Old photo - identification?

whoami1

A photographic negative was found many years ago while clearing out my late grandmother's house. I scanned it a couple of years ago and it shows a soldier standing in front of a vehicle with some tents in the background. The vehicle is registered 76 ZR 13.

Because of the 'Z', I thought it would be an Irish military vehicle and that the Defence Forces might follow a similar system to the civil registration patterns. I sent the picture via Twitter to the Defence Forces Archive, but they reckoned it was a British plate. I haven't followed it up any further than that.

There is no recent military service on that side of the family, so I don't know who it is, where it was taken or any details at all. I thought perhaps that the registration number would lead to a regiment then perhaps an approximate service date and deployment location (if any) for the vehicle. Perhaps the regiment would like the original negative for their archives.

Can anyone advise on where to go next and is there any equivalent to the DFArchives Twitter account for the UK military?

ohnonotgmail

I'm no riviet counter but that looks looks like a Staghound armoured car. they were never in irish service. The number plate would suggest it is british as it follows the format they used post ww2 up until the early 80s.

Uinseann_16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVqNSnvaGVs
Looks like a daimler armoured car which was never in DF service afaik, so its british military as per above
They were used in the territorial army and in Northern Ireland until about 1960 which may be where the photos from

DanMurphy

All the Irish ZR numbered vehicles had the ZR in front...ie...ZR 1503 and so on.
I know this because I was an Army driver 50 years ago, and we had vehicles in Service then since the 1940s.
I did my diving test in a ZR Reg Bedford.

ohnonotgmail

Looking at the pic again it does look more like a daimler than a staghound. The daimlers had more clearance between the front fenders and the wheels.

arybvtcw0eolkf

DanMurphy wrote: »

I did my diving test in a ZR Reg Bedford.

So did I lol.

They were a bloody beast of a thing!.

DanMurphy

Yeah, t'was an animal of a truck alright. It was assigned to me for two years afterwards, plus a rickety short-base Land Rover.

Both were goverend to do 40 mph, and no more!