Bison concrete armoured lorries
Encyclopedia
The Bison was an extemporised armoured fighting vehicle
frequently characterised as a mobile pillbox. Bisons were produced in Britain during the invasion crisis
of 1940-1941. Based on a number of different lorry chassis, it featured a fighting compartment protected by a layer of concrete. Bisons were used by the Royal Air Force
(RAF) to protect aerodromes and by the Home Guard
. They acquired the generic name "Bison" from their main manufacturer.
. One problem was the defence of airfields against airborne troops.
An ideal solution for protecting the open space of an airfield was by tank
s and armoured cars. However, the British Army lacked heavy equipment, having abandoned much of it during the evacuation of Dunkirk. An alternative was needed which would not compete for resources with conventional armaments.
The Bison was effectively a mobile pillbox that could be driven to defensive positions when needed, or even used to block runways against landings.
Mathews and his commercial partner John Goldwell Ambrose had been in the Royal Engineers
and had a history of wartime innovation with concrete including pre-cast pillboxes and dugout
s during the First World War. One of Mathews' more unusual ideas was to stack piles of football sized concrete spheres on top of air-raid shelters, the idea was that a bomb would waste its energy scattering the heavy spheres rather than breaking the shelter.
Mathews bought twenty four old lorry chassis on which to base the vehicles and made up a prototype to show to local military authorities. Helpful criticism was forthcoming and Mathews was able to produce a version which met the requirements of the Army. Mathews said: "[mobile] Concrete pill-boxes will never take the place of armoured cars and tanks, but the enemy would find them a serious obstacle. Their great attraction is that anybody can make them – once he knows how".
Mathews' company trademark then (and the company name today) was a Bison
, a name which became a generic label for any of these vehicles.
Concrete Limited obtained chassis where they could, many were old and some dated from the First World War period, one had even seen service as a fire engine and some had not even been converted from solid to pneumatic tyres. With a variety of chassis to work on, Bisons inevitably varied in detail, but were made in three distinct types.
Type 1 was the lightest. It had a fully armoured cab and a small armoured fighting compartment roofed with canvas.
Type 2 had an armoured cab roofed with canvas and a separate fully enclosed fighting compartment resembling a small pillbox on the back – communication between driver and crew must have been difficult.
Type 3 was the heaviest and largest, with a contiguous cabin and fighting compartment completely enclosed in concrete armour.Taylor, John and Wilkinson, Peter. Bison Armoured Fighting Vehicles.
was favoured for armouring these pillboxes. Any available lorry chassis was used, although the weight of the concrete meant that only the heaviest of chassis were suitable.
Lorries arrived at Concrete Limited's Stourton
Works in Leeds
, where the original metal bodywork was removed and wooden shuttering formers
constructed. Within the formers, three sheets of expanded metal
were placed as reinforcement and then fast setting, high strength concrete made with high alumina cement
was poured in. Characteristic ridges at the gaps between the boards are a noticeable feature.
When a roof was provided, this was constructed from pre-cast concrete. The walls were about 6 inches (152.4 mm) thick and were found to stand up well to Bren gun and armour-piercing bullets.
It is not clear how many Bisons were produced; estimates vary between two and three hundred. Due to the resilience of concrete some traces of the Bison remain today whereas nothing at all is left of the more readily recycled Armadillo
.
The existence of these mobile pillboxes received significant publicity at the time. They were briefly detailed in The Times
and at greater length in The Commercial Motor magazine.
who were the anticipated enemy at airfields.
These were emphatically not "armoured cars", but merely a pillbox that could be moved from place to place. It was claimed to travel "at normal lorry speed" but in practice it was primarily allocated to the flatness of airfields. Most had difficulty moving at all owing to their excess weight, poor visibility and reduced radiator cooling. Some broke down completely and were either towed, or abandoned in place. Those built on steam wagon
chassis coped well with the extra weight once boilers were removed, but were no longer powered.
A complete type 2 Bison, reconstructed from extant parts and a period lorry chassis, can be seen at the Bovington Tank Museum
. This example is a Thornycroft
Tartar 3 ton, 6x4 of 1931 or later. The chassis here was a military forward-control Tartar, used as a 3 ton general service lorry; military Tartars had one wheel on each side of the rear axles, civilian models had twin wheels — two wheels on each side.
Access to the rear pillbox is through a hatch cut into the lorry decking. The cab armour is open-topped, and was accessed by climbing over. Early examples used a single rectangular box over both sections, but separate sloping-walled boxes saved weight. Some examples were built with unarmoured cabs, emphasising the limits of their mobility to deployment beforehand. Although attempts were often made to protect the engine and vulnerable radiator, this one has merely a light steel plate over half the radiator and the steering box is still exposed.
In period it's unlikely that a relatively modern military lorry would have been sacrificed in this way, being too valuable to replace losses after Dunkirk. The museum's Bison was built relatively recently, from an original rear pillbox on a different original chassis, with the front cab section being a modern reproduction by the Museum of Army Transport
in Beverley
. The suspension of this example rests on axle stands to avoid flattening the tyres.
. Later in the war, Digby was downgraded and hence the additional airfield protection was not required. It was for a while stored at Ferrybridge
, Yorkshire
and it was used to defend a roadblock
on the A15 just outside of Sleaford
. Towards the end of the war it was abandoned in a copse to the side of the A15 near Quarington Lane end. The ensuing years saw it stripped and vandalised until eventually the chassis was converted for use as a farm trailer. In 1988, the Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group learned of its existence of these remains and research revealed what it really was.
On 22 March 1991 the remains of the Bison were taken to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre
; they still retain traces of camouflage paint, and one of the sections has its original wooden shuttering.
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
frequently characterised as a mobile pillbox. Bisons were produced in Britain during the invasion crisis
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
of 1940-1941. Based on a number of different lorry chassis, it featured a fighting compartment protected by a layer of concrete. Bisons were used by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) to protect aerodromes and by the Home Guard
British Home Guard
The Home Guard was a defence organisation of the British Army during the Second World War...
. They acquired the generic name "Bison" from their main manufacturer.
Need
With the Fall of France in July 1940, the British Government made efforts to prepare to meet the threatened invasionBritish anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
. One problem was the defence of airfields against airborne troops.
An ideal solution for protecting the open space of an airfield was by tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s and armoured cars. However, the British Army lacked heavy equipment, having abandoned much of it during the evacuation of Dunkirk. An alternative was needed which would not compete for resources with conventional armaments.
The Bison was effectively a mobile pillbox that could be driven to defensive positions when needed, or even used to block runways against landings.
Inception
The Bison was the invention of Charles Bernard Mathews who was a director of Concrete Limited. At this time, there were many attempts to improvise armoured vehicles, but Mathews had the resources and experience to take a professional approach.Mathews and his commercial partner John Goldwell Ambrose had been in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
and had a history of wartime innovation with concrete including pre-cast pillboxes and dugout
Dugout (shelter)
A dugout or dug-out, also known as a pithouse, pit-house, earth lodge, mud hut, is a shelter for humans or domesticated animals and livestock based on a hole or depression dug into the ground. These structures are one of the most ancient types of human housing known to archeologists...
s during the First World War. One of Mathews' more unusual ideas was to stack piles of football sized concrete spheres on top of air-raid shelters, the idea was that a bomb would waste its energy scattering the heavy spheres rather than breaking the shelter.
Mathews bought twenty four old lorry chassis on which to base the vehicles and made up a prototype to show to local military authorities. Helpful criticism was forthcoming and Mathews was able to produce a version which met the requirements of the Army. Mathews said: "[mobile] Concrete pill-boxes will never take the place of armoured cars and tanks, but the enemy would find them a serious obstacle. Their great attraction is that anybody can make them – once he knows how".
Mathews' company trademark then (and the company name today) was a Bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, a name which became a generic label for any of these vehicles.
Concrete Limited obtained chassis where they could, many were old and some dated from the First World War period, one had even seen service as a fire engine and some had not even been converted from solid to pneumatic tyres. With a variety of chassis to work on, Bisons inevitably varied in detail, but were made in three distinct types.
Type 1 was the lightest. It had a fully armoured cab and a small armoured fighting compartment roofed with canvas.
Type 2 had an armoured cab roofed with canvas and a separate fully enclosed fighting compartment resembling a small pillbox on the back – communication between driver and crew must have been difficult.
Type 3 was the heaviest and largest, with a contiguous cabin and fighting compartment completely enclosed in concrete armour.Taylor, John and Wilkinson, Peter. Bison Armoured Fighting Vehicles.
Production
Steel was a valuable wartime resource so concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
was favoured for armouring these pillboxes. Any available lorry chassis was used, although the weight of the concrete meant that only the heaviest of chassis were suitable.
Lorries arrived at Concrete Limited's Stourton
Stourton, West Yorkshire
Stourton is a mainly industrial area of the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.The area is 2 miles to the south east of Leeds city centre and lies between Hunslet, the M1 motorway and Cross Green in the LS10 postcode area....
Works in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, where the original metal bodywork was removed and wooden shuttering formers
Formwork
Formwork is the term given to either temporary or permanent molds into which concrete or similar materials are poured. In the context of concrete construction, the falsework supports the shuttering moulds.-Formwork and concrete form types:...
constructed. Within the formers, three sheets of expanded metal
Expanded metal
Expanded metal is a form of metal stock made by shearing a metal plate in a press, so that the metal stretches, leaving diamond-shaped voids surrounded by interlinked bars of the metal. The most common method of manufacture is to simultaneously slit and stretch the material with one motion...
were placed as reinforcement and then fast setting, high strength concrete made with high alumina cement
Calcium aluminate cements
Calcium aluminate cements are cements consisting predominantly of hydraulic calcium aluminates. Alternative names are "aluminous cement", "high-alumina cement" and "Ciment fondu" in French...
was poured in. Characteristic ridges at the gaps between the boards are a noticeable feature.
When a roof was provided, this was constructed from pre-cast concrete. The walls were about 6 inches (152.4 mm) thick and were found to stand up well to Bren gun and armour-piercing bullets.
It is not clear how many Bisons were produced; estimates vary between two and three hundred. Due to the resilience of concrete some traces of the Bison remain today whereas nothing at all is left of the more readily recycled Armadillo
Armadillo armoured fighting vehicle
The Armadillo was an extemporised armoured fighting vehicle produced in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940-1941. Based on a number of standard lorry chassis, it comprised a wooden fighting compartment protected by a layer of gravel and a driver's cab protected by mild steel plates...
.
The existence of these mobile pillboxes received significant publicity at the time. They were briefly detailed in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and at greater length in The Commercial Motor magazine.
Performance
Despite un-reinforced concrete's poor performance as armour against heavy weapons, they would have been quite adequate to defend against the lightly armed German paratroopsFallschirmjäger
are German paratroopers. Together with the Gebirgsjäger they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army....
who were the anticipated enemy at airfields.
These were emphatically not "armoured cars", but merely a pillbox that could be moved from place to place. It was claimed to travel "at normal lorry speed" but in practice it was primarily allocated to the flatness of airfields. Most had difficulty moving at all owing to their excess weight, poor visibility and reduced radiator cooling. Some broke down completely and were either towed, or abandoned in place. Those built on steam wagon
Steam wagon
A steam wagon is a steam-powered road vehicle for carrying freight. It was the earliest form of lorry and came in two basic forms: overtype and undertype – the distinction being the position of the engine relative to the boiler...
chassis coped well with the extra weight once boilers were removed, but were no longer powered.
Bovington Tank Museum
Bovington Tank Museum
The Tank Museum is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles in the United Kingdom that traces the history of the tank. With almost 300 vehicles on exhibition from 26 countries it is the second-largest collection of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the world.The Musée des Blindés in France...
. This example is a Thornycroft
Thornycroft
Thornycroft was a United Kingdom-based vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.-History:Thornycroft started out with steam vans and lorries. John Isaac Thornycroft, the naval engineer, built his first steam lorry in 1896...
Tartar 3 ton, 6x4 of 1931 or later. The chassis here was a military forward-control Tartar, used as a 3 ton general service lorry; military Tartars had one wheel on each side of the rear axles, civilian models had twin wheels — two wheels on each side.
Access to the rear pillbox is through a hatch cut into the lorry decking. The cab armour is open-topped, and was accessed by climbing over. Early examples used a single rectangular box over both sections, but separate sloping-walled boxes saved weight. Some examples were built with unarmoured cabs, emphasising the limits of their mobility to deployment beforehand. Although attempts were often made to protect the engine and vulnerable radiator, this one has merely a light steel plate over half the radiator and the steering box is still exposed.
In period it's unlikely that a relatively modern military lorry would have been sacrificed in this way, being too valuable to replace losses after Dunkirk. The museum's Bison was built relatively recently, from an original rear pillbox on a different original chassis, with the front cab section being a modern reproduction by the Museum of Army Transport
Museum of Army Transport
The Museum of Army Transport was a museum of British Army vehicles in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was commercially unsuccessful, going into administration, closed in summer 2003. Its collections were transferred to the National Army Museum....
in Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
. The suspension of this example rests on axle stands to avoid flattening the tyres.
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre
This Bison had been used by the Home Guard to defend RAF DigbyRAF Digby
RAF Digby is a Royal Air Force station which, since March 2005, has been operated by the Ministry of Defence's Joint Service Signals Organisation, part of the Intelligence Collection Group. Formerly a training and fighter airfield, it is currently a tri-service military signals installation located...
. Later in the war, Digby was downgraded and hence the additional airfield protection was not required. It was for a while stored at Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England at a historically important crossing of the River Aire. It is linked to other communities by the A1, which follows the route of the Great North Road....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and it was used to defend a roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
on the A15 just outside of Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
. Towards the end of the war it was abandoned in a copse to the side of the A15 near Quarington Lane end. The ensuing years saw it stripped and vandalised until eventually the chassis was converted for use as a farm trailer. In 1988, the Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group learned of its existence of these remains and research revealed what it really was.
On 22 March 1991 the remains of the Bison were taken to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, Lincolnshire, England, was founded in 1988 by Lincolnshire farmers Fred and Harold Panton, as a memorial to their brother Pilot Officer Christopher Panton, who along with 55,000 other aircrew of RAF Bomber Command lost his life during World War II...
; they still retain traces of camouflage paint, and one of the sections has its original wooden shuttering.
See also
- Armadillo armoured fighting vehicleArmadillo armoured fighting vehicleThe Armadillo was an extemporised armoured fighting vehicle produced in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940-1941. Based on a number of standard lorry chassis, it comprised a wooden fighting compartment protected by a layer of gravel and a driver's cab protected by mild steel plates...
- British hardened field defences of World War IIBritish hardened field defences of World War IIBritish hardened field defences of World War II were small fortified structures constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations. They were popularly known as pillboxes by reference to their shape.-Design and development:...
External links
- Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre - Official site.