LarryH57

That £21m used on an unnecessary makeover of the IWM was a total waste, as are many other lottery backed schemes with museums across the UK. It's as if they see pound signs and lose all track of what a museum is about. They either build a fantastically expense and ugly structure shaped like a donut or use millions on a well loved museum for no logical reason. Following that they then fill the place with TV screens and interactive displays, in which case I could stay home and go on the web! Honestly I don't know where they get these museum directors from. It's happened in so many museums across the UK. They are guardians of our heritage and they have no right to put the archives in danger. As someone said its all about the architects not the artefacts! Perversely its because many museums are free to enter that we end up having to pay much more in the future to pick up the costs. Millions of tourists visit each year and I don't think £1 to enter would be too much to ask; except of course if the Accountants say each £1 will cost £1.10 to pay in to the Bank! Give up now you will never win against people like this, or against people who put speed bumps on main arterial roads, or who have you sitting at red traffic lights on deserted roads at 1 am- when the concept of flashing amber 'go if its clear' traffic signals have been used in Europe for decades!

What scum for stealing our heritage. Probably stolen to order as RJ Mitchells Cigarette case will hardly have any scrap value Everyone look out for it in case it comes out in the open in a year or two and its the only one with RJM on it!

John Jackson's Crossley Q was featured in Wheels & Tracks in 1990s but I have not seen it since. Has anyone got any recent photos of it. Does it get to any shows in East Anglia?

Photos out of the archives; The one above shows Canadian Troops on the West Coast of Canada training on the 40mm Bofors in 1943. But why are they wearing US Army style helmets, which they did not adopt in NW Europe in WW2? The second photo dates from 1938 and shows a parade in Vancouver, and although the troops shown are believed to be Canadian, the truck is from the US Army with US registration. On the bonnet it says USA W310372, on the door 148th FA Hv Btry, tac sign 5 on the rad and vehicle licence plate says Washington US 25.

Did anyone come to any conclusion as to why 126 or 127 AF (Air Field) was still used in Normandy rather than 126 or 127 Wing? Better things to do perhaps that correct your jeep markings under fire from long range artillery?!!!!

Crossley6 many thanks for your comments, which add to the debate. Lastly Ted, did you have any thoughts on the jeep markings that looked like a Bridge Plate with 1 on them?

Many thanks as ever Ted; it did cross my mind after posting that the circle next to the roundel was the bridge plate but I was confused by the 1. As for the explanation of 127 AF being Air Field that's very helpful but I'm interested as to how you knew it was Tangmere pre D-Day, as the photo of the Padre's jeep still shows this style of marking when evidently it was taken in France post D-Day?

Bryan, thanks for your reply, and yes I would really appreciate copies of the AMOs. I also understand now from what you have said that the Austin K6 photo gives an example of the Type Number for the body. And Ted, welcome back I hope you are getting better. Thanks for your input on the vehicle 'Type Number' being the load capacity. If its true that a QL was Type 1300 and a Jeep a Type 1900, was the type number meant to confuse the enemy as it has no correlation to lbs. or Kgs! Also the well known photo of Prestwick's Crash Tender shows Type 1301 on the side, so was another number added for its use? BTW - in passing did you see the Padre's Jeep above had a plate over the headlight saying 127 AF. I have seen several others with 126 AF (see below) on them but as this was the RAF Wing why do you think it wasn't 127W or 126W? I'd also be interested to know the meaning and colour of the 'white' circle and 'I' painted in it. Was it a Canadian marking?

Well Simon, that's a start. I guessed right that it was introduced in 1944, and although the book says it was for D-Day, it was also used on UK airfields too, which in turn suggests the Type Number was applied before delivery rather than being unit specific or just for 2 TAF. Now I just need to get a list together from the book and also check that Bedford OY really was given the same RAF Type Number as a QL. Photos of RAF Bedford OY's in 1944-45 anyone?

Thanks Simon, I'll order a copy from somewhere but if you have one yourself just answer this simple question - why were RAF Type Numbers introduced?

volvoc303 I have sent you a PM

Has anyone got a list of RAF Vehicle Type Numbers, that seem to be quite prevalent on RAF vehicles used from around 1944 to early post-war, especially so for 2nd TAF vehicles. These numbers were unique to a particular vehicle type and whatever RAF unit had them the Type number was always the same - if they bothered to display it! BTW - there is some circumstantial evidence that for 2nd TAF RAF Jeeps that some carried Type 1900 on the bonnet / hood (on the left hand drivers side and the RAF vehicle serial on the other side of the bonnet. The photo of the Padre may be RCAF and connected with 401 Sqn RCAF but I'm trying to confirm if the white circle and 'I' marking seen on a few Jeeps is a 'Roman 1' and reference to their previous identity as 1 Sqn RCAF. Any photos of 2nd TAF Jeeps greatly appreciated, whatever the nationality of the unit.

volvoc303, I'd love to have you join us; send me a PM with your email phone number and vehicles registration(s) Larry

Dear Members, I looking for owners with ex-RAF vehicles, who may wish to attend RAF Northolt's 100th Anniversary Open Day & Air Show on Saturday 13th June 2015. Please send me a PM if you are interested. Kind Regards Larry

Thanks Don, I must have missed the comment that an AC pump is 1.5 psi. I suspect the one on the Tilly was nothing like as good, so when the SU was fitted it ran well. Shame about the leak but good to know the new pump did not rupture anything!

On the Normandy Tour 1979, the gardener at the MVCG camp site we stayed at drove a Kubelwagen as his daily drive. It was only 35 years old

Ok folks the Huco Suction Pump 133010 from Southern Carburettors was fitted this morning and works very well. It seems that Southern Carburettors were the only people to point out that this pump works with negative or positive earth, so in the case of the Tilly the red wire was attached to earth and the black to -ve on the coil. All the other searches I did for this item suggest negative earth use only. Anyway that's the good news - there is slight leak from the carb around the inlet pipe! I know what your thinking the fuel pressure must be so high, it forced its way out but at 1.4psi its not that much and similar to the AC engine driven pump! Does anyone know what the rating is for the original AC pump? Hopefully a new fibre washer (part 56 on the exploded diagram in the parts list) will stop the drip.

Just thought that if the pump is connected up and the output hose is put into a Jerrycan I can see with the ignition on if it pumps fuel in the right direction.

Many thanks all When in our haste to fit a pump last time (which we discovered was a negative earth pump) it did nothing when it was connected other than get hot before we quickly disconnected it. Now this time round I'm proposing that as it is a positive earth vehicle and a pump to suit that we attach the brown lead to the chassis earthing point and have the black one attached to the negative terminal on the coil. Fingers crossed!

An electric pump has been sourced from Southern Carburettors and is I think a Huco Suction Pump 133010 (I don't have it yet) but its said to be for either positive and negative earth on SC's website. So how would it be connected up if the vehicle is positive earth? Surely if it can be connected either way then it could potentially run either way i.e. in reverse? Any thoughts on this anyone?

With the AC pump off and the engine turned over, the push rod hardly moves. I put my finger over the end and there was so little movement it was understandable it was not going to move the cam on the pump. With the pump in place it was possible to hand pump the carb but as soon as I stopped the engine dies. So what else can I do?

Guys, firstly thanks for all your replies. Sadly the cam on the camshaft in the engine of the Tilly must be worn down as it no longer pushes on the push rod sufficiently to pump the AC fuel pump, which itself is in good order. We may decide to go back to the AC if the engine needs stripping. But for now we want to get the old girl mobile hence the need for an electric pump. BTW - Regarding the problem that electric pumps do not stop pumping in the event that the engine stops, we propose to have one connection attached to the coil, so in the event of a stall or crash, the pump will stop.

We are fitting an electric fuel pump to a Hillman Tilly, in place of an AC engine driven pump, and I'd like to know what psi approx. would do. I imagine its got to be fairly low pressure for the type of engine. Has anyone done this to a Tilly or similar type of vehicle? Once I know what psi, I can then order one from firms like Southern Carburettors, who have a few positive earth types. BTW I have also seen pumps rate in litres or gallons per hour. Which is a better way of assessing an electric fuel pump?

I'm working with a friend on a 1942 Hillman Tilly, that should by all accounts be NEGATIVE earth but is actually Positive! As there is not much in the way of electrics in a Hillman Tilly (just lights and ignition and possibly a fuel pump) some have suggested that its an easy job to do. So what's involved in changing it from Positive Earth to Negative Earth?

Ok more help needed; according to a brief description on the Hillman Tilly Register these vehicles should be 12 volt negative earth, yet the one we are working on is Positive Earth. Were any made like this or is it a bodge being positive earth? The AC fuel pump doesn't work because the cam on the engine is worn, so we want to fit an electric pump for now - which needs to be positive earth as the positive terminal on the battery is connected to the bulkhead. By the way does any one know the pressure of the standard AC pump as we would like to fit one from SU that's 1.4 psi. Is that good enough?