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A New Zealand-manufactured Bren No 2 Mk I LP Carrier with its distinctive camouflage pattern.

Notice
the normal sloped glacis plate and the steering gear housing just above the horn.
New Zealand purchased six Carriers built in
Britain by Thornycroft and given WD numbers
T2689-2694 and British registrations HMH242-
247. It then proceeded to manufacture 40 of
its own, known as the Carrier, Bren No 2 Mk I
LP, at the Railway Workshops at Woburn, near
Wellington. It was almost a copy of the Bren
No 2 Mk I Carrier but incorporated
improvements from the Bren No 2 Mk II Carrier
that was already being produced by Nuffield
and Aveling-Barford in England.
Australia purchased one Bren No 2 Mk I
Carrier as a template for its own production. It
had been produced by Nuffield around March
or April 1937. The Australian LP Carrier was
known as Carrier, MG (Aust) No1 or LP1, and
it was introduced in 1940 with approximately
160 being manufactured. Unlike its New
Zealand counterpart, the Australian machine
was steered using levers that actuated the
hydraulic brake master cylinders. Pulling on
one lever braked that particular side and also
allowed the transfer of power through the
differential mechanism to the non-braked
side. A brake pedal also connected the
steering rods which allowed both sides to be
braked together.
However, in practice it was particularly
difficult to stop in a straight line as it was
difficult to ensure that the brakes were evenly
adjusted. Many veteran drivers used the
levers to brake both sides as this allowed
adjustments to be made by them. The New
Zealand Bren No 2 Mk I LP used the same
steering system as the British vehicle, track
warping and braking by way of a steering
wheel. This didnt allow for any power transfer
to the non-braked side.
Other main differences between the two
countries LP Carriers concerned the rear
axle, the bogie wheels, the front glacis plate
and gunners compartment. The Ford axle
used on the Australian LP1 was a standard
truck axle but with a different hub (which was
to be further altered in later vehicles) whilst
the New Zealand hub assembly was sourced
from Canada. The Australians produced their
own style of bogie wheel with ribbed spokes,
while New Zealand opted for the British or
Canadian-style spokes.
Probably the most notable difference was
to the front of the vehicle. The Australian
Carriers front glacis plate was lifted to
enable the steering levers to be sited under
it, similar to the Universal Carrier T16,
and there was also a centrally-positioned
towing eye. The firing slot was also wider to
accommodate the Vickers gun on a pintle
mount just under it. Because New Zealand
production retained the steering wheel and
the Bren gun, neither the glacis plate nor the
firing slot were altered.
Both countries LP Carriers saw service in
North Africa but it was the severe conditions
of that theatre that exposed the Australian
LP1s lack of reliability when defects such as
overheating, excessive brake wear and the
general shortage of spare parts meant that
many were unserviceable. Units running the
British and Canadian-based Carriers were
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND LOCAL PATTERN CARRIERS (PRODUCED 1940-1944)
N
ew Zealand and Australia purchased examples of the Bren No 2 Mk I Carrier from
Britain in 1938 and 1939 respectively. They were to become the base models for the
two countries own types of Carrier that were produced during the forties.
THE CARRIER
In the sixth part of his series, Nigel Watson turns his attention to
Australian and New Zealand Local Pattern Carriers
28 CLASSIC MILITARY VEHICLE July 2013
A side view of the New Zealand LP Carrier. Above the census number is a triangular cast iron plate signifying that non-armoured plates are fitted.
Experimental Australian LP1 with an enclosed front compartment and a hatch over the gunner.
This Carrier used the track-warp steering system. The central headlamp is a later addition and
not part of the experiment.
A side ie of the N Z land LP Ca ie Abo the mb i tria ul t ir late ignifyin that d plat fitted.
more fortunate as, although these defects were
encountered, the overall reliability was better.
Experiments were undertaken by Australian
engineers using the track-warping steering
system incorporated into a Carrier that had an
enclosed front compartment. Subsequently, a
machine that had the conventional open front
compartment was tested and became the
prototype for the LP2 and LP2A Carriers which
went into production early in 1941 with four
manufacturers, Victorian Railways (also the
main coordinating contractor), South Australian
Railways, the Metropolitan Gas Company
and the Ford Motor Company. In 1943 a fifth
company, State Engineering Works, joined the
consortium.
The new Australian Carriers were known
as the Carrier, MG (Aust) LP2 and LP2A.
They featured a welded hull and completely
new stowage arrangements. A long, higher
air scoop was introduced to combat engine
overheating problems, and it was hoped that
the introduction of a track-warping and braking
steering system would address the braking
defects encountered with the previous model.
LP2s were fitted with a 1938 rear axle whereas
LP2As came with a 1940-type axle.
New Zealand obtained an Australian LP2
Carrier and, using it as a basis, produced 520
of what was known as the Carrier, MG LP2
(NZ) at the General Motors New Zealand plant
in the Hutt Valley. As with the Australian-built
LP2, Ford V8 side-valve engines were imported
from Canada. New Zealand also sourced the
drivetrain, radiator, gearbox, differential and
rear axle from Canada, whereas Australia
seems to have used its own resources for
those components. New Zealand upgraded its
CARRIER STORY
29 CLASSIC MILITARY VEHICLE July 2013
6
LP2 Carriers to accommodate Bren guns and
later also used the 1940-type rear axle which,
as with the Australian machines, resulted in an
LP2A designation.
All Carriers produced by Australia and
New Zealand, and indeed by the other
Commonwealth countries, used Horstmann
suspension units, but it was only Australia and
New Zealand that opted for a slightly different
track link system for their vehicles.
Britain ordered through the Eastern Supply
Group Council (ESGC) 650 Carriers from New
Zealand to be given WD numbers T77594
to 78243. They would seem to have been
Right: This side view shows the AT Carrier in travelling mode. Between the gun shield and the
driver you can see the three gun crew seats. Below: LP1 crew members of the 6th Australian
Infantry Division pause to view ruins as they advance through Greece in the spring of 1941. Note
that their LP1 retains the early Caunter-pattern camouflage scheme.
Th
The New Zealand LP Carrier had a single kit locker on the track guard, less of a sloped glacis plate,
a different rear hub arrangement and cast bogie wheels with reinforcement ribbing on the inside
and a smooth outside finish.
Th Th Th Th Th Th Th Th Th Th Th Th
Th Ne Zeal d LP C ri had ingl kit lock th tr k d, l of lo d gl is late
destined for Commonwealth units fighting
in the Mediterranean, although none were
to leave New Zealand. Instead they were
modified to MMG, 3in Mortar, six-pounder
AT tractors and flamethrowers to equip
the countrys post-war army. As an aside,
the ESGC had been formed in August 1940
and based in Simla, India. Its aim was to
coordinate the allocation of surplus production
from India, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Various experimental Carriers were tested
in both countries, with Australia eventually
manufacturing an Anti-Tank Carrier and 3in
Mortar Carrier. A pilot model for an
upgraded LP2A was produced in
1944 but not adopted.
TWO-POUNDER ANTI-TANK
CARRIER (PRODUCED 1942)
Initial designs were developed for mounting
the two-pounder QF gun on a modified LP2
Carrier hull. At first the gun was mounted on
the left side, positioned over the gunners
compartment, and hydraulics enabled the gun
to be raised to a firing position or lowered for
travelling. A modification to the engine deck
allowed for it to be elevated and traversed
more easily.
Further designs were proposed
involving the mounting of the
engine centrally in a forward
position, and then to one side of
the front compartment, but after
extensive testing some major issues evolved
concerning failed driveshaft couplings, poor
access to various components and engine
venting problems. It was eventually decided
to lengthen the hull by 8.75in (222mm) as
30 CLASSIC MILITARY VEHICLE July 2013
tm t, nd hyd ulic abled th te iv
almost a copy of the Bren
No 2 Mk I Carrier
Above: This New Zealand LP Carrier has a
Lewis gun fitted and is carrying an extra crew
member in the back. Carriers were able to
climb an incline of approximately 62%.
Above: The Carrier, MG (Aus.) No 3, or LP3, was the final LP Carrier proposed. Similar in design to
its predecessors, it incorporated several innovations including a new steering front idler wheel
which enabled track warping in a different way and larger rear engine ducting.
Above: A Carrier, MG (Aust) LP2. Left: A Carrier, MG (Aust) No 1, or LP1, illustrating characteristics
such as a steeper-sloped glacis plate, wider firing slot, twin kit lockers, ribbed-spoke bogie wheels
and early rear-sprocket wheel hub.
Above: The Carrier MG (Aus.) No 3 or LP3 was the final LP Carrier proposed. Similar in design to
Ab
su
an
well as incorporate an improved cooling
system and transmission arrangement. This
also improved the space available to operate
the gun and stow ammunition. The position
of all the suspension units relative to the rear
sprocket stayed the same but the front idler
wheel was moved.
The two-pounder was mounted centrally on
a rear deck allowing 360 degrees of traverse.
The drivers compartment was forward and
to the right. The engine was mounted to the
left of the driver with its air intake on the front
plate. The earlier design had a single air scoop
on its glacis plate and a small air cleaner. After
further testing these were then modified to
provide better air circulation for the engine.
The Anti-tank Carrier had a crew
complement of four driver, crew commander,
gun layer and loader. The gunnery team sat in
the rear where they were able to man the gun
at short notice. Apart from the two-pounder,
the Carrier was equipped with a .303 Bren, a
.45 Thomson sub-machine gun and a .45 Colt
automatic pistol.
In February 1942 the prototype underwent
gunnery trials at Puckapunyal and produced
exceptional results. Fifteen rounds were fired
in 60 seconds against a moving target at 800
yards (734m) and 12 hits were recorded.
On the back of this trial the Australian Army
placed an order for 200 Anti-tank Carriers
with the Metropolitan Gas Company in Victoria.
The last came off the production line on 15
October 1942 but it soon became obvious
from reports coming out of North Africa that
the two-pounder was unable to deal effectively
with enemy armour. As a result, the AT Carrier
was destined to be a training and defence
vehicle.
THE 3IN MORTAR CARRIER (PRODUCED
1942-1943)
Various attempts had been made to mount
a 3in mortar on a conventional Carrier hull.
Britain had used a Carrier with the mortar
mounted in the gunners compartment, and
Australia took a similar route by testing a
mortar that was mounted on a strengthened
31 CLASSIC MILITARY VEHICLE July 2013
Below: This Anti-Tank Carrier is the later
version with twin air scoops on the glacis plate
ahead of the engines air cleaner arrangement.
Below: Carrier, 3in Mortar (Aust). Notice the mortar base plate
mounted on the side of the engine compartment at the front.
b plat Belo C ri 3i Mort (Aust). Notic th rt b rt b
The mortars turntable base. Th rt s t ntable b
A rear view of the Mortar Carrier (Aust) shows the rear curved bins where weapons spares and crew
items were stowed. The mortar bomb bins can be seen down each side of the fighting compartment.
32 CLASSIC MILITARY VEHICLE July 2013
engine deck. It was not adopted and, in early
1942, the Metropolitan Gas Company was
tasked with designing a Carrier
specifically for the mortar role but
utilising as many existing parts as
possible.
The main features of what was
to be called the Carrier, 3in Mortar (Aust),
were the same as for the Anti-tank Carrier
and it was only the rear compartment that
was altered. The mortar was mounted on the
revolving floor deck where the two-pounder
had been installed, and the mortar bombs were
stored in armoured bins. Stowage brackets
for the crews .303 rifles and Thomson sub-
machine gun were provided within the fighting
compartment against the rear and forward
bulkheads respectively. The mortar tools,
aiming posts and pioneer tools were clamped
to the mortar bomb compartment lids.
The pilot model was tested towards the
end of April 1942 and an order for 400 was
subsequently placed. It was completed by
the end of June 1943 having
been delayed by Anti-tank Carrier
production. A further order for
640 was switched to MG Carrier
production as the Australian Armys
requirement for the type ceased. All 400 Mortar
Carriers were shipped overseas as aid towards
the end of the war.
st), had be i talled d th rt b bs ha ir
exposed the Australian
LP1s lack of reliability

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