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merlinpower

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  1. That's interesting Maverick. My father's family moved to Sussex (nearer his Mum's family) from Worcestershire after the agricultural depression in 1928 having lost the farm and milk business. His father never really recovered. They lived near Rottingdean/Saltdean. Mum was born in Brighton and her Dad had three gents outfitters in Brighton, Seaford and Newhaven. Dad's older sister married a Canadian infantryman in 1944 whose camp was based in Lewes. Dad's father died in 1944 and in 1946 his older sister, mother and younger sister all moved to Canada. Dad married Mum in 1947 and moved up to Hampshire. The farms he managed during WW2 were along that stretch of coast and back up to the Downs and to Lewes. He had many a tale to tell of German bombers as they headed towards London. Brighton and the surrounding area did get hit quite heavily with some bombers dropping their cargo early and others on their way back before crossing the channel again. One came down near where he was working and despite their best efforts the crew perished in the flames. The oldest on board was the pilot at 26. All very sobering.
  2. One for Nick, I think! Congratulations on rescuing the Brockhouse Fuel Bowser from Plantation Farm. I grew up on the farm as my father was Farm Manager for the May family from 1947-1988. He came up to Hampshire from Sussex having managed farms for the W.A.E.C. after leaving Plumpton Ag. college. My Mum was in the Land Army trained (?) by my Dad! Anyway, much of the farm equipment used at K.E.L. in the late forties and fifties was ex-military. As it fell out of service much of it ended up in the woods on the farm, like some elephants graveyard. As kids it was great finding the remains of Bren gun carriers, Queen Mary trailers etc. Needless to say, that when scrap prices rose and woodland clearance occurred much was carted away and lost forever. However, the bowser, which was used for refueling the combines during harvest and tractors during Autumn cultivation, was regular used and I have happy memories of towing it up the A339 as a student in the 80's. Among the other trailed items used at that time were up to 4 Ex-RAF 4 wheeler flat bed Brockhouse trailers which had hay/straw ladders added so bales could be carted from field to barn on them. These are still around on the farm somewhere and would be worthy of rescue too! One of the fun vehicles they had working on the farm in the early fifties was a stripped down Bren Gun carrier with, I believe, the Ford V8 diesel engine. This was used for pulling trailed discs and rollers and when going at full power with its straight through exhaust made the driver look like a character from a Mad Max movie! I have attached some images of some historic vehicles at K.E.L. and some of my Mum and Dad in Sussex with various equipment including earthmovers used to clear large areas of uncultivated land for food production. Note your fuel bowser in the picture of Jack Edwards, the Shepherd, taken in 1968. Harder to see are two flat bed Brockhouse trailers! At the time the latter were trailed behind a Nuffield tractor fitted with a bale collector. We used these trailers well into the 1990s for straw/hay/fertilizer hauling but by 2000 all livestock on the farm had gone and farm equipment had got bigger so they were no longer needed on a daily basis. Nonetheless, some 50 years of service is not bad really! Hope you find these of interest. I have pals who are members of various military living history and reenactment groups so get to see quite a bit of ex-military kit at times. There was a good turnout at the GDSF this year for the 50th Anniversary.
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