Armoured Car Section, BAF
The Armoured Cars
[Based on information kindly provided by David Fletcher of The Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset. Website ]Welcome to the Tank Museum - Home of the Tank - Error
The cars used by the BAF were Rolls Royce Indian Pattern armoured cars, dating from 1922. The Indian Government had ordered the cars to their own design, hence the designation 'Indian Pattern'. The cars were based on a 1920 Rolls Royce chassis but unlike the more familiar Rolls Royce armoured cars used elsewhere by the British, the Indian Pattern cars did not have the platform at the rear. Instead the hull armour was extended over the back axle to provide extra space for the crew, ammunition and stowage. The turret was a dome shape with four ball-type machine gun mountings. The guns were normally mounted with two facing forward or one forward and one to the rear on opposite sides of the turret. The guns used were the Vickers .303inch Mark 1. The hull was lined throughout with asbestos with the purpose of keeping the interior cool. A very similar looking car based on a Crossley chassis was produced in 1923.
The cars used by the BAF were originally issued to the 9th Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps. By 1936 most armoured cars in service in India had been replaced by light tanks and the cars were distributed to volunteer forces in India and neighbouring countries. The BAF cars were equipped with a single machine gun only, probably due to the limited supply of guns at the time.
