Great War truck

No, not a Liberty. Take a good look at it. What has happened to the cab roof? It might explain why the gentlemen of the Whermacht are able to survey it. I think the RAF truck is a Crossley (IGL ?). Tim (too)

I clicked on that link but it wouldnt let me in. I will try the IWM tomorrow. Strangely, over the course of the evening this photograph ws pushed through my letterbox. It shows Corporal Cletus Campbell of the 435 Med Coll Co who was stationed behind my house. I always knew that there were Yanks stationed nearby during the war, but this guy is within a stones throw. It looks like a 3A on the bumper so i guess that is third armoured. Interesting what turns up. Tim (too)

I would agree with that. Thinking about it i cant recall having ever seen a 1/2 ton Dodge T211 WC15 command car in the flesh before. Interesting stuff. Tim

Can you tell me what nationality it is? I was assuming it was French and can find some similar trucks, but then i though it might be Italian. Go on, give us a clue? Tim (too)

They perform too!!!! This gets better and better. Tim (too)

Here are some pictures of it. Sadly, i have not found any yet with US ambulances in it, Tim (too)

Some of you may be familiar with the place Ditchley Park (which incidentally is just behind my house). It was used as meeting centre between Churchill and other heads of Government during the war. In fact during the Blitz Winston used to stay there for a good nights sleep. There is a famous picture of Winston Churchill poking at a snake in the garden taken there during the war. I just found out today (from an elderly lady who used to date an ambulance driving GI) that there was a large number of US Army ambulances stationed there for a few Months before D Day (which would make sense as there is the remains of a US hospital across the valley). She believes she has a photo of him taken with his ambulance which she is going to look out for me. I presume that if the markings on the front bumper are in the photo i will be able to work out which unit he was part of. Is there any other way of finding out which units were based at this location during the war. Ditchely is still used as a high level meeting place. On several occasions i have come home to find lots of armed Policemen near my house which is always a bit disconcerting ("darn it, the neigbours have reported me to the Police again"). Their website is http://www.ditchley.co.uk/ and shows what the place looks like. I have been inside once and it is a magnificent building. Tim (too)

Quite possible. However, I dont think we will see Jack selling his GMC to buy a Bedford just yet. I suspect that he may be looking for photos of British tents perhaps? Tim (too)

I didnt realise there was a WRAC PT display team. I will definitely be booking a visit to their next living history display. Tim (too)

Histoire and Collections "The British Soldier" 1 and 2 are very good as well. Tim (too)

It looks like a wooden lined ice bucket stolen from a pub. Tim (too)

I would say that by the large dead rabbit being hung out the window that someone has been out "lamping". Probably used a machine gun to go with that search light. Tim (too)

It is very easy to argue who was better and to be honest i dont want to get drawn into such a debate. I do however remember my uncle who served under Monty from Normandy to the end of the war and who had the greatest respect for him say that Monty didnt waste the lives of the British soldiers. By 1944, the British manpower barrel was nearly dry and i guess he knew that replacements were increasingly hard to get. If you were the average soldier i think a leader who had a keen interest in preserving your life was the sort of chap you would want to follow. Anyway, enough of this off topic. So Jack, are you sure they were re-enactors and not just colour film made during the war by George(?) Stevens? Tim (too)

Hope that he was wearing a particularly tough helmet.

Instructions on a red warning triangle. "Take out of box. Assemble". Tim (too)

I know that sometimes the tracks on US half tracks just snap. I heard a horror story over the weekend of this happening and that the whole track ended up in the rear comparment. I thought that it would not be possible and that the track once broken would just run out, but then again as it's natural shape is a band might the end of the broken track rise up and land in the compartment with the rest following close behind it. A nasty proposition. Anybody come across this before? Tim (too)

Painted on. The devil makes work for idle hands..... Tim (too)

Here are some more thoughts from the same chap. In 1940, I lived in Yeovil and was on a Southern train to Brighton to visit the Grandma and Aunt again. It was about the month of May. The enemy was starting the “Battle of Britain” and their aim was to destroy all the airfields and aircraft factories. At Southampton, the train slowed to a crawl, barely one mph. We were on a high embankment which was under repair. Looking down, I saw the wreckage of the Supermarine factory which had been dive bombed a few days earlier. What impressed my mind forever were the rows of air raid shelters, pockmarked with bomb craters. I did end up at my Grandmother’s outside Brighton. She seemed somehow proud of the fact that she was outside her house when a German Fighter strafed the street. She showed me the mark on the curb where a bullet had just missed her. I managed another trip to see her the following year. A lovely sunny day on Brighton Front and many people seemed to be leaning along the railings gazing out to see. I wondered why. The beach was inaccessible being covered with barbed wire and land mines. The two piers had big chunks blown out of their middles. I asked a man what was going on. He said “Wait a while and you will see”. I did not wait long. A German fighter came roaring along, barely above the water, about 300 yards off shore. But for the fact that it was being chased by a British fighter, he could have come 300 yards inland and strafed the crowd. Deciding the natives were idiots, I took steps – long quick ones away from that area. A third rare event associated with a train. It was now 1943. I was in a Southern train going to London. Those days the trains were so crowded that one was lucky to find a spot to stand in the corridor. The train was really moving fast and in a cutting outside Dorking, the train came to a screaming halt. Someone had pulled the emergency cord. (Penalty for improper use £5) Looking out of the right hand window, I saw a G.I. (U.S. soldier) climbing down. The Guard soon caught up with him, handed him a ticket and the G.I. handed over £5. The soldier then climbed the bank to his camp. Probably saved far more than £5. I hope he survived the war as such enterprise marked him for a smart future. His timing to stop at the camp was perfect. Tim (too)

Whitewall tires???? Tim (too)

Fairly certain that it was taken in Korea. Oh yes, it is an M48 as well. Tim (too)

I dont think it is a Berliet. It has a lot of similarities to Berliet, but i think it is an Aries, but would be delighted to hear anybody elses opinion. Tim (too)

There was a thread a while back about peoples reminiscences during the war. Cant find it at the moment, but this e-mail i received was too interesting to leave out. It was from a chap called Walt who was in the Home Guard until he was old enough to join up. This is what he remembers about D-Day. Tim (too) Looking Back to that era. is very fresh in my memory. We knew days before hand that it was about to happen as the hundreds of trucks etc. lining the streets of Yeovil for many weeks, started to move. The Westland HG was mustered in full battle gear, such as we had. I was nervous to say the least, but tried not to show it. As did the others. As the convoys had to move to precise timing , it was expected that German Parachutists might make an effort to disrupt the flow and we were told it was our job to prevent this, as the US troops could not help. Oh Great. !!! German Parachutists. Luckily we had such control of the air that the troop transports would have ended up in the channel. Then as the next day dawned we had orders to prepare to go to France to either guard prisoners or be last ditch reserves if the landings went badly. Our HG being mainly young and of military age, we had lots of training, and were obviously considered ready for the problems. I had to face the fact, as did others that life may be short. After three or four days , we were in the clear. We were attached at times to the US forces for exercises etc.. I had a squad of bewildered GI's at one time. They were artillery forces from Houndstone, not infantry. I wish I had kept in touch with some of them. Would be great to see them again. However I expect they would be so old, they would not recognize me. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Spare a thought tomorrow for those, who did not make it back.

No, it is French.