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Deuceman

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About Deuceman

  • Birthday 09/03/1967

Personal Information

  • Location
    Wiltshire
  • Interests
    USAAF Troop Carrier, Airborne and the Yanks in the Uk in WW2
  • Homepage
    http://www.yitkv.co.uk
  1. Here in Marlborough, Wilts we were wartime hosts to the US Army's 347th Station Hospital between May of 1944 and May of 45, when it relocated to Chiseldon near Swindon for its last couple of months in the ETO. The 347th were essentially a stabilisation unit, with patients being flown directly from mainland Europe to nearby Ramsbury and Membury airfields before being conveyed by Ambulance to the hospital on the Common on the north side of the town. As a result, few of the 347th's patients stayed more than one night before being moved once more by ambulance, on to hospital trains at Marlborough's GWR station to be taken on to other military hospitals that would specialise in the various branches of medicine required by each individual. As a unit the 347th had just over 1100 beds, all serviced by 43 officers, 75 nurses and some 400 enlisted men as well as 3 American Red Cross Officers. During its active existence from circa D+3 to the end of July 1945, the 347th treated a staggering 62000 patients of whom less than 20 passed away whilst in their care. In 1997 a small group of 347th veterans returned to Marlborough and unveiled a handsome self funded granite memorial on the site of their wartime endeavours. Some 18 years on, the painted inscription on the stone is now illegible and I am leading efforts to get it refurbished; with a local painter offering to do so FOC with a gilt cream paint as used on sun dials. As and when it is completed I would like to arrange a suitable low-key one day event to refresh the local populaces' awareness of what happened in their midsts post D-Day and would like to gather a representative collection of appropriate WW2 military ambulances back on the common. Interestingly in 1997 we did have one WC54 kindly driven up from Somerset by Steve Whitehouse, but the veterans were decidedly cool about it's presence as it obviously made the bad memories just a little too real; something that I had previously given no consideration to. 18 years on we are sadly no longer graced by the presence of any 347th veterans (I actually do not know of any who are still with us), the only benefit of that being that we can contemplate recreating a little bit of history as per the attached images without causing unnecessary offence. If you are on Facebook, please visit my 'Friends of the WW2 347th Station Hospital' page to see more images of the hospital. The 347th were equipped with both WC54 and Austin K2 vehicles as well as anything passing through the area that they could lay their hands on to! If you are interested in being kept updated on when this might happen, PM me. Thanks, Neil Stevens
  2. I saw the Cletrac in the attached pics at Beltring on the Thursday but it had no support info with it and there was nobody around to ask questions of. Does anyone have the gen, as I have a bit of a fetish for them!! Looked like a lovely complete project. Have also attached a picture of an 83rd Sqdn example from the 437th TCG at RAF Ramsbury in 44/45 - for Mr Marriot's benefit!
  3. Hi Howard, I'm very impressed! The DT was a beast, but didn't have the charisma of the Jimmy. I look forward to hitching a ride on the next Operation Bolero....! I've always had a bit of a fetish for Jimmy shop vans and can't help snapping them when I see them. The best example I've seen was in Normandy in 2004 owned by French MV dealers Jeepest (as per image here) and used as a mobile shop for their spare parts sales - this one is super detailed in terms of fitments and correct transfers etc - I'll try and dig out the other detail shots I took and share them. Keep up the good work. Neil S
  4. Aha, an early Gestetner duplicating machine and its trailer...... that would account for why the one at my junior school never moved from under the stairs in the four years I was there....I didn't realise they were that heavy?
  5. Chris McMillan will be well aware of this story, but here's my own small contribution to the CVRW accident stats for 1986, when I was a driver with 1st Troop of A Sqdn, Royal Yeomanry during Exercise Keystone, BAOR in October of that year. Neither the Commander (Shaun Collins, 1st Troop Sergeant waving in picture) or myself were hurt. Didn't have a gunner with us that exercise. Shaun had been rolled in a Fox a few years previously and had a lucky escape, hence he was always reminding me of their high C of G and cautioning me about terrain etc. In this instance, had I been more reckless in my driving I would have got through without incident as had the two vehicles before me. We were actually going so slowly, that when the embankment slipped out from underneath us, there was nothing else we were going to do other than role into the adjacent ditch. Shaun hunkered down inside whilst I considered myself very luck that we rolled on the BV side and hadn't had the hot contents spilled all over me! Fred Carno's army then showed in the form of the A Sqdn LAD, who proceeded to do a neutral turn in their Spartan on the ploughed field and shed both tracks! Once they had sorted themselves out, we were righted using a wrecker. Some swift action with crowbars then got the shattered remains of the wings off of the tyres and with a check of all fluids etc, we were back in the war!! Needless to say, all four wings had to be replaced once we were back in Swindon, but the Sqdn CO Major Arkell made a special point of looking me up a few weeks later and advising that the resultant enquiry had absolved me of any blame!! Vehicle Reg was 10 FD 73, if anyone knows of its history and demise I'd be interested. For all of Shaun's caution, it didn't stop him from egging me on at times; the most notable incident being on the dual carriageway into Swindon after end ex on Salisbury Plain, when as tail end charlie behind 2nd and 3rd troop's vehicles, I got the speedo off of the clock so that we overtook them all in the fast lane, with Shaun up top saluting at attention as we sped past!!
  6. Here's a shot of an engine in a truck in Normandy in 2004. It was a workshop body in use a mobile shop for the vehicle and spares dealer Jeepest. It was a superb restoration such that I wonder why they would have painted it like this if it wasn't for the sake of authenticity?
  7. I have certainly seen it whilst going by in the train recently - I've been working in Chatham a lot in the last six months so can't say how recently it was that I last saw it but has to be within the last 3 months.
  8. A work colleague of mine has just sent me a picture of a field in West Germany ( formerly a US Army training facility but now just open fields and open to the public ), in which sit 24 x M47 Patton tanks slowly going to rack and ruin. They can be clearly seen on Google earth at location 52°52'8.66"N 7°26'13.59"E and in the attached images. The vehicles appear to have been wired up, possibly for some kind of laser firing training system? The nearest town is Sogel in Lower Saxony. Anyone know anything more?
  9. Eden Camp - Malton, North Yorks A shining example of the fact that something doesn't have to be good to pull in the punters. I was there about 5 years ago helping on a school visit and the place must have been entertaining 20 coach loads of kids as it ticked all the National Curriculum boxes. The exhibits were very, very poor, summed up by a poorly built Airfix Lancaster tied to a piece of string which was fixed to an unseen motor which, when a button was pressed, jerked the aircraft across a rockery pond - and all this in a genuine wartime POW camp building. For those who haven't been able to work out the obvious links and clues here, this was the building which commemorated the Dambusters raid............! Isn't it obvious? As for the 'vehicle' exhibits, if you like your GMC with moss and litchen, fill yur boots! Crap of the highest order which you can part with good money to see! Alternatively stay in the car and go to the National Railway Museum in York, which is free and much better.
  10. Bonnet No 4130024....anyone still got it!!
  11. L4 - Ken Wakefield L6 x 2 in formation with Alamo Liaison Sqdn from San Antonio Texas, piloted by 437th TCG, 85th Sqdn veteran Tommie Thompson - a/c later destroyed killing B24 veteran pilot. P51 - Janie - with Maurice Hammond - uber thanks to brother Clive for this one! B17 - Yankee Lady - out of Willow Run B24 - Witchcraft - out of Willow Run C47 x 5 - 3 x G-AMPO/G-AMPY/G-AMSV/43-15211 x 2 AAC Westland Scout - hedge hopping on Salisbury plain whilst in the TA RAF C130 - crossed the north sea in the cockpit RAF VC10 - all the seats face backwards! RAF Tri-Star AWACS simulator - I broke the motion equipment! Citabria - with Pilot Officer 'Biggles' Barrell Airbus A310/319/A320/A330 DC9 DC10 727 737 747 757 767 777 MD11 MD80 Saab 340 Canadair Regional Jet variants Embraer variants Various twin turboprop and jet commuter types Space shuttle Aspiration list: C47 No 42-100591 Valiant Air Command, Titusville FL - genuine ex 437th TCG, 84th Sqdn, Ramsbury a/c: the wartime pilot of which I knew before his death. Should be back in the air later this year after an 8 year o/haul following a ground loop. WACO CG4A Curtis Commando C46 Lockheed Constellation - any variant Republic P47 Boeing B29 Lockheed P38 North American B25 Saturn V DC4 DC6 Vulcan Almosts...... C141 from Charleston AFB scuppered due to 911 B17 Lucky Lady - Wroughton to France. Brother Clive asked if we could bum a flight from Great Warbirds at Wroughton in 92 and they said yes we could fly back to France with them...we had neither Passports or cash to get home with! B17 Liberty Bell - from somewhere in Suffolk but Clive didn't ask me!!! It's good to aim high and whilst most of these are unlikely to be fulfilled, that's what I said about the P51, B17 and B24 a few years ago! Ok I was joking about the Space Shuttle and the Saturn V!! I had a job keeping my breakfast down in the P51!! But I'd do it again! Thanks to Jessie the Jeep for the ground to air of me in the P51 and to fellow B17 joy rider and HMVF regular Simon Morris for the Yankee Lady and Witchcraft pics - it was the highlight of our August 05 'Grand Adventure' to Thunder over Michigan or as it actually turned out, a grand and a half!!
  12. "You realise that if we don't get one of these suckers going, there's a chance we'll be issued a Champ" No Champs were hurt in the formulation of this post.
  13. Thanks NOS well worth knowing.
  14. Please can any wise soul out there let me know what the engine mount dimensions are to enable the construction of an engine rig for a CCKW engine as per the attached pic culled from the web? Many thanks in advance. Neil
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