Bob Britnell

Hi guys, whilst what I would really like to buy is a Daimler Dingo it does have practical limitations, such as only two seats. I am rather attracted to the idea of a Dodge WC 51 or 52 as a practical subsitute, I know they had limited British use in NW Europe in '44/45 but it seems that they were used by XIV Army which gives the opportunity for something different perhaps. All the WC I have seen have an open cab at the sides with a canvas cover for the rear troop carrying portion which also forms the cab roof; but do they come with door 'panels' at all or are they always open to the elements and in that case does it mean that they have to be garaged when not in use? I know there are WC owners on the forum, so can someone advise please, thanks, Bob

Hi Steve, I don't know about Tankfest but I was down at Bovington earlier in the year for a Tank day, driving an FV432, riding as commander in a Sherman Easy Eight and clambering in and out of a Pz IV, boy is the driver's position claustrophobic or what! Not only have you driven a Sherman but a Dingo as well! I'm not envious, no I'm really not envious, no, really not, not: why is Canterbury so far from Bovington, if it was closer could I drive them? But I'm not envious, not a bit! Well. perhaps just a little bit .................... Good to hear from you, Bob

Hi Mick, as a refugee from Essex to Kent 20 years ago, welcome aboard ...... I've been aboard about 3 days now and these are welcoming folks, I detect there could be a little friendly sarcasm but what the hell, that's what makes the world go round! Whereabouts in Essex? I came from Basildon via Shenfield, Billericay and Wickford before emigrating south of the river, (passports available on request). Bob

Have you tried hitting it with something big and heavy, or poking something sharp down the holes? That might tell you if it was a mine? Bob

Thanks for the info guys, well it looks like most of us are in Kent after all....is it something about Kent .... proximity to the Continent perhaps? Bob

Larkfield? Thanet? where else in Kent is represented in the forum? I'm at Canterbury, so that's at least 3 of us! Well greetings from the sunny south-east of England to all you guys and gals, or is this boys toys only? I have just taken "flexible retirement" after 40+ years at the local goverment coalface and now find myself working only 4 days a week and refinding all the things that I loved as a young man before I had family and mortgage. I used to do military modelling, plastic kits that is, not wearing the uniforms whilst people take photographs ...... I am still into board wargaming, also reading history books, genealogy and of course, military vehicles! Last year I went, with wife, daughter and boyfriend, (hers not mine) to The Kent War and Peace Show and discovered that all those facts that I knew as a young man were still in there, merely lying dormant. After an afternoon of "that's the 76mm upgunned Sherman, you can see the new mantlet" and "that's the T34/85, you never see the T34/76, it influenced the design of the Panther you know", finally my wife cracked and said, "yes you can have one, but no tracks, no more than four wheels and no turret with a gun in it" ...... then almost as an afterthought, "if you get one you're not just to leave it sitting on the driveway"; or could it be that it was a clever wife looking at what her husband is to do in retirement? Looking around I decided that the best option was a Dingo, all round vision and no claustrophobia ..... something I had forgotten about until I got in a Pz IV driver's seat on a tank driving day at Bovington. But Dingo's are few and far between. I wanted something British though and so much of what is available is American, it also had to be small enough to fit on the drive and something I could use and not just garage and take out to shows two or three times a year. Jeeps I decided were ten a penny but the Jeep's big brother the WC51 or 52 seemed to fit the bill except for the British service angle. It was searching for British service WC51 that led me to this website. I can see that a small number of WC 51 or 52 were used in Normandy but that more were used in the far east and let's be honest how often do you come across military vehicles in XIV Army guise; so there's an ambition to realise. All I've got to do now is find out about WC 51/52 in XIV Army service, sort out uniforms and then buy one and probably get it repainted from Western Europe to Far Eastern colours. Anyway, by way of an introduction to the group that's my ambitions set out. Bob