Sherman Identification request ?

[rob1713]

Ive just been given a couple of Photo albums of WWII fire service related photo's to scan and save for the owner. In one album is this picture of a Sherman having its waterproofing tested by fire hose.
I wonder if anyone could help with a unit ID for the tank, the picture was taken just prior to D Day in the Lewes area of Sussex. This area was mostly occupied by Canadian units prior to their embarkation to ships at Newhaven or Shoreham.
Ive zoomed in on a marking painted above the O/S track which perhaps may help

[tankbarrell]

Well, it's an early M4A2, Sherman III, only certain units used them.
8th Armoured Brigade
27th Armoured Brigade
2nd Canadian Armoured Division
If Canadian, the three regiments in the Brigade were :-
1st Hussars
The Fort Garry Horse
The Sherbrooke Fusiliers

[rob1713]

Thanks for the info, I know the date and rough area that this was taken so I will do a bit more digging now I have some units to look at.
Do you think that the little 'saint' figure is relevant as a unit ID or just a personal crew marking?

[tankbarrell]

No, the figure is likely just a crew addition, certainly not an official marking.

[wrecker]

What part of Lewes do you suspect ?
If youve more interesting photos perhaps the owner would let you post here ?

[rob1713]

The album is mostly fire service related but there are many photos of Brighton , Shoreham and fire pumps and crews based on the larger assembly camps in the area. There are a few pictures of one of these camps just outside of Lewes at conyboro which is in cooks bridge and another at sutton hall which is in the barcombe area, the Sherman picture was amongst this group which makes me think it was at one of these camps.

I can post some of these pics but I'm not sure which would be the best thread to put them in and I also need to get my photo editing software sorted as they need a bit of cropping and they are memory heavy as I've scanned them at a high resolution.

[wrecker]

As well as my general interest in sussex ive a friend in cooksbridge who would like to know more and a friend in lewes whos dad was in the fire brigade so bring em on,heres a pic of 3rd london yeomanry at worthing prior to normandy landings.

[rob1713]

I'm in the fire brigade and have been based at Lewes since 1999 so I probably know him, and I went to school in cooksbridge so I probably know your other mate.

I like your picture, I've not seen it before.

I'll start to post some more pics on a new thread when I get my laptop and photo editing software fired up.

Rob

[tankbarrell]

One thing I would add is that they are not testing the waterproofing, merely washing the mud off the suspension. Waterproofing is tested by immersion, indeed a high pressure water jet is detrimental to the waterproofing compounds as they were relatively fragile.

[rob1713]

You mean like this



Sherman being water tested properly at Preston Park in Brighton late May 1944, once again any help on the unit would be appreciated.