AN army veteran has revealed rare photographs of the time "local lads" were part of the "top anti-tank team."
Syd Matthews has shared a "lost" piece of history, where men from Kidderminster were highly rated gunners in the 1950s.
Mr Matthews, who has been reminiscing about his time in the army, was born in Dudley and grew up in the Cookley area.
The 86-year-old was part of the 7th battalion Worcestershire Regiment in the 1950s and rose to the ranks of corporal.
The marksman said the battalion consisted of "local lads" from the Kidderminster and Stourport areas.
In 1957, the team were the winner of an anti-tank gunner competition held in Wales. The team fired 15 rounds in five minutes 40 seconds, hitting nine tanks, with six close misses on a half-a-mile track travelling to and from at 25 miles per hour. The gun was capable of taking out formidable tiger tanks that were used in the Second World War.
Mr Matthews said the achievement was classified at the time. A brigadier visited Kidderminster to present the team with an award.
Describing what it was like to fire the weapon, he said: "You've never heard a sound like it in all your born days."
He said there was an "enormous flash" which meant the men had to keep their heads down.
He said: "It's a devastating weapon to fire. It was capable of taking a tiger tank out".
He wanted to unearth the photographs and his story to mark Remembrance Sunday.
He added: "It's a piece of local history - it's a one-up for Kidderminster.
"It's history which is lost - Kidderminster men produced the top anti-tank team of that era".
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