M5Clive

Hi John I'm pretty sure (although not 100% sure) that I last saw this truck in 1990 at War on the Line show at Ropley Station, near Winchester, Hants. I took a particular interest in it because at the time we were restoring an identical example and took some photos (somewhere!) The name of the owner I think (I have a dreadful memory), was maybe 'Phil Atfield?' from Emsworth in Hampshire? It would figure if it were the same truck as, you are roughly in the same neck of the woods and I have never seen that truck that I saw in 1990 on the show circuit since and having had a number of GMC's over the years, I do keep a fairly keen eye out for the various ones on the show circuits. Whatever the past history, its great to see another CCKW 352 coming back to life again - Keep up the good work! A great result to see that it has a nice wooden wheel. I would speculate (although others on here will tell you exactly) that the date of manufacture is prob 1941/42, as it has the timken Split type axles and is short wheel base. The cab of course could easily have been swapped over the years from what it originally left the factory with, who-knows! Whatever, it is great to see another CCKW being saved from the rust pile

One Careful owner! - (The rest weren't!) I have to say, their is something enchanting about seeing this 969 in such a poor state of repair and yet it has still found a new sympathetic home, regardless of its condition - Not entirely dissimilar to seeing the our Great British steam heritage mouldering in Barry Scrapyard in the post-steam decades and then finding new homes on preserved steam railways up and down the country. Of course we all know that you can go out and buy one up-together and on the button for less than it is going to cost you to put this one into the same condition, but that isn't actually what our hobbie is all about is it. What it is about is the 'preservation, restoration and demonstration of ex-military vehicles' and as such you have a more than worthy contender on your paws. Good on you guys for not letting it go to the smelter in the current high-value climate for scrap metal. Tony Butt (Anthony on HMVF) of Mendlesham, Suffolk has a wide array of 969/968 projects which he is probably never going to fully complete, so it may be worth a PM to him to see if he may be able to help you with anything you are looking for.

I've dealt with Rex for over 20 years. I had my first ride in a Dukw from Castle Coombe to Swindon with him and Shelia in 1990 when I was a mere 15 years old - The thrill of riding in that really got me hooked and I said I would get a Dukw one day. - Nine years later I did exactly that when I popped in by-chance to Rex's yard for a chin-wag and got pointed in the direction of a Dukw which had just become available. Sadly I didn't keep it very long because after the restoration was finished, I used it for one show season and realised that I simply could not afford to run it! It sold very quickly and Rex took on the maintenance of it for its new owners - Viking Splash Tours in Dublin. Back then when Rex was the farm mechanic all parts sold for 'round numbers' and life was so much simpler!!

I would be very interested in this event. I drove my GMC 353 from Wiltshire to Holland (via the Felixstowe ferry) for the September 1994 event twenty years ago and it still rates as probably the best commemorative event I have ever been part of. But I think the estimation of 500 Military Vehicles is somewhat doubtful - I'm pretty sure their were 1100 vehicles in 1994, convoying for maybe 13 hours from leaving Leopolsburg to arriving in Nijmegen, which was from memory was around 75 miles. It was an incredible experience to drive 'Hells Highway' in such style and accompanied by so many other WWII Allied MV's. I really want to make this event next year and i'm sure their will be far more than 500 vehicles participating

And where the Bl**?y He** were you yesterday? Dorset totally flooded out and unable to reach the county line? Neil and I sat in the coffee shop all lunchtime desperately hoping for a recreation of last years banter around the table and hoping that Claire and you were going to show up, but after over 2 hours sat at the table waiting and waiting and waiting, we reluctantly accepted that the fact that we were going to have to face up to the grim facts and were probably going to have to go and buy a coffee ourselves........... ..............The waitress who was clearing the tables the whole time kept giving us such stern looks!

With a name like SnowTracDave, you should be the last person on here worried about a few inches of snow!! I shall be going. Went to the first one when I was 16 (when it was still an MVT affiliated event and members got a reduction), but in those draughty cattle sheds with the freezing cold concrete floor............so I guess a regular for over 20 years now............ ..................In the word of Tony Hancock from the Blood Donor "Do we get a badge?"

That was my old one which I bought off John Marchant in Milton Keynes in August 1999 and sold to Phil Benham in 2008 as an unfinished project.

Hi Clare Sorry to say that my iMac has got so stuffed with photos and HD Video since I bought it in 2007, that I can't seem to upload my digital video onto iMovie and then onto YouTube, so nothing is going to happen until I upgrade to a new iMac sometime next year. The video is pretty good, considering Suze was filming it from the back of the truck whilst I was driving, but it certainly captures the flavour of the day! Did you do any more events after Sherringham, as the season was more or less at its conclusion by then. The truck is safely tucked away in its winter hideaway near Diss and hasn't turned a wheel since returning from Holt, although I have been tempted to take it out in all this snow for some pictures!

Now my interest level is starting to rise a little from tick-over...... All those external drop tanks bobbing up and down in the water filled crates and shiny sleek aluminum fuselage's from North American Aviation's P-51 production line at the factory in Dallas. Ok, back to sleep..........its been a long winter and its too early to surface yet!

Very nice standard of work indeed and if those ancillary units are anything to go by, I can see this is going to be one impressive wagon when its finished. Just to keep your motivation up, here is a few photo's of the restoration of my Shop Van, which is now more or less finished. I can't brag the credit for the restoration work however; I just fund it and do much of the fetching and carrying and sourcing of materials. I did use to do assisted GMC restorations when I was much younger - Had my first CCKW at 18 and bought it in many pieces..............but a young family, house projects, no facilities at home and running my own business all mean that its not currently viable to undertake such work - So I leave it to the experts who are more capable and more geared-up! Adrian Barrell of R H Barrell Engineering provided the specialist metal work requirements and Howard Wade of Rusty-Bits did the rest. I purchased this truck from an old pal, (known on HMVF as 'Shop Nut), and he had done much work on it beforehand. Being a fussy bugger (thankfully), the truck was an exceptionally original and sound example and as can be determined by the chassis number, this truck was a Shop van from birth. When Robert bought it however, it was fitted with a hard cab, which was incorrect for the chassis number batch, so Robert swapped the cab for probably the most original open cab example I have ever seen. The trucks correct designation is M30 Signal Corps Repair, but as you will know, they were produced in many different Shop Van body classifications. I've just got to make my mind up on which marking to apply now. Would be great to get them both together upon completion of yours - Where about's are you based? PS - I hope you don't think I'm hijacking the superb restoration thread of your own CCKW Shop Van, it just seemed appropriate to show a similar vehicle which has had similar work carried out, albeit a little further advanced. I will watch this thread with interest.

George was a big name in the movement when our family first became involved in the late 1980's and he was extremely well-known and respected for his knowledge of military vehicles of the period. Our first association with him was when he organised all the WWII MV's for the centennial commemorations of Dwight D Eisenhower's birth - An event which took place at USAF Greenham Common, Newbury, Berks in the summer of 1989. A large contingent of Dorset Area's vehicles journeyed up to attended the event headed by George and his two gleaming staff cars. When we did our first 'Red Ball Express' convoy in 1990, he admirably supported the event with his two Dodge Carryall's and I used to enjoy conversations with him at the various shows, where he would always have a luxurious caravan and huge awning set back behind his vehicle display. I well remember looking at his quality set-up with envy as I would return to sleep on a british army camp bed in the back of my Dad's cold and draughty GMC ! His knowledge of all wartime US Staff Cars was unrivaled and the hobbie has certainly lost one of its founding fathers.

Thats the B-17 that belonged to the late David Tallichet (100th BG Veteran based at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk in WWII) which he flew over to England in 1989 to participate in the David Putnam remake of the WWII Movie - Memphis Belle. Its currently on least to The Liberty Foundation to act as a stop-gap until they get their own B-17(s) airworthy, after last years devastating engine fire, which almost destroyed their flagship B-17 'Liberty Belle', when it burnt out after an emergency landing. Great to see that they are offering rides again and good to know the aircraft looks in great shape. Thanks for posting!

All this week (w/c 5th November), BBC Radio Suffolk have been playing interviews with local people and USAAF Veterans of the Eighth Air Force who were based in East Anglia during WWII. Through modern technology, you can listen to these radio programs again via the net. Here is the link to this weeks programs. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7vf/broadcasts/2012/11 Monday was ATC Cadet Brian Ward (who flew from Debach airfield on B-17's with the Americans). Tuesday was Peter Minter, who's fathers brick company provided much of the building materials to construct the airfields at Ridgewell and Lavenham. Wednesday was two Veterans of the 95th BG, based at Horham, Suffolk Thursday was 8th AF Historian Malcolm Osborne, who works at Madingley Military Cemetery in Cambridge. (A simply outstanding interview and well worth a listen) Friday (today) was 1st Lt. Fred Kennie, who was shot down over Germany on the Oct 10th 1943 mission to Munster and five of his crew were killed interviewed in 2005. Thereafter, I am interviewed in the lead-up to the broadcast of the documentary on Sunday 11th. All a bit time consuming, but some cracking material there well worth lending an ear! Clive

Over the past six months I have been working in conjunction with a local BBC Radio presenter on an audio documentary to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the United States Army Air Force's arrival in the United Kingdom (1942 - 2012). This has entailed much background work, research, interviews, radio broadcast appeals and a trip to the Cambridge American Military Cemetery at Madingley. The program has now been edited and finished and is being broadcast this Sunday (11th November), Armistice Day at 12.00 midday, in conjunction with the National commemorations of remembrance. The program contains a wealth of interviews with both local East Anglian people and American veterans of the Eighth Air Force who recall their own memories of the 'Friendly Invasion' when some three million American Serviceman passed through the UK. Some of the interviews were conducted this year especially for the program and some of them came from my own archive that I have been documenting and recording over the past 20+ years. If you are out of area, you can listen to the program live on the BBC Radio Suffolk website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radiosuffolk (click on the listen live section) Also, here is the link to the program in the Radio Station diary http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ztcr4 For those living in East Anglia, you can find Radio Suffolk on 95.5, 103.9, 104.6 FM. Alternatively, I'm sure it will also be available on 'Listen Again' after being broadcast. There are also expectations that the surrounding radio stations of BBC Radio Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, and Three Counties Radio (Beds, Herts & Bucks) will also broadcast the program at a later date after it has debuted on BBC Radio Suffolk. Having been in the radio studio this week to proof and amend the final edit, I can honestly say that I am extremely pleased with the overall quality of the program and truly feel that it does the memory of the USAAF justice. I will leave you all however to draw your own conclusions........

I met Clive Dunn a couple of times; the last being about five years ago when he came to the Dads Army Museum collection at the Bressingham Steam Museum a couple of miles from where we live. His eyesight was already failing him then and he was having to wear very dark glasses to see anything. Back in 2000, their was a major reunion of the the Dads Army cast held in Thetford, Norfolk, where they filmed much of the series and I attended this in conjunction with the Norfolk military vehicle group. I actually sat down with Clive Dunn that sunny Saturday and had lunch with him in the grounds of the town council building. He held a very articulate conversation and when he found out what my name was, he signed by Dads Army book by writing "We Clive's must stick together! - Don't Panic - May 13th 2000" Also present that day were Dads Army creators Jimmy Perry and David Croft, Ian Lavender (Pike), Bill Pertwee (Warden), Pam Cundell (Mrs Fox), Frank Williams (The Vicar), Eric Longworth (Town Clerk) and BBC Producer Harold Snoad. Sadly David Croft also died in recent months, which was very sad as he was a man I hugely admired and also a good customer of mine. The BBC did an excellent documentary on his life entitled 'You Have Been Watching.' Some of you will be familiar with the Dad's Army episode called 'All is safely gathered in' which revolves around the story that the platoon have to help bring the harvest in and all end-up getting drunk on Godfrey's elderlower wine! Jonesy looses his trousers in the threshing machine and Mainwaring sandwiches are ruined! This was all filmed in 1972 (Series 8) on the farm next door to where I keep my Military Vehicles at Bressingham. The farmhouse has hardly changed. Give em' the old cold steel up there Jonesy and thanks for all the laughter.

The lady with the steady hand was indeed my wife and got some amazing shots of the steam train puffing alongside the 6x6 truck as we pulled out of Sheringham, that also her and my daughter running along the platform to board the train in the other shots!

Blimey, I never realised that one photograph I took and its subsequent uploading on here would spark such a cross section of thoughts and opinion. It really has created quite a lively debate and got everyone thinking. I spent the entire weekend just gone at the 1940's Wartime weekend on the North Norfolk Steam railway and was particularly on the look out for other sights to substantiate my belief, but the odd thing is, that I find myself having conflicting attitudes entirely dependent on the event/location. For example, it the event is a local 1940's dance, then pretty much anything goes as it is an event primarily aimed at local community people. I remember one such occasion when a guy who had 'hired' a costume locally did not have any US badges on his lapels on a dress uniform so made his own from cutting them out of foil from milk bottle tops - Now I never ever thought about that as disrespectful, but moreso rather inventive at his strive for perfection/authenticity under his given circumstances. And similarly, I found that in addition to the die-hard 1940's civilian and military re-enactors at the 1940's weekend on the steam railway, their were also local people who had clearly made an effort to look the part for their day out and dressed in all manner of uniforms to compliment the occasion, some shockingly badly, but it was all in the spirit of a day out and an ice cream before home time. I think the thing that got me thinking about my initial picture taken at the Victory Show, was that this show is a public showcase for everything that it good about our military/re-enactment hobbie and people pay good money to see it. The displays are outstanding, the battle is second to none and the quality of the overwhelming majority of re-enactors are exemplary. I just felt that this particular guy (who i would guess was in his late 50's/early 60's) was putting himself on public display by the very wearing of that tunic (which was definitely not his own uniform) and he wore it exceptionally badly. By the very wearing of it at such a show he was basically saying - Come and look at me....................and some of us indeed did just that, but for all the wrong reasons! I will openly state once again that I am not above criticism and occasionally also fall into the above 'look at me' category when the occasion demands, but I try my upmost to do this as authentically and sympathetically as possible and am include a picture to substantiate that fact and prove that I also have a 'look at me' element about me - In fact, I think that anyone who wears something out of the ordinary from time to time is guilty of the same, but personally I don't see anything wrong with it when it is done in context and to the best of one's ability. I just felt that this particular guy (whoever he was) fell way short of the mark and does the movement a dis-service. As far as jack's comments go regarding the whole movement needing a shake-up, although I can see his train of thought, I consider that as up hill/impossible a task as the government sorting the entire country out - I mean, where the hell would you start and who is going to listen anyway? The last re-enactment I organised in July 2012 during the USAAF Festival. These guys are the right age, the right shape and have the right accents (and are all current serving USAF Personnel from the nearby bases that I recruited and wearing my flying clothing with some items borrowed from Sefton Clothing Co & P Marriott), but this is what is achievable when things are done right and a far cry from our gent at Cosby. Ok, so these examples demonstrate the two extremes of the hobbie, but both instances show the wearing of authentic military uniforms (and rank) to which the wearers are not entitled and what a difference between the two.

That was an excellent way of telling the story of the weekend and stepping back in time............by following the boy throughout the film. The guy who did it called it a 'rough edit' - personally I would have been thrilled with the end result! Great little film and a nice shot of Malcolm at 5.17 or thereabout with his painted A2 jacket.

It just so happens...................................................!

You see the quality of the members I recruit ! A warm welcome to the forum and I hope you have got over the bumpy GMC ride 'racing the train' from Sherringham to Weybourne yesterday afternoon in the glorious Norfolk sunshine. We had a good run back to Suffolk after your train left Holt and all the toys are back in their respective sheds. When I get the chance, I will upload the video of the train race but don't hold you breath as I usually take an age to get around to these things!

It indeed was a great weekend, with Sticky Six doing around 150 miles in total chasing trains, collecting unusual cargo and getting there and back - Here are my highlights! The best camping spot right next to the railway line at Holt terminus. Black Five at Holt awaiting running around the rolling stock ok, so BR Standard 9F 'Black Prince' was not built at Swindon until 1959, but for most punters, if their is smoke coming out of the chimney then thats good enough - I'll just get me Bedford RL to park alongside it! Owned by David Shepard the wildlife artist from Somerset and on loan to the line. Running along the platform to catch the soon departing train Local girls really got into the spirt of things as I found when they had 'stabled-up' upon a local Dodge Carryall for a photographer from the Eastern Daily Press..!

Spotted by myself on the flight line at the Victory Show last weekend. I have no idea whatsoever who this person is and it is not remotely illegal to take a photograph of a total stranger displaying himself in public, although I admit that this thread may be seen by some as a little controversial. The reason why I have posted the thread is that I personally find it rather cringeworthy that this type of uniform behavior clearly exists and I think it does the re-enactment movement as a whole a complete disservice. Here we see a gentleman of a certain age at a military history show which is open to the public, attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. He is wearing a World War Two (possibly reproduction but he was too far away for me to tell) American Army Officers Class A tunic, officers shirt and tie. He is wearing a Presidential Unit Citation above his right breast pocket (awarded to individual combat units for group acts of gallantry), he has an array of other individually awarded medals above his left breast pocket along with a sharp-shooters badge and a colored lanyard denoting yet more awards of distinction. He is wearing 1st Lieutenants ranking on his shoulders and Infantry (crossed rifles) on his lapels, all topped off by a fisherman's hat, modern sunglasses and his tunic is fully unbuttoned and his hands are in his pockets displaying the most non-military stance I have seen since watching Private Doberman in the Phil Silver's Show !!!! As an occasional uniform wearer of some 20 odd years (to which I am not and will never be entitled to), I find the whole spectacle of this public demonstration of slovenliness entirely damming to our hobbie and the re-enactment movement as a whole. Speaking as someone who has always tried their level best to do any style of uniform that I have worn justice, I find it especially disheartening that individuals choose to wear this type of get-up in such an inappropriate fashion without any due consideration for the men who had to wear that gear for real. It has taken me over two decades to assemble my uniform collection, and much of my collection I will never wear as at 37, I deem myself too old and too chubby to portray a lean private of the US Airborne Divisions like I did when I was 23, and even one of two of my 1940's Dance military dress tunics are getting a little snug for comfort. I can only conclude that individuals such as the one portrayed above really have no idea what they are wearing or what it actually represents, let alone what all of the regalia actually means that they are parading around on public display. I was going to headline this thread 'Glenn Miller's Dad,' but after having recently posted a thread with a slightly inappropriate title, I thought better of it. Am I a lone voice in my thoughts or does anyone else find this type of portrayal rather unacceptable or even care?

Just one. I think this chap was a stand in for Ronnie Corbett when he played Timothy Lumsden in 'Sorry' in the 1980's. Language Timothy................!

I know Degsy! If it makes you feel any better, I really do appreciate what a genuine privilege it is to be able to do this type of thing on very rare occasions and although I always appear to make light of it in my threads, I really do realise just what a wonderful opportunity it is and I never ever take the experience remotely for granted. It is unquestionably an absolute privilege and I do genuinely feel that I must do a fair bit to earn these sort of one-off opportunities, as Maurice is certainly no fool and not remotely in the habit of cavorting free-loading day-trippers around the skies of England for the love of it. Hopefully my pictures give everyone reading this thread a sense of being along on the flight.

Great pictures Adrian. Not until looking at your photographs did I realise that they have dispensed with the two secondary shorter runways on each airfield, opting to keep just one single runway operational. But thinking about it, this is the case on so many military airfields that were WWII bases, Fairford and Wattisham immediately springing to mind. You were much further South than us as we could barely see Mildenhall beyond Lakenheath, but we were heading direct to Seething that bit further North.