[STERN: 3] Correspondence and papers mainly with and relating to the Royal Armoured Corps Centre, Bovington, Dorset, 1943-1959
[STERN: 3/1]
1948 Aug 17
Letter from Lionel L Cohen, Walmer, Kent to Stern relating to a design for a flail tank, 1941 to 1942. 5pp
[STERN: 3/2]
1944 Dec 28
Letter from Sir Eustace Henry William Tennyson d'Eyncourt to Stern, sending him good wishes for 1944 and regretting that British tank production had largely been a failure in 1940-1945 and that the UK had become reliant on US tanks despite initiating the weapon in 1915. 4pp
[STERN: 3/3]
1947 Dec 31
Letter from H E Merritt, Wolsey Motors Limited, Birmingham to Stern, thanking him for his supportive comments about Merritt's design of tank transmission in the light of the examination of his work by a Royal Commission. 1p
[STERN: 3/4-5]
1943 Dec 19-1944 Sep 24
Letters from William Rigby, William Foster and Company, Lincoln, Lincolnshire to Stern describing the fate of the TOG 1 and TOG 2 tanks following the termination of their development by the Special Vehicle Development Committee, Ministry of Supply. 2 letters
[STERN: 3/6]
1944 Sep 8
Letter from Ronald G Troup, formerly Secretary, the Special Vehicle Development Committee, Ministry of Supply to Stern, communicating personal news, but also containing a criticism reported to him of the performance of the Churchill (Infantry Tank Mark IV) in the campaign in Normandy, France. 4pp
[STERN: 3/7]
1946 Jan 31
Letter from John Webb, The Times Publishing Company to Stern, communicating the regret of the editor of The Times, that he was unable to publish a letter by Stern of 29 Jan 1946 concerning the need to set up a body to equip the British Army with up-to-date mechanical weapons. 1p
[STERN: 3/8]
1946 Jan 29
Letter from Stern to the Editor of The Times, recalling the origins of the development of the tank in 1915 and calling for the setting up of a body to equip the British Army with up-to-date mechanical weapons. 2pp
[STERN: 3/9-17]
1945-1946,1954
Papers concerning the gift by Stern of photographs, films and a painting relating to the work of the Special Vehicle Development Committee, Ministry of Supply to the School of Tank Technology, Royal Armoured Corps Centre, Bovington, Dorset and to a visit by Stern to the Centre in 1954. 9 documents
[STERN: 3/18-25]
1954
Papers relating to the preparation by Maj A L T Sassoon, School of Tank Technology, Royal Armoured Corps Centre, Bovington, Dorset of a set of notes about the TOG tanks of the Special Vehicle Development Committee, Ministry of Supply, together with correspondence between Sassoon and William Rigby, Director, William Foster and Company, Lincoln, Lincolnshire and between Rigby and Stern relating to corrections of the notes and the deposit of plans of the TOG tanks in the Centre by Rigby. 8 documents
[STERN: 3/26]
1946
Printed diary in booklet form produced by the School of Tank Technology, Royal Armoured Corps Centre, Bovington, Dorset illustrating tanks of World War Two.
[STERN: 3/27-30]
1954
Tank Museum guides produced by the Royal Armoured Corps School, Bovington, Dorset, parts 1-4. 4 booklets
[STERN: 3/31]
1959
Magazine entitled L'Armée la Nation, number 11, 1 Nov 1959 (the Belgian official defence journal), forwarded with a letter from Sir Basil Liddell Hart to Stern of 10 Nov 1959, pointing out an article on the history of the Royal Tank Regiment.
[STERN: 4] Photographs,
1915-1943
[STERN: 4/1]
1915
Collection of photographs, with one exception falling within a numbered range 149 to 225, relating mainly to the Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Division, Clement Talbot Works, Wormwood Scrubs but also including some personal photographs. The photographs show both the interior and exterior of the Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Division, Clement Talbot Works, Wormwood Scrubs including armoured cars, motorcycles, automobiles, offices, workshops, the men of 20 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service and images of Stern and other officers. 44 photographs
[STERN: 4/2]
1915-1916
Collection of photographs relating to Stern's service during World War One, falling into two groups, first those within a numbered range, 218 to 243 relating to the Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Division, Clement Talbot Works, Wormwood Scrubs, showing armoured cars, lorries, motorcycles, wagons, ambulances, stores, guns and personnel; second, an unnumbered group showing Royal Naval Air Service armoured cars and lorries and the testing of experimental vehicles of the Admiralty Landships Committee, including Rolls Royce armoured car and armoured lorry equipped with 3 pounder gun, Diplock Pedrail, Pedrail hand machine with infantry shield, Bullock Creeping Grip tractors, Killen-Strait tractor, the 'Tritton' or 'Number 1 Lincoln machine' 'Little Willie', Tritton's trench crossing machine and 'Mother' (the prototype heavy tank with all round track). 68 photographs
[STERN: 4/3]
1915-1918
Collection of photographs relating to Stern's service during World War One, falling into two groups, first those relating to the testing of experimental vehicles of the Admiralty Landships Committee, 1915-1916, including Bullock Creeping Grip tractors, a 105 horse power tractor, the 'Tritton' or 'Number 1 Lincoln machine', Tritton's trench crossing machine and 'Mother' (the prototype heavy tank with all round track); second and more numerous, British, Canadian and French official photographs covering all aspects of tank operations on the Western Front, 1916-1918. 112 photographs
[STERN: 4/4]
1915-1918
Collection of photographs relating to Stern's service during World War One, mainly concerning the testing of experimental vehicles of the Admiralty Landships Committee, 1915-1916, including Diplock Pedrail, Bullock Creeping Grip tractors, the 'Tritton' or 'Number 1 Lincoln machine', 'Little Willie', 'Mother' (the prototype heavy tank with all round track), Whippet (Medium Mark A) tank, Liberty (Mark VIII) tank, French Schneider tank, Coventry Premier machine gun chassis, interior views of the workshops of William Foster and Company, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, an interior view of the workshops of the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance Company, Oldbury, Birmingham, Warwickshire, some general images of tanks in action on the Western Front and views of the proposed Allied Tank Factory, Neuvy-Pailloux, Chateauroux, France after construction had been halted by the end of hostilities, Nov 1918. 44 photographs
[STERN: 4/5]
1917
Set of postcard photographs showing testing of single Bullock Creeping Grip tractor on behalf of the Admiralty Landships Committee, 1915. 16 photographs
[STERN: 4/6]
1917
Set of photographs showing testing of Bullock Creeping Grip tractors on behalf of the Admiralty Landships Committee, 1915. 16 photographs
[STERN: 4/7]
1918
Four technical photographs produced by US Army Signal Corps of a small tracked vehicle. 4 photographs
[STERN: 4/8]
1918 Jul
Collection of photographs of a visit by Stern and other British officials to the Renault Works, Billancourt, France to inspect French Renault tanks, probably Jul 1918. 25 photographs
[STERN: 4/9]
1940-1941
Album of photographs showing a demonstration of the TOG 1 tank and a demonstration of the TOG 2 tank, probably adjacent to the Works of the manufacturers, William Foster and Son, Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The album also contains a group photograph of Stern and other members of The Old Gang (members of and advisors to the Special Vehicle Development Committee, Ministry of Supply). 32 photographs
[STERN: 4/10]
1941
Collection of photographs of the TOG 2 tank, both under construction in the Workshops of the manufacturers, William Foster and Son, Lincoln, Lincolnshire and in the open, together with sketches of the tank. 14 photographs and 3 sketches
[STERN: 4/11]
1942
Booklet prepared by the Department of the Chief Inspector of Mechanisation, Chislehurst, Kent, containing specifications and illustrations of armoured fighting vehicles, including Cruiser Tanks, Infantry Tanks and armoured cars.
[STERN: 4/12]
1941-1942
Folder of photographs of the US Medium Tank M4 A1; US Medium Tank M3 with British turret; Canadian RAM I Tank; Canadian Medium Tank M3 and US Medium Tank T6. 5 photographs
[STERN: 5] Printed books,
1918-1959
[STERN: 5/1]
1918
Descriptive specification by Schneider and Company entitled Tracteur à chenilles. Notice descriptive conduite et entretien, (Paris, 1918).
[STERN: 5/2]
1919
Book entitled Les chars d'assaut. Leur création et leur rôle pendant la guerre 1915-1918, by French Capt L Dutil (Berger-Levrault, Nancy, Paris, Strasbourg, France, 1919).
[STERN: 5/3]
1928
Book by the Rt Hon William Aitken Maxwell Beaverbrook, 1st Baron Beaverbrook entitled Politicians and the war (Thornton Butterworth Limited, London, 1928).
[STERN: 5/4]
1929
Book edited by G Murray Wilson entitled Fighting tanks. An account of the Royal Tank Corps in action, 1916-1919 (Seeley, Service and Company, London, 1929). MISSING. (Alternative copy in Liddell Hart Library).
[STERN: 5/5]
1932
Book by Maj Gen Ernest Dunlop Swinton, entitled Eyewitness. Being personal reminiscences of certain phases of the Great War including the genesis of the tank (Hodder and Stoughton, London 1932).
[STERN: 5/6]
1933
Book by US Maj Ralph E Jones, US Capt George H Rarey, US Lt Robert J Icks entitled The fighting tanks since 1918 (The National Service Publishing Company, Washington DC, US, 1933).
[STERN: 5/7]
1942
Book by Gordon Beccles entitled Tanks advance! (Cassell, London, 1942).
[STERN: 5/8]
1942
Book by Ivor Halstead entitled The truth about our tanks. The great Libyan battles (Lindsay Drummond Limited, 1942).
[STERN: 5/9]
1942
Book by Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart entitled The British way in warfare (Penguin 1942).
[STERN: 5/10]
1943
Book by Capt J R W Murland entitled The Royal Armoured Corps (Methuen, London, 1943).
[STERN: 5/11]
1945
Book by Lt Gen Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel entitled Our armoured forces (Faber and Faber, London, 1942).
[STERN: 5/12]
1959
Book by Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart entitled The tanks. A history of the Royal tank Corps Regiment. Volume 2 1939-1945, (Cassell, London, 1959).
[STERN: 6] Film, 1918-1957
[STERN: 6/1]
1941 May 30
Roll of 16 milllimetre film, a copy made by the Imperial War Museum of a 35 millimetre nitrate film. The film shows trials of the TOG 2 tank on the testing ground at the works of the manufacturers, William Foster and Company, Lincoln, Lincolnshire. Duration 10 minutes.
[STERN: 6/2]
1918
Roll of 16 millimetre film, a copy made by the Imperial War Museum of a 35 millimetre nitrate film. The film shows trials of Medium Mark C (Hornet) tanks on the testing ground at the works of the manufacturers, William Foster and Company, Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The prototype tank 'Little Willie' (built in 1915) can be seen standing in the background. There is also a sequence showing the interior of the workshops of William Foster and Company. Duration 10 minutes.
[STERN: 6/3]
1942
Roll of 16 millimetre film, a copy made by the Imperial War Museum of a 35 millimetre nitrate film. The film shows trials on the testing ground at the works of William Foster and Company, Lincoln, Lincolnshire of the TOG 1 tank (without turret) and of the TOG 2* tank mounting a 17 pounder gun in a turret manufactured by Messrs Stothert and Pitt Limited, Bitton, near Bristol, Gloucestershire and intended for the Challenger tank. The film particularly demonstrates the manoeuvrability of the turret of the TOG 2* tank. Duration 10 minutes.
[STERN: 6/4]
1957
Roll of 16 millimetre acetate film with soundtrack produced by the BBC Television Film Unit entitled 'First hand - tanks (sequences)', relating mainly to World War One tanks and consisting of seven separate sequences, including film of a Mark I tank at the Royal Armoured Corps Centre, Bovington, Dorset, showing exterior shrapnel damage, compartment, ammunition storage, 6 pounder gun and engine, with commentary; the prototype tank, 'Little Willie', (manufactured by William Foster and Company, Lincoln, Lincolnshire in 1915) at the Royal Armoured Corps Centre, Bovington, Dorset, with commentary; a description of tank operations on the Western Front, 1917-1918; footage of Stern taken at his home at Barham Court, Kent in 1957, in which he describes his difficulties with the War Office while engaged in pioneering work on the development of tanks with the Mechanical Warfare Supply Department, 1916-1917, his meeting with the Right Hon David Lloyd George, Minister of Munitions at which an order was placed for one thousand tanks, Sep 1916, the cancellation of that order by the Army Council, his refusal to cancel the order, his order for Ricardo engines and his meeting with the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Minister of Munitions, Oct 1917, which culminated in his dismissal; a description of training with Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps and Tank Corps 1916-1917. The film was forwarded to Stern with a covering letter from the BBC Film Librarian, 11 Dec 1957. Duration 10 minutes.