Military Vehicles, February 1997,: Re: British MV Marking

Re: British MV Marking

Will Power (colbco@powerlink.co.nz)
Thu, 6 Feb 1997 23:57:16 +1200

In message <970206003946_1213330451@emout08.mail.aol.com>,
FIREBASEZ@aol.com writes
>My Ferret has a yellow circle with the number 4 in the middle painted on the
>front of the right fender. The left fender has a stcker of the British flag.
>
>What does the number 4 designate?
>I have seen similar markings on other British AFV's. Usually a 4 or 7.
>
>Is the sticker MoD issue, or should the flag be painted on?
>Byron
>

Hi Byron,

The yellow circle with the 4 in it is the bridge loading code for your
Ferret. The code was often put on a circular disc but on modern
armoured vehicles is usualy only a yellow painted circle enclosing the
code. The bridge loading code is not the weight of the vehicle, but a
code representing a calculation of the vehicles weight distribution over
a given wheelbase/area. The markings as described by our fellow
collector John Edwards were discontinued many years ago, and not painted
on the right wing of an armoured car. With regard to 'the British
flag'...I suppose you mean the 'Union Jack'. We sometimes put up little
stickers of the Jack on joint Nato exercises, or joint duty (like
Berlin), so as to discern who from whom. But not official and
definitely not painted.

regards

Colin Brookes
Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS)
colbco@powerlink.co.uk

It was Willpower that kept the British army on the move !!