Armoured Warfare (2 results)

Dating to the first year of the vehicle's production, this humorous view of the Humber production line shows the arrival of officers and staff from the Chief Inspectorate of Armaments (CIA). It lampoons a bungling workforce, who are depicted in all manner of comical situations, and was presumably displayed at the Sunbeam-Talbot factory. Among other absurd situations, staff are shown machining a wheel rim balanced on a pile of bricks and lowering a vehicle's body onto its chassis, breaking the steering wheel in the process. The vehicles and machinery are accurately rendered and drawn with the eye of a draughtsman. The artist, W. Hurley, is unknown, although we are aware of another of his drawings showing the construction of a different armoured car; he was almost certainly part of the Sunbeam-Talbot team. In 1940, the Rootes Group, including automotive manufacturers like Humber, Karrier, Sunbeam, and Talbot, were approached to design a battle-ready armoured car. Their first design, the Humber Armoured Car Mark I, was "based on the chassis of the Karrier KT4 artillery tractor which was also supplied, pre-war, to India. The first production contract for 500 was awarded in 1940. The 15ft long, 7ft 2ins wide and 7ft 10ins Mk I weighed 6.85 tons, had a crew of three, a top speed of 45 mph and a range of 250 miles. Its armament was one 15mm BESA and a 7.92mm BESA (Forty, pp. 27-8)". It was followed by the Mark II, depicted in this poster, which had a redesigned hull, a driver's visor, and radiator armour at the rear. The Mark III and IV would go on to be the most produced armoured car of the war, seeing service in North Africa, the invasion of Sicily, the reconquest of Burma, and across Europe. George Forty, World War Two AFVs & Self Propelled Artillery, 1995. Original pen and ink drawing (681 x 1088 mm), hand-coloured in blue, brown, and red pencil, signed in the lower right corner "W. Hurley, Sunbeam-Talbot Ltd, 1941". Sometime mounted on plywood board, ticket of "Chapman Bros (Chelsea) Ltd" picture restorers and tape border on verso. Stained and foxed, loss at bottom left corner, crossing border but not affecting illustrations, closed tears and nicks at edges, old pinholes at corners; daubed in white paint on board verso and old seller's note in ink: a good copy.…

First edition of this early history of the tank, published by the company instrumental in its design and testing. It is illustrated throughout with early prototypes, the men and women who helped build it, and images of the factory during the tank's production. Oblong quarto. Colour frontispiece with tissue guard, illustrations and photographs throughout. Original blue quarter roan by Bemrose & Sons, blue cloth sides, covers lettered in gilt with vignettes of tanks in black, brown pictorial endpapers. Soiling, damp staining and wear to cloth, hinge opposite p. 90 cracked, professional tape repair to p. 36. A good copy.…