Rick W

Just seen this book on Ebay Tim, thought it might appeal to you, Mechanical traction machines Pre1918 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220162592321&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=012

Trench map update.. Well my eyes feel like they are dripping out of their sockets :schocked: Ive found the maps for the Ferme Du Bois section, where our man was first wounded, hopefully I will have them for Monday. Ive never really seen what details a map can give you so that should be interesting. Ive got up to map number2347, out of 6649. Its quite hard going, trying to work it out. Ive had enough for today... :help:

Trench maps, trench maps, trench maps..... :shake: There are thousands of them, all kept at the National Archive. I didnt know a lot about trench maps until I started looking at this! Rang up the National Archive and spoke to a very nice lady who took me through the buttons on the website 'til we got there. I wouldnt have found them otherwise! They come in various shapes and sizes and are generally kept in order of location. General trench maps which are, if I remember rightly 1:50,000 righ down to 1:5,000 for individual raids on villages etc! Even more detailed maps are usually kept with War Diaries. Ive posted the link below if you wanted to have a browse. If you find an area you are interested in you can order a digital copy, usually within a few minutes. Thats my weekend sorted then.......! http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/browser.asp?CATLN=3&CATID=13356&GPE=False&DOWN=FALSE&MARKER=1663000&MARKERSCN=

I would save your brainpower on that! Im going to ring up the local paper given half a chance today, unless you want to do that being more local. Primarily to see if theyve any archives, but could also ask them if there is any info on surviving family by means of doing an article. I think if you go down the family history route its a whole different can 'o' worms and can get very complex. Save your sanity and refocus! 8-)

Blimey! Youve been busy. It does take over your thoughts a bit though doesnt it! I keep telling my better half about it and Im sure she just switches off. Makes a change though, its normally the other way around! Im going to go and rub down some bits of rusty metal this morning.......followed by a mug of tea with accompanying film of WD40 floating on top..... ;-)

Lots of CI stuff on there now Ive started looking, check out this link. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/categories/c1101/

Came across this. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/making_history.shtml

Youve got a good contact there. It occurred to me today that local papers used to print pages of photos to those local lads who were KIA. Im wondering if the local paper at the time, whatever that was , did the same? Does anyone know what the local paper was? We've got a local collectors ephemera shop near here I could visit, theyve got all sorts of odd stuff. Been looking on ebay as well for trench maps. They are a fairly regular occurence, though nothing that relates to our man on there today.

Inspired! :thankyou:

I received the Spitfire Haynes manuals yesterday, duly posted some off to those of youwho wanted on, then put some on a bookstand at the payment area in my workplace. (Its a well put together book by the way) The comments Ive had today have been so deranged Ive had to put up a little notice by them explaining that its not your typical Ford Escort manual so "Please dont ask"... Starting early at 8.30 this morning.... ...1)" A Haynes manual for a Spitfire!? I cant see you selling many of them, I dont know anyone in Wolverton who has got one of those...." ...2)As above but insert Milton Keynes instaed of Wolverton ...3)"What? Does it show you how to build one in your garage?" ...4)"Oh I see, so they do one for the Spitfire but theyve stopped doing them for my Triumph Dolomite!" ...5)As above but replace the words Triumph Dolomite with, Reliant Scimitar, 1984 Sierra and Austin Healey. They started causing me some merriment at the start of the day, but as then day has gone on I have slipped into heavy sarcasm.... Beam me up Scotty... :yawn2:

As long as it hasnt got the diesel engine, then you have to buy a separate manual. :-D

Already been thinking along those lines, especially local newspaper. I dont suppose anyone has got a copy of History of the Norfolks? By F.Lorraine Petre, 2006 N+M Press? Its got some eyewitness accounts and personal memoirs, and photos in it. There is one on ebay, but they want a whopping £48! Keep an eye open for it in the library, especially you East Anglians!

You not tempted to rescue it then clive? Or doesnt it hold much interest for you?

How on earth do you know whar registration it is! You got some form of special powers :-o

Simca armoured car? Where is it?

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o72/rik242_2006/DownhamMarketAllenFred.jpg[/img] (Picture courtesy of http://www.roll-of-honour.com)

Thanks for the offer Tony I will take you up at some point in the future, the Making History programme sounds like a good bet. Im quite happy for someone else to write it all up and summarise it as a press release/article. I think we still need to try and suss out if theres any living relatives...or do we? Maybe not.

....and the money that could be made shipping them over to Europe!

What are you selling Simon? morris or another one?

Post some pics up please! What bits have you left over? We're thinking about a complete rebuild on the "odd" side of the screen.

The problem with researching WW1 casualties! My great grandfather had 3 brothers who died in the great war. All from the same village/locality in north Bucks. One in the Essex Regt, one in the RGR, one in the OxonBucks! Just because you were recruited in one town it doesnt mean you ended up in that regt. Especially with being moved around to make up numbers.

There was an article on Pantelerria in After the Battle. Welcome to the clubhouse. ;-)

Before I leave the daytime shift, a couple more photos. Fremicourt http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o72/rik242_2006/fremicourt.jpg[/img] And an interesting one! From what I can make out from the website (its in german, mine isnt that good!), one of these tanks was knocked out in Fremicourt on the 31st August. I dont know a great deal about these, I think they are called a VP7, Germanys first tank I believe. Ironic really that a stone appears on the HMVF and its namebearer may have been an eyewitness to Germanys first tank! http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o72/rik242_2006/frem2.jpg[/img] I'll leave you with that thought!

Can they read the thread Jack being non-members? Ref Trench maps- £85 is a lot of money! The IWM trench map book has got a couple of maps from that area but not specifically our mans trenches. I dont know how "local" these maps are, perhaps Tony could see for us. Failing that I wonder if Bovingdon, The Norfolks Museum may let us have copies? What we need is perhaps someone who lives near Bovvy and is maybe a paid up member of the library....... :whistle:

Tea and cake time.... I think before we try and decide what to do with the stone we should maybe see if there is any village interest or living relatives who would like a say. There were a couple of jacksons in the area, I dont know if these were related or not, but they put in a planning application for an extension 2 years ago! I think the best cause of action would be to find out what the local paper is for the village and ring them up, tell them the story, or give them the link to this thread.(I dont know if they could read it not being members?) That should not only bring up any living members of the family, but maybe stories and even photos etc. Its free, and for a 5 minute phone call, could be the most productive. Especially with the advent of Armistice. Ive been rtying this afternoon to get in touch with a copmany called VideoText communications Ltd. They are a production company with a historical leaning, to see if they have any interest, you never know. I cant seem to find their contact details though! Got a snail mail address but no telephone number or email. So for my ha'pennysworth i say next step , local paper. :tup: