Beltring 2000 -

The Millennium Edition

After I was bitten by the "Beltring Bug" last year, I had promised myself to attend the KM/IMPS War & Peace Show again at this year. The Millennium Edition was extra special as it was scheduled to last five days (19-23 July) instead of the usual three. I went there with my friend Geoff Winnington-Ball, who had come over from Canada especially for the event. We met many people with the same interests, and it was an outstanding success with some 3,000 privately owned military vehicles present. Anything from a bicycle to a Chieftain tank!

On this page you will only find pictures of Sherman related vehicles present at Beltring. (Please be patient while the pictures download.) For pictures of other vehicles, please refer to the links on the bottom of this page.

Please click on the photos (as applicable) to jump to large-scale copies. All images are copyrighted and all international copyrights are reserved.

Sherman V (M4A4)
	Last year my friend Carl Brown promised us to have his Sherman V up & running at Beltring this year. Carl and his crew put a tremendous amount of work into restoring a gunnery range wreck into a splendid example of a British Sherman V. Its manufacturers serial number is 19106, and its War Department census number is T-1510071.
	The Sherman arrived on Friday night. The turret had been fitted on Thursday and the paint still smelled fresh. It was driven off the low loader and parked. The picture shows Carl and Adrian checking the engine over before firing it up the next morning. Mind you, this 30 cylinder Chrysler A57 multibank engine was not some NOS example, but was rebuilt from six range wrecks!
	Apart from some exhaust studs needing a turn or two, there was no adjustment needed. Picture courtesy of Richard Notton.
	Richard Notton is checking for any oil leaks. Everything was fluid tight, so the engine was started up.
	The Sherman V starts its run around the arena...
	...and passes by the spectators who all enjoyed the sight and sound (30 cylinders!) of this fine Sherman.
	After its display - where it performed without a hitch - the Sherman is backed up into its parking spot - next to my tent!
	All that was needed was some minor track adjustment. Brian Kitcher and your editor are doing the hard work, Carl does the adjustment while Tim is waiting to jump in.
	Carl's Sherman V ready for its next day in the arena.

Yugoslav M36 90-mm Gun Motor Carriage
	Another interesting Sherman related AFV was this ex-Yugoslav M36 90-mm Gun Motor carriage. It is owned by Bob Fleming.
	Rear view, showing the extension added to the lower hull to accommodate the Soviet V12 diesel. See the Yugoslavia entry in the Sherman Encyclopedia for details on this conversion.
	This particular example has been extensively clad in rubber conveyor belting for added protection against RPG rounds.
	Note the overhead armoured cover on the open-topped turret and the wooden beams to which the rubber belting has been fitted.

Sexton 25 pdr self-propelled Gun
	A bone stock Sexton II 25 pdr SP Gun with Canadian Dry Pin tracks. Note the hinged "comb" on the right-hand final drive housing.
	Rear view of the Sexton, a regular sight at Beltring.

Scammell Pioneer SV/2S
	No, not a Sherman... But I could not resist this picture - that's me behind the steering wheel of that Scammell. I did not only get to drive it, but to pull the two behind it around the arena as well! Picture courtesy of Chris Shillito.

Links to other sites with Beltring 2000 pictures:

The War & Peace Show

The organizer's web site.

The KM War and Peace Picture Gallery

Nigel Hay, one of the organizers, posted his pictures of Beltring at MilWeb.

Chris Shillito's Images of Beltring 2000 - (Frame version of Armour in Focus)

Chris attended the show as a media guest and was given access to the arena during the displays. Make sure you take a look at his high quality pictures.

MLU GOES TO BELTRING 2000

My friend Geoff Winnington-Ball enjoyed the show as much as I did. He has an outstanding ability to describe the Beltring Experience, to which I have nothing to add. Read his story and tell me you don't want to be there next year!

Stefan Fredericksson's pictures

Stefan was one of the many visitors from abroad.

Dennis Buijs' "White Star"

Dennis is another Dutchman who went to Beltring and will come back for more next year...

Keep Them Rolling - (Frame version)

Keep Them Rolling is the Dutch counterpart of the British MVPA, of which many members attend Beltring.

"MV Marketplace.com"

Photographs on this page courtesy of Randy Canova.

Rutger and Eelke Warrink's PhotoPoint album

Douglas Greville's trip report: Beltring 2000

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Page created: 04-08-2000
Last update: 20-08-2000