Often, when people ask if they can have something 'to save it', they fail because they have no realistic ability to handle the project, (I would have liked to save the Ark Royal, but not having a naval dockyard or billions, it was never going to happen) and the MOD/Navy or whatever turn down the 'offer' as it would likely come back and haunt them. However, you have all the gear to recover this Ram, you have somewhere to house it and facilities for restoration. Give it a try!
Hello Matt, Live nearby and have tried various ways to save this Ram, written to a lot of government departments trying to see who or how this can be released and saved. NO Positive responses. happy to share where I got to with you if that helps
The Ram is not a Sherman variant. Being based on the M3 chassis, it’s a Lee/Grant variant. The Canadians did make their own variant of the Sherman called the Grizzly.
Early production RAm MKII. There are only 5/6 surviving vehicles including one or two with their hulls buried in 2 feet of concrete as cold war fortifications in the Netherlands. So definitely a good restoration project!
I remember about 2-3 years ago I saw a m4a2 Sherman along the roadside, there were two people who seemed to be trying to restore the tank, it had the treads, turret, gun all intact. What a sight it was.
Bovington’s Mk1 Ram (with the aux m/g turret) is complete but not a runner. Tim Isaac at Cobbaton Combat Collection in Devon is restoring an excellent, undamaged Mk2 (with a fixed m/g hull fitting). It’s a rolling hull but the R-975 radial is not re-installed yet. He has the 6 pounder turret to go with it, but will not be using it as, at least in the first instance, he’s going to run it in it as a Kangaroo troop carrier.
looking forward to seeing where you get with it. (nice part about the Ram is it shares a lot of parts with Shermans/Lees so parts shouldn't be impossible to find)
we riveted a new floor and sponson plates in one of these for a dutch collector last year that was an interesting job. this one is odd as it has had the later sherman bogie's fitted. they were used during the war mainly as personnel carriers so with the main turret removed like this one. loads of pics on the web.
If this is still an active range, it will have a Range Warden. He can tell you if it is on a military inventory. I once 'redistributed' a non-inventory set of good M3 Half Track tracks from a wreck on a range at Nordhorn in Holland and put them on my own vehicle.
The key here is to find the Government department that has the power to sell this vehicle. I would start with finding out who commands that firing range. That person probably knows how they get old vehicles onto the range they might have an idea as to whom to talk to about acquiring old vehicles currently sitting on the range. And with you gents vast knowledge of UK armored vehicles there probably isn't a better group to restore it.
I remember when I was in Training as Guardsman in the mid 90s, we went to a range near Pribright where we spent time Firing Law 66 at various Tanks and APCs that they had dotted about on the range. Don't think there was anything that old on there on though.
The buildings and walls are part of a grenade range, the tower being part of the range safety. The holes in the "Ram" likely caused by Infantry 84mm Carl Gustav anti-tank training rounds (TPTP) Training Practice Tracer Projectile. A sub-caliber round.
@Fitter Mat I did a little digging online, and it seems a few have tried to save the tank. However, they did not have the facilities to repair a tank like you do!
Used to play in one of these as a kid in the late 60's early 70's. It had also been used for target practice. It pointed out to sea, about 200m from the beach, on the Browndown firing range at Lee on Solent looking towards the Isle of Wight. I think it got pulled off there (saved ?) in the early 2000's, maybe the 90's even.
The ram is a ww2 vehicle but an ex postwar british army example after ww2 the british retained turretless ram tanks as kangaroo armoured personnel carriers and tow vehicles for howitzers.after ww2 the british surplused theirs due to there being better tow vehicles available and they ended up on ranges,there are other ram tanks from the same regiment all languishing on ranges in the uk.
Certainly looks like a Ram Kangaroo and as @danielt.3152 said the Australian Armour and infantry museum have an operational One , good luck getting it off the range.
Hauling it out will be one thing. Getting the Govt. to even recognize it's existence might be a Herculean effort. I wish you the very best of luck. If it just disappears some rainy night I won't say anything.
When I worked at Bovington 18 Base.( Dorset) Not the museum! we had a Sherman suddenly appear.But no one was allowed to touch it. Because it was contaminated with I forget what. But it was the the corrosion of the electrical terminals.And there were a lot of them. I have no idea what happened to that Sherman. It was probably scrapped ! But it was interesting to see it.
When your out of gods county doesn’t matter where you are it ain’t home🤣. Great bit of history at the end. Makes you wonder if anyone knows it’s something a bit different and not just another Sherman 🤔
Up on t mooers! That's a rate broad accent that lad! Things like that should be restored and put in museums instead of rusting away in the hills. Great video cheers ✌️😎
This is actually a somewhat later Ram MK II hull, not the very last one with the co-drivers cupola removed and the cast hull MG, but just before that one. you can tell based off the doors in the hull sides being gone and the late trailing arm type suspension. As to "The Ram was an M3" literally the only difference between an M3 and an M4 hull was the little lip on the three piece housing at the front for the M3. This is actually an M4 chassis as it's using the regular Sherman type 3 piece front. The later Rams such as this could use the improved single piece cast front as on the Sherman as well. The Ram is it's own thing, calling it a variant of an m3/m4 is a bit unfair as all it's using from them is quite literally a box with an engine and transmission in it and the suspension bolted to the sides. as that's all the lower hull is on an m3/m4. The upper hull and turret all the interesting bits are it's own unique thing. The Ram was actually more armoured then both the M3 and the M4 to a significant degree in some places.
ooo, a Ram, most likely a Kangaroo APC variant given no standard Rams ever saw combat. Not sure if they even reached the UK from Canada unless they'd already been converted.
That not a Ram, that a Kangaroo. They took turret off and used them as to transport infantry to support tanks. The Bovington Ram, is either in storage or on loan as i did not see it there last time i was there.
@@Mr_wayne0805 I seen so many gate guard tanks at bovington it slipped my mind. I used to agency work there and amount of tanks i would see on the daily kinda made me forget about it. Would say if you look by workshops by tank museum you may find a rare Churchill gun carrier. It just the hull rusting away now, but was shocked it was there. Was sure there was one on display inside tank museum years ago.
Quite possibly, variants built in wartime weren’t exactly known for being precisely made so some more digging is required, either way it deserves saving!
Anyone have any idea on why the hull MG turret is in noticeably worse condition in comparison to the hull? or maybe its not in worse condition but it's still an odd color for being where it is.
It maybe a kangaroo apc it also has sherman suspension with early m3 wheels I don't think rams made it to England apart from test samples kangaroos were used in Holland etc good luck
Honestly, the fact that it's a Ram makes it a lot more of an interesting find.
Interesting. It needs to be saved as i pretty sure it as rare as German tanks. Very few were made and most had turrets removed and it called Kangaroo
Definately a Canadian RAM not a Sherman, the machine gun turret and right hand drive drivers visor sort of give it away.
Often, when people ask if they can have something 'to save it', they fail because they have no realistic ability to handle the project, (I would have liked to save the Ark Royal, but not having a naval dockyard or billions, it was never going to happen) and the MOD/Navy or whatever turn down the 'offer' as it would likely come back and haunt them. However, you have all the gear to recover this Ram, you have somewhere to house it and facilities for restoration. Give it a try!
Sherman Ram without a Turret were used as Kangroo Armored Personal Carriers
Or even a Kangaroo. Is there any way to tell a Ram that has lost its turret apart from a Kangaroo that had had it purposely removed?
Hello Matt, Live nearby and have tried various ways to save this Ram, written to a lot of government departments
trying to see who or how this can be released and saved. NO Positive responses. happy to share where I got to with you
if that helps
The Ram is not a Sherman variant. Being based on the M3 chassis, it’s a Lee/Grant variant. The Canadians did make their own variant of the Sherman called the Grizzly.
Early production RAm MKII.
There are only 5/6 surviving vehicles including one or two with their hulls buried in 2 feet of concrete as cold war fortifications in the Netherlands.
So definitely a good restoration project!
I remember about 2-3 years ago I saw a m4a2 Sherman along the roadside, there were two people who seemed to be trying to restore the tank, it had the treads, turret, gun all intact. What a sight it was.
Definitely needs to be saved. Needs lots of persistence to get it
Bovington’s Mk1 Ram (with the aux m/g turret) is complete but not a runner. Tim Isaac at Cobbaton Combat Collection in Devon is restoring an excellent, undamaged Mk2 (with a fixed m/g hull fitting). It’s a rolling hull but the R-975 radial is not re-installed yet. He has the 6 pounder turret to go with it, but will not be using it as, at least in the first instance, he’s going to run it in it as a Kangaroo troop carrier.
looking forward to seeing where you get with it. (nice part about the Ram is it shares a lot of parts with Shermans/Lees so parts shouldn't be impossible to find)
we riveted a new floor and sponson plates in one of these for a dutch collector last year that was an interesting job. this one is odd as it has had the later sherman bogie's fitted. they were used during the war mainly as personnel carriers so with the main turret removed like this one. loads of pics on the web.
I've been up there 100's of times, and didn't know it was there. I drove past that range last week! and yes it is inside Staffordshire.
So, forget popping inside a range while no one's looking .... ;)
If this is still an active range, it will have a Range Warden. He can tell you if it is on a military inventory. I once 'redistributed' a non-inventory set of good M3 Half Track tracks from a wreck on a range at Nordhorn in Holland and put them on my own vehicle.
I have a man on with looking into it as we speak
The key here is to find the Government department that has the power to sell this vehicle. I would start with finding out who commands that firing range. That person probably knows how they get old vehicles onto the range they might have an idea as to whom to talk to about acquiring old vehicles currently sitting on the range. And with you gents vast knowledge of UK armored vehicles there probably isn't a better group to restore it.
I remember when I was in Training as Guardsman in the mid 90s, we went to a range near Pribright where we spent time Firing Law 66 at various Tanks and APCs that they had dotted about on the range. Don't think there was anything that old on there on though.
The buildings and walls are part of a grenade range, the tower being part of the range safety. The holes in the "Ram" likely caused by Infantry 84mm Carl Gustav anti-tank training rounds (TPTP) Training Practice Tracer Projectile. A sub-caliber round.
Unless the practice rounds have HEAT projectiles then no.
The training rounds for the Charlie gutsake don't make holes in armour.
Thank you.
I bet if Bovington were sniffing around they'd say yes to them. Needs saving.
The last time I was at bovington which is about 3 years ago it was still there And quite an eye opener because they are so rare.
Matt please save this Ram! As a Canadian with a grandfather that loved every minute around these tanks, this find is very significant to me!
We are going to try our best!
@Fitter Mat I did a little digging online, and it seems a few have tried to save the tank. However, they did not have the facilities to repair a tank like you do!
Sounds mega rare, never heard of the Ram Sherman before.
There's four tanks from WW2 lost in the New Forest one Sherman, Two Churchill's and one unknown tank buried at the U boat base bombing range near me.
Used to play in one of these as a kid in the late 60's early 70's. It had also been used for target practice. It pointed out to sea, about 200m from the beach, on the Browndown firing range at Lee on Solent looking towards the Isle of Wight. I think it got pulled off there (saved ?) in the early 2000's, maybe the 90's even.
The ram is a ww2 vehicle but an ex postwar british army example after ww2 the british retained turretless ram tanks as kangaroo armoured personnel carriers and tow vehicles for howitzers.after ww2 the british surplused theirs due to there being better tow vehicles available and they ended up on ranges,there are other ram tanks from the same regiment all languishing on ranges in the uk.
Certainly looks like a Ram Kangaroo and as @danielt.3152 said the Australian Armour and infantry museum have an operational One , good luck getting it off the range.
Hauling it out will be one thing. Getting the Govt. to even recognize it's existence might be a Herculean effort. I wish you the very best of luck. If it just disappears some rainy night I won't say anything.
Fantastic pub just over the hill from there... The Winking Man
I made a few conquests at The Winking Man nightclub, just up the road when I were a lad, an auto loader would have been handy....
When I worked at Bovington 18 Base.( Dorset) Not the museum! we had a Sherman suddenly appear.But no one was allowed to touch it. Because it was contaminated with I forget what. But it was the the corrosion of the electrical terminals.And there were a lot of them. I have no idea what happened to that Sherman. It was probably scrapped ! But it was interesting to see it.
There were a RAM and a RAM Kangaroo (Troop carrier)listed as being at bovington camp armour museum.
Enjoyed that. Imagine if that could tell you where it’s been since it was made all those years ago. Lovely old girl.
Wish you the best with that…. A rare find…. and as some have said,used as a troop transporter 😉😎
Ram with the sheep - how poetic
That's what them Foden heavy recovery trucks are for Mat lol
They will come in handy if we can get it!
I know exactly where that is. Visited it many times over many years and around there when serving in the military.
Could you give me the location? i would love to visit this place as well!
I keep meaning to have a walk across to see this rare machine. Might be a walk out on the bank holiday.
Plenty old stuff on Warcop ranges, several ww2 tanks too
the walking is greatly appreciated!
When your out of gods county doesn’t matter where you are it ain’t home🤣. Great bit of history at the end. Makes you wonder if anyone knows it’s something a bit different and not just another Sherman 🤔
Hopefully you will be looky as you (fix things like this)good luck and drop a video of the progress
You actually can find one at the Cavalry Museum in Amersvoort, Holland.
Up on t mooers! That's a rate broad accent that lad! Things like that should be restored and put in museums instead of rusting away in the hills. Great video cheers ✌️😎
This is actually a somewhat later Ram MK II hull, not the very last one with the co-drivers cupola removed and the cast hull MG, but just before that one. you can tell based off the doors in the hull sides being gone and the late trailing arm type suspension. As to "The Ram was an M3" literally the only difference between an M3 and an M4 hull was the little lip on the three piece housing at the front for the M3. This is actually an M4 chassis as it's using the regular Sherman type 3 piece front. The later Rams such as this could use the improved single piece cast front as on the Sherman as well.
The Ram is it's own thing, calling it a variant of an m3/m4 is a bit unfair as all it's using from them is quite literally a box with an engine and transmission in it and the suspension bolted to the sides. as that's all the lower hull is on an m3/m4. The upper hull and turret all the interesting bits are it's own unique thing.
The Ram was actually more armoured then both the M3 and the M4 to a significant degree in some places.
ooo, a Ram, most likely a Kangaroo APC variant given no standard Rams ever saw combat. Not sure if they even reached the UK from Canada unless they'd already been converted.
Worth saving but as it's fairly stuck there I reckon you'll need both Fodens :)
That not a Ram, that a Kangaroo. They took turret off and used them as to transport infantry to support tanks. The Bovington Ram, is either in storage or on loan as i did not see it there last time i was there.
The Ram tank is used as a gate guard outside ATDU Bovington.
@@Mr_wayne0805 I seen so many gate guard tanks at bovington it slipped my mind. I used to agency work there and amount of tanks i would see on the daily kinda made me forget about it. Would say if you look by workshops by tank museum you may find a rare Churchill gun carrier. It just the hull rusting away now, but was shocked it was there. Was sure there was one on display inside tank museum years ago.
It would be amazing if that Ram could be saved!
Just go at night and take it lol, deal with the paper work after
Cobbaton combat collection have a ram which they are restoring
I am sure this is a Ram Kangaroo - the driver hatch and the gunner turret gives it away
Quite possibly, variants built in wartime weren’t exactly known for being precisely made so some more digging is required, either way it deserves saving!
Very cool !
Good luck Mat
The UK version of (zip ties N bias Plies) great channel if you like this guy that guy is right up your alley 😂👌🏻 mint
Good luck getting that thing out
It's not that bad and I think that orange peel will buff out. Great find!
Anyone have any idea on why the hull MG turret is in noticeably worse condition in comparison to the hull? or maybe its not in worse condition but it's still an odd color for being where it is.
Well you a Foden Wrecker get permission and give it a try !
nice work, and good luck.
Interesting stuff mate! Just found your channel 👍 slowly trying to get through the vids “who knows who really cares” 😂😂👍👌
Matt that would be a blinding catch if you could sort it bud we'll worth it, rare as hen's teeth as well
Love it mate From Cairns
Whats the temp
The buildings are part of a grenade range.
Wow what a find .
Yes, try to save it if you can.
great job mate 👍
Thanks 👍
Australian Armor has a website, they might need the parts, they do many rebuilds
Hi Matt,
What happened with this?
Did you find out anymore or get permission to go and get in
Keep up the videos great viewing 👍
Still waiting on the relevant people getting involved, it won’t be a quick process I’m afraid
I think Mark Felton has made a video on this on UA-cam.
Yes I've just watched it pretty interesting
Hope you can save it
It might not have ever had a turret put on it, they used them as APC's in Europe.
So he's on the moors for a tank, takes all sorts I guess
Tank with a 'W' was that? Lol
@@samrodian919 most people just go dogging
@@nicholasviney5975 bit fucking cold out there this time of year lol most people do that in the summer!
Not a tank ram comment but Matt, buy yourself a mic and wind sock thingy to plug in to cut out the wind noise on your lively camera
Don't worry, Mat, we've got used to shite sound quality on your videos. 😉
It maybe a kangaroo apc it also has sherman suspension with early m3 wheels I don't think rams made it to England apart from test samples kangaroos were used in Holland etc good luck
Quite possibly, some more digging is required but for now the important thing is to try and save it
Would you guys be interested in a Ural 375 7.0 petrol v8? I'm in two minds as to whether to restore it or cut my losses.
The other Ram is Still in Bovington
Keep digging and save it.
1:30 looks like some fertil farm land
Looks like a Grenade range and AT maybe.
Eh bye eck, thas looks like a smashing tank tha nuz 😅
Rare as hen's teeth that.
Somone been watching mark Felton’s videos lol
That's a grenade range mind your step lol
Canadian Ram tank...
What Hull is deboss garages shermanator on?
Tried lol did any of them have a Foden Recker
Felton did a video about this tank: ua-cam.com/video/vl3WPpeYyK0/v-deo.html
Is this near Buxton?
Up by the winking man
There was a ram and a Churchill on the range at Barry Buddon back in the seventies, Used for stopping Carl Gustav and law rounds…..
It was a hand grenade range
it was driven there I recon..
A Ram.
Very interesting thankyou butt
Judging by the state of the roads around here they probably just drove it there ... Lol
Plot twist... It's very much active and was full of snipers.
If they missed my fat arse they need sacking!
Gerit bak ome!
Where is this range?
BANG! 😆
That’s just up road from me.
If it is still on a range it isn’t abandoned it’s a target
Email the Tank Museum in Bovington.