Another of Hobart's Funnies was the Churchill VII AVRE (Armored Vehicle Royal Engineers).
This Churchill tank was fitted with a mortar instead of a main gun and it had a ramp fitted to the front. There was a "Fascine" mounted on the ramp which was held in place with quick release cables.
The Fascine is a bundle of logs or pipes that are used to fill wide trenches or ditches so that tanks can cross them easier. The tank would pull up to the ditch, the cables were released and the bundle would roll of of the ramp and into the ditch. Then the tank would drive across to make sure that it was good to go for the other combat tanks. The mortar could be used to deter enemy infantry.


A Churchill VII AVRE crosses a ditch filled with a previous tank's Fascine previously placed in the ditch.

A view of the release cables holding the fascine in place.