Chris Till’s immaculate World War Two Sexton II self-propelled gun was a highlight of the 2023 Yorkshire Wartime Experience, says Craig Moore
I met up with Chris Till at the Yorkshire Wartime Experience 2023 and had a chat with him about his latest restoration project, a World War Two 25pdr SP, tracked, Sexton II artillery self-propelled gun. It was parked next to a 105mm M7 Priest self-propelled gun, giving a wonderful opportunity for visitors at the event to compare the two vehicles.
Chris’s Sexton was one of a batch of Portuguese army surplus Sextons imported in the 1980s by Ian MacGregor, along with some Stuart light tanks and Canadian-built Sherman Grizzly tanks. The Wheatcroft collection bought it from him at the dockside and got it back to a running condition at their workshop.
In the early 2000s, Michael Hanson became the new owner. He stripped and rebuilt it, before taking it to the Mons ‘Tanks in Town’ event in 2005, where it had the name Growler painted on the side. After that, it sat stationary for two years, before being sold to the Brian Boys collection, where it mainly remained on static display. As Chris revealed, he purchased the Sexton in early 2022: …
