Jessie The Jeep

RAF Tucano, Westland Wessex Helicopter, Ford GTBS bomb service truck + trailer M5 & Minerva http://www.sacarr.co.uk/mvtne/events_pics/07/ursel/ursel72.jpg[/img] http://www.sacarr.co.uk/mvtne/events_pics/07/ursel/ursel71.jpg[/img] http://www.sacarr.co.uk/mvtne/events_pics/07/ursel/ursel20.jpg[/img] http://www.sacarr.co.uk/mvtne/events_pics/07/ursel/ursel37.jpg[/img]

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Avro Anson, one of only two airworthy Ansons in the world, and some more German stuff

Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor, NA Harvard and a couple of familiar German outlines!

Here's a few pictures from the recent show at Ursel in Belgium.

OK here's a question regarding the jeep being a bit hot. You know the little springy thing on the intake manifold that allows hot exhaust air over the intake during warm up??????? What would happen if that continued to let hot exhaust air pass over the intake during the whole running period? While tinkering with the plug leads to cure one plug that wasn't firing consistantly ( since tinkering the other day with the points gap! ), I noticed that the end of the spring had fallen off the little ledge it hooks on, leaving it permanently in the starting/warmup position. I've just hooked it back on but have yet to go for a good drive to see if it makes a difference. Steve

FTM - Something every Sunderland fan knows!!! :whistle: Steve

More pictures can be found on the MVT(NE) site, the page can be found here - FRANCE TRIP Steve

I've got a '44/'58 M201 'Hillys' or 'Willkiss' and love it to bits. Had it two and a half years and done over 5500 miles in England, France, Belgium and Holland. Only one breakdown ( master brake cylinder ), and one broken propshaft which didn't stop me on my trip. They are expensive to buy initially, but affordable to run in both spares and fuel. I can happily sit at 50mph on the motorway, a jeep trailer can carry any other junk I want such as tents and display items for a weekend away. If I want to go further afield, I stick it on a flatbed trailer and tow at 60mph so long distance shows don't break the bank in fuel and time off work to make the journey. It fits easily into the garage, is easy to work on. When others are wondering whether they can afford the fuel for a day out or are worried about where they can get parked, I've already set off! Just got back from France, Belgium and Holland having done 600+ miles in the jeep, including 200+ miles in one day to Arnhem and back on the motorway. What ever you buy, you'll have fun, but I believe you can have fun in more places with a jeep! Steve

Thursday 16th. Lynne and I took the Jeep out again to La Coupole, another A4 Rocket launching site. This concrete bunker and tunnel system was built into a chalk hillside, and several of the tunnels are still incomplete, and show the process of tunneling, and lining the openings with concrete. After leaving La Coupole, Lynne and I went to Boulogne for the rest of the day before returning to the campsite having covered another 99 miles. We spent the rest of the evening packing up most of our camping gear ready for the following morning. Inside the entrance is a rare piloted V1 Flying Bomb, which were flight tested, but never used operationally. A plan elsewhere in the museum shows the full scale of the complex of tunnels, which like Eperlecques, was built by slave labour but never used. A complete A4 rocket is on display along with one of the rocket engines. A small scale animated model showed the arrival of the rockets by train, final assembly and movement from the bunker to the launch pad just outside. One part of the museum follows the development of the A4 rocket by the Americans and Russians into the space program, and a series of models show the A4 Rocket to scale with the Mercury, Soyouz, Zemiorka and Saturn V rockets amongst others.

From Albert, we headed North North East to Vimy Ridge, the scene of some very bloody fighting during WW1. This hill had a commanding view over the battlefield and was held by the Germans through many attacks until finally taken by the Canadians. The land around the memorial is still heavily cratered, 'though overgrown, and also protected behind an electric fence as there is still uncleared munitions buried there. Further back from the memorial, there are still trenches, lined with concrete sandbags. The land around these trenches is also heavily cratered and again protected by electric fences. Only sheep walk into the 'live' area, the only safe way to keep the grass short. The memorial itself is now gleaming white having undergone a multi-million dollar refurbishment in the last few years. [

Wednesday 15th. Since Noel's Jeep was making sounds that it was not happy with life, he was reluctant to drive it any distance, so on Wednesday, we took our normal car the long trip south to Albert, to visit some of the WW1 museums around that area. Under the Church/Cathedral, there were several tunnels used as shelters and these had been turned into a museum to 'The Great War'. The church itself had been almost completely destroyed and yet had been rebuilt to its original design, complete with statue on top of the spire. A mural on a nearby wall shows the statue during the war, partially toppled from the spire.

Since we were now in Belgium, and perhaps not likely to be in that area again, we decided to make the hours drive across to Ypres to see the Menen Gate. We arrived around 7:00pm. Little can be said to best describe the memorial to the unknown soldiers lost during WW1. The lists of names seem to be endless, 'though by chance I came across my own name among the many. We would have liked to stay for the 8:00pm ceremony, but it was a long way back in the Jeep, approximately 90 minutes, and we wanted to make sure we were back in daylight. The days travelling had covered 159 miles by the time we got home to the campsite.

On the way to Dunkirk, the other Jeep began to make a banging noise from somewhere in the transmission, which stopped after a short time. It had made the same noise on the 10th heading to Hull for the ferry. There was no obvious signs of distress, from the vehicle at least, so it turned around here and headed back to the campsite. After asking at a local Tourist Info office, we found that the Atlantic Wall Museum was actually in Oostend in Belgium, so Lynne and I continued North East, hoping to get there before it closed. Fortunately the museum was open until 6:00pm which gave us 90 minutes to look around by the time we got there. The site is a large complex of concrete gun emplacements and tunnels, 'though part of the area is rendered brickwork to give the Allies the impression of more concrete areas than were actually there. Many of the buildings have what looks like original markings on the walls, and several areas have been returned to their original condition.

Tuesday 14th. Tuesday was a long day, which started with a search for the Atlantic Wall Museum. One of our group had been before as part of a coach tour, but he couldn't remember where it was, just that it was somewhere between Calais and Dunkirk. So we headed off in the Jeeps along all the little roads that ran along the seafront, looking for the museum. Eventually we reached Dunkirk, having found no museum, but we did come across the memorial to the evacuation from the beaches.

After leaving this museum, we headed to the coast at Cap-Gris-Nez and found further concrete emplacements, some still in place, others fallen from the eroding coastline. A shelter down a set of steps was in complete darkness, but the camera flash illuminated the scene well enough for a good picture. Along the dirt track at the cliff tops, we also found a part exposed concrete ring and rusting mounting bolts, although for what I don't know.

From there, we headed North up the coast towards Cap- Gris- Nez, and the site of the Todt 39-45 Coastal Gun Battery Museum. The gun opening in the Block House has now been glazed to protect the exhibits within, which included a nicely finished Kettenkrad, complete with two trailers in tow. Outside the museum, is one of only two 280mm Rail Guns in existence, the other being in the USA. The gun is covered in surface rust, 'though the ladders propped against the barrel and a couple of workmen suggest some work is being carried out. While not clear in the picture along the barrel of the gun, England's White Cliffs could just be seen from here.

Monday 13th. Day two saw us take both Jeeps on a tour to the coast to the West of our site. The first stop was the 'Musee 39-45' at Ambleteuse. There were many displays of mannequins in period clothing from all sides, and strangely, the faces all looked typical of their country of origin. A Sherman and a Halftrack stood outside the museum, but behind a fence out of easy reach. After leaving the museum, we headed down to the sea front for our packed lunches!

Sunday 12th Not far down the road from the campsite was a museum set in and around the Block House built to assemble and launch the A4 Vengeance Weapons, the 'V2' Rocket. The structure that stands today was only 1/3 of that planned for the final assembly, fuelling and launching of the A4 liquid fuelled rockets. The impressive concrete structure was never used having been damaged by bombing raids before completion. A very large crater near one wall shows the impact point of one of Barnes Wallis' Earthquake bombs which, although it didn't make a direct hit, caused enough structural damage for the Germans to abandon the facility built by slave labour. Also on display was a V1 flying bomb, plus several military vehicles and a one man midget submarine.

About a week prior to the Ursel 'Wings & Wheels' show, a few members of the MVT(NE) went to France for a mini holiday. Those who couldn't make the trip early due to various other commitments were to meet us on the Friday of the show so we could enter together as a group. The 'scouting party' drove to Hull to catch the overnight ferry on Friday 10th, arriving at the campsite in Eperlecques on Saturday around mid-day. Lynne and myself towed our jeep to Calais on Saturday, arriving early Saturday evening. A fairly clear night gave us a good view of the International Space Station passing quickly over head. The attached picture shows a 15 second exposure showing the movement of the station against the background stars.

I don't know I'm away a few days, the place goes all to ****, the site admin is helping take threads off topic, and everyone is letting cats out of bags left, right and centre!!!! :-o Anyway chaps, I got home today, quite knackered and in need of a holiday. Had a great time with the guys in Holland, amazed at home much driving Joris does without holding the wheel ( must be a clever dick!! ). He did give us a great tour around though, and it was good to meet Enigma, even if his excuse for not bringing his vehicle was poor!!! We did 630+ miles in the jeep over the two weeks and saw loads of stuff. I have many pics to post which will follow in due course. Steve

Oh, OK, just enough time for a few quick pictures. We got some video when off roading but that will need editing before loading. Steve

Excellent day. Not long arrived back at the campsite having done 216 miles in the jeep today. Plenty of photos, but I think they'll have to wait until I'm home on Monday. Nobody mention Joris and Hedges!!!!!! :-D Steve

Yeh. We'll work out the fine details in the morning. Logging off now. Off out for the day in the normal car. Steve

Could do. We just need to keep an eye on the time as we want to get back to the campsite in daylight. Steve