Allen Crawford’s M4 Sherman tank drew much attention at 2023’s Norfolk Armourfest. Craig Moore finds out how it was salvaged as a rusty wreck and lovingly brought back to life
Imet up with Allen Crawford at the Norfolk Tank Museum’s Armourfest 2023 and we had a chat about his restored M4 Sherman tank. Its serial number is 551, which means it was one of the earliest M4 Shermans to come out of the factory gates.
It has a riveted rather than welded lower hull and was built by the Pressed Steel Car Company in September 1942. The British Army gave the M4 Sherman the designation Sherman I, and this particular example was issued with the British Army War Department number T270129.
The Contract Card held at The Tank Museum Bovington Archives shows it as being part of a mixed batch contract of Sherman I and Sherman V tanks received in the latter half of 1944. This example was recovered from the Feldom Ranges, Catterick Training Area in Yorkshire.
In July 1942, production of the M4 Sherman tank started at the Pressed Steel Car Company. The M4 variant hull was welded, whereas the hull of the M4A1 was cast. This angular welded hull provided more room for ammunition storage – for example, the M4 could carry 97 o…
