steveo578

Glad to hear you're thinking ahead, if things get desparate you could always get a batch of applique armour made like the AVRE in the Ist photo. Steve

The drivers observation port was perceived as a weakness in all marks note in these photos the piece of track on the drivers side was pulled up out of action -interesting detail.

Never mind Robin :cry: here's another two-it's like going to the dentist it'll soon be over:nut:. Steve

Now now eddy they are part of our heritage- Didn't know you were at Batus -if I'd got out there I would have imediatelly applied for asylum:D Some Ferrets 00EC68 00DA59 there is another photo earlier in this thread of this vehicle from the right hand side. 2 photos of 01EA87 Steve

Hopefully less of a problem than in the 1970s then:D

not just for young males -I've recently seen a quote for a teenage girl to drive a 406 diesel at over £3000 TP only:shocked:

Yes very funny:D -just wait until summer when the cyprus local authorities are cutting off the water supply,:cool2: Steve

I think the turretless Valentine was shown in CMV a few months ago in an article by David Fletcher about Valentine Bishop and Churchill Gun Carriers -both being rather lack lustle SPGs. The photo showed the Valentine with the barbette in a scrap yard in Cyprus without tracks -perhaps to make it mobile without power. The photo was included as it has been reported as a Bishop (personally I think it looked like a range OP vehicle). I have been told privately by people who are better connected than myself that the asking price was optimistic. Oddly enough I was looking at some old corespondance on Valentines only yesterday- dating from 2000, it was mentioned that the remains of a Bishop had been found and that the Valentine now in Saumur France was probably another turretless Valentine which "lived" on an industrial estate in the West country for many years -fitted with a Covenantor turret probably off one of the pillboxes set up on the north coast of Devon. Steve

Probably the serial refers to the gun mounting not the weapon. MT generaly means mounting. Many MG mounts (and main armament mounts for that matter) have there own number -at least as far back as Mk19 mounting (Churchill 1 to 6)- in theory had the information been retained it would have been possible to ID a vehicle by cross reference- but no doubt it was pulped along with individual vehicle ID cards. I've probably shown them before these are 2 plates removed from churchill range wrecks.

Hi Clive, It's a common belief -most people think CO is the aromatic smell from exhausts -even the smell of burning natural gas -which of course a gas mask will elliminate, as would masks designed with a charcoal filter system which may also fix CO2, but there is no way it can fix CO -I suppose if the contaminated air was forced though a filter filled with blood it might work:nut:. There was an occurance where I live some years ago when a member of the TA grabed his resperator from his car and rushed into a burning house to rescue a mother and child - hailed rightly as a hero the media waxed lyrical about how his service resperator had supplied him with sufficient air supply to save the occupants- which leads to the puzzle does a service resperator have an air supply- was his local TA so behind the times they had Davis escape equipment and why was he driving around with his kit in the car anyway:???. Steve

Some 432 photos The upended 432 has been previously shown from the other side certainly a target to be avoided:shocked: Steve

At least there is no worry that ABS will mess you around -although from what I seen of Green Goddesses I'd leave it in the shed.:shocked:

less than 4mins. in a 650w microwave powered from a 1kw invertor (durchsprung nacht technik) And you can reheat the pizza:D Steve

Exactly! Mind you the poster that still sticks in my mind was the "snipper bait poster" the one with the pretty girlie. Make a donation to an appropriate charity:-). Cunning plan in theory but if you do send anything out to a "nominally" Muslim country don't send anything alcoholic, be very careful with reading matter (even car mags have too many girls in them) and certainly nothing religious. While I don't give a flying **rt for the "religious sensiblities" of the talabs I really don't think sending anything other than sweets etc is wise - it only gives them propergander - encouraging the buggers to regard our chaps as infidels- hope that wasn't political.:-( Steve

Don't forget a nice tin of treacle sponge pudding with a tin of rice pudding or instant custard or both poured on top.

Hi Clive Shame I did know you back in 1991-2, the then RO wanted the Commers saved (he had seen them in service early on in 1969-98 troubles.) If I had any sense I should have recovered one myself -even if just as a shed, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. The most depressing thing was hawking the offer of a Commer to various museums with no interest being shown- the upshot was -they were "too ugly" and privately I was told "Museums are not interested in NI stuff- they find them somewhat embarrassing-." which to me is a palpable insult to those who served there:-(. Steve

Commer APCs 3977XI at Hindberry Crags with the "protected" range shed in the background -this photo was used in David Dunne's book Armoured and Heavy Vehicles of the RUC but the date the photo was taken is incorrect these photos were taken in 1992. Steve

I've been having problems with internet connection -think about it -giga bit connections reliant on telegraph technology -copper wires, negative temperature, snow and moisture -not a good thing. Which helicopter was that? Britain still doesn't have an adequate number of aircraft -thinking back 25years the standard light lift helo was still the Westland Wessex (S58/H34) which was lucky if it could manage 1500kg -faster but like all helicopters always vulnerable to observation at great distances. todays pics of the Commer Patrol vehicle at Hindberry Crags. 3599XI had been used in grenade practice. photo taken 1997 After another fire, most likely a quanity of brash from pine trees had been burnt inside turning the vehicle into a large "iron stove". OP tower for ATGW3 in the background. Still just about visible is the 39 Brigade marking. Detail pic of the Visor handle and sliding side visor. Steve

looks really good - are you going to keep the horn:???

Diver99 & Pzkfpw -e Thanks for that! Thought it was that one wasn't aware it had been properly IDed. Any photos -I like to see the odd prototype:-) Steve

Offer him one and then count how many fingers you still have as he bites your hand off to get it like a hungry lion. I heard him wax lyrical about M10s and that's a sherman-ish vehicle. :cool2: Steve

I'm working from the 1980s military map- there may have been new discoveries/developments but anywhere north of the wall tends to be of military instalation- there could be a villa for the O/C training of the roman military zone but I tend to regard the term Villa as a civilian farmstead rather than anything to do with the Roman military. Never said it wasn't anything other than "Jackanory" the last time it came up I contacted guys in the RE to see if a training operation using Forester Dectectors could be done to hit the story on the head totally- they were quite enthusiastic but events overtook the idea at an early stage -Foot and Mouth -9-11 Afghanistan-Iraq understandably caused the ball to be dropped. I did some local research into what happened to the 2 to 4 WW1 tanks in the North East of England- I found a photo of one in a local newspaper archive along with a 7.7cm Fk, I believe most were cut up but if any were buried it all depends on the soil conditions rather than the type of steel plate used, both armour and M/S could survive equally well. An example is the 2 13cm FK dug up in a park at St Peterport Guernsey in 1978 (I think) after being buried in a hurry in 1940 to avoid air attack -they have survived despite the fact that they weren't in good condition when buried -already 2 others had been scrapped in the late 1930s because of their condition. Oh and who is Deborah;). Steve

The thing about the Stalwart that bothered me was that firstly the thing ceased to be amphibious:-( which made the design somewhat pointless but worse still as an none amphibious high mobility load carrier it wasn't replaced by something equal -never mind better- a more modern design especially with better maintanablity should not have been beyond our capablities. three more stollie pics:-) probably the last -although I'm sure I have some in negs only but untill I get a good neg. copier that's it for the moment. Steve

What you don't want Grant as well;)

Photos of the Stalwarts on the "RAF range" these lasted quite some time being emplaced between 1985 and 1994 they are shown in these photos in the first half of 2002 shortly after they were heavily bombed in training for Iraq 2. Happily I don't think there are any Roman Villas on or even near Otterburn - really shouldn't encourage English Heritage:-(. There are a number of Roman Training Camps on the ranges as are mediheval villages and some old farmsteads -there is even a complete Roman Seige Training Camp at Woden Law which is just over the north west range boundary -so the artillery were there nearly 1800 years ago. Anything possible although I find the idea of burying stuff in what amounts to heath land somewhat weird. -I believe one of the Comets Bovington now owns was used for soil dynamics/technology trials. There is also a story that a WW1 tank or possibly the prototype Nellie (the 1940 trench digger) was abandoned or buried on Chobham common, there is also a persistant rumour that some WW1 tanks buried at Bovington to save them from the scrappers. Most of the burials were discounted until the dis-internment of the tanks at Battlesbury bowl in 1985 and of course the earlier find of the Dorking Covenanter. I've never heard of anything being buried at OTA so you can all keep your spades handy for the snow:cool2: Steve