Snapper

Yep....same road signs, rather nice actually. Back to reality this morning in London E1....the professional tea drinkers in my house are giving my wife gip and this spreads down to me. But that's life...Barnesworld in chaos. No change there then. I'll get on to a snaps and words thing on the cemeteries as soon as I've sorted out some situations....once the loft is done I will try and rescue my career as a snapper and scribe. Meantime still waiting for the tap on the shoulder from Mr Murdoch. So HK was a diversion....skint now though.. M

I remember the Marinas at Greenham as well. Wish I'd snapped one. One of my former neighbours ran an ex USAF LDV panel van. I think they all count. Ok, they are far from exciting compared to something pointy, but an MV is an MV. MB

Not from where I am sitting, Rick. I'm eight hours ahead of you at the moment checking out a bit of the old Empire. Will get it done when I am back in The Smoke. MB

Not wrong, TB, not wrong. Passed the former HMS Tamar today. Now a PLA base. In Stanley they have a few post boxes as display items. We found a pizza express and the manager was from Kilburn. He's ethnic Chinese and came here for the climate. We did get to Sai Wan and Stanley war cemeteries.I've been to plenty in my time, but none like these. There will be a full report when I get back. I've taken a billion snaps. This is the first time I have seen Dutch military graves..and at Stanley there were five GCs and too many little children who died in captivity. Heartbreaking. That's me done.... HKMVF out

What ho chaps, I'm out here going bonkers in Honkers for some unearthly reason and I thought I'd say hello because I am unlikely to travel this far from Snapper towers again. This is a wild city of seven million happy people. We think James is the tallest person here so far, including a lot of Kiwis and Aussies here for the big rugby match next weekend. Highlights for sad comedians so far include a shop called Wanko and a Belgian woman on the plane who tried to read the sick bag because she thought it was a pamphlet. Sorry Belgium. No more cheap shots from this round eyed devil. Hopefully we'll be off to see a couple of war cemeteries on Hong Kong Island tomorrow or Wednesday. Meantime all my daughter does is shop. She brought her own money....:coffee: That's me done. I'll be on air again now and again. It is 2227 in the evening here; eight hours ahead of Blighty. MB

will make a note. But make sure you remind me....sieve-like brain is a standard part in my head. None of your optional rubbish.

That'll be now then...:cool2::-D I've beaten Jack to that one and Lee is asleep.

Interesting what you say about the Chevette, which was something of a rally car in my day in the forests before the introduction of the Opel Manta in 1982 with the Vauxhall Opel Rothmans team and then others. The smooth Frenchman, whose name escapes drove the thing on the Int'l stage - hold on it was Guy Frequelin - and our dear old Jimmy McCrae - Colin's dad - drove them here. I digress. Lots of people used the Chevette, notably Russell Brookes and Terry Kaby in the UK. They were good rear-wheel sliders in the old Group 4 spec sense. Remember the sales pitch - the Vauxhall Chevette is whatever you want it to be...but not an Audi Quattro. Vorsprung Tough****z, as they say in...well, who cares?

God bless him. We Were Soldiers Once..And Young is a masterpiece. It always brings me back to Rick Rescorla from Cornwall who died in the World Trade Center. What a man he was.

You're raving mad, but I like you. Be brave, go by MUTT. Yeah! As said, nought wrong with Range Rovers, I'd have one. My beef is with your nouveau riche, guv'nor. I keep thinking of the way Citizen Smith would deal with them, but the actor probably drives a Chelsea tractor, too. Just me going all socialist like my dear old Dad. He drove a Honda 50. My genuine beef is with the vandals who would demolish our history for their vista. There's too much of it about - ironic considering we are at the time of year when we wear poppies to honour those who gave us the freedom to kill the ozone layer, squirrels, Ladas and other small animals while driving our 4x4s. All power to 4x4 owners...not pillbox vandals of any hue, class or inside leg. MB

Had seen U-Boat.net but did not know the mercantilemarine forum. Will look at it. I pass the Tower Hill monument every day to work. Do you want a snap of your named man from it, Rick? I have two special ships on the memorial - the Arandora Star and the Severn Leigh which I've yarned on about before. Nice pic BTW - is this the one off CWGC? The U-Boat site is full of good stuff. My dad got heavily into it in his final days and built up an archive of collected resources. It all went with him in 1992. MB

Ooooooooooooooooooooooohhh Ouch. Nuffink against Range Rovers my old mate - lovely things, especially the older ones with Marina door handles. Just SOME of the tossers who drive them around. Visit Leigh-On-Sea any Saturday - we play spot the drug dealer - especially the ones with ridiculous wheels. No room for my MUTT when they go cruisin for their lattés :-D MB

I read some of the judgment and it is all sound. It's just cultural vandalism. These people are just trying to make their lovely little middle class idylls perfect for parking their Range Rovers. They have no sense of history, only status and money. MB

Didn't know it was there. Will try and have a look as soon as I get some leave. M

We're getting so many northerners we're starting to get top heavy....Bit like a motorcycle display team... Interesting motor you have there Dave. Would like to see some snaps. Welcome to the Friendly Forum. Mind the gum trees. Jack's bonsai collection is, in fact, a window box full of weeds. He used to grow other plants in it, but the Dorset plod came by on their traction engine and he had to dump the stuff. It explains a lot.

Comments we welcome. Biscuit theft is another matter altogether. :-D

Nicely finished, John. Great stuff. You jammy bugger.... Hopefully we'll be on the road again soon. All I need is permission from senior management. You could start dropping hints to her about a fiftieth birthday bash out in Flanders or in the happy hunting ground. Seven months to the day - plenty of time. :-D

Good man. Your are in the right place. When you've settled in please share some of your family history with us. We like to honour our ancestors here. You never know there may be someone who can fill in a few blanks for you. As for the Custard Creams...they are shared occasionally. But only after you've passed your probation. Will someone kindly tell this lad what he has to do to get his Blue Peter badge.

I think we're all waiting for the day one of these "buried vehicle" stories turns up trumps. I just hope I'm there with my camera - but knowing my luck it will be some other cove. The crated motorbikes story is not so mythical, as proven here by snowtracdave. I suppose I was born ten or fifteen years too late. But hey, we're all here and HMVF is a happy place. Welcome to the Friendly Forum.

Mine turned up yesterday.

Some helicopters...The RN Sea King is from 771 Sqdrn SAR at Culdrose. It was a foul day. The RAF yellow SAR Sea King was at the Southend Air Show this "summer" as was the Lynx. Oh how it rained...... MB

It looks like a 7 - which was the eight ton model. the 9 was the eighteen ton Famo the 10 was the one ton Demag D7 the 8 - I think was a five ton and the 11 was a ten ton or viceversa. MB

Which brings us neatly on to Authenticast models made in the USA. Fantastic things made in several scales of aeroplanes, ships and MVs. Originally designed for US military recognition purposes and then sold commercially. Put Authenticast in to Google and see what comes up. I have three models I bought two years ago which may or may not be remoulds, I don't care. I have the close on 1/76 -1/87 Panther, M41 and Centurion. There are larger scale MVs as well - something like 1/32. I emailed one of the specialist sites to try and get a price range for them all now...no reply.

Good stuff all round. Hey Steve, I remember the Airfix Sikorsky S-61 with the Apollo capsule. I'll post some snaps on this thread shortly.... MB

I saw the programme and winced at the tosh the expert came out with. What saddened me was that the chap implied other models would have been scrapped. What a shame. It strikes me that I am never lucky enough to find stuff like this. I hope the bloke keeps them and good luck to him. To anyone on this forum they would be pure gold. Maybe one day!