INFANTRY TANK MK.III
VALENTINE
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Mk.III:
Vehicle on display at Bovington Tank Museum.
Mk.II with 3 man Turret:
Vehicle seen at Operation 50 held at the Muckleburgh Collection, 1989.
Mk.IV:
Vehicle on display at IWM Duxford.
Mk.IX:
Vehicle seen at a Tank Fest day at Bovington Tank Museum.
Mk.II Bridgelayer:
Vehicle on display at Bovington Tank Museum.
Mk.IX DD:
One of the most secret restorations ever undertaken, the Valentine DD must be one of the rarest vehicles in the world and being privately owned makes it all the Unique. This vehicle is owned by John Pearson who was quite happy to divulge a shed load of information .
Web Archive picture of a Valentine DD at sea.
The Vehicle was sold as surplus after the war to a farmer who bought it for use as a bull dozer, having removed the turret and rear armour which held the fittings for the propeller it was then left in a barn where it lay undisturbed until John purchased it. Luckily John recognized the bow shaped hull and found the removed parts in the same barn hiding behind a second Valentine hull, what parts were missing were either fabricated or sourced from afar as Australia and as the restoration was a timely one, he felt that silence would buy him the time needed to complete the restoration. With the original flotation screen either cut away or rotten, John made use of a old tarpaulin cut to size and used fireman's hose for the inflatable supports and fabricated the supporting arms, in time a proper flotation screen will be fitted and made workable but John has no plans to take his Valentine for a swim - and I don't blame him for this decision.
Vehicle seen at Beltring 2005.
| Variants | ||
| Mk I: 2-pdr armed with AEC 6 cylinder gasoline engine. | Mk IX: Mk V up-gunned with 6-pdr, turret crew reduced to two. | |
| Mk II: As Mk I but Diesel engine. | Mk X: 6-pdr armed with up-rated GMC diesel engine. | |
| Mk III: As Mk II But turret modified to take third crew member. Also turret modifications. | Mk XI: Mk X with 75mm gun. | |
| Mk IV: As Mk II but with GMC diesel engine. | OP/Command: Converted gun tank with dummy gun and extra radios. | |
| Mk V: As Mk III with three man turret and GMC diesel engine. | Scorpion II: Turret removed and fitted with a Flail to detonate mines. | |
| Mk VI: First Canadian production model, similar to Mk IV. GMC diesel engine. | Bridgelayer: Mk II with turret removed and fitted with hydraulic operated No 1 30ft scissor bridge | |
| Mk VII: Improved Mk VI. | DD (Duplex Drive): Mk III and Mk VIII fitted with flotation screen and propeller | |
| Mk VIIA: Improved Mk VI with jettisonable fuel tanks. | Flamethrower: | |
| Mk VIII: Mk III up-gunned with 6-pdr, turret crew reduced to two. |
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