fv1609

School of Infantry, Northern Ireland Training Advisory Team (UKLF), Lydd Camp

I thought your pig was 30 BK 43. The history I have is rather different to above not least it being sold off on 29/11/67 for £50. Then recovered to CVD Hilton on 23/5/72. Can you confirm its reg no. The FVRDE no could be on the door, the wing, the armour above the wing or even the radiator armour.

Paul, if it was at Chertsey I think it likely that those rear doors were the subject of development there. In which case you should find a 4-digit FVRDE "wing number" either on the wing of the vehicle or on the radiator armour. The pig that was used for development of the protective screens was a Mk2 26 BK 30 with a wing number 8338. Now I hope you looked carefully at what you were stripping away before the re-decorating started?

Jack - Dorset - GMC Ian- Essex - Bedford RL or Landie Chris - Nottingham - CVR(W) Fox or Ferret Mk 1 & LR Series 3 Lightweight Lee- Essex- CVR(W) Fox or Ferret Mk 1 or Land Rover 109FFR John - Essex - 101 FC Ambulance Andy - Sussex - Bedford MW Karl - Sussex - Landrover DPV (depending can book time off of work) Rowan - Wiltshire - Dodge wc51 Rob - Nearly Essex - 127 Rapier rambo- London/Essex -110 landy rambo 2- London/Essex - champ rambo 3- London/Essex - lightwieght rambo 4- London/Essex -1970's jeep Private P Connor - Brighton -Humber Pig Fv1612 Mk1 Flying Chris - Sussex- Austin Champ Andy - Derby - Ferret. Clive Elliott - Salisbury - Pig FV1609 or Wolf + Cipher Trailer David Ives - Eastbourne - Landrover Jerry - Dorset - Ferret or Pig Ashley - Dorset - Jeep jerkey - landrover - mt - herts Neil - Stalwart or Landrover 109 FFR (depending on date as it's not on the road yet)

I was never really sure about the stories that one member of a firing squad was given a blank round; so that all the squad could console themselves that it was maybe their gun that fired the blank. But here is the explanation in gruesome detail. I have not posted this to be in any way entertaining, but it does give a sombre insight as to the bottom line of discipline in the British Army. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/fv1620/Shot01.jpg[/img] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/fv1620/Shot02.jpg[/img] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/fv1620/Shot03.jpg[/img] I would be interested to see how closely people could guess the age of these instructions. Have a go; I will give the date at the end of the weekend.

So how many sets of golf clubs have you got now? How many Val Doonican & Mantivani LPs can you get back home in one go? I have nearly perfected this strange RUC green for the pig. I estimated to get sufficient mixed up to match would be about £80. I have been mixing Light Brunswick Green with black & that will only have cost £10. So hunting around can be worthwhile. I always look in the paint bins, sometimes new cans of paint even! I can make quite a respectable DBG & a good Light Admiralty Grey. You're bound to hit on the right colour eventually given that there are only 3 primary colours.

Thixofix, yes that's what it says on the link I posted. I bought a 5 litre tin of it at the local tip, together with 2 large tins of black Hammerite smooth all for a fiver. But when I dump stuff I usually find something of interest! But always a bone of contention returning with almost as much stuff as I dumped! But I had to say no to all those Val Doonican LPs & amazing numbers of golf clubs that these dump people salvage for sale.

Look it's not a bl**dy target you know!

Probably will do, although "time bond" allowing for adjustment tells me it's going to take ages to set, so it might slide or droop even when you have placed it. The stuff I meant is; http://www.isaaclord.co.uk/productDetail.aspx?product=792&subCat=44&parentCat=6/44

Oh I see what you mean the other Pig, yes that is a FV1612. It does 20mpg...........of oil :-(

You're very kind but you obviously haven't clicked on my bio details. But I find everyone looks so young, even your troop of sons almost look as old as you.

I beg your pardon its a FV1609A !

Thixotropic might be a bit overwhelming for a retail sales advisor. Ask for thick impact glue, like Evostick but in a tin like a paint pot & you spoon it out. That probably is the best description. If you lived round here Jack or I could go in with you. I find they no longer ask me for proof of age, except when it's Wednesdays - pensionners discount day. :-(

B&Q Depot etc, it's not cheap. A lot of these places do not display it. It is often kept in a safe & you will have to prove you're over 18

Thixotropic impact glue. I use Dunlop stuff it is cheesey in consistency not runny like normal Evostik. But you must be disciplined & wait for it to set, then press the two coated surfaces against each other. But in the height of summer it can peel of around the edges, a few years ago I was looking in an AS90 & the Trakmark lining was getting unstuck around the edges.

Yes, Wolf + Cipher Trailer or Pig or SB301 For water supply I have a Water Carriage Pack on 3/4 Tonne trailer would that be helpful?

No, I didn't and was there a fake congregation to go with it?

I can do two flat bits of metal of equal thickness lying horizontally. But anything beyond this is extremely crude, recently been doing some upside down pig chassis welding. Glad it is out of sight down there!

Film companies create armoured vehicles from non-armoured vehicles & make a plywood body. The welding is reproduced by squirting silicone in a jerky manner around the seams. If only welding was that easy!

Units that returned from overseas theatres kept their own EMERs but the EMECs were retained with the theatre. Overseas DEME Technical Circulars were replaced by EMECs on 12 December 1944. I doubt if former British colonial strongholds would want to retain much of their colonial past least of all REME documents. But I suppose it might be worth going on Canadian & Australian sites & asking as engineering regulations & circulars in equivalent form were produced by the Armies of those countries. On Ferret sites from time to time one sees documents from those countries, although they have sometimes adaptations unique to that country.

I think the REME Museum would be correct that they were destroyed as they became superceded by EMERs. I have some EMERs compilations that cover wartime equipment the oldest one I have is Feb 1944. Even the Jeep (oh yes) EMERs were not issued until 1945. To allow for the local nature of things it wasn't late 1944 when EMECs were first issued. I don't know whether the circulars were destroyed on being displaced by an EMER or whether they time lapsed like LOCAL E&MEI which had to be destroyed within a year. It's quite satisfying to look at in instruction to destroy a document & then find the document underneath is still there. What gets me are the ones that require the destruction notice to be destroyed as well. I would have thought it would have been more sensible that it was there to explain the absence of the earlier document & acts an authority for it being destroyed. But destruction of documents is nothing new. Document & fiche are stored (or masters are stored for copying) at the Defence Storage & Distribution Centre Lllangennach. HMG are going to close it & the staff have no idea what will be happening. But chatting one member of staff revealed that all archive material & anything not relating to equipment not currently used has now been destroyed.

Once we get "into season" will be difficult I agree. What about the 5/6/7 May which is when the early May bank holiday is. So that it could be a Sat/Sun event allowing Monday for the more distant people to travel back. Any earlier will be toooo cold & wet. I assume there would be unlikely to be firing on a weekend with a public holiday?

Yes very well spotted indeed.

Could have been, although this was a general training pamphlet published in 1943

Yes well done absolutely spot on. Thanks for your kind comments, it goes it fits & starts. There I was thinking people had got bored with it all then I open a manual & I see something unusual. The final questions are: Is it just a dummy in its own right? Or is it trying to disguise something, is so what?