Snapper

My grey/green one definitely has a small screw. On the brim is the serial number VB12555L0 or O. The only number inside is on the cross frame of the furniture and that is a 5 and what looks like a 4 - the size methinks. MB

Superb....Really looking forward to it already.

Ted/ Richard... This is all quality stuff. I think you've hit the nail on the head...sorry for the pun. The joy of it is, I am really happy to have the helmet. I like the MkII's in all their strange varieties. I'm keeping tabs on a local tat shop that has a couple of WW2 CD varieties as part of their displays. This new one goes with the other two in a pile of the things, which include one Turtle, one GS Mk6, two Swiss pudding bowl, one Swiss M1918 (a man in a Leigh On Sea antiques shop was passing them off as Swedish at £150 each - oh how we laughed - he went under), one M1 pattern probably Dutch or German (Beltring £5 1999), one GDR steel (I was once offered a plastic GDR parade helmet for £20 but like a fool said no) and a Czech soviet pattern thing. I would be a serious collector if I had the time. But I just pick them up. They're saved. Thats all that matters to me. Wife unimpressed. MB

D and N is Director of Naval......

Film : Oh What a Lovely War?

You're on my list, Kyle - i've got a couple from the Convoy of steel; but I've got a mountain of building and decorating stuff to get over first. MB

Good call....That crossed my mind - no badges though - but the chin straps are all wrong - not British. I'm happy with it nonethless. It's for a blimmin' small head regardless (not that I wear the things)... helmets issued to staff at The Times for firewatching and general stuff around the head office were all black. I'm assuming the owners at the time - Major Astor and co, would have had access to supplies. This is also true of people at Kemsley newspapers (Daily Sketch). I think the colour schemes on these civilian service helmets are interesting because of the variety - loads of regional differences. MB

Any chance you fellas could do a little review type round-up of these books we can put up the front of the forum???? Very interesting. MB :-D:tup::

Greetings. I've just been given what looks like a pretty standard "Tommy" helmet. Now I'd be too bloody lucky if it was a Brodie - but it is interesting nonethless. I already have two others. One is stamped 1938 in the 'furniture' and is either RAF blue or a police issue type. Me and a mate found it on a railway embankment in 1972. The other is black and has no info in it and I assume it is a civil defence or heavy rescue type - because there were so many colours and markings. Very collectable. This new helmet intrigues me. It is grey-ish in colour - like a grey green. It has no date in the furniture, but has a number stamped on the underside brim. The straps are canvas with clips of the american style - not British at all. The retaining screw and nut are much smaller than the big lump British screw. Any thoughts - could this be a pre M1 pattern US helmet? I'm not unconvinced the chin straps are not a replacement - but it came from an old bloke who had it for years. MB MB

Have only ever seen the one from Bovington which was the vehicle the UK had for evaluation. Bov loaned it to the W&P show a few years ago, but it is a non runner, I think. Shame. I always liked the look of the Aussie FSV with the Saladin turret. In my archiving job at News Int I remember saving loads of superb shots of Canadian M113s in Bosnia. Some idiot decided to bin them one day and the whole lot were chucked. Not impressed. The most potent one I've seen is the Vulcan used by the Israelis. Gatling gun turret jobby. Nasty. Thanks for posting these snaps Shakey...more please when you can MB

When Mooltan was an armed merchant cruiser she was renamed HMS Mooltan. Not unusual, it was happening to ships of all shapes and sizes and it was easy to leave the original MN name. Looks like she didn't stay in the role for long and became a troopship - which means she may also have had the prefix HMT (if I am correct) - had she stayed on the Admiralty's roster, but it looks like she went back to being a civvy ship. MB

Thabks Neil. Seen this already. It is one of several sites giving a smattering of info on K7557. They all run out of news after July 1935. MB

Greetings, I am wondering if any of you chaps can tell me anything about a specific aircraft - the Bristol 142 medium bomber serial K7557. This aircraft started life as the Bristol 142 "Britain First" and was built for Lord Rothermere in 1934/1935. It was handed to the RAF in July 1935 and became K7557. It crash landed on 17.7.35 and I am presuming it was rebuilt because The Times photographed it in November of that year. Does anyone know what happened to it after that? I assume it may have done more testing etc before becoming an instructional airframe, or maybe it was eventually written off. Just trying to tie up the loose ends. I don't need a general history or anything else not specific to this actual aircraft. Easy!

Saving them is obviously the first priority. What a brilliant find...Top marks, Martin. MB

I haven't got any, more's the pity. A friend had a bell made from a 18 pdr case which was lovely - just plain, no detail - he chucked it out. I've got some shrapnel balls. We got them from an 18pdr we found at Auchonvillers. They're loose now,because we didn't realise they were inside until we cleaned the shell a bit. Treasure. Grimmer (John) is in Ypres at the moment. He met Harry Patch on Saturday and will have a good report to add soon - when I make him do it. M

Good - something new to go back to Normandy for... not that I need an excuse.... MB

You might need to start building some for the MoD...

This all looks pretty cool...can we have one for review?:-D:whistle:

God bless him. Good call, TB:tup::

I watched this on Speed Cops or Cops that Go Quick or Fast Cop Community or whatever the BBC call the thing. It gets my blood pressure down before Question Time.. but here I go...:nono: OFF TOPIC.. that was scary. They must have been on PCP or Camp Coffee....amazons. I've got an orange panel. Good idea Dutch corner. I will see about using mine. In Southend no one can hear you scream. MB

They used to be quite common. I can remember seeing one in Jersey on my only visit in 1970 - we stayed in St Helier. They used to be on pretty well all sea fronts raising money. Still a nice idea...but we've moved on or "progressed" since then.

Absolutely correct - the national Merchant Navy memorial at Tower Hill lists ships companies for WW1 and WW2 and a new Falklands memorial was added in 2007.

This is fantastic stuff. More please :tup::

keep bothering, please Mike; just use the main other stuff board. Good call on these three cruisers, BTW. Two of them were exchanging mail when the were sunk and the third was picking up survivors.

Some more snaps.... I would have posted this as a news item, but building works at Snapper Central have put me on the back foot. Spot the blow up doll!