Thanks for sharing the info on the Bob Semple tank, that was a fun little piece of trivia to learn about! I guess it was an attempt to beat plowshares into swords… :-D
Sounds like they’d have been better off trying to convert some kind of car or light truck into an armored car, though, as tractors just aren’t geared right to make into tanks…
As to the Brits & ANZACs and their Matilda’s: I guess it’s kind of nice to get them a different model for variety/ visual appeal, but the fact remains that the Matilda is really a decisive step down in quality vs. the Sherman… and the Brits actually used more Shermans than any other tank. I’d have been much happier if they’d chosen the Cromwell; it was at least not outclassed by the Sherman (not to mention nearly every German tank…)