M5Clive

Do you know we had to change and catch three different connections between Cosby and home - The state of the public transport these days eh?...........tut There's always congestion wherever you go............. (Cloud bashing over Stamford Battle Range, Thetford, Norfolk) I didn't realise that Cosby was so close to the seaside! (P-51 Pairs formation diving down on Southwold, Suffolk on the way home from The Victory Show and desperately trying to hold the camera steady!) Overflying the 1st Air Division B-17 airfield of Glatton or Deenthorpe, I forget which. (Inbound Saturday morning. A1 just off the wing-tip) Unless you have to pick up a Passport in a hurry, this is the best way to visit Peterborough........from 3500 feet and at 110mph ! (Boeing Stearman - All stick and rudder, avgas fumes and wind in your hair, but what a great way to travel on a hot day) And for some of us, it just gets all too much - My 3 yr old daughter fell asleep 10 minutes out from Cosby and didn't wake up until 2 hours after landing! (Ain't she beautiful, but of course I'm totally bias!) What an amazing weekend and what a fantastic event. Sincere thanks must go to Steve Pepper and his team of organisers at The Victory Show for pulling off an outstanding event and to warbird operator Maurice Hammond for being outstandingly generous !

GMC Manifold replacement pending..................................I'll be convoying up with you Howard. Just had my packet of goodies arrive in the post from Rex Ward this morning and yesterday, Maurice Hammond skimmed 1 mm off the face of the exhaust manifold at his Engineering workshop, so we should be all set to do the change-over on Monday.

Anybody else going to the Victory Show at Cosby this weekend? I shall be there both days over on the Flight Line. The weather forecast looks stunning and by golly the organisers have had their fair share of poor weather over the years, so this is long overdue............ .................It should be a cracking weekend. I'll take plenty of pictures to post:)

Hi Pete, Its been many a can of beans eh, but I always get a warm feeling when anyone refers to me as Young Mr. Stevens! As you will know, I have always had a mad interest in ye' old CCKW's and you will probably remember a trip to 'War on the Line' at Arlesford, near Winchester in convoy with us in the CCKW 352 on a very wet day in September 1990 trundling down the A34, when I would have been a mere 15 years young no less! But the odd thing is that I cannot ever recall seeing your old 353 on the show circuit since it left your ownership. I have seen Pip Biddlecombe's, Ginger Gammon's, Tony Underwood's, Andy Dickinson's and so many of the old CCKW trucks that made up our first ever Red Ball Express convoy (when we had some 18 CCKW's assemble in Savernake Forest for the first event we ever did), but as I say, I have never seen your truck since those days - It was an especially nice example. A little off topic, but were you aware that Winston Ramsey used the re-creation pictures we did at Chilton Foliat in his 'After the Battle' D-Day then and now book? If you look at volume two, page 633, there is a great shot of you and I running along the road carrying M1 carbines with Flora King lurking in the foliage ! - Almost certainly the last time either of us actually ran, wearing an original 101st Airborne Jump Suit - You wouldn't dare take it out of a glass cabinet these days let alone put it on!!!! Happy days.

Keep the riff-raff in another thread Vulture..................As Jack would say "We only want a man's truck here!!" Te he he I'll send you a few shots of mine when I have a minute.

I had a nice low buzz-job and wing-waggle by Maurice in Marinell over my Chimney Top on his way home. Looked and sounded beautiful as ever, but he has a much more important task in-hand at present which is set to wow the public in a few weeks time and put his two P-51's totally in the shade...................... ........................................he is skimming a GMC exhaust manifold for me so that I can take 'Sticky Six' to the North Norfolk 1940's wartime weekend on the steam railway without it 'chuffing' more than the steam engines! Nice pics.

I was indeed and I thought I had made that clear which is why I purposely included a contemporary picture of a CCKW 352 on civilian tyres within my post, but I think this got totally overlooked. Besides, i've given up trying to have a measured discussion on the matter when their are so much more important things I could be doing.................like cleaning out the U-bend on the sink.............!

"Authentic'.. I hate that word. Authenticity can be little more than a snapshot in time." You might hate the word authentic - I don't. So is a contemporary photograph (A snapshot in time as you put it) not really an adequate source to form the basis of something authentic in your estimation? All of the WWII aircraft that have been restored since the war and painted accordingly as a direct result of period photographs taken at the time - Are you suggesting that they can no longer be classed as authentic because they simply represent a snapshot in time? I have used marking upon some of my CCKW's based soley upon one photograph taken at Ramsbury Airfield in Wiltshire in 1945 showing a CCKW 353 that is loading a C-47 prior to Operation Varsity. I have never seen these markings replicated before or since, but that one 'snapshot in time' taken by a 437th Troop Carrier Group navigator is as good as you'll probably ever get of an everyday GMC 6x6 workhorse in use with the USAAF in England in the war. Authentic ? The point I was making was not in specific reference to the non-use of civvy tyres as I know a number of Military vehicles used these tyres patterns, (especially some bomb and fuel tanker trailers on USAAF bases), but with regard to the larger sized tyres being placed upon a restored wartime truck. As i'm sure you will no doubt pick me up on, somewhere in time and possibly in view of a Signal Corps cameraman, a wartime CCKW probably paraded around in oversized tyres, but from MY point of view (and nobody else's), I think a CCKW looks at its best when fitted with the right sized boots which was TYPICAL for that truck during the war years. Of course you can never say never, but what I am referring to was typical rather than unheard of. We have all seen photographs of trucks in European post war use displays a wide variety of different pattern treads and sizes, and no doubt this also happen in military service, but I am not claiming that this is totally unauthentic, but not especially commonplace. Lets face it, if someone undertaking a restoration is bothered enough to get the material of the seats correct (which cannot even be seen from the outside), something so visible as the tyres the truck is sitting upon would also be best to be correct, if the finances eventually permit and the owner is striving to representing that truck as a wartime vehicle and his 'snapshot in time' is wartime England. Of course I am assuming (rightly or wrongly) that the owner wants to restore it to represent a CCKW based on an English base during WWII, maybe in relative proximity to the region of the country where he lives. That being so, I can't recall seeing any photographs showing such vehicles with oversized tyres stationed over here in the war, but I would certainly be interested if anyone has. Below are just a handful of wartime images I have of CCKW's in use in Military Service around the world. Try as I might, I couldn't find any showing oversized tyres, other than a few shots of my own GMC 353 wearing oversized boots, and then again with its correct 750x20 bar treads. Authentic Child's Car Seat !

I could be persuaded to trundle 'Sticky Six' up the A140 in your slip-stream..............!

Yes indeed, that was my parents who rode side-saddle on the convoy with you folks - What an impressive convoy it was. I'm glad to put a Screen name to the face I'll look some photo's out of Operation Bolero 2007 up here in Suffolk, as their were a number of good pictures showing your truck.

You mention Duxford. Coincidentally enough, that is where I first started taking my GMC pictures way back in 1990, on a 35mm Olympus SLR and when the Duxford MV Show was one of the real big players in the diary, regularly attracting overseas exhibitors and I well remember seeing my first CCKW 353 Gasoline Tanker at this show, which had been driven over from Belgium for the event. After IWM abolished overnight camping on-site the show went rapidly downhill, which was a great shame as it really was a terrific event for vehicle spotting and also used to attract a large selection of parts dealers. I do plan to put a book together at some stage on the CCKW as I now have quite a diverse selection of images taken over more than 20 years of GMC owning and restoring, but the problem is that so many of them are old 35mm photographs and not digital, so its going to take quite an effort to sort them all out - So don't hold your breath ! in the meantime, i'll certainly enjoy what your posting here. PS - Crosby I think was a singer.................Cosby is a village on the outskirts of Leicester!!!

The CCKW 353 cargo trucks left the factory on 750x20 bar Tread tyres, so if your intention is to restore the truck back to its original wartime condition (and you seem to be keen to do this judging by your eye for detail on the cab seat cover material), why look at anything other than authenticity, especially if the cost of larger tyres is more expense! As far as carrying your Jeep around in the back of your deuce goes, I'm pretty confidant that you will be in breech of your historic military vehicle insurance policy (if that is how you have chosen to insure the vehicle). All very well of course until something goes wrong and its only then when the flak really starts flying. I think Degsy is on the money here as our historic vehicles are clearly suppose to be driven to shows and rallies unladen, although of course many of us do otherwise. I used to haul a Willys MB around in the back of my first CCKW 353 back in 1993, but I don't think I'd feel particularly comfortable doing it today. Would be interested in seeing a picture of your new GMC. It wasn't the GMC 353 Hard Cab that Andy Ibbotson had for sale by any chance, because if so, I recently sold him a tidy bonnet for that truck which came off of my old girl many moons ago.

Interestingly, the first CCKW 353 GMC featured is Jack Beckett's old Jimmy as featured in his restoration series of articles in CMV some years back entitled 'Virgin Soldiers.' I saw this truck at A & E this year and had a good chat to its owner. (Didn't mention the epic story of it losing its front wheels when being towed home from Operation Bolero in Suffolk in July 2007, but that may account for the 'flats' on the front brake drums...........! CCKW 353 BSK 105 also featured in your blog is owned by Lawrence and Gill Goody of Chedburgh, Suffolk. I have been collecting CCKW 353 photos now for quite some time and will one day get organised enough to do something with them. I'm looking forward to seeing future additions to your Photo Blog

Had an enjoyable afternoon today at Damyns Hall with the family. Arrived just after lunchtime and after the cloud-burst (we were on the A12 heading south at the time and copped it just south of Chelmsford.) So upon arrival, I was dubious about being pointed in the direction of the public car park, knowing that my van starts spinning by just looking at damp grass! As we trundled in, we could see cars in the car park being towed in (and out!), so gave that a wide berth and managed to find a patch in the camping area that wasn't at all muddy. The sun was shining, their was blue sky and their was no more bad weather on the horizon, so in we went. The Lancaster did a stirring display, 5 or 6 passes in total and the sound of the Merlin's resounded across the showground. Apparently it was accompanied by a couple of 'outriders' yesterday, but to be honest, considering the weather, I was surprised to see it at all ! Unless I missed it Tony (and I didn't managed to tour the whole site due to unsuitable preparation in the footwear department), I didn't see Chris Warne's USAAF display, and I was specifically looking for it. So either it wasn't there this year, he had packed up early due to the weather or I didn't reach that part of the showground. I can however report that the trio of bouncy castles lived up to all expectations in the female 3 1/2 year old department

I don't think it was stolen based upon its rarity because the bolster truck is not actually most people's cup of tea - I have owned over a dozen GMC's since my first which I purchased when I was 17 and have never felt that a bolster truck was a very practical unit or a variant I really desired as you can't camp/sleep in them or take all your friends out. It is also a significantly more difficult vehicle to hide/disguise if stolen, based upon the low numbers of such vehicles on the show circuit in direct comparison to a standard open cab CCKW 353 cargo truck. I think it was more a theft of chance opportunity than anything else.

Many threads over the 6+ years that I have been on HMVF have got me reaching for my keyboard to put my penneth in, but I think this one really takes the biscuit...........! The comment above concerning how or why it was left there is, in my opinion, somewhat irrelevant to the matter in hand as the bare bones of this is that some 'naffing a-hole' within our wonderful hobbie deems it acceptable to rob, pilfer and pinch an array of hardware including a complete GMC 6x6 truck! The theft of a canvas bucket, an ohio aerial mast, a jerrycan or an M1 carbine from the rifle holder of a Willys Jeep is a bad enough pill to swallow, but to be brazen enough to physically remove a 6x6 truck from a showground and disappear into the ether is something else. Experience tells me that the tin work on those bolster trucks is typically in excellent condition, as the trucks (due to their very nature) have not seen the degree of service/work that a standard cargo truck will have been subject to. In fact, I was contemplating just a few years ago buying one solely to rob all the front end tin work for a cargo truck I was building up. So it will be worth keeping an eye out for any panels of this nature that come onto the market over subsequent months. But the sad fact of the matter is probably along the lines of what has already been said...............that the truck will be dismantled and containerised and never be seen again as it is in the pictures on the Red Ball Diorama. But I still can't believe that a GMC bolster truck has just vanished into thin air - Although it has made me realise that my naive trust in human nature at MV shows in this country, is totally misplaced and misguided. How sad is that?

A very diverse range of images there Steve and all from the USAAF weekend. What a pity I never thought to take pictures of the evening presentation at the Cornwallis. The picture you highlighted is def Chicago George of Bolero 2007 fame. I saw him at the 100th open day in May where it was both cold and wet. I took the 41 Chrysler so had some protection..................but those days are gone now! I see that IWM's Victor is now under cover in the restoration/conservation hangar - That will look impressive when its done!

Great pictures Steve - thanks for posting them up. The problem when you are organising things is that you never have time to smell the roses and take it all in. Re-living the event via your pictures is excellent and I have seen many things that I missed on the day!

Did you get any pictures of Dad in the pilot's seat? He had a great day out with you all and came home beaming from ear to ear. Thanks for posting some great shots.

This was the shot I was taking! I wanted the concrete of the original runway running along the bottom of the image and the camera looking up at the crew. I think on balance, it was worth it actually:) Those guys look the absolute dogs what-sits. I hand picked them from the base and then sorted all the gear (my lounge is still full of it all.............much to Suzanne's consternation!) I wanted the guys to be the right age, the right shape, the right haircuts and the right stance in order to carry-off the portrayal accurately. We have all seen the 'Never ending tour of duty LHG' that seems to clutter our hobbie more and more. Maybe time for me to find a Home Guard uniform and i've already consigned my 506th PIR Paratrooper kit to the back of the cupboard, never to see the light of day again............!

Some great MV and event photo's here:- http://forums.airshows.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=26&p=448337

I thought I would start this new thread in an effort to tidy up the story. Firstly, I would like to start by saying a sincere thank you to all those who supported the event in many different capacities. The weather forecast for the week was grim and naturally (and fully understandably) their would be people who changed their minds about attending, based upon such considerations. I would have done the same myself as their is simply no fun in driving MV's for pleasure in the pouring rain! That said, we had a superb convoy of WWII Allied Military Vehicles with a wide and diverse range of types. The weeks proposed itinerary was slightly altered to accommodate for the weather, but by and large, the week progressed pretty much to plan. The trip to Duxford to spend the day crawling over B-17 G 'Sally B' with the crew chief Peter Brown was immensely enjoyed by all who partook, the evening presentations by Ian Mac and myself were very well supported, the MV convoy was superb, the 388th BG memorial dedication service was mind-blowing (as was the superb weather), the display by Sally B over the old airfield was evocative, the hangar dance was absolutely packed and the sun shined and the MV guided tour around Eye airfield was great fun, especially the muddy bit! Not only that, but we broke even, paid all our bills and both NOS, Ed Abbott and myself all now have blood pressure which is almost back to normal ! But, I have decided to hang my event organising hat up now for a few years and for varying reasons........................... Firstly, I have just exchanged and completed on a large house project next door to where we live (which is why my MV fleet went up for sale about 3 months ago) and this really is going to take some time, effort and ongoing focus to undertake. Secondly, the 'USAAF Festival' event this weekend went off so well, that it really is going to take some beating. Thirdly, like Ronnie Barker, I was always wanted to go out on a high and leave people wanting more, so much so, that MV attendee's of this weekend are already asking what's the plan for next year? But I just wanted to kick this thread off with a couple of my own pictures from the weekend activities to leave you with and they represent arguably my most proudest achievement in combining living history with genuine WWII hardware. Current serving United States Air Force personnel from the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk watch the only airworthy B-17 Flying Fortress outside the USA perform a stirring display over the former airfield at Knettishall, Suffolk on Saturday. Wartime home to the 388th Heavy Bombardment Group, Unites States Eighth Army Air Force, the old windsock still flutters proudly over the former main runway and the original wartime combat clothing the men are wearing gives the image an almost timeless sense of occasion. (No the image has not been 'photo-shopped' other than adjustment to the colour saturation and contrast!) The 'USAAF Festival' salutes the 26,000 United States Army Air Force servicemen who lost their lives whilst operating from England during 1942 - 1945. 'Never forgotten ~ Forever honored'

For those not sure what crazy things we get up to on one of our USAAF themed events - take a look at last year's bash via a great little video I shot of the event on my YouTube account............... ........................and when you get bored of that one have a look at what it is like to fly aboard the largest gathering of operational B-17 Flying Fortresses in 'many a can of beans' which I shot in August 2010. (Part 1 - Pilots Briefing and engine start-up) (Part 2 - Take off and formation and landing)

Erm............loosely ! The weekday events have not returned anywhere near the level of interest I was perhaps hoping for, but then again, being the week before 'War & Fleece' at Beltring, perhaps it is hardly surprising that people cannot afford to have two weeks off work in succession. Therefore, I could see little point in working on a packed itinerary if their were only going to be a handful of people to enjoy it, so things have been a bit thinned down from the original plan, but nevertheless, it will still be a great opportunity to widen one's knowledge on all matters USAAF and Eighth Air Force related. My other concern at this moment in time is the severe weather forecast for this weekend coming which is pretty dire. Although this may not directly effect our planned activities, other than the Tibenham Airshow on Sunday, it could effect where we camp, as I am very reluctant to tear up the grounds at the Cornwallis with heavy trucks etc if the ground is sodden. This is something that I am going to have to monitor as the time draws nearer and base our decisions upon how much rain we actually get prior to kick-off. NOS has come up with a great emergency alternative..............but we have to be careful of his daffodil and tulip bulbs !!!! As far as the planned itinerary goes it looks something like this........ Saturday July 7th - Military Vehicles able to access airfield at Tibenham from 11.00am onwards for overnight campers etc. Sunday July 8th - Tibenham Airfield, Norfolk, Heritage Airshow. Wartime home of the 445th BG and Jimmy Stewarts old stamping ground. Military vehicles invited to attend and support this local airshow - camping facilities on the Saturday evening. Monday - Currently a Free Day, but with the option to organise a trip to either Debach Museum (which Richard Taylor is happy to open up for us if their is sufficient interest) or to some of the local sites of USAAF interest, including the crash sites of 100th BG B-17's in Norfolk/Suffolk. Tuesday - Trip to Duxford 'Imperial War Museum' for an inside guided tour of a Boeing B-17 G in the capable hands of Tony (NOS) Goff. This will mean paying the entry fee for the museum, but the tour of the bomber is free of charge. Own transport necessary, but car sharing is an option for those who have brought MV's to the event and do not have civvy cars to use. Wednesday - MV tour of Eye Airfield remains, including the runway, hangars, site of living quarters, hospital, stopping at 4 x 490th BG airfield crash sites for then & now photographs. Room available in the back of GMC's for those without vehicles. Thursday Evening - Respected historian and renown author Ian McLachlan (USAAF Bomber Stories, USAAF Fighter Stories, Final Flights etc.) will give a presentation on USAAF aviation archeology in East Anglia detailing some of the in-depth stories behind the chapters of his outstanding series of 'Eighth Air Force Bomber Stories' books. Location: The Cornwallis, Brome, Suffolk. Friday Evening - A presentation on the story of the USAAF in Suffolk including archive colour footage of the 490th BG at Eye and an interview with local land owner Peter West, who used to fly aboard the 490th BG B-17's from Brome in 1944 as a member of the ATC. This evening presentation details the construction of the aerodromes, their operations, the mass production of war materials in the USA and the return and disposal of war surplus aircraft after WWII. Presented by yours truly! Location: The Cornwallis, Brome, Suffolk. Saturday (Day) - Heavy Convoy to 3rd Air Division base at RAF Knettishall (388th BG). Here we will participate in an official dedication and unveiling ceremony of the new 388th memorial wing stones. This will be in the presence of both base commanders from nearby USAF Mildenhall and Lakenheath and members of the US 3rd Air Force in Europe. After the ceremony, we will convoy up onto the old airfield remains for a flying display by B-17 G Flying Fortress and airfield tours of the old base. Return to Eye (possibly via Fersfield aerodrome) to get prepared for the evening 1940's dance at Hardwick. Saturday (Evening) - Our Little Friends WWII Hangar Dance and convoy grand arrival (as per last year). Entry by ticket available from myself - All proceeds to Charity - We raised over £10,000 last year! Sunday July 15th - 93rd BG museum open day and fly in at Hardwick, Norfolk at Maurice Hammond's warbird facility. The program is subject to change if the weather looks like having a significant effect on our enjoyment, but of course the weekend activities are set in stone.

And the last one of my 'people pictures' from A & E 2012 is dedicated to the couple who made the entire event happen............. ............Would look quite nice in a frame on the bedside cabinet old boy !