ArtistsRifles

Dad was in 10 para during this time and recalls there being a plain green kit issued towards the end of his service. This would be around the mid sixties. Best he can recall is it was like a cross between the old battle dress kit and the DPMS stuff I was issued with in the mid seventies. Don't know if this is any help to you though.......

Can't speak for the regular units as, 99.999% of the time we met up with them they were the "enemy" but guys who transferred in to my old lot from TA para units usually turned up wearing: Boots DMS Socks Woollen Puttees Trousers DPMS Shirts KF Jumpers Wool Either Jacket DPMS or Denyson smocks if lucky After getting through S&C "normal" wear would be: either Boots DMS (barracks) or Doc Martins (field) Puttees - around top of boots but not around the trouser end, these were tucked up inside sealing rings from 88 mm ammo containers Trouser DPMS Shirts KF Jumpers Wool Smock DPMS Windproof Trousers were held up by belts made from nylon webbing material in the field or Regimental stable belt in barracks Webbing was 58 pattern - 2 x ammo pouches at front - usually bought from a US PX as they held 2 x SLR mags each tight enough not to rattle unlike the regular 58 pattern ones, kidney pouches holding E&E kit, RCK and medical kit, S6 respirator case. On top of this a bergen would be carried holding 48 hours rations, sleeping bag, poncho, Gollock, noddy suit and between 500 to 100 rounds of belted 7.62mm ammo if out in a section or panther that had GPMG's assigned. If not the ammo would be either boxed or, if you were in funds and could buy spare mags pre-loaded ready to go. Some had "doctored" Bren mags to get over the problem of a Bren being gravity fed whilst the SLR needed to be force fed. Never thoguht they were too successful though...Might even carry a 66mm LAW too if the need arose plus - usually C4 demo kit Somewhere indoors I still have the puttees and sealing rings as well as beret... No idea were though :-(

Was thinking more along the lines of "You keep the Fox and I'll take the Vixens!!!"

Right!! FINALLY got a letter via snail-mail today with membership application forms enclsed BUT no answer to the critical question of just how they recover the vehicles!!!! This is not looking good for ex-miliraty units.... As regards the Footman james vs Roadsure question - I just got a quote from Roadsure of £167 for a Stalwart kept in an RM14 postcode.... If Roadsure are cheaper than Foot man james I shudder to think how much F-J would ask. What I do want to do is ask Aon - who insure my collection of vintage Saabs - if they will cover ex-military vehicles as well...

FWIW to any one - my lot never had tents. Night- (or more often day-)time bivvies were a poncho stretched over a frame of branches for one. Or two ponchos Joined for two - but then it would usually be shared on a 4 hrs on, 4 hrs off basis. If we had vehicles the frame would be propped against - never fastened to - the side or rear of the vehicle.

Warning - rant mode here!! Got called in to see the boss today for the annual performance appraisal session and at the end of it he dropped a right bombshell - looks like the company aren't going to let me go until they turn the lights out in 2010 :-( Was originally told that, as I'm a member of Manufacturing Engineering thats actually doing an IT job the IT bosses wanted me gone so the work could be transferred (at higher cost) to their areas and the Germans had already said they had got people lined up as new hires to take over my sections work 2 or 3 years ahead of schedule. Well - turns out my top bosses took one look at the cost model the IT mob came up with and told them where to go and the Germans, true to form , were lying their collective a***s off and they DON't have the people lined up !!!! This means that the money I was counting on to get my own 6 wheeled nightmare won't be there until 2010 - another 4 bloody years away!!!! Assuming by then there's enough left in the pot to offer seperation packages and not just a "b*gg*r off - here's a bit of pension" message... I am so severely pee'd off by this it's not true as I'd been looking forwards to the day I joined the ranks of MV owners. Now that is years away again!! Words cannot describe how I feel right now :-(

For THAT level of incompetence I'd suggest rather than just "having his pee-pee slapped" it should have been amputated with a blunt knife, shoved up his backside and then hammered home by the toe of the boot that kicked him out of Gov't - state or otherwise - employment permanently!!!

Think we have a slight misunderstanding here!!! What I meant was it will be stored on a location close enough to Coal House or the Powder mills to make driving it there viable as opposed to getting it on a low-loader!!! Not that it would actually be stored there!!! Initially - unless something better presents it self I'm going to ry and get it on the same place we store our caravan but this will mean out in the open. Ideally I'm going to be looking for somewhere undercover with power and lighting t least.

As and when I get the vehicle I want - if some pox ridden poof of a politician then thinks they can take it off me because they either cannot control crime or to they want to satisfy some "ethnic minority" group that blows trains and buses up then they are going to be sadly mistaken and in for a fight. We've lost enough freedoms in the country because of political incompetence/mismanagement and I'm damned if I'm going to lose any more!!!!!!!! Apologies for the rant - but it's a sore point right now.............

Oh B*gg*r - so much for spell checkers!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris, Funnily enough - Beltinge is likely the only place it would ever go on a motorway - the M25 - long enough to cross the river. Then the A roads from the Kent side on. I'm told by those who already own the beasties that a windy A road is much better for them than the dead straight (comparatively) motorways. As I live in Dagenham and the vehicle will be stored somwhere nearby places like Coalhouse Fort or the Powder Mills (or anything else North) of the river and East of London can be reached via A roads too. Anywhere further afield would be on the back of a low-loader. Again Beltinge would be the furthest I would drive (at 2 mpg it's not cost effective beyond this...)

Hmmm.... Can't see either the traffic police or the new mob (VOSA??) being happy about a goodly few pints of gear oil mixed with graphite additive being spilt on the hard shoulder of a motorway or any other cariageway......

This why I'm trying to find out if they recover on a low loader rather than a suspended tow. Taking those sun gears out - and putting them back in after - is, apparently, not an easy job on a Stalwart!

Thanks Richard. I tried using the contact form on their web site to ask this question directly - but thus far have had no response. Been nearly a week now - so maybe thats not a good sign either :?

Going back tot he original theme for a mo' - does anyone know if this lot - http://www.h-c-r.co.uk - do a flatbed recovery service or is it just a suspended or fixed tow?? If they don't - anyone know a firm who does?? Reason for asking is the Alvis 6 wheelers - esp. the Stalwart - aren't meant to be towed more than 2 or 3 miles max as damage is done to the hubs, BB's etc due to lack of lubrication!!! They need to have the engine running and the gearbox/transfer box engaged to get the oil going through them.

Using the cunning power of the internet you could also have a look here: http://www.fleetdata.co.uk/registrations.html These start for the original allocations in 1903 up to the present system!

Shouldn't do - I've had to fit new speedo's to other vehicles and the worst I've had from the MOT station was being asked to see the invoice for the new unit. Insurance-wise I just wrote to the insurance company advising them that a new head had been fitted and why, specifying the recorded mileage on the old unit at time of change.

Purely as a personal view - no offense intended to anyone here - I will not contact any ad that either has no price or says POA. I've done this a few times in the past hunting down spares for two-stroke Saab's and 100% of the time the seller has had no real idea of what he's got condition-wise but because it's for a 1950's/60's vehicle thinks its worth 2 or 3 times the market value. Once went to look at a Sport engine block (direct oil injection rather than mixed in the tank) and it was cracked down the oil feed line and a chunk of cylinder web was missing. Seller had advertised it it as "Reconditioned to As new condition - POA" I leave my parting comments to your imaginations......

Mick, Biggest worry from what you say is the rust on the outer hull sides. This can be plated and repaired - at a cost though as the welds will need to be 100% water tight. Water into the hull via the air inlet and outlet grilles may not be an issue as, like all military machines they tend to disperse oil all over the insides of the lower hull. Other biggy is going to be the seals on those drop sides. Almost impossible to source new now so if you wanted it to be a swimmer that would be worth looking at. The exhaust shoudl come up in the water tight box vertically ans make a 90 deg exit to the rear under a wire cage cover - if it's sliced off at an angle then that is human intervention :cry: Maybe the current owner wanted a "sporty" look ????? God knows why but....... Can't be long before the local council start taking an interest in the jumk heap (hint there..)? If so - maybe you could do a deal with their scrap man to take it away?????

Idea's nice - but the distance from home (Dagenham, Essex) to Oswestry could make it a very expensive proposition!!

Much obliged all!!! Ashley - this one comes from the MilWeb site as well RR services have a Mk 1 - but having sat in the cab of both types I found the Mk 2 more comfortable and user friendly. The Other Mk 2 was a REME one with crane and I e-mailed the owner to ask the price. That Ad was placed last November though......

Anyone ever dealt with British Military Vehicles up in Lancashire??? Bob's got a Stalwart up for sale right now - asking £3,800 but the photo's of it show it a weird looking state of finish and like as not needing a full respray - not cheap on one of these beasties.

Much the same reason you don't stand behind a Charlie-G or a 66mm LAW!! There is anecdotal evidence of members of a certain Regt serving in a certain Middle Easter country finding they only had practice rounds for a Charlie-G so promptly turned the weapon around and used the blast as a (very effective) short range weapon.

Yep that's my Fox, Rob has booked us to do the live fire display at the Mills this year with the Fox, Saladin & 120mm Mobat, anyone on this list going to the Mills? Yes - I might well be there!!

Ref. the circle - this may be the answer: