Charawacky

Here are a couple of pictures from Poperinge As you can see the weather was glorious, if fact it did not rain all the way for 600 miles from the Somme Valley to the Ribble Valley! Which was quite the opposite from the road run down to Amiens.

Good effort - Driving is reward enough!

Sounds like an interesting, versatile tool. I have an old Radyne bought for £250 a decade ago, which is used to selectively induction heat, hardened drive chain pins of about 1" diameter. This unit heats and softens the ends of the pins, to allow the ends to be riveted during assembly without loosing the previously hardened load bearing portion in between. It looks like they have now condensed the electrics considerably, our machine has an electrical cabinet of about 2 meter cube fitted with a water cooled triode valve. This thread has got me thinking about using it for re-riveting an old chassis! Tom

Sherpa engine or not, good to see this machine out and about. I guess the engine will be the least interesting part of this particular design of vehicle anyway. Hope to see it sometime in the future.

I have been shopping, that much is true. Here is a poem for those who do not take the 'The Crossley Messenger' or the Crossley Register Newsletter. This was at a time when Crossley undertook aviation work such as building Beardmore aero engines in addition to Tank engines. Just a few years later Crossley purchased a controlling interest in AVRO which would have be the start of the ambition expressed in this poem, however they were forced to sell AVRO by the late 20's due to losses with the ill fated Willys-Overland venture. The Crossley Messenger September 1918

Fokker DV11 airframe brought back home from Amiens, France, 450 miles on the Trailer without a problem.

Here is a piki of the 1917 vice now in its civi livery. Also a jack the can anyone advise if WW1 or WW2? A friend down the road has had similar jacks from WW1 with Albion and Leyland script cast into them.

For Sale: http://www.prewarcar.com/index.php?option=com_caradvert&view=ad&section_id=1&id=169997&Itemid=432

For those who are not HCVS members there is an advertisement in the current Historic Commercial News For circ 1914 Staker Squire Chain Drive lorry: complete front and rear axles, rusty but restorable. Whitewebbs Museum, Enfield, North London.

The Picardie air-show was very good attended by many thousands who were attracted by the French equivalent of the red arrows, (The Patroullie de France) and free admission. There were a good number of interesting aircraft. WW1 was the theme and two WW1 aircraft had been flown from the Czech Republic! We drove the vehicles home over the following 6 days visiting many WW1 monuments all in very good weather. WW1 memorabilia picked up on the way by members of the 3 man team included: used shell taken with permission from ploughed field in Martinpuich. holed German Helmet purchased in Albert 3-3/4" BROWN BOGGS, Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA. Engineers vice, Dated 1917. The vice was particularly pleasing with the date cast in, it was red rust, stripped, but complete and was purchased for 15 euros from a large second hand storage at Les Cinq Chemins, well worth a look if you are passing. The Tender, mainly with trailer attached did nearly 1200 miles and the Staff Car 810 miles round trip. The difference in mileage was due to trailering Staff car some distance from Sevenoaks to the Northwest. Pictures to follow. Tom

Circumnavigated Sods law and delayed the crossing by a few hours to see and ride on the B type bus in Poperinge, an interesting experience as the dignitaries were up top and I was all boarded in beneath, it gave a good impression of how it must have been at the time and I guess the lower seats would probably have been the preferred seats at the time. A beautiful day with sunshine which made a spectacular sight around the town square. The down side was having to drive up the M20 in the dark with the Staff Car, with Tender and Trailer carrying a Fokker D V11 Airframe. Pictures posted when I get them. Anyone if they have the chance should see the B type whilst it is in MT guise. Tom

Here is something interesting ww1/ww2? - still there? What is it?

Thanks for the detail on itinerary in France. Very disappointed as we will be traveling north through Poperinge with the Crossleys on the 18th, the day before the B type will be there! Do you know the details of when the bus passes will through Dover or Calais as our paths will cross! I would have loved to see it. Tom

Absolutely fantastic! Best convoy yet, Someone needs to have his hair cut! Tom

Thank you for your comments The vehicles are now in France at Amiens until the WW1 aero event http://www.centenaire-aerien-somme14-18.fr/ After which they will return to England as we may no longer be the UK by then Tom Another BEF event link: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2810881928001?bckey=AQ~~,AAACcS3ahoE~,OSt6CCN6H-0R_rL1tF1Y6xWx9e-7k7W6&bctid=3724504185001

Wish I could have been there, wet weather was unfortunate. The lorries look good together, all the same, but different! The comparison of engine tone would have been interesting, side valve, and overhead valve. I expect there will be other occasions when four or more will be gathered together during the next four years. Tom

Unfortunately we missed the Shuttleworth event however we were on duty further south: Very interesting day, quite formal trying to keep up to the household cavalry standard. The 85 Wreaths representing each regiment of the British Expeditionary Force of 1914 were carried to Arras, then on to Amiens with the vehicles for the Centenary of the first flight in of the RFC on the 13th August 1914 to return that evening to Arras for service of remembrance at Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery. This was a moving service attended by Generals and the highest ranking members of the RAF, French services and the Richthofen Squadron (Richthofen Geschwader) of the current Luftwaffe. The service was blessed with dry weather and a biplane plus Tornado flypast. Here is video of part of the London event: http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist//ITN/2014/08/10/T10081403/ and some images:

I met a chap the other day who explained he had a WW1 Talbot chassis he was converting to a car which had originally had dual Warland wheels on the rear. I have looking into it and found Talbots were used by T E Lawrence. Here is an extract from Rob Langham: One of the more exciting roles involving the 10 pounder was those that accompanied Lawrence of Arabia. His use of Rolls Royce armoured cars is well known, but less well known is that of the Talbot light trucks that carried 10 pounder mountain guns on their rear bed. These were used from 1916 until what is called ‘the last great cavalry charge’, at the Battle of Meggido in September 1918. There were six Talbots with two 10 pounder guns, later increased to six, one for each Talbot. The Talbots use were the strengthened Talbot SY chassis designed for use in Russia, but even then the 10 pounder with its lack of recoil system caused the Talbot chassis to visible bend and spring back into place every time they were fired. Lawrence of Arabia described the section as; "An oddment which General Clayton had seen in Egypt and sent down to us in an inspired moment. Its six Talbots, specially geared for heavy work, carried (at first) two 10 pounders with British gunners". He then later described an action involving the Talbot mounted 10 pounders; "The Talbot battery opened the affair, coming spiritedly into action just below our point while the three armoured cars crawled around the Turkish earthworks like great dogs nosing out a trail. The enemy soldiers popped up their heads to gaze, and everything was very friendly and curious, till the cars slewed round their Vickers and began to spray the trenches. Then the Turks, realising that it was an attack, got down behind their parapets and fired at the cars raggedly. It was about as deadly as peppering a rhinoceros with bird shot. After a while they turned their attention to Brodie’s (Talbot) guns and peppered the earth about them with bullets." Photos of the Talbots show them with no bonnet fitted (in one case covering the 10 pounder gun from the sunlight) and a small canvas cover over the cab, a very interesting modelling possibility. The Talbots and 10 pounders were operated by the Motor Section, Royal Field Artillery – unusual in that 10 pounders were usually operated by members of the Royal Garrison Artillery Here are some pictures: Before conversion to a car WW1 without 10 pounder It seems a shame from my point of view it could not have been rebuilt with a 10 pounder if it is indeed the same type of chassis. Tom

And This: Moving floor body for?

What is this please

This is very interesting, looks a bit early for WW1 http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060023386#

Looks very French to me similar to the one below. Especially with the covered trailer behind, only ever seen the French cover their standard aircraft trailers.

For Sale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqr3UIG0tRs

Hi John Good to see you on Saturday, The BE2 s were wonderful here is a picture for anyone who should have been there. I went to Shuttleworth on Sunday, it is surprising how few people I met know of the existence of Stow Maries Here is an incident, the pilot was unharmed:

When Can I pick up the Dv11 that is lying around, I have transport! I now have Dv11 plans and I am studying them! Will also investigate the fuselage mentioned to be in Germany Thanks Tom