Summary: During its parent formation's period in reserve in the 'bocage' between Aunay-sur-Odon and Mont Pincon, 22nd Armoured Brigade's REME workshops repair battle-scarred and worn-out tanks.
Description: A Scammell tank transporter arrives at the workshops site to unload another tank casualty; the driver reports to the workshop office caravan from where the REME officer in charge goes out to look at the 'patient', a 5th Royal Horse Artillery Sherman OP tank (minus half its left-hand sprocket and one of its three left-hand side bogies) and gives orders for its repair to two mechanics. Nearby, fitters repair the Rolls-Royce 'Meteor' engines of several Cromwell tanks and cut a driver's side-folding hatch-plate (?) in one such specimen belonging to the 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry. Inside a workshop truck, a metal worker shapes a plate of steel while a lathe operator re-bores a 17-pounder muzzle-brake, which is submitted to a REME captain for inspection. Two blacksmiths hammer a Sherman bogie truck skid into shape. Finally, a Sherman Firefly, its course of 'treatment' completed, makes the journey back to its unit.
Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor)
Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
Ginger (Sergeant) (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army, Royal Artillery, Royal Horse Artillery, 5th Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (regiment/service)
British Army, Bde, Armoured, 22 (regiment/service)
British Army, Div, Armoured, 7 (regiment/service)
Keywords: transport, British military - truck, special: Scammell tank transporter (object name)
armour, United States - funnies: M4 Sherman OP & [British] (object name)
transport, Canadian military - truck: CMP truck (object name)
armour, British - tank: Cromwell (object name)
engineering, military, British: welding (object name)
armour, United States - funnies: M4 Sherman Firefly & [British] (object name)
operations, British military - maintenance: armour (object name)
Normandy, France (geography)