Churchill tank names

[damon 7525xp 0]

Hi guys, I’m after a bit of community wisdom.

I’m starting a project to build a troop of Churchill tanks from C squadron of the North Irish Horse Regiment in Tunisia in 1943.

I’ve been butting heads with Google for a couple of hours but seem to have come to a dead end…

I’ve identified tactical markings carried and that each tank was named for an Irish town beginning with the squadron letter, I’ve found a list of the tank names but I’m struggling to identify which troop within the squadron each was assigned to, I’ve found a few but the rest escape me. Specifically I would like to find out which troop ‘Coleraine’ was attached to and what were the other tank names in the same troop? Does anyone have a resource that could help?

Identified tank names:

C Squadron
Carnlough
Castlederg (no 3 troop)
Cavan
Clonmel (no 3 troop)
Cobh
Cookstown (no 1 troop)
Carrickfergus
Castlerobin (no 4 troop)
Claudy
Coagh
Coleraine
Cork (no 3 troop)
Carryduff
Castlerock
Clogher
Coalisland
Comber
Crossgar

[elessar2590 18207xp 1]

“Coleraine”
C Sqn
North Irish Horse, 21st Tank Brigade
1943
Tunisia/Italy

Infantry A22, Mk IV Churchill

That’s all the info I can find sorry.

[oriskany 60771xp 2]

I actually lucked out with a spreadsheet that looks like it has every A22 Infantry tank Churchill listed with its name, squadron, etc.  Below is the detail of C Sq, North Irish Horse.  It lists Coleraine under “C” Squadron, but no actual name for the troop.

If you PM me you e-mail address I can send you the whole spreadsheet.

Now as far as troops might be concerned, I’ve noticed these are missing on most of these.  Is it possible they were moved around between troops within the squadrons?

 

 

[elessar2590 18207xp 1]

I’m using the same spreadsheet as @oriskany very handy

My best guess (as Oriskany said) is that Coleraine was moved from one troop to another. The Regiment did lose some tanks and got Sherman’s as Replacements maybe it was shuffled so all of the Tanks in a Troop would be the same type?

The regiment lost most of it’s tanks at the very end of the war (assault on the Hitler Line) maybe Coleraine was one of them and was taken out of the records? Maybe the only tanks listed with Troops are the originals that made it through the war?

[oriskany 60771xp 2]

@elessar2590 –

[damon 7525xp 1]

@elessar2590 @oriskany

Thank you chaps, your help is appreciated.

It appears you have hit the same wall I have.

@oriskany, looking at the image you posted, it seems we have found the same spreadsheet, that’s where I found the few troop numbers that I have.

So now I know Coleraine wasn’t in no 3 troop, (all three tanks in that troop are named above), so that leaves four troops to choose from, five if you include the HQ troop, and the problem with the HQ troop is that the NIH had two mk I Churchills in each command troop, that would need a bit of heavy converting work to back date the mark III’s that I have.

Oh well, looks like I can apply a bit of artistic license to the troop number, just need to try and pin down the right camo colours now, a whole new can of worms…

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