Armoured Car Parade

To show solidarity with the Czarist government, a squadron of Royal Naval Air Service armoured cars was dispatched to Russia in 1915. Not being entirely sure how best to use their British friends the Russians sent the unit to the Caucasus Front where they saw service against the Turkish army. The squadron was originally equipped with Lanchester armoured cars which soon proved unsuitable in the harsh terrain. To supplement the Lanchesters, a lightweight armoured car was developed using the Ford Model T. This had an armoured cab for the driver and an open back with space for a rear firing Maxim machine gun.

Nine of these were built with at least six seeing service with the RNAS. The cars gave excellent service with their ability to traverse terrain unsuitable for the heavier vehicles. The majority of them were lost by the spring of 1917.

The Jeffery Quad truck had been designed to meet US army requirements in 1913. It was used extensively by the US, British and French armies during WW1. From 1914 a variety of experimental armoured cars were developed using the chassis of the Quad truck. The third of these featured a tall hull with a pair of circular turrets and was known by the US Ordinance Corps as “Armoured Car No 1”. This vehicle was possibly used by the US army on the Mexican border in 1916.

GW28-101 – Model T Armoured Car – £6.50
GW28-204 – Jeffery Armoured Car No 1 – £14.00