M-3 Half-track
White Motor Company armoured command vehicle, restored by SALH members as Old Reliable.
History and Service Notes
The Regiment’s White Motor Company, American-made model M3 Armoured Command Vehicle was procured by General Worthington from an American army base in England.
The South Alberta Regiment retrofitted it for use as a command vehicle. The rear was equipped with several radios, and the space behind the front seats was arranged as a map and workroom. From that compartment, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Wotherspoon processed intelligence, received orders, and planned battle strategies for the duration of the war.
At the war’s end, several SAR officers purchased the half-track from a surplus dealer and arranged to have it shipped back to Canada. The vehicle was used in exercises for several years and carried the South Alberta Light Horse Regiment’s guidon party during the parading of the unit’s colours in Medicine Hat in 1967.
In January 2004, a team of SALH members from B Squadron in Edmonton began restoring Old Reliable to fully operable condition. General Hillier later caught a ride in Old Reliable at the Cavalry Stampede in 2010.
Effectively restored to operational condition in time for the Regiment’s 100th anniversary in 2005, the restoration took approximately 8,000 hours and cost $62,000.00. Funding was provided by the South Alberta Light Horse Regiment Foundation.
Technical Specifications
- Crew: driver plus up to 12 additional troops (13 total, full rifle squad)
- Combat weight: approx. 9.3 tonnes
- Length: 6.18 m; width: 2.22 m; height: 2.26 m
- Engine: White 160AX, 6-cylinder gasoline, approx. 147 hp
- Max speed: 72 km/h (45 mph)
- Range: approx. 320 km
- Armament: .50 cal M2 Browning machine gun on a skate-rail or pulpit mount, often paired with a .30 cal M1919A4
- Armor: 6-13 mm steel plate