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Ferret Scout Car
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Strangely Brown View Drop Down
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    Posted: March 15 2026 at 6:06am
A local news item on the tv here in the UK made me look up a week ago. 
The tank museum at Bovington in Dorset had discovered a live cartridge from a Mauser that had been hidden in one of the recesses of a Tiger tank for some 80 years...hardly a news item!

The bit that made me look was the chat afterwards with one of the museum staff telling the presenter about the find; my eyes were drawn to the ferret scout car behind him and the registration on it, 00EC98.
Whilst the ferret has had an upgrade with a new turret fitted it is still the one I drove in the early 1970's in Germany!




The was call sign G36A and the GPO's (Gun Position Officers) vehicle. 
We carried the director, (essential a very accurate compass) on a tripod to pass a line to the guns so they were all pointing in the same direction. 
Those are gun markers strapped to the front of the ferret to place the guns where the GPO wants them, as well as the L4A4 converted Bren on the top I also has a Sterling somewhere in the vehicle. The bolted on interior containers were particularly useful, the one that should have held grenades stored my chocolate ration!  
5 forward and 5 reverse gears plus the exhilaration of a Rolls Royce engine, I didn't know how lucky I was!  

 
Mick
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Quite the coincidence Mick. And for you to remember the registration number? 

That’s an impressive vehicle.
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Sounds like a cool ride.
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Points: 4021 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 15 2026 at 10:57am
Nice hunting vehicle.
Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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Sweet find.
Is that an L4A2 up top?
Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Great find Mick, you must have been thrilled!  I was used to seeing them in Canada but was surprised to see a couple of Mk I's in private hands here in Texas.
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Originally posted by Shamu Shamu wrote:

Sweet find.
Is that an L4A2 up top?

L4A2 or possibly L4A4??
It was officially the LMG but we still called it the Bren, traditions (and memories) die hard!  
Mick
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Points: 16997 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote A square 10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 15 2026 at 12:11pm
mick mentioned it was L4A4 converted bren in the OP , very cool 
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Strangely Brown View Drop Down
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Points: 645 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Strangely Brown Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 15 2026 at 12:43pm
Originally posted by britrifles britrifles wrote:

Quite the coincidence Mick. And for you to remember the registration number?

Geoff, I think it's a British squaddie thing; back in 1970 as depot regiment for the school of artillery we had a number of observation vehicles called pigs and made by Humber in the 1950's. They were armoured radio vehicles and whilst out of date were useful for training establishments to use given their age.
One day we had to line them all up in the gun park and have the accompanying stores checked before they went off to be converted for use in Northern Ireland as troop carriers.
Fast forward to 1973 and the regiments first tour in Belfast, some of the lads recognised the registrations of vehicles they had driven on Salisbury Plain some 3 or 4 years earlier.
They were withdrawn from service in about 1992 so the MOD got their moneys worth out of them! 
Mick
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