Boer War SPTLAT

[Black Knight]

Another from my archive

 

Warning; this is a WHIF -an imaginary 'What if . . . . '

 

The story features real people, in a real time setting, and includes some real events

This was one of my best Whifs. So much so that a real historian writer who writes/wrote about the life of Harry Ferguson believed this story and contacted me for more details. 

 

The story;

Mid Summer 1901, the Boer war is at a height.

A young officer in the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, Second lieutenant 'Titus' Oates came to Ireland on leave. He was, as usual at that time, the centre of attention. He brought messages home from the Irishmen serving in South Africa. 2Lt Oates was invited to many dinners and tells many about the war.

One of his listeners is a 15/16 year old youth, Henry 'Harry' Ferguson, a farm boy, known, along with his elder brother, for his mechanical abilities, namely in the repair of complicated farm machinery.
Harry wants to know all about the armoured steam engines and the armoured traction engines the British Army are using as gun tractors and for moving troops in steel boxes.
Of course Oates satisfies Ferguson's curiosity, but tells him they have a problem with these. The traction engines are only good on level areas. No good whatsoever on rough ground.
Now being a farm boy; Harry had been to many farm shows and had seen many things and he paid attention to everything mechanical.

Harry told Oates of a track-laying vehicle invented by Russian Fydor Blinov which Harry had seen just a couple of years previous. Harry sketched the vehicle he had seen. The problem as Oates saw it was it used a petrol engine; unreliable and where do you get spirit from in the middle of the Veldt? Harry then sketched how it could use a steam engine with a flash boiler. Even scrub bushes could be used for fuel.

 

About a week later Oates was at dinner with Lord Pirrie of Harland & Wolff. One of the guests was Thomas Andrews, Lord Pirrie's nephew, and about the same age as Oates. During the evening Andrews asked about the armoured transport. Oates discussed it with him, then showed him the sketches Ferguson had made.

 

The next day Oates got an urgent telegram, from Andrews, for him to come to the shipyard. Andrews had considered Ferguson's sketches and as under-manager of construction in the yard he had decided to attempt to build the steam powered track-laying vehicle. The shipyard had the knowledge and skill to build it.

Within the month 2Lt Oates was on board ship bound for South Africa and in the hold of that ship was a steam powered track-laying artillery tractor, [SPTLAT] as his personal equipment.

The SPTLAT was used and was noticed by a war correspondent for 'The Morning Post', a young Winston Churchill, who during a later war remembered this vehicle, and as a government official pushed for its concept to be developed into 'Mother' the first of many British Tanks.

Oates and Andrews died about 1 month apart in 1912, both hailed as Heroes; Oates on March 17th in Capt. Scott's Antarctic expedition, [where they used powered sledges] and Andrews going down with the Titanic on April 15th

Harry Ferguson became the first Irishman to fly his own-built aeroplane and went on to become a famous inventor.

Harry Ferguson only sketched the machine. Andrews only had basic plate cutting plans drawn up. As with so much out of H&W at that time working drawings and sketches were destroyed. I only have hear-say evidence on what it may have looked like.

 

PS; I have weaved a mythical story around real people. Russian Fydor Blinov did exhibit a petrol driven track-laying vehicle at agricultural shows during 1896.

 

And here is what that Steam Powered Track Laying Artillery Tractor may have looked like

There is a Gatling gun poking out the front

 

 

 

 

 

 

The red thing on top of the boiler is the famous and mysterious 'Diagonal Steam Trap'

 

Sorry, poor quality but its the best I could find

Its a poem we all had to 'larn' at wee school

 

 

 

 

 

[BobboT]

That's brilliant - both the story and the model. I can see why people would take it as historically correct. The Churchill link is particulary clever. Well done.

[dcrfan]

Your story is very believable.  A great bit of research fiction.  As to the model I suggest it really needs some of the Hairy Mary armoured train 'armour'.

[Homer]

Excellent piece of work well done 👏 

[TEXANTOMCAT]

This is wicked well done!

 

TT

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday, I love it, I think it's very clever. But I bet it got very hot inside with the boiler going. Regards, Jeff.

[JohnT]

Exceptional whiffery there and the best part is that it neatly ties in with that essential British military equipment seen on all British AFV’s since namely a boiler for the tea ☕️

[Wulfman]

A lovely and charming whif, great work !

 

Wulfman

[Bertie McBoatface]

Haha. Brilliant. I like the story behind it.

[Maginot]

It's a steam punk's delight. Bit concerned about what the crew might be smoking.