Peter4456

Very nice Scammell and Bedford RL on a low loader heading north towards Colchester on the A12 this morning - it was a nice rig so a very nice load altogether!!

Probably a question for Clive, but does anyone know if the FV 1601 Humber 1 ton GS vehicle record cards are at Deepcut? I'm helping a friend research his GS vehicle history and would appreciate any help. Thanks

Thanks Richard ....just how bad is 'semi fluid grease' then? - my Ferret is very clean inside!!

OK, OK, I was WRONG - the correct oil for a Ferret fluid fly wheel is OM 13 / 15!! :blush: However, in my defence (and I've got it in front of me as I type!), Maintenance Schedule, Scout Car, Ferret Mk1 and Mk2 (all variants), Army Code 14000 (Revised October 1984), does say (on page vi - Capacities) 'Fluid Coupling - OEP220'. It then says (on page 7) 'OM13' -the page I didn't read - presumably an MOD misprint! Anyone know how to drain a fluid fly wheel...........?!

The correct oil for the Ferret fluid fly wheel is OEP220 (that's what it says on the October 1984 Servicing Schedule!) and EP90 (easily available) is the same stuff.

'The bacon grill and fruit salad tins in particular seem to blow after a few years.' Yes, they do and the smell of 30 year old putrifying Bacon Roll was something to behold and not for the faint hearted or weak of stomach!! Perhaps I should have listened to my wife when she said there was a hissing noise coming from my recently acquired 80s rat pack tins - I said it was next door's tumble dryer - Doh!!

If you've ever tried to get hold of a regimental pennant for your mv, you'll know just how hard it is, especially for the disbanded regiments. Well, a friend of mine, Mandy Sycamore, can make you a superb sewn pennant in cotton to fit over Larkspur / Clansman antennae for £25! It might seem a lot, but these are individually made and try finding one somewhere else! I've seen a 15th / 19th Hussars pennant she's made and it's a very good copy indeed - you'd be hard pushed to tell it from an original! I will be asking her to make me a red and yellow RAC pennant soon. Anyway, her contact details are: canadaleaf5@tesco.net

A really nice find - and with the original markings too! As the Champ record cards no longer exist, the markings or an in service photo are about your only hope of finding the Champ's service history. John Mastrelango is the Champ 'guru' and brilliant at deciphering the markings (contact him via www.austinchamp.com). What with all that and Clive filling you in on the history since it was sold, you're a very lucky chap! Personally I'd forget the Mutts and restore the Champ but that's just me!!

Clive, Brilliant!! That's exactly what I was looking for, so thanks for taking the time to find it all for me! I always said I would never pay more than £10 for one of these lovely little pamphlets - judging by some of the prices on the internet, I may have revise (up) that a bit!

Not military vehicles, I know, but there's always someone on this forum who knows the answer! I'm trying to get a definitive list of the Infantry Training Pamphlets (the little blue ones) from the 50s and 60s and this is what I have so far: 1. General Introduction - 1969 2. Fieldcraft - 1954 3. No 4 Rifle & Bayonet - 1955 3B. SLR - 1965 4. ? 4B. SMG - 1955 5. Browning pistol -1958 6. LMG (Bren) - 7. Grenades - 1964 8. 2" Mortar 9i. Energa - 1953 9ii. 3.5" Rocket Launcher - 1953 9iii. 84 mm - 1967 9iv. 66 mm 10. Sniping Was there one for the .38 Revolver, Vickers .303 or Browning .30? Any help much appreciated

From where I was standing, in the Living History Field with a pint of Spitfire in hand, a really impresive convoy and long overdue. I didn't know it was on, which made it even more impressive! Thanks for organising it and let's hope it's included next year!

I've laminated all of my original de act certs and always take them with me to shows - just in case!!

I'm sure Greg and some of the W&P guys read this forum - is it really too late to change this and get the USO Show back - it's obviously going to be BADLY missed if it's not there!!

Infantry Platoon Weapons Pamphlet No 4 'The Sub Machine Gun' 1955 (Army Code 8948) says: 'The normal way to fire a SMG is a quick aimed shot or number of shots from the right shoulder with the safety catch at R' (Page 22, Para 12 a) However the 'Firing from the waist' section says: '...point the gun at your enemy and fire a burst of sufficient length to kill. This may well mean firing a whole magazine in one burst, correcting your fire by observation' (Page 23, Para 15 b) I love these old blue training pamphlets (getting harder to find now though!) but I've never seen one for the 9mm Browning - do they exist?

Good luck with finding No 80 WP grenades - I'd like even one for my Ferret (without having to sell my house to buy it!). The last of the No 36 Grenades (Made by Lawn Mower manufacturers, Qualcast; apprarently!)cirica 1972 are getting hard to find too, and the L2 grenades (probably more correct for a mid 80s Ferret) seem to snapped up by reenactors to festoon themselves with!

Probably another Gate Guardian brought in from the cold (via Withams!) - was it really at Bassingbourn from 1980 onwards?!

I wondered if it was the Centurion from the Army Musuem at Fremantle, WA - it looks like it's been well looked after. A bit of a strange musuem - it was closed at Christmas when everyone was on holiday! - but looked (from the train) to have some really nice stuff - including a Ferret. Anyone ever managed to visit it? Great pics of a great tank with some very interesting history - good luck with the restoration. It does make me think - are there any other Cents around with combat history (Korea, Suez, Aden, NI (yes, Op Motorman!) or Gulf War (we all know about Phosgene).

Another shot of the Ferret being disturbed from it's slumber before being dumped in a hole and then recovered! - one for Toolman & Ferretkitt! Thanks for the replies - I'm glad the Churchill survived - was it on Salisbury Plain or Stanford?

These pictures were given to me by a mate (ex REME Staff Sgt) and show what appear to be recovery exercises - the Ferret was certainly pushed into a hole before being dragged out again! He thinks they were taken on Salisbury Plain (other photos of the Ferret show it in a 'German village') but the Churchill background looks like STANTA to me - any ideas? The Churchill looks quite reasonable - anyone know where it ended up? What is the hull the men are standing in front of?

The first MV I had contact with (and learned to drive in) was GKL 393N - a superb SWB Land Rover Rover 8 FFR. I took it to the second IMPS (later W&P!) Show at Tenterden railway station in 1983 - much to the amazement (and amusement!) of the Jeep owners! It was in really good condition, with most of the original fittings and markings still visible under the paint and was last heard of at a garage in Cornwall, being used as the recovery vehicle and painted bright yellow (I wonder if it's still there?). The first MV I owned was another SWB Land Rover, VUD 238L. It had been used on the range on Benbecula in the Hebrides, which probably accounted for the horrendous chassis corrosion! There was then a gap of 15 years before I bought my FV 432 - well and truly bitten by the bug!!

Army Auxiliary Workshops appear to have been the larger civilian dealerships carrying out work for the Army. According to the Austin Champ Owners Club, B269 was Henlys of Weston Super Mare in Somerset who carried out Base Overhauls on Champs in the late 50s.

Didn't they do exactly that to a T34 recovered from a bog? I'm told new batteries, fluid changes and 3 small mechanical repairs and they drove it away!! Well, it's a good story anyway!

Incredible footage! You'd never believe it was true if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes!! I wonder what happened to the Stug after recovery Perhaps there may be a Tiger or two lurking in Russian bogs after all!!

A bit of a mystery really: The buttons are Edward VII - (1902 - 1910) and looking at the Medal Yearbook, the ribbons appear to be (l-r): Order of St Michael & St George Military Cross Indian Distinguished Service Medal 1907 China War Medal 1900 Empress of India Medal - 1877 They are mounted in the right order, but I'm not sure about the MC (if it is the MC ribbon) and the sewing doesn't look quite right.

Couldn't agree more Eddy - I love my Ferret but still miss my 432 like mad!! Robin - Enjoy!! - are you going to lighten the load by getting rid of the 436 / 439 gear?