Pete Ashby

These are the last set of diagrams, these cover auto electrical subjects : Pete

Interesting thought Tony :-), As I said at the front of this thread I'm putting the whole story together adding detail and setting it in context for my children and their children. For the past year I have been working my way through 900 pages of the unit diary's covering just the REME part of my Father's active service along with recorded memories and some photographs I am now moving the search back to cover his enlistment and the 2 years he spent with the Royal Norfolk's guarding Norfolk airfields, road junctions, railway lines and beaches. I intend to present the completed project digitally for the family as a record of ''An ordinary man who just did his his duty'' , my Fathers words to describe his 6.5 years service. Pete

Not a component drawing this time but a brake efficiency graph that may be of interest Pete

In that case it looks like the vehicles may well have come from Donington Park this was in July 1942 Pete

That's interesting Richard, as there is a single line entry that says 'detachment returned from Leicestershire with new vehicles', I believe that Donnington is in the north of the county. Present day Chilwell is in Nottinghamshire the thought occurs was it always, or was it a victim of county boundary moves in the 1970's? I can feel a Google coming on. Pete

This next set is all about various brake shoe set ups : Pete

Thanks for the reply Degsy the reason for asking is that in the unit diary I'm currently working with there is a passing comment about sending a detachment to collect 'new vehicles from a main RAOC Depot in the Midlands'. The unit at this time was forming up in Rushmore Arena so as it's quite a trek up to the Midlands I assumed it was not a sub depot. Pete

This is one for the Carrier Guys : Pete

All the more so Lauren when you consider that his trade training started on the 15 of January 1942 and he took his trade test on the 25 May 1942 the exercise book runs to 150 pages of drawings and hand written accompanying and explanatory text this is on top of practical and bench work, I think I am correct in saying that a two year peacetime course was condensed to just under 6 months. Staying with the power flow theme here are some more drawings for diesel engines and also a basic petrol carburetor set up : Pete

Pleased you like them Steve I've had the exercise books stored away in my collection for over twenty years and I thought they deserved a wider audience. The drawings were made in his billet in the evenings after lectures from notes and sketches in his rough books which I also have and also some of the crown marked pencils that he used to make them. He always said he knew his life probably depended on making the grade as he would have been RTU if he failed the course having had 3 lucky escapes while with the Norfolk's he didn't think his luck would hold out. He missed the last posting to the BEF by two weeks in May 1940 then shortly after they were issued with full cold weather kit and were being taught to ski on the Parade ground then just as suddenly all kit was withdrawn again.....he never did know why or where they were meant to go. Then in late 1941 he was issued with tropical kit and had a full set of jabs for a draft bound for Singapore but before his draft left the garrison had fallen so you can see the RAOC with a rifle and tool box looked a better bet than just a rifle. What unit was your Dad in ? here's three more to be going on with :

These two cover engine lubrication: Pete

Here's a couple more continuing on the theme of power drive line: Pete

Thank you Tony, yes I think he would, he was very proud of his army service but was at pains to always point out he was not a fighting soldier after 1942 he said they were the real heroes. Pete

I'm currently working on a project that involves recording in detail the war time history of my late Fathers army service from 1940 to 1946. 5777663 L/Cpl Ashby E J Fitter MV Class 1 would have been 100 years old this year so I thought it a fitting tribute to collate and record his service history for my children and grandchildren. To this end I have collected unit diary's, service records, personal papers and photographs and am now setting his story into the wider context of the various theaters he severed in. I am very lucky to have all of my Father's trade training work books and I thought it may be of interest to show some of the pencil drawings he produced as part of his course work for those of you who have a copy of 'Manual of Driving and Maintenance for Mechanical Vehicles (wheeled) 1937' some of the diagrams will be familiar. To set the drawings in context my Father was called up on the 6 May 1940 to the Royal Norfolk's as an infantry man, after 18 months he was selected for trade training and was transferred to the RAOC in May 1942 at Aldershot. Here he underwent full trade training joining REME when it was created in October 1942 landing in North Africa in December 1942 then onto Sicily, Italy and finally Austria at the end of the war in Europe. I'll post a couple of drawings now and if people are interested I'll post some more. Pete

In my wanderings around the web today looking for more detail on this subject I came across this link I post it here for general information http://www.philwilliamswriter.co.uk/2015_09_01_archive.html for those interested in early British trucks it could be an interesting read when published Pete

This is project is really coming together keep posting progress I'm enjoying following this thread, always had a bit of a soft spot for quads. :thumbsup:

Thank you Clive, yes I did indeed mean RAOC :blush: numpty that I am, fingers faster than the brain I'm afraid. Interesting reply as ever, I think you may have answered another question that I had regarding General Stores. Regards Pete

I'm currently doing some research on the issue of new vehicles to UK forces during WW2 and have come across several references to a main RAOC depot 'somewhere in the Midlands' the depot operated as a central hub for subsidiary RAOC depots all around the UK Does anyone know where this main depot was located please ? Thanks Pete

Good to see my old GMC reg No KSU 498 is still out an about do you have any more photos of her Vulture ? Pete

Nice job Howard Pete

Good progress :thumbsup:, make sure you do a video of the engine start up and post it here Pete

Purely a guess Gerry, but I would suggest pre second front so early spring 1944 ? Pete

Knock Knock anybody there?:whistle:

No sorry Howard mine went with my C15A when I sold it. My son has a set on the C30 I will be back in England next month so if you can wait I can get some photos with a tape measure on them if it's any use. We had several sets of door curtains and full canvas including the windscreen flaps rad muffs and curtain bags for the cabs made by Undercover Covers (I'm not sure if they are still trading from original patterns) and an excellent job they were too. Pete Just found them here's the link http://www.undercovercovers.co.uk/photos_ex_military.html

I know what you mean, but there is a degree of flex in the top bow that exerts an outward force on the socket and it seems to hold everything together just like frame tent poles I suppose. From memory I made the sockets about 2" deep and they need to be a push fit not too sloppy. Pete