HELLfromHEAVEN_398TH

Calling all military vehicle and equipment owners!! On the 22nd of August we are holding a WW2 Day in the village of Great Hormead, Hertfordshire to raise money for a memorial stone to an American Airman, Mr Archie F Daniels, who was killed when his P.47 crashed just outside the village in 1944. The event will be held in and around the village hall and will go on throughout the whole day with a talk in the evening giving an insight into life in the local area during WW2. There will be displays covering many aspects of the war including the home front, and displays of a lot of genuine original WW2 equipment and amazing photographs from the 398th BG(H) that were based in the local village of Nuthampstead. Also covered will be the 55th FG who were based at Nuthampstead before the 398th arrived. We want to make the day exciting and memorable and we are trying to get as much militaria on display as possible. This is where you come in! The hall has a large car park area and we would like to fill this with military vehicles and equipment, if possible some outdoor displays too depending on weather! All Military vehicles and equipment are welcome, re enactors too, and anything you may have that you would be willing to bring along and display to make the day bigger and better will be welcomed. This is the first year that we are holding the event but we intend to run it on an annual basis, making it bigger and better each year. Food and drink will be provided free of charge to anyone who brings along their vehicle or items of interest for display. If you think you would like to be involved, or would like more information, please contact me either through the forum of Via e-mail at hellfromheaven@btconnect.com Great Hormead is on the North Herts / South cambs / west Essex Border, about 5 mins from the town of Buntingford. The Archie F Daniels memorial On the 11th February 1944 Archie F Daniels took off with the rest of his squadron with the 78th fighter group out of Duxford in his P.47D "Dawson County Nebraska" 42-7963 HL-T. Shortly after take off he started experiencing diffficulties with his engine and propeller controls. Realising he couldn't stay with his flight, he decided to abort and try to make an emergency landing at station 131, home to the 398th BG (H) based at Nuthampstead. Rapidly losing power and precious height he realised he wouldn't make it and tried to put the aircraft down in a field just outside of the village of Gt Hormead. His aircraft struck the ground on an uphill slope and came to a stop just beside the old Hormead mills. The aircraft caught fire immediately and despite attempts by local people and off duty sevicemen, Archie was trapped and burnt to death in the cockpit of his aircraft. We have planning for the memorial now and the stone is at the engravers ready, we are a little over half way with the funds and we hope this event will raise enough complete the process and get the memorial erected and dedicated. If you think you would like to be involved or would like more information, please contact me either through the forum of Via e-mail at hellfromheaven@btconnect.com I look forward to hearing from some of you soon. Many thanks, Dominic Pike

Ok, i give in, you are all right, i was wrong! I get it now, must have been the diesel fumes clouding my vision. So, it's a 1944ish army issued 5 ton trailer chassis. The generator set on the rails is 1944ish and was built to power a type 14 radar. The two were obtained as surplus sometime in the late 40s / early 50s and the whole lot was altered and built into a coach built body for the specific use of powering the mobile x-ray units scanning for TB. That would explain the off white paint, looks very much like the one in the photo below! Oh well, nothing like a 4 day dream to get the blood flowing! Thnks to everyone for their time and help, i'm sorry if i was stubborn! I bought the thing as part of a pair, The other being a 3 cylinder lister diesel with a 110v genny dated 1939. I knew the other was probably a searchlight genny but i had no idea what this one was. they are both runners and i bought them to power my workshop up my field as they will give me more than enough power for welders/compressor ect. Sadly it is not in itself, a military vehicle as a whole but i will rebuild it anyway because it seems a shame not to. Besides, it's a very useful mobile generator! As a point of interest, i spoke to my Grandad today. He was posted to mobile radar operations in india in 1943. They were put together as a unit in Bombay but there was no equipment for them to use. They were given the task of putting together an amphibious mobile radar unit using whatever they could find. They ended up custom fitting their equiment into a DUKW and a couple of amphibious jeeps. If anyone can find anymore information on that it would be most interesting! I'm now going to go and sit in the corner with my big pointy "D" hat on Thanks again everyone, i know a lot more now than i did 4 days ago which was the object of the exercise!

My Grandad was on a special ops unit in Burma in 1945. He was with the RAF on a mobile Radar unit positioned between the front lines in what was technically no mans land. One of the vehicles supplied to his unit was an American DUKW fitted for radar operations by the RAF and operated by them. My point is that although the DUKW was origianally supplied to the army, it was modified by the RAF for this purpose and operated by the RAF. I'm guessing it's the same thing with the trailer. The war department number refers to an army trailer, taken by the RAF and fitted for use with the no2 genny set as mentioned, probably in 1944 (going by the engine number on the gen set and the WD number on the trailer chassis, and the specific use was to power the type 14 radar. The Leyland Hippo also entered service in 1944 and did make it into europe before the wars end. I don't know if these radar units were active with the leyland hippo from day one, that is something i will need to find out. In regards to anwering my own question, perhaps it is not fully answered yet. But my question was 'what is it and when was it built, what was it's purpose and is it ex RAF'. If the trailer shown on the Electrokinetca website was number 63 ,built in 1945 (going by engine number) and is exactly the same as mine then i would assume that mine, being number 27, was built in 1944. Type 14 radar units were introduced in 1944/45 which is exactly the dates that these units were built. i Don't yet know if mine was altered post was for X-ray operations, i will find out what modifications have been done and that will tell me more. It is more interesting than i originally thought though! I need to find out if these trailers saw service and if so, where and with what unit.

RAF Section number, This information has been gained from the AP1086. Section: 42X 20KVA, 230-volt, S.P., 400-volt, 3-phase, Mark 2, generating set (mobile) with Lister diesel 38/4 engine (42AA) Generating sets (c/w engines) and stationary IC engines in ground equipment other than generating sets

Thanks Richard, it's good to know the army census number dates from around 1944. I've done a little research and it turns out my engine was built around March/april 1944, plus or minus a month so that ties in nicely. As you can see from my previous post, i think i know exactly what it is now! I suppose there is a chance that it saw service towards the end of WW2, if it was indeed built in 1944????? I need to find out more!!

Sorry to prove you wrong Ted but i think i've just hit the nail on the head! I've just found this on a website! "Most of the Lister generating sets supplied the War Department were built at their Dursley factory to one of a handful of standard designs but there were exceptions. For example, the Air Ministry Mk.2 20kVA set shown here was not assembled in Dursley because Lister provided only the 38/4 engine and bed. The electrical end consists of a Metropolitan-Vickers 20kVA 3-phase alternator equipped with a comprehensive switchboard including Tonum automatic carbon pile regulator. The principal application of this model was to power Type 14 Search Radar units and similar, for which purpose the switchboard was specifically arranged. A Leyland Hippo lorry would carry the generator as part of the vehicle complement making up the radar outfit codenamed "Vast Convoy". These sets were designed to survive under adverse conditions; Hand-starting capability made operation independent of troublesome batteries; the radiator was generously proportioned to enable continuous running at full power in high ambient temperatures; a variable compression system enabled reliable starting in the cold. The generator windings were insulated to a high specification and protected from dirt ingress by an air filter. The electrical output is rather unusual and specific to the application. Although the alternator has a three phase star-connected winding the phase-neutral voltage is only 132V, giving a phase-phase voltage of 230V for delta applications, therefore the star point is not brought out. The output of the set can be delivered into two equal 230V single phase loads sharing a common terminal, in a format neither strictly single or two-phase as a phase difference of 120 degrees exists between them. A transformer was provided amongst the switchgear to step up part of the output power to conventional 230 / 400 volt three phase configuration. I think i might have answered my own question! I still need more information, but atleast i know what it is now! The one in the picture was built in 1945 and is number 63. Mine is number 27 but i don't know how many were built in total.

I have spent the afternoon having a good look around and taking a lot more pictures which i have added to my photo album. As far as i can tell it was specially built for a generator unit. There are twin fuel tanks underneath and all plumbed into the cabin. There was a vacuum unit to suck the fuel up which is not currently fitted but is present. Also the exhaust stack and heat shield look like they were built to fit. I still can't find anything with a date on it! The whole engine and genny unit has been painted at some point in the green with red bits that you see in the pictures. The paint is flaking off in places and the original colour underneath is a dark olive drab colour. It is harder to tell the original exterior colour. It appears to be a grey colour, overpainted with an off white / beige. The whole thing has been painted at some point so there is very little original paint to go by! perhaps some of the new photos will help shed some light? MORE PHOTO'S ADDED TO MY ALBUM

Hello all! My name is Dom and i'm new to forums but i'm hoping that is going to change! I'm in need of help finding information on my latest purchase, a Lister generator unit on a 4 wheel 5 ton trailer. This is a new addition to my collection and i don't know much about it yet! I'm really hoping that somebody might be able to help me find out more! I'm told it is an ex RAF runway light backup generator unit but i have nothing to confirm this. It is mostly complete and in a working condition. She starts first time and has been used for the last 5 years to power a farm workshop. I intend to restore the whole unit over time but the priority is to rebuild the entire wooden framework, re sheet the exterior and get the cabin solid and weatherproof again. I have some experience at this so i'm not too daunted by it. 50% of the wood frame is complete enough to make patterns from and most of the aluminium mouldings are available locally. The wooden floor and trailer chassis are solid like new as they have been soaked in Diesel most of it's life! 95% of the original parts are present and still just about fitted (or hanging on for dear life) so i'm hoping for a good end result! The thing i need help with is the electrical system. Although it is working and putting out power, it has been altered at some stage and a modern main switch fitted. If you have any knowledge on these old generator electrical systems, please contact me as i'm going in blind at the moment! I also need a better set of 10.50 13 tyres as mine are a bit sketchy! I know they are hens teeth now but if anyone does have any going i will be interested! I'm also after information on all the history of the unit but i don't know how to go about finding these things out. Does anyone have any photos of one of these? I'm going to list all the information from the data plates below, if anyone can help in any way with identifying these numbers, dates ect PLEASE contact me! The number 27 is screwed to the front of the cabin which i assume means it's unit number 27? The Trailer itself has two ID plates, one on the drawbar and one on the chassis. The one on the drawbar reads: -MINISTRY OF SUPPLY W.V.3- -VEHICLE NUMBER: VME 1 1- -CHASSIS NUMBER 19966 The plate on the chassis reads: -TRAILER CHASSIS 5 TON 4 WHEEL- -CONT. NO: 23/5884- -CHASSIS: 19955- -W.D. X586 7156- You may notice that the chassis number appears as 19955 on the chassis plate but appears as 19966 on the drawbar! I'm guessing this was a mistake when the plates were stamped but it does confuse things a little! The 55 on the trailer chassis plate does look like 66 at a glance but is definately 55 on close inspection. I suspect the drawbar plate from the ministry of supply was fitted after the plate on the chassis itself. whoever stamped it may have not looked closely at the chassis plate and thought it was 66. what does anyone else think has happened here, which is most likely to be the true chassis number? There is a plate inside the cabin screwed to the top of the front end wall which reads: -BODY NUMBER 109- -P&S MOTORS, TEDDINGTON, MIDDLESEX- There are two plates screwed to the Generator unit, one in the middle where the main coils are and one at the end where the brushes are: the one in the middle reads: -A M- -REF NO: 42X/156- -SERIAL NUMBER: 260214/240/S768- The one on the brush end reads: -A M- -REF NO. 42X/160- -SERIAL NUMBER: 560214/2436.786- The plate on the engine block reads: -RA LISTER AND CO LTD- -NO: 60/19702- -SPEC 38429A- -RPM 1000- ANYTHING is good information for me right now as i'm starting from nothing. I have put all this information and photographs of the unit in it's present condition, in my photo album, feel free to have a look and leave comments, she looks a sorry state at the moment but there's life in the old girl yet! MORE PHOTOS IN MY PICTURE ALBUM