Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

[David]

For many people, the name Rolls-Royce still conjures up the idea of “armoured car”, at least as much as visions of the urbane life associated with what is claimed to be “the Best Car in the World”. The reason is easy to find because not only did Rolls-Royce ar­moured cars serve on many fronts as far apart as South-West Africa and Russia from 1914 onwards in the First World War, but in a recognizably similar form were employed in the British and other armies throughout the inter-war years all over the world, and again in action during the earlier years of the Second World War. The foundation of this story of successful longevity really lies in the London-Edinburgh trials of the year 1911 when Rolls-Royce cars established their reputation for high quality combined with strength and reliability. After the outbreak of war, early reports from Commander C. R. Samson's RNAS aeroplane and armoured car force at Dunkirk confirmed that mechanically the best of his improvised armoured cars were undoubtedly the Rolls­Royces. In September 1914, all Rolls-Royce chassis in the works at Derby, or in the hands of coachbuilders or agents, and some cars completed with coachwork were requisitioned. These were all of the “Silver Ghost” model which had been standardized since 19088. The en­gine was a six-cylinder 7428-c.c. unit described as 40/50 h.p. and developing a maximum of around 8o b.h.p. The gear-box was a four-speed type in 1914 cars although it is believed that a few earlier cars with the three-speed gear­box may also have been among those converted to armoured cars. Design of the turreted pattern Rolls­Royce armoured car was commenced about October 1914, following discussions as to how to provide better protection than that offered by the early open top armoured vehicles. A small committee was formed in the Admiralty Air Department to consider this problem. Leading members were Squadron Commander W. Briggs and Flight Commander T. G. Hethering­ton (both of the R.N.A.S.) and they were assisted by Lord Wimborne and Mr N. C. Macnamara. A rough design of car with a turret was worked out and a model was made in three-ply wood. This involved some curved armour plates and Mr Scott of William Beard­more and Co. evolved a method of bending light armour plate. After the design was finalized, pro­duction went ahead and the first three Rolls-Royce armoured cars of the turreted pattern were delivered on 3 December 1914. The complement for the first RNAS squadron of the Armoured Car Division - twelve armoured cars - was completed during December and the squadron was sent to the East Coast of England both for trials and to guard against invasion. In service, heavier suspension was found to be necessary and new springs, consisting of thirteen leaves at the front and fifteen leaves at the rear, were fitted on these cars and standardized for all later Rolls-Royce armoured cars. The new axle casings were also changed for a heavier pattern. A total of six squadrons of Rolls-Royce armoured cars was completed by the end of January 1915 but Maxim machine-guns had to be obtained from ships of the Fleet to fully equip them all. Training went ahead quickly, and in March the first two squadrons were sent on active service overseas - one to France (and later to Egypt) and the other to German South-West Africa from whence in July a section went on to East Africa. Early experience in action in France suggested the need for a plate on the gun barrel to protect the open mounting and this was fitted, on many cars later. In Africa the cars won praise for their mechanical reliability (although conditions in some areas pre­cluded the use of the higher gears for days on end), but the twin Rudge Whit­worth rear wheels filled with Rubberine (a puncture sealing substance) were often in urgent need of replacement. In April two further squadrons were sent to Gallipoli where, however, only one major opportunity presented itself for armoured car action. From August 1915 onwards the Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Division was broken up and most of the equipment was handed over to the Army. Some Rolls-Royce armoured cars were at this time stripped of their armour and converted into ambulances, light lorries or tenders. Others re­mained in service in Light Armoured Motor Batteries of the Army, including the cars in Egypt and Palestine and the ones that took part in Colonel T. E. Lawrence's campaign. Two Rolls-Royce armoured cars were in Russia with Commander Locker-Lampson's force (which remained a Royal Naval Air Service detachment) until the Revolution in 1917 - one of these was claimed to have done 53,000 miles over terrible roads or no roads at all with only minor repairs. The Rolls-Royce 1914 Admiralty turreted pattern armoured car needs little description: its basic layout with a central driver's and fighting compartment topped by a revolving turret and and open platform behind was used for other types of British armoured cars right up to the Second World War. The crew was normally three men - the driver sitting on the floor on a cushion and, in action, the other two standing to serve the Vickers machine-gun mounted in the turret. Space was limited inside the car, however, and for this reason sometimes the crew was only two, in which case the driver fed the machine-gun, when driving, with one hand. There were a few modifications and variants of the basic type. One experimental car had the turret removed and a 1-pdr. automatic gun (“pom pom”) fitted on an open mounting. Minor modifications were also made on the cars according to their own theatres of war. For example, T. E. Lawrence's cars all had double wheels front and rear to cope with the extremely rough desert terrain. They also removed the roof plates so that the conditions inside would be made more bearable. Other modifications were made for different fighting zones such as the addition of an extra commander's cupola on the turret roof. For engaging and pulling away barbed wire entanglements, some cars in France had a pivoted hook fitted at the front - this idea apparently originated at Gallipoli, where Turkish trenches were attacked in this way. Other than this no other major modifications were made right up to 1920 when new plans were drawn up for a totally improved armoured car. It turned out however that the so-called improvement was almost identical to the old 1914 pattern save an extra inch to the turret height, louvres on the hatches in front of the radiotor plus the addition of disc wheels. Some Rolls-Royce armoured cars of this 1914 pattern (together with cars of the very similar 1920 pattern) remained in service for many years after the War - notably with the Royal Tank Corps in India and with the Royal Air Force Armoured Car Companies in Iraq. Some of the R.A.F. cars (somewhat modernized) were still in active use at Habbaniya as late as 1941. Colour schemes varied with the type of country in which they were used. Normally service green was used in the United Kingdom but green with brown and dark grey (or variations of this theme) were used in war-time European theatres; and sand with or without charcoal and black (or pale blue-grey) were used for desert camuoflage. Dazzle camouflage was also used in fairly regular patterns. The colours consisted of yellow ochre, red-brown, blue and dark green (similar to the early tanks of this period). The tyres are light grey, the colour of natural rubber. The bronze green seen on the vehicle below is a typical post-war colour. Main source: B.T. White: "Tanks and other Armored Fighting Vehicles 1900-1918". Published 1970.