Tony Lawrence

On 9/18/2023 at 10:33 AM, Kent Transport History said:

 

 

Its still in regular use every winter, cutting up firewood.. At the time, when you were invited to come see it, the whole place was subject to probate, and stuff had to be left as is..  Gordon would only have sold it, if the proceeds were enough to buy another working saw bench. 

It's a monster if you ask me, I don't like getting within 10 feet of it when it's running!

Now the estate is settled, he now plans to keep it, along with the generator unit, and all the other locally found WW2 stuff they collected. 

 

I am glad it is still in use - I am now a bit too long in the tooth to manhandle/restore it but it was good to see it.

As requested my remaining photos. The faded photos were photographed with my phone from the trailer owners originals.

The owner was not too bothered about selling the trailer 'as he might need it to cut up some wood in the future'.

This despite the fact that it was buried under rusting car hulks and would have needed a major effort to extract it.

I was disappointed at the time as it would have made a nice addition to my compressor trailer but I was compensated later by obtaining my electrical repair trailer (one of only two still in captivity, I believe, along with John Corden's example)

These have been noted before but for newcomers the following links to MOD films show some of the REME trailers in use.

In  https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060044244 at 3.35 mins there is the process of starting a sawbench trailer and in 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060043939 there are more trailers in use

There is (or was) another sawbench trailer out there. Around 2014 I tried to buy this one. It was covered in other vehicle parts in a run down garage. It was a typical horders paradise and the owner was not bothered enough to extract it. He gave me a couple of photos of what it used to look like and I managed to take a couple of it in situ, including the post-war plate.

Goodness knows what has happened to it.

Opel Blitz with German Flak Drilling gun mount

If this is the jeep that I recently supplied an IMPS Age Related letter for then all you have to do, as I told you, is to contact HMRC to change the NOVA which was issued using the Arizona ID to show the GPW number that was perfectly plain to see on the chassis member.

As I told you the Arizona number has no relevance in the UK for dating or registration purposes. You have a dating letter so having got HMRC to change the NOVA and then submit the V55/5 using the correct Ford chassis number

Does anyone have a source of dating the manufacture of White M3A1 halftracks?

I have a chassis/frame number of M3A1-48057 but among all my references (Hunnicut, Tankograd manuals, Wheels & Tracks,etc) I cannot find any reference to build dates. Even a G503 Half Track Database reference  consists of everything except build dates.

I need this to provide DVLA with a source of dating evidence for an Age Related registration.

I am not normally stumped for information but in this case I have drawn a blank. Can anybody help?

I have a 10cwt 4.2 " mortar trailer with early handles on central spar or Lightweight with early hitch or electrical repair with later hitch/handles. You are welcome to come and measure.

1 hour ago, Alan said:

Not sure the MVT would ever take it on, it could go back to being an IMPS show, but I suspect they stopped running it due to the huge administration required ( I am sure someone will enlighten us as to why their involvement ended ?) most of the big MVT shows I used to attend seemed to end due to this, (the  Essex And Hampshire mvt shows which are both now run privately I believe). 

 

 

As most people will know, War & Peace evolved from the annual IMPS club show that was first at Tenterden and after a few years at the Whitbread Hop Farm. In 1994 it was renamed as Back from the Beaches, followed in 1995 by the Victory Show.

We then came up with a new name for 1996 (courtesy of either Nigel Hay or Keith Palmar) of War & Peace. It was still the IMPS club show and our Events Secretary, one Rex Cadman really had the bit between his teeth and continued to try to enlarge the show. In this he was rather successful and by the late 1990's the show had grown to three days and then five days. It was then we (as the IMPS committee) decided the show was too big for an amateur group and Rex took over the show professionally.

IMPS were paid a retainer and provided the core of the organising team but the responsibilities (and potential liabilities) were removed. IMPS members still retained the rights of a club show, namely free entry and it remained part of the club entity. The rest is history.

This is the first year since the beginning of the show (35 years) that I have not brought a vehicle to W&P. I went as a MOP on Wednesday and to the IMPS evening on Thursday where many of us, old and new members reminisced. Even Rex was there, having had to pay £20 entry. Hopefully in the future things will get better.

2 hours ago, simon king said:

i saved these pictures of the same brass OEC plate off the web a while ago. Probably came from the long HMVF thread on 10cwt trailers.

Looks as if the census number is only 10 distant from yours, Your census number X 5439529 is listed on page 87 on the copy of the Chilwell list that I have from the batch X5438651 to 5439610 - Make is listed as Brockhouse - did they buy out Orme Evans during the war?

Yes they did - possible mystery solved.

4 hours ago, ajmac said:

I've found the WD number lists to not always reflect reality, when I compared the list that included Loyd carrier 'T' number allocation to the actual contract cards that were hand marked up as and when contracts where altered during mid contract execution it was apparent that the lists accurately reflected the original vehicle production number in the supplier contract but not the production reality.  For instance, from the Tank museum contract cards it appears that all Loyd contacts were cancelled in November 1944, resulting in entire production runs included in the WD number lists being totally cancelled.  This leads to much confusion today as people treat the WD lists as gospel production figures.

 

Does any archive hold the trailer contract cards?

Deepcut have many of the key cards - go online and quote the X number or post war number and they will tell you if they have any info. If they have it will cost you £25 to get a copy .

The  rope hooks on the corners of the chassis are also on the 4.2" mortar trailers, as well as the cleats on the woodwork so nothing unusual there.

Contract number is definitely correct for a  GS No. 1 trailer. The chassis number is unusual ( A3253/879 ) as every chassis number I have seen  have been OE ******. The data plate is also unusual in that all my Orme Evans (OEC) plates are stamped steel whereas this one appears to be cast brass. Also the X number does not appear to be in the sequences quoted in the 'B' vehicle WD numbers (Rob van Meel's reprint).

Nothing like having a little mystery!

Could it not be Orme Evans - definitely wartime as it has an X number.

Just seen going clockwise on the M25 near Cobham services, two Renault FT17 first war tanks on a low loader.

Two more unidentified tools (at least to me).

It is good to find people interested as I seem to have zero interest at home (my wife doesn't understand me!)

23 minutes ago, cordenj said:

Anthony,

I've already given you a copy of the original EMER for the Trailer,@-Wheeled, Lightweight, Type "Electrical Repair" which lists all the major and minor pieces of kit. It included Grinding Wheel dressers, three types of "Extractors" (Pullers) and right down to the number and size of twist drills carried.

Do you need another copy?

 

 

All very well but when one does not know what they are to start with (and as you know I am a bear with little brain.....)

These are some other strange tools I have cleaned up, including some sort of puller with a WD arrow. These tools all came with the trailer - I do not know if they are part of the original fittings. Any ideas would be welcome.

The project is finally finished except for the tilt which I am having made but this will take several weeks.

My son-in-law helped me put the valve grinder back on the trailer. It is so heavy that an engine hoist was employed.

The still has been left as it was except for adding some lettering to the outside and renewing the instruction plate by scanning it into my computer and a friend photoshopping it to re-vitalise the peeling off paint. I then put a printout back over the original using Tackiback film so that I still have the original underneath. I have not taken this apart to renovate as there are asbestos panels surrounding the boiler.

I nearly threw away the old padlocks but luckily I didn't as when cleaned up one proved to be an original with WD stamped on it.

All the various tools that came with it are cleaned up and put back in except for the strange item in the photo - what is it?

I am hoping to have it at Capel along with the welding trailer and possibly the 4.2" mortar trailer as well. I won't take the compressor trailer out until the engine is finally running.

With the advent of good weather the restoration has come on in leaps and bounds - photographs are the best to show progress.

I have kept the original wood even though it is not in the best condition (but it is imperial measurements). One interesting thing is the use of Phillips screws. One or two could be put down to later replacements but the main box is completely constructed using these screws as are many of the other wood units (such as the rear tool drawer) and footman loops attached to wood.

The other puzzle is the electrics. There is an obvious line of cable clips taking the main trailer cable to the rear of the trailer and a set of double size clips from the rear to the convoy light underneath. Logic says that the main cable goes to the rear and a small Lucas junction box fixed to a plate on the rear chassis member. From this a cable returns to the convoy light but why have a junction box. There is no apparent set of holes that would fit a rear light or trailer plug as on other trailers or any type of switch. All these parts are listed in the parts list for this type of trailer but there appears to be nowhere where they were fitted.

Any ideas?

Can anybody identify this light fitting - it looks like a motorcycle tail light or an instrument illuminating light.

The characters on the side are FV14933

Dropbox.exe

I came across this link on another forum but on this snowy day it made for some interest.

http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=265109

I wonder how many are still around

5 hours ago, REME 245 said:

If this is 1943 these trailers were in service earlier than I thought.

Is their any evidence that these trailers were ever taken into combat?

 

 

 

 

I would have thought this was an exercise behind the front line - nobody appears to be fitted out for combat. As this appears to be Sicily or Middle East it still does not answer the question about use in Northern Europe but whether the paras used them in Palestine after the war?

The following link finally shows that all these trailers were actually put to use by the airborne forces.

In it I think there is a binned stores trailer, machinery trailer, circular saw, generator and a compressor trailer but different to my one, plus a possible welding trailer out of shot. All pulled by jeeps. I think it is in Sicily - ignore the first minute or so.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060044244

There is another short film that can be accessed from this link as well

 Parts sandblasted and now am waiting for decent weather to take it outside to spray. The main chassis appears to be in good condition and all I have to do is remove the tow hitch to dismantle it to free it up.

The valve grinder is in pieces to be gradually cleaned and re-assembled. It is a restoration job in it's own right,