mcspool

Parts.....

Trailers....

Here are the pics Stuart sent me. He can add the captions / explanations himself.

petition signed!

Ah yes, that explains the "O" in the background of Ian Hutchinson. From my webpage "Shermans into ploughshares":

Looks like a M4A2 to me. Another great example of "Shermans into ploughshares"!

Is it this Stuart? http://traveloscopy.blogspot.nl/2014/07/solomon-islands-trash-and-treasure.html

Welcome on here, I regularly go back to your site to do some more reading on the subject of military bicycles. Would you happen t have more information about the Hercules Cycle and Motor Company and if they made bicycles for British forces during WW2 (see link)?

If they are for a Cab 13, I am interested. Email sent.

Great find! Good luck with the restoration.

This is a Gun Position Officer version, these were used by artillery units: http://tank-photographs.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Sexton-spg-GPO-Gun-Position-offficer.html Of course no one knows what they were used for at the end of their service life, APC is an option, but maybe even as a skip by the garrison garbage man :-D

Interesting collection, nice to see they have no less than TWO Sexton GPO's (Gun Position Officer): Ayub National Park, Rawalpindi, Pakistan by raihans photography, on Flickr They have a third one here: http://www.urbanpk.com/pakdef/museums/armymuseumgallery.html :thumbsup:

Great to see your progress! Is it a dog to drive?

Lex, I would like to have a scan / copy / reprint please. Other information re. wartime bikes is welcome, too. Thanks, Hanno

Looking at the pictures on this site http://bsamuseum.wordpress.com/the-military-roadster/ it seems the "carrier, kit, rear" had it's own mark system, separate from the mark of bicycle it was fitted to?

.... and fitted with 7.00-20 tyres? If so, where did you find those? H.

Some screen shots from the last few minutes of http://www.steamcar.net/video-page-23.html

Ian, further to Lex's excellent input, I found out earlier these bikes were also referred to as "Trade Pattern" bicycles and/or contracts referred to "Contractor's standard specification". This means the military bikes were indeed basically civilian bicycles, with some military features like paint, rear cargo carrier and rifle brackets. The basic design was the English "Roadster" type, an old-fashioned style of bicycle popular in the countryside. They usually had 28 x 1-1/2" wheels with Westwood rims, long cranks and long wheelbases, and very shallow frame angles (68 degrees or less). Roadsters used "roller-lever" brakes operated by rods. Roadsters were built for durability above all else, and were intended to be able to cope with dirt roads, cobblestones and unpaved footpaths, with a bare minimum of maintenance. No serious attempt was made to save weight in their design or construction. With those design requirements in mind, one can understand why the military ordered "trade pattern" roadsters - they fitted the bill for a sturdy bike perfectly.

That's it, it's the one Staman bought isn't it?

IIRC this was sold at his auction a good few years ago. It went to Holland.

I like the "believed to be internally complete .... concrete needs to be removed from the inside" Bring your own chisel and find out!

PO, Is this the Sherman that was knocked out in the foret d'Ecouves? http://balmoralgreen.com/les-blind-s/sherman-m4a2-2.html How did they manage to get hold of that monument tank?!?! H.

Totally agree. It's great they save Shermans from the torch, but spending all that effort on a fictional machine is a bit of a waste, IMHO. It's their money, though. Here's a suggestion for their next turretless Sherman hull: a Sherman ARV (Armoured Recovery Vehicle)

Yes, that's the "Pepperpot Grant" that can be seen running & driving at shows in the UK. Not sure who owns it today, but it was put back in running order by Carl Brown.

Watch out Richard, some people take stuff they read literally and that is how old wive's tales like factory-fresh jeeps in crates start! Re. the picture: typically American, real men don't ride trikes, let alone a merry-go-round horse.... :cool2: [note: this is a humorous reply] Hanno