BRENS IN ACTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 June 1939, Page 7

BRENS IN ACTION

IMPRESSIVE DEMONSTRATION AT TE ORE ORE FIRING PRACTICE INTERESTS LARGE CROWD. MARVELLOUS HILL-CLIMBING CAPABILITIES. Slithering over paddocks at a speed >f about thirty miles an hour, climbing a 200 ft. hill at an angle of. at least 15 degrees in 30 seconds and taking ■mall gullies in their stride were some >f the achievements of the two Bren ;un carriers at a demonstration held in the Te Ore Ore Rifle Range on Saturday afternoon. Between five and six lundred spectators were deeply impressed with the power and wonderful nobility of these .machines, which juickly negotiated hilly country and ilmost immediately began to splutter jut bullets at targets 500 yards up the /alley. Among those present were '.ocal Territorials, who attended for intructional purposes. As the result of he demonstration, seven recruits offer'd for service in the Territorials.

Before the demonstration actually :ommenced, Sergeant G. T. Seccombe briefly indicated the main points of the carriers, which are propelled by twin laterpillar tracks of hardened steel. The armour plating was, proof against Mark VII. ammunition. Rifle bullets -.carcely dented the plating, and even irmour-piercing bullets only made leat indentations less than one-eighth f an inch deep. The smallest ammulition that could pierce the plating was hat of a point five machine gun. The ■arrier, which was made by John Phornycroft & Co., was equipped with 1 V 8 Ford truck engine. The demonstration opened with the wo carriers travelling round a flat addock at high speed, turning with he greatest facility and within a small •ompass, and coming to an abrupt stop f necessary. This accomplished, they iroceeded smartly up the valley over depressions and hillocks as if they did' lot exist and on arriving at the 500 'ards range opened fire on targets '■laced further up the gully. Moving in to the 300 yards range, further firng was carried out and by the use of racer bullets, the public was able to bllow the proceedings with added interest. Lieutenant I. A. Hart, Sergt. - Major C. E. Rogers and Lance-Corporal 3. Cardno all had a turn at firing the 3ren. Lance-Corporal Cardno recently ittended a special course of instruction it Trentham for the handling of this nachine. Following on the firing prac;ice, the carriers turned their noses up till . and within thirty seconds were rn the brow about 200 feet away. It vas an amazing exhibition of what can oe accomplished by these extremely nobile light tanks. At the conclusion .bf the demonstration, which was necessarily of a brief lature on account of the time available, the carriers were to be seen disippearing at a smart speed en route o Trentham Camp, where they were due at 5 o’clock.