Ammunition bin beside driver

There was an ammunition bin in the forward left-hand sponson compartment, beside the driver. It held 6 rounds for the main gun.

This diagram shows the bin as seen from the driver's position. The bin occupied almost the full length of the forward sponson compartment. It was fully enclosed, with a folding door made of three hinged sections. The door was held in place by two standard latches.

This is a bin removed from the Bovington vehicle. Apart from the door, the outer shell is featureless.

This diagram shows some dimensions of the bin.

The bin occupied less than half the width of the sponson floor. This is a view from behind.

The bin was screwed into three lugs welded to the hull wall, and nutted onto two threaded rods on the sponson floor. They are shown above.

The bin was made of 2mm sheet metal, welded together. It consisted of an open framework of U-beams, covered by a shell. The rear side of the shell was a folding door. This photograph shows the rear of the unit, with the door open. Notice that there is no protective shell between the ammunition and the hull wall.

This is the rear of the unit, as seen from the hull wall. The folding door is closed. There are wooden cushions for the ammunition, held in metal trays. Under the dust, this is the original paint finish. Notice that the entire unit was painted ivory before installation in the tank.

This diagram of the outside of the bin shows that the ammunition was completely exposed to splinters from impacts on the hull wall.

Sources

[1] Survey of vehicle 250122, Bovington, by David Byrden

[2] Survey of vehicle 251114, at Saumur, by Jean-Charles Breucque

Copyright © David Byrden 1998-2007 except where indicated.

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