w3526602

Hi, The old film was about a bunch of women operating a balloon. What is a baloon for? Answer - to hold the wire up. My SiL tells me that a WW1 German pilot actually landed on a balloon. Should I get more details? As a lad, my father called me out of our Anderson shelter, to watch a doodle-bug coming down after it had hit a balloon.......sorry....after it had hit the cable. 602

Hi Andrea, You could try hydogen, like they used in the Hindenburg (what burned red when it should have burned blue) Incidentally, do you know the purpose of a barrage balloon? Slightly trick question. Can you still get the Ealing Comedy about these things? 602

Hi, Log onto the Series 2 Club website. Somebody there must have done oit already. 602

Hi, Les Champs Geraux, the village in France where we have our holiday cottage, has a memorial to the crew of a B17, shot down in 1943. Only the tail gunner survived. Can anyone tell me how to post a picture? 602

Hi, Don't ask me when this happened, but I had my bike with me, and I got that for my 7th birthday.....so at least 1946. A gang of us were standing beside the sand bin (fires for the putting out of) at junction of Kingsdown Road/Connisby Road, South Croydon, when a big plane flew over very low. I'd guess it was a Dakota, but only a guess. It carried on very low, and eventually disappeared into the trees on the horizon, probably at the top of Purley Downs Road. A litle while later, a grown-up in RAF uniform rolled up on a pedal cycle. "Hey kids, have you seen an aeroplane?" "Yes, it crashed into those trees over there" And off he went, pedaling like crazy. Downhill. Memory suggests that he was a bit rotund to peddle up Purley Downs Road. Golly gosh, things were primtive in those days. I read in the News Chronicle the next day that 90 people were killed. Yes, in those days, 7-year olds could read newspapers. 602

Hi, OT....I met a WAAF who knew the WAAF who did a circuit sitting on a Spitfire's tail. Very OT....a horsedrawm mail coach left Swansea without its driver (but with passengers)....and arrived safely at it destination in Carmarthen. I'll get my coat. 602

Hi This story was told by a neighbour of a friend, to explain his medal (DFC?). The medal exists. Our hero was duty pilot at RAF Tengah, in Malaya, sitting in his DH Hornet. I understand 45sqn had Hornets, and were at Tengah. He gets a scramble, to head out over the South China Sea. On arrival at the co-ordinates, he finds an airliner floating in the sea, surrounded by survivors. An "Oriental" YAK fighter was lining up to straffe. Our hero gives him a squirt, and reports that the cockpit canopy turned red. "Oh well, in for a penny......" and the wingman goes into the sea as well. "Hmmm, I might as well finish the job!" He claims to have shot down six aircraft in 12 minutes, each kill accompanied by a cheer from the survivors. Then the rest of the squadron arive. "You bastard, you've left nothing for us!" On returning to Tengah, he is promptly arrested, cos there wasn't a war on at the time. But after considering the evidence, they gave him a medal, and hushed it up. The gentleman concerned lived in the Upper Swansea Valley, but died in 2007. Does anybody know anything about this affair? "Yesterday I could even spell ACE.....now I are one". 602

Hi Andrea, Yeah, I remember you, offered to "take you away from all this", if you would lend me the bus fare. Still, you told me that similar mistakes had nearly got you a good nights kip. 602

Hi, Thanks for reply. I will try to work out how to post a picture, but as I said, I was born pre-WW2.....technowimp. No plates on chassis, trailer has been built out of assorted parts. Various sources say a rear fog lamp is mandatory on ANY trailer that is 1300mm wide. 1990 edition of INDESPENSION catologue says trailer manufactured after 01/10/1979 and first used after 01/04/1980 must have a fog lamp. 1994 edition of INDESPENSION catalogue just says trailers must have fog lamp. Somewhere I have read that when a trailer is towed by a car too old to have a fog lamp, the trailer must have a fog lamp, but it need not work. 602

Hi, My Sankey has been striped of every braking comonent, so is resticted to 750kg. I also made a new box to carry a double bed to France. Mistake! It seems that trailers over 1300mm wide require a rear fog lamp. I have a 1990 edition of the Indespension catalogue that says its only trailers built built after 1979 that need this lamp. Although other sources say ALL trailers over 1300mm wide. ????? I'm hoping that they didn't make this law retrospective, and anyway, my 1960 Land Rover is not wired for a rear fog lamp. The trailer chassis number is 1530, and originally had a 6ft x 4ft box without a tail gate. This was so they could float....and also store rainwater and rust away. The manufacturer was Rootes Pressings (Scotland) who traded between 1967 and 1981, so there is a fair chance mine was pre-1979. Pretty please, can anyone tell me ....... 1. The date of manufacture (or the last possible date it could have been made)? 2. Does it need a rear fog lamp? Only a niggling little thing, but I have to drag it 350 miles across France.....where Monsieur Plod knows where the nearest ATM is, and will escort you there to collect your fine. HTH 602

Hi, I've just joined this forum. John Williams from South Wales, but originally from Croydon, born just before WW2, and managed to shoot down a couple of Doodlebugs with my toy Tommy gun. I was one of the last to be called up for National Service, but signed on in the RAF for 9 years, 1958 -1967, as a motor transport mecanic, so I might well have worked on your treasure when it was new...ish. I currently drive a SWB Land Rover which I believe is ex-WD, I think it has a combat chassis...whatever that is. I have ben asking questions about my SANKEY trailer, and somebody on DIFFLOCK pointed me here. I will now try to find out how to post questions. John Wiliams (hereafter signing as 602)