Ivor Ramsden

On the C9/B it's stamped very clearly on the rear face of the left hand rear spring hanger.

The vehicle's weight classification is the bottom one. Vehicle & towed load is the top one. Dunno what they should be for a Militant.

Ink jet ink tends to fade quickly, particularly red. Try looking for a traditional signwriter or do what I did, find a sign in a drawing or photograph, scan it and print it out full size. It will probably be very fuzzy but you can cut out the shapes to make a stencil. It took me several attempts but it worked eventually. I'm pleased with the result. The 7th Armd Div's Desert Rat looks like a kangaroo but it looked like one on the original that I copied! A lot of the original signs were less than perfectly painted if you look closely, so you don't need to strive for perfection.

Wow! We've nearly got all the stuff to re-enact that scene. Who can lend us a Jimmy? Oh, and a B17 ....

Isle of Man Airport has just given us (the Manx Aviation & Military Museum) its collection of aircraft recovery dollies. There are 5 in all, two of which are hydraulically adjustable and three not. The three unadjustable ones consist of a pair of fixed dollies and a turntable one. All five have makers' plates for RT Ltd, which I assume is Roadless Traction. I've got no idea how the airport will recover damaged aircraft in the future because they haven't replaced them. Maybe it could be a good money-earner for the museum? There's virtually nothing on the web about these things. Does anybody on here know owt? These things have all got Ministry of Supply plates on them, also the Broad Arrow, hence I don't feel bad about posting this even though they come from a Civvy airfield! The black and white photo shows one in use in 1962.

So where are the four guys? The photos cannot lie; there's only one girl doing the work. What a wonderful woman!

The census numbers are 3 1/2 inches high by 2 1/2 wide, using 5/8 inch strokes. If you're putting a speed limit sign on the back the numbers should be 4 inches high with 1/2 inch strokes and the letters 2 inches high by 1/2 inch strokes. The bridge plate number is 7 inches high by 1 inch stroke thickness. 79x100 is spot on with the unit sign measurements of 9 1/2 high by 8 1/2 deep. The formation sign is usually similar in size. The numbers on the unit sign should be repeated on the back diff for blackout use. The above is from one of Mike Starmer's very useful books, which take information direct from period documents. Period photos show that these dimensions were often ignored so you don't have to be too pedantic about sizes.

Can anybody tell me anything about this? It was handed in at the Manx Aviation & Military Museum by a man whose late father was a tanker who rescued it from a tank during WW2. The donor didn't know anything about the circumstances or the type of tank. It reads: "Summer savings campaign 1942 The honour of naming this tank was won by the Isle of Man Savings Committee, special distinction being gained by Isle of Man Schools savings groups" It would be nice to find what it was once attached to ... I wonder what name they gave it?

Well done indeed! Of course, if you'd done that in the UK there would have been a petty jobsworth along as soon as you'd got it out to book you for having an uninsured, untaxed vehicle parked at the side of the road. Keep us informed about the restoration.

Aye, an apparent case of Military Mincing!

On 23rd April 1945, just two weeks before the end of the war in Europe, a Boeing B17G flew into North Barrule hill in the Isle of Man. 31 were on board, many of them ground crew, heading for 2 days' R&R in Northern Ireland. The aircraft was from the 381st Bomb Group at Ridgewell. It is the worst air accident ever to happen in the Isle of Man and, God willing, may it always remain so. Small fragments of the wreckage still remain scattered around the crash site. The Manx Aviation and Military Museum has a display on the crash and some of its victims and we have on several occasions taken family members of the victims to the crash site. In 1995 a memorial plaque and flagpole were erected at the site and every year the U.S. flag is flown for a few days around the anniversary in memory of those men. I had the privilege of raising it last Sunday. They will not be forgotten.

My supplier was an auto electrics specialist here in the Isle of Man - they only had the one unit in stock. I think retail was about £40. Land Rover specialists like Blanchards and Craddocks stock the relays. J Richards Surplus have the Bosch equivalent on ebay now for £24.99, it's item number 360136114771

Those "wooden tyres" look more like protective covers to me. Aren't they a series of small wooden plates with two flexible bands joining them? They were probably just to protect the tyre treads. I can't imagine why they'd need such protection though. Rover weren't supplying Land-Rover vehicles to North America in 1948. I've never seen any reference to Land-Rovers being supplied without tyres because of shortages although the spare was an extra right at the start of production.

A standard relay won't fit the plug-in connector. You need the military type. They are available new from Hella but they are a bit expensive. I nearly died when I was told the retail price but then my local Hella dealer realised they'd had one on the shelf for donkey's years so he did me a good deal. They turn up on ebay now and again for £20-£25 but I don't know how they tolerate the Post Office's handling. Try and substitute it with a known good one just to make sure it's the relay that's at fault before you buy.

Civvy LHD Land-Rovers, sometime before June 1949, packed for export - the canvas hoods & frames are flat in the back. Where - dunno, but judging by the flat caps, somewhere in England! Where's the photo from, CW?

:yay::yay:It's mine! MINE! Nahahahaaaaa! The ST900 starter solenoid on Ebay, that is. I'll no longer have to gingerly reach down the side of the block to push the starter button on the end of the duff solenoid. And I can fit the engine cover plate again. :yay:

Here's the Morris at what will be its eventual home, the Manx Aviation & Military Museum/Museum of the Manx Regiment. We're going to extend the Nissen hut over the concrete pad that the vehicle is standing on to provide a display area for it. It won't be on permanent display at the museum until later in the summer but if the weather's decent during the TT Race period it will be making an appearance.

That's very true, Riverman. Well done. We've got a number of Polish RAF guys buried here. They are a long way from home but they are not forgotten.

Mike, if you look at the photo of the Manx Regiment (15th LAA Regt, RA) C9/B in post no. 70 you can see 2 "kill" marks on the top corner of the gun shield. The Regiment used these vehicles extensively from D-Day onwards and they were entirely SP from January 1945. They were the highest-scoring LAA Regiment in the British Army and SP Bofors were responsible for several kills. C9/Bs were used until the mid-50s. This one was struck off census in 1955. Good luck with your search.

I'm with you on this one, Stefano. RR recommended that I should use satin finish paint on the Morris C9/B but I insisted on matt. I'm pleased that I did. It does mark a little bit, but not as badly as they suggested and it looks like it will become shiny where it's touched regularly but I think that will give it an authentic patina. You can see this effect on many close-up photos of vehicles in service. Our problem with the MVs that we own and show for a period of years is that we can't possibly replicate and maintain the damage, and dirt that develops on a military vehicle which is in daily, heavy use for a short period of time; much less than a year for a D-Day period vehicle on active service. For example they show newly-damaged areas of bare metal but hardly any rust, whereas ours go rusty where they've lost paint and develop a patina of age. I would prefer to see a matt-finish vehicle with a dodgy patina than something with a satin finish. I suppose I'm lucky that the Morris lives indoors because I'm sure that a matt finish would deteriorate very quickly outside. One thing I haven't had to do yet is wash it. Maybe my opinion on matt finish would change if I did and it marked badly.

Thanks for your comments, guys. I'll have a look at the PTO mechanism tomorrow. And in case anybody was wondering why the star's upside down on the gun shield .... This one's got two "kill" markings on the top corner of the shield too.

Many thanks for your good wishes Energumen. They seem to have worked. The daily hard graft, averaging 10 hours per day since January, has produced a result. This morning the C9/B came back to life and nosed out of its shed into the gentle sunlight of a lovely spring day. OK, enough poetic cr*p. It actually lurched out of its shed because I’m not used to the clutch but you get the picture … Driver input is, to say the least, intensive; my wimpy arms can barely turn the wheel. I drove it around the lawn a bit to get the feel of things. What I didn’t realise is that, even starting off in second gear, the torque of the engine was ripping up the grass behind me. Dohh! Should have had it in 4WD. There was a brief period of anguish (more cussing) as I lost drive completely. The clutch was only biting at the very top so I thought it might have rubbed off any rust on the flywheel and started slipping like crazy so I adjusted it – still no drive. Then I remembered that I hadn’t fastened up the web strap that holds the PTO lever in place. Fixed! When the PTO is engaged it puts the transfer box into neutral and the strap is there because there must be something wrong with the detent that holds the PTO lever out of engagement so the PTO kicks in and drive is lost. Phew! And the clutch engagement is much better for being adjusted. If you’re in the vicinity of Ronaldsway Airport tomorrow afternoon, call in at the museum and you’ll see the C9/B. I wonder what Airport Security will make of it? So here it is. Enjoy. I’m having a beer to celebrate.

Today it was a case of knocking off a list of final jobs - refitting the refurbished steering wheel which appears to have been brown originally, probably to go with the original brown SCC no.2 paint. I remembered to fill the long-drained transmission, axles and swivels with phenomenally treacly straight 140 grade oil, then I fitted my newly acquired and correct for the vehicle Rubbolite no.5 tail light - bought on ebay last week after months of looking. It cost me £21 which I don't think is too bad for a new old stock part. The headlights, sidelights and indicators went onto the front bumper, a very large new battery was fitted to replace the Mini one I've been using, and brackets were fitted to hold it in place. All the lights work but the indicator unit is u/s. It's a standard 2-prong thing like they fitted to most BL cars in the 70s so I've got a few tucked away amongst my Range Rover spares. The bonnet was fitted and there it was - finished. Well, almost. There's still a few little things to tidy up in the morning, and then it's definitely coming out of its shed for the first time since October when we built it around the truck. The insurance runs from tomorrow so who knows, it might just venture further than the farm lane if it behaves itself. Watch this space ...

That's the answer then! It caused me some head scratching. I suppose you could remove the air filter as an anti-theft device? An oil bath isn't the kind of thing you could put in your pocket though! I forgot to mention that I had some fun with the insurance company today. The very helpful lady who called me to check some details obviously wasn't an MV enthusiast as she had severe difficulty with the concept of the Morris not actually having doors or a windscreen. And then after we'd cleared that up I mentioned the Bofors gun. Oh dear, that caused some puzzlement.

Good news - it goes. What a relief! I didn't use easy start or anything - all I did was fit the air filter. Could that have been the cause of it not firing? Could the unrestricted airflow have reduced the inlet vacuum enough to prevent fuel being lifted (it's an updraught carb)? With it being in a snug-fitting shed I almost killed myself with the fumes but I really didn't want to turn it off! I don't think it's charging but that's not a big concern just now. The front bumper has gone back on and I've adjusted the front mudguards and done a final paint of the assembly. Tomorrow is the very final stage - fitting the lights and bonnet. I did the final bit of stencilling on the ammo boxes this morning. I think they look the cat's pyjamas. Thanks to Tony of Axholme Signs for doing a brilliant job.