Tony Lawrence

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,

Interesting in that the trailer appears to have a solid tray inbetween the side boxes. The Murex trailer is open underneath the engine - I do not know about the generator trailers. As we appear to be updating this thread, John and I have decided to leave our Murex welding trailer as we purchased it apart from fitting two new tyres and a new exhaust. The reason for this is that it started on the second crank of the handle and works perfectly. We gave a demonstration last year at the Capel show and it was on view at Combined Ops. It seems a pity to mess about with it trying to turn it back to the airborne version. I am still trying to get the compressor trailer running - the timing is perfect apparently but there seems to be no compression despite newly ground valves and seats, skimmed head and new head gasket. It makes one lose the will to live!

Having chosen the coldest day of the year Rick successfully loaded the Covenanter and set off for home at about 5.30pm. It is almost a year since the first reconnaissance to Denbies. I was there for a couple of hours watching but had to go back to work for a couple of hours, returning just before his departure. Now the hard work will begin.

When in doubt go to the records at Deepcut - I now have the key card for my Orme Evans "trailer. 1/2 ton Lt.Wt. Electric repair. 2WH" Also, guess what? On the same key card are the records for the Dashwood trailers of the same designation. I believe a pint is in order!!

First of all, when was bronze green introduced? If my trailer is anything to go by it was after 1945 (dates on vices). Would it have been repainted during it's 1961 re-build? Secondly all the WD numbers were allocated in blocks so on second thoughts the order may be irrelevant and dependent on time of manufacture and use of the allocation by the manufacturer. Thirdly, the plate holes match up exactly to those on the trailer - I do not know if the holes on the trailer match up to the Dashwood plate. No doubt somebody out there will have an answer.

Interesting, another mortar trailer with front and rear dropdown panels and the rare box-type tow hitch (upside down). As I noted many moons ago in the Mortar trailer thread these hitches seem to go with the double (or at least the rear) drop down panels. Somebody else buy it please!!

Out of the blue I was given by the previous owner the missing manufacturers plate and army re-build plate for the trailer. This promptly opened up a can of worms as we had previously thought that these rare trailers were from a batch of 300 manufactured by Dashwood - in the Chilwell list of B vehicle numbers this manufacturer is the only one shown specifically manufacturing these trailers and given their very low survival rate this is logical. However the plate I was given is an Orme Evans plate with a WD number (X 6150842 ) and contract number 23/7945. The WD number is lower than John Corden's Dashwood manufactured trailer or the REME museums machinery trailer (also Dashwood) The contract number relates to "Trailer 10 cwt 2wh Various types" and is referred to in the various ID lists as covering the following trailers...Lightweight electrical repair, lightweight machinery, lightweight type 'Z', lightweight compressor, lightweight circular saw, lightweight electric welding, lightweight generator 5 KW, lightweight G.S. No. 1 Mk.2, lightweight store and No. 1 Mk.2, lightweight water, 100 gallon. i.e most of the lightweight trailers. So it begs the question as to why (and how) Orme Evans managed to manufacture such a wide variety of trailers. Granted certain components were the same throughout the range but the basic chassis were very different. Brockhouse manufactured a few 10cwt trailers, Dashwood only the electrical repair trailer, Reliance only some GS trailers, Reynolds several different types and finally SS Cars who only manufactured GS No. 1 trailers. Logically it should have been easier to allow each manufacturer to produce certain types to make for more efficiency. All this means really is that an unknown number of Lightweight electrical repair trailers were produced and that the first were probably produced by Orme Evans with Dashwood producing a later batch but why there were so few survivors is anybodies guess unless it was because unlike a trailer that can carry something such as a mortar trailer or GS trailer there is absolutely no other use for them and so they were dumped or scrapped. Also my trailer probably dates from 1945 as this date was stamped on the jaws of all four vices that were on the worktop and the rebuild plate dates from 1961 so they were still being used then. Sorry for the ramblings but it is too cold to go into the garage!!

Or John Corden but I am not sure if his Canadian C60 wrecker is man for the job. if he does not pick up this thread I will be seeing him in the pub this evening.

Try Mike Gilman (Tootallmike) who is also on this forum

Hi Rick, What day are you coming? Tony

Sorry, I had to go and watch it at my daughters to see my half second of fame as I have not got Sky - no doubt one of the tech savvy forum members can help.

World War 2 Treasure Hunters, episode 3 on History Channel

It was better than I expected, fearing the inane type of Channel Four history documentaries. It was fairly factual and although naturally we would like more on the Covenanter and it's recovery it did give a broader balance of why it was there and the background. It also gave Rick the credit and Suggs was more of a narrator. 7 out of 10.

Serious work now underway. I have had to cut all the coach bolts fixing the wood to the trailer frame. All the nuts were rusted and there was no way to hold the heads while undoing the nuts without the whole bolt turning and therefore opening the hole. The wood is tongue and groove with very tight tolerances. The main subject of interest however is the colour. All the trailer externally is Bronze green and this extends to many out of the way places. Another piece of webbing is dated 1955 (the strap holding the electrical repair instrument box) and even the chassis under the main tool bow is also Bronze green. Given that these trailers were supposedly built in 1944-45 has the beast been completely dismantled sometime in the 1950's and re-built. Some Phillips head screws have also been spotted but these can always be put down to later replacements. the only bit of wartime green that I have found is under the drill stand. Anyway the sandblaster has already been busy and I have got the battery boxes back and am collecting the main tool box and table sections tomorrow when I take the main trailer chassis, wood and other odds and sods to him.

grade 5 O level geography or a Senior moment. !2v 84 AH made in Oslo, Norway. Goodness knows why I said Dutch!!

God knows what happened there - a load of computer rubbish seems to have taken over the text!!

I have now started to play with the trailer by taking off (and out) various bits of kit and already I have found some differences between my trailer and John Corden's. As I think only 299 were produced by Dashwood as deduced from the chassis numbers in Rob van Meels 'B' series book I was surprised.<br>I managed after a lot of swearing to get the battery boxes out as they were such a tight fit and very heavy. I then found out why - one had a very dead large 12v battery in it and the other a bag of sand! Presumably the sand was to add a suitable amount of weight. In both boxes were the remains of a multitude of acorns so no doubt some squirrels had also made use of the trailer. Because these were 12v batteries they were larger than John's 6v ones but there was no sign of the floor brackets present on John's trailer to hold 6v batteries.<br>Unlike John's trailer the central wooden box is fixed down by four bolts which will involve two people to undo, one under the trailer and one in the box.<br>I have re-wired one of the two large 110v drills as the cable is rather aged and will eventually re-wire all the main electrical components.<br>Anyway the following photos show some of the progress - note the straps for the arc light show a 1943 date and a 1955 one and the battery boxes are Dutch and dated post war.<img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129502" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129502&stc=1" attachmentid="129502"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129503" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129503&stc=1" attachmentid="129503"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129504" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129504&stc=1" attachmentid="129504"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129505" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129505&stc=1" attachmentid="129505"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129506" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129506&stc=1" attachmentid="129506"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129507" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129507&stc=1" attachmentid="129507"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129508" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129508&stc=1" attachmentid="129508"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129509" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129509&stc=1" attachmentid="129509"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129510" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129510&stc=1" attachmentid="129510"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129511" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129511&stc=1" attachmentid="129511">

8 ton halftracks with armoured cab and quad 20mm Flak. This is amazing footage that has been around for a while now but never ceases to amaze. Many of the earlier troops shown belong to the Vlasov division consisting of the turncoat Russian forces (the red/white/blue flashes on the uniforms or pennants). No doubt about what was in store for them!! The Scammel is amazing - probably captured at Dunkirk in 1940 and soldiered right through the war on the Eastern front One could go on for a long time about the different vehicles, their occupants and markings.

Look at the thread regarding 4.2" mortar trailers http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?26752-British-WW2-10-cwt-GS-Trailer&highlight=mortar+trailers Almost all the information you will need to make one yourself.

John and I are going to go through the trailer this afternoon as we have only just got back from W&P. A generator trailer would be a lovely addition but would then have to be sold as part of the divorce proceedings!!

Yet another addition to the Surrey Trailer Trash collection. Out of the blue I was offered a Lightweight electrical repair trailer in what appeared to be reasonable condition and so what could I do but get it - comments such as 'why not get rid of one of the others' from She Who Must Be Obeyed were ignored and so the trailer came home yesterday. It looks to be a great project for the winter (following John's lead in the matter) as it has most of the original tools, folding tables, battery boxes, etc. The only poor item is the canvas that is badly rotted. After I returned home I had some photos e-mailed from John Corden that he had obtained from the past and they showed the same trailer at what I believe was one of the early Beltring shows (pre-W&P). That jogged a brain cell and I remember it from the time as I tried to buy a spare airborne wheel from the owner for my mortar trailer which dates it from 1987-8. Talk about coincidence! The last photo is what it was like in the 1980's. I will now be on the prowl at W&P for other bits.

We started the shows originally at the Kent & East Sussex railway at Tenterden and then moved to the Whitbread Hop Farm. The primary aim was to have a show for club members and allow members of the public in to offset costs. By the time we moved to the Hop Farm where there was a good public footfall, we were in serious needs of funds and so it was almost a gamble in that we sank most of the club funds into providing the show and shared the take with Whitbreads. Luckily at that time they were not the most efficient of groups and one year we were allowed to organise (and take the profits from) the catering and that boosted the club funds no end. Then we allowed our Events Secretary to take control and the rest is history. By the way, his name was Rex Cadman!!

Rick, that fits in with the first tank dug up being 79th AD as 27th AB were transferred to them from 9th AD. I wonder if my manual with the 9th AD pamphlet had anything to do with it? A rather large coincidence I think.

Rick has finally gone home having welded most of the loose bits onto the tank and put a grill over the turret top to keep the great unwashed of Dorking off his toy

It is definitely a gun tank - it still had some of the cardboard inserts in the shell racks. The engine, final drive and radiators are still in situ What we would love to find out is what unit it belonged to. the first one dug up in the 1980's had a 79th AD badge (see my previous photos) but we cannot make out any badge or markings except what I have mentioned above. Does the 51/red square with the T number correlate?