RWF NI - EARLY 70's PIC ?

[ap1]

It can't be the 70's - look at the antenna pods on each wing of the rover, they're on top of boxes, they're CLANSMAN and clansman didn't come in until 1980. For them to be on a rover in NI, clansman would have to be well-established

The box contained a bit of kit called a TUAAM - Tuning Unit Automatic Antenna Matching - WTFs that still doing in my brain cells!

John your actually wrong(Shock Horror)

Its a Larkspur ATU:

ATU.jpg

I love google

[Rog Ball 01]

John

Larkspur brought ionto use 1962 especially for C42.

[rob jones 60]

The guy with the SLR with the wooden stock looks like hes wearing a modern shaped helmet with a new shaped visor .his respirator case looks its issued in the 80s . some of the guys with shields look like the are wearing combat boots high,just an observation hope we can date this were and when great thread ....

[richie264]

Na some helmets were like that, could be a driver, the guys wearing the combat boots are inNI boots they were a lightweight patrol boot made for the urban enviroment, although many of us wore them in the field after the tour but they didn't last long, There is a picture of me wearing them in the photo section, the wooden rifle butt/stocks were still knocking around well into the 70's especially in the corps, ha I never thought one photo would get so many hits, thanks Al, I believe it was taken during the 76/77 tour, but the question still remains..where's RSM Cooper now ??

[lucky]

we did have the NI boots for the 78/70 derry tour..so it could ave been 76 belfast! or even when we went out to ardoyne in 77 for just 3 weeks as 'spearhead battalion' it was known as 'an emergency tour' to help the 'devon & dorsets' out who were buckling under the heavy riots, caused by strikes in the 'public sector' there were road blocks everywhere buses being hijacked & polling stations were targeted..could the pic have been in that 3 week emergency tour!

[John Turner]

John your actually wrong(Shock Horror)

Its a Larkspur ATU:

ATU.jpg

I love google

Another reason I thought it was 1980+ is because I was Bravos until I joined the sigs in 1980 and did all the NI tours with Bravos up until then without having the Ardoyne in our TAOR. But I forgot that I'd missed one - the 76/77 West Belfast tour, I was in HQ Coy for a brief spell and on that tour was in Echelon at Musgrave Park hospital.

[John Turner]

Guy in the foreground on the right looks like Vivian Whitmore, who is registered here as 'Tonka' http://rwf-forum.co.uk/vBulletin/member.php?3155-tonka

[hoppy41]

its b/coy to the right of mouse cooper is cpl smith (cider)

[Bob Lake]

RSM Cooper is alive and well and living in Wrexham. I saw him recently but was not able to have a chat. I think we can rate Mighty Mouse as one of the great Regimental Characters and it would be very nice if he would came back into the fold where he's is held in great regard, sadly he has not been inclined to do so yet! He was RSM in the early days of the Lemgo posting.

I suspect that the photo is form the Derry Tour 71-72 following Hong Kong , My reasons are that we had not worn DPM combats at the stage, nor worn flack jackets and none of these are in evidence in the photo. We did get an issue of light weight combat boots to run faster at about that time. I note Mr Cooper is wearing a non issue waterproof which was common in those days as gas capes were still issued as waterproofs, We were certainly wearing DPM in Lemgo though most wore light weight trousers. That's a series 3 Land Rover which rather dates the picture.

I was Sigs PL Commander in Lemgo where we converted from Larkspur to Clansman in 1980 or thereabouts.

Thanks for a very good thread

[richie264]

I'll have to keep an eye out for him around town, he was certainly was was one of the many characters the Bn has had. I think Derry the early 70s is to soon, as the lad next Mouse is wearing putties, & I would say that his cap badge is that of a WO, He wasn't a CSM then was he ??