minor Series II

The Series II Morris Minor followed on from the Series MM in 1953 with the addition of the 803cc overhead valve A-series engine, which was taken from the Minor's cousin, the Austin A30.

Externally there was very little difference between the MM and Series II. The Series II retained the early "cheesegrater grille" until 1954 when the more well known horizontal grille bars were introduced.

The only way of telling a Series MM from an early Series II from the outside, is by looking at the bonnet badge. The Series MM had a flat bonnet flash (that continued on to the Light Commercial Vehicles), whereas the Series II and Minor 1000s had the newer style "Mazak" bonnet flash with a separate M motif on either side.

 Jakarta. The Oplet is a Morris Minor Series 2 from around 1956-57, while the truck in the background is a 1957 Chevrolet

Source :

 http://www.mmoc.org.uk/

1937 Morris 8 (Eight) Saloon

The Morris Eight is a small car which was produced by Morris Motors from 1935 to 1948. It was inspired by the sales popularity of the similarly shaped Ford Model Y. The success of the car enabled Morris to regain its position as Britain's largest motor manufacturer.

The car was powered by a Morris UB series 918 cc four-cylinder side-valve engine with three bearing crankshaft and single SU carburettor with maximum power of 23.5 bhp (17.5 kW). The gearbox was a three-speed unit with synchromesh on the top two speeds and Lockheed hydraulic brakes were fitted. Coil ignition was used in a Lucas electrical system powered by a 6 volt battery and third brush dynamo.

The body which was either a saloon or open tourer was mounted on a separate channel section chassis with a 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) wheelbase. The tourer could reach 58 mph (93 km/h) and return 45 miles per imperial gallon (6.3 L/100 km; 37 mpg-US); the saloons were a little slower. The chrome-plated radiator shell and honeycomb grille were dummies disguising the real one hidden behind. In September 1934 the bare chassis was offered for £95. For buyers of complete cars prices ranged from £118 for the basic two-seater to £142 for the four door saloon with "sunshine" roof and leather seats. Bumpers and indicators were £2 10 shillings (£2.50) extra.

Compared with the similarly priced, but much lighter and longer established Austin 7, the 1934/35 Morris Eight was well equipped. The driver was provided with a full set of instruments including a speedometer with a built in odometer, oil pressure and fuel level gauges and an ammeter. The more modern design of the Morris was reflected in the superior performance of its hydraulically operated 8 inch drum brakes. The Morris also scored over its Ford rival by incorporating an electric windscreen wiper rather than the more old-fashioned vacuum powered equivalent, while its relatively wide 45 inch track aided directional stability on corners.

The series I designation was used from June 1935 in line with other Morris models, cars made before this are known as pre-series although the official Morris Motors designation was by the model year (35) even though they were introduced in October 1934. Of the 164,102 cars produced approximately 24,000 were tourers.

 One of the street in Medan, North, Sumatera, Netherlands East Indies. The two cars at left is a 1936 Chevrolet Standard Convertible (registration number BK 8906) and 1933 Chevrolet Sedan Convertible (registration number BK 3865), while the car in the centre probably is a Morris 8

Source :
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://medantempodulu.blogspot.com/

Hillman Minx 1939

Shortly before the outbreak of WW2, Hillman announced its first unitary construction saloon (chassis-less body), ‘the new Minx'.

Despite looking conventional the Minx featured the ‘Alligator' bonnet (being hinged at the rear), as well as the aforementioned unitary constructed body-shell.

The Minx had gained a reputation for dependability and ruggedness, and chosen by the War Office to be used as a staff car for military service, with variants of this model when converted becoming the useful ‘Tilly' (flat bed truck with canvas tilt), which actually allowed the Minx to remain in production throughout the war years.

The Ryton-on-Dunsmore factory outside Coventry was originally built in 1939 to manufacture aero engines in support of the war effort. The site was converted to a fully operational car factory in 1946 when the Rootes Group started full time car production again, comprising of Hillman, Humber , Sunbeam and Talbot marques to be manufactured.

Rootes were provided with a major advantage when the war ended due to their military production years, and in spite of the shortage of materials they were in a position to have a car in production by 1946.

Phase2_MinxFollowing the end of WW2, production of the civillian Minx resumed, it was basically the pre-war model with a slight uplift in front end styling, as seen in the picture left.

The most notable feature being that of the headlamps, these were now incorporated into the front wing panels.

Mechanical specification remained fairly primitive using the 35hp - 1185cc proven side valve engine, although this was fitted with a new type cylinder head and accessed to the engine compartment via the rear hinged alligator bonnet, arguably making maintenance tasks more accessible! However the Minx continued to use the Bendix Duo Servo cable braking system.

Rootes complemented their new saloon version of the Minx by introducing an attractive (if not rare!) drop-head coupe version, which along with a very useful estate completed the Minx range. 

 Mr. Peters, salesman of Verkerk car company in Batavia, in a Hillman Minx 1939 in front of his office, around 1939 Dutch East Indies. The source of the photos is Karin Riper, who's mother worked for the firm in the late 1930s.  She identified the Hillman as a Skoda Roadster but it is not although Verkerk may well have been an agent for Skoda

The picture was possibly taken in the time of Japanese occupation era. The car in the background is a British-made is a 1939/1940 Hillman Minx.

Sources :

http://www.classichillman.co.uk/

https://www.flickr.com/