Jack

Wow thats below the belt.....at least I look younger :angel:

Gary you really need to check this site out - http://www.specsavers.co.uk/

I am the same as Gary (except I am more handsome) HBT's overalls. Too old for anything else!!!!

If only because I don't look like a soldier........

May be a sailor???

Very please to tell you that HMVF Members save an additional £5 on one or two year subscriptions to Key Publishing’s Military and History magazines

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Military Machines International brings you the past, present and future of military vehicles. Inside each monthly issue, you will find everything from Jeeps and Land Rovers to Tanks, Armoured Cars and Artillery. Special features, coverage of military exercises, show reports and regular news items from right around the globe ensure Military Machines is a truly international magazine.

As Britain's top-selling aviation monthly, FlyPast is internationally regarded as the magazine for aviation history and heritage. Having pioneered coverage of this fascinating world of 'living history' since 1980, FlyPast still leads the field today. Each monthly issue is packed with news and features on warbird preservation and restoration, museums, and the airshow scene.

Vintage Roadscene, Britain's leading road transport history magazine, takes readers on a nostalgic trip back to the good old days of motoring as it used to be, when any road journey was a grand adventure. Each monthly issue presents a series of lively, well-informed articles supported by unique period photographs.

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To claim your discount: keep your eye on your inbox as we will be emailing you the discount code!

I'm a bit worried too cos I agree with him,maybe because this time he is right.....:-)

- you been drinking as well Gary?

DON'T buy MMI, Flypast or Britain at War......

Until we have posted up the discount offer We have teamed up with Key Publishing so we can bring you some discounts on subscriptions to these magazines!!

- we have been working behind the scenes on one or two things for you :cool2::-D

Full details tomorrow!

 

I'm still waiting for your thoughts on all the thousands of holiday makers lying on Normandy beach Graves?

 

 

 

Colin

Apologies, I forgot to answer that point.

That's pretty straight forward really - holiday makers are doing exactly what they done before the war and that's to chill out on the beach. My point is why do folks think it is so important to have a vehicle on the beach - it wasn't the nicest of places. Remembrance can be just as elegant as parking a vehicle in town.

My point about those being behind the camera - wasn't anything to do with film or production companies or cameramen. I was making the point that I know more people who do a lot of serious work 'behind the scenes' away from the limelight, away from the 'hey look at me' attitude.

I find it strange Colin because it is a historic military vehicle forum - whereby we discuss MV's etc and you have pretty much insulted every member of HMVF who is is a member of the MVT.

Yes I was on the beach in 2008 meeting some veterans of the Normandy Veterans Association. Why? Because the amazing members of HMVF raised over £10,000 for the NV Association so we could pay for and return 40 of our WWII veterans back to Normandy for the 65th.

What I am trying to say (badly may be) is that there are other ways to 'remember them' then just having to be on the beach. The whole length of the bridge head was a battlefield.

I am still at a loss as to why people think there is a divide between vehicle owners and reenactors. To me, that is miss guided and ill thoughtout. Surely, vehicle owners, reenactors, living history, authors and historians are all different ingredients but part of the same cake?!

I hear you with regards to some folks wearing combats and British army jumpers etc in WWII vehicles. In the bigger scheme of things - so what. These folks aren't reenactors. In fact, the majority of these folks were keeping history alive long before it became trendy - long before Saving Private Ryan and long before Band of Brothers. It's no different than overweight, middle aged men wearing a uniform of an elite soldier - they do it because they like it.

Does anyone honestly think that any veteran would turn their nose up at people because they aren't wearing a battle dress or the correct pair of boots? This isn't a poke at you Colin but an oppinion of mine in general but I kind of see red when I read and hear this 'respect' word being thrown about - it's as nauseating as entrepreneur or hero. We all have our own ways of remembering our war dead - just because I don't dress up or even own a vehicle doesn't mean I have no respect.

I am not a member of the MVT but credit where credit is due - if it wasn't for the vision of the founders of the Military Vehicle Conservation Group (Now MVT) then a lot of events in Normandy would never of happened. You wouldn't even have a chance of taking your vehicle onto the beach.

I will also add the many world class reenactors and living history people are members of the MVT.

This really is a strange thread.

I just don't see the need to be on the beach - it's like wanting to park your vehicle on a grave yard. The beaches were places of death and destruction where so many young men had a violent death.

I know more people who work 'behind' the camera in remembering our war dead and keeping history alive. You will never find these people fighting and squabbling for a front row seat. They don't need to.

I agree with Lee's comments on this. Must be a first:-D

What?????!!!!!!!

Is there any good reason why such a large national club like the MVT are not holding a annual show? I have attended the last two national show which were excellent and really showcased are hobby.

 

Regards Tony

I am not so sure that it really needs to have one. Are there any benefits to it? With the way fuel and transport now cost's a bomb, I am sure it could put a lot of pressure on members who feel that should attend. And I can imagine there are a lot of politics involved in such shows that may be that energy is better focused elsewhere?

In my opinion, every show should be a show case for history and the hobby :-D

Just following on from a thread in the Tracked Vehicles regarding BARV's.

So with regards to Pounds Yard - were they the official Government 'scrap' man or were they a military surplus dealer in general?

David, Clive - thanks for filling in the forms, sitting in my inbox when I work this morning - able to read them on my phone from the warmth of my bed!

 

I hope the process was no more painful than filling out a paper form, it's something I am developing so that we spend less on postage - quite an amount these days - and also have documents, both electronic and printed out, that are legible for the booking-in guys and for the arena team.

 

And we look forward to seeing you in May 2014!

Online forms are just the way to go. When I now get a form - like a piece of paper stuff, I am at a loss of what to do with it :blush:. Then I have the hassle of writing a cheque - can't remember the last time I wrote one :angel:

Doh!

Sorry, should have closed this thread a long time back. Thank you everyone but we have a good team in place now thank you and HMVF FB is already ahead of target.

Bob, Facebook is not much different then any other form of social media (HMVF being social media) you only get out what you put in or let in.

Cheers!

Jack.

There we are guys - I have just updated the date, so now you can keep up to date.

- can't think of any other ways to mention 'date'.

Thanks Lee - we had just earlier updated the domain. Now working again

Well there it is (well the back of it) our first Ghosts of History calendar and is starting to be dispatched around the world this week. Very pleased and we have less than 100 left if you would like to buy a unique gift for Christmas http://www.ghostsofwar.co.uk/calendar/calendar2014

A selection of images from the 2014 calendar

Does anyone know how many actually do explode a year?

They are speaking of the Ypres Salient and recovery by the Belgians. Fact; 170 + million artillery rounds were fired during the whole course of the war by the British Army so it is quite reasonable to assume that there were not 300 million duds.

About 300million of the billion projectiles launched between the British and Germans were duds and most have not been recovered

A billion?????? :wow:

Facebook to me anyway seems less substantial and irreverent compared to the main forum which is more formalised and structured. Facebook isn’t structured in that way it provides headline articles in the same way that 24 hour news does with a limited look back facility.

 

The HMVF Facebook site should be different to cater for the people who will not join a structured forum but who would be willing to join a Facebook page where they can jot a few lines down and add a like or two and move on to the next story.

 

My gut feeling is that you should link threads from the forum as it does now and share them into the different groups that exist in Facebook land, in that way more people will be willing to look at and maybe join the forum when they see the articles / threads.

Spot on Andy! That's the plan - to capture the Facebook folks and bring them here. Facebook is like the TV that give us '60 second news update'.

Jack I'm not sure what it is either. If it is a means of directing people here that has to be good. Although why people can't use a search engine I don't know.

 

What I think would be a divisive move would be to cultivate an alternative & elite subculture that would draw away some activity from here destroying the original raison d'etre. I belong to one forum where this has happened draining away the previous thriving forum activity.

Thanks Clive and the whole idea is to make sure that doesn't happen. FB is great for certain things but you can't have the discussions/chats that go on here, on forums. Facebook is a very instant medium - we want to grab those across the world and bring them to HMVF. Facebook also is very picture/image driven so not major content.

So the HMVF FB page is really just going to be used as a hub to bring and point folks to HMVF.

Morning all

We need some help with HMVF Facebook page (N.O.S. & Richard F, I will explain what Facebook is later :angel: ) We currently have some Facebook pages:

War History Online - https://www.facebook.com/wrhstol

Ghosts Of History - https://www.facebook.com/thenandnowghostsofhistory

We Love WWII Guns - https://www.facebook.com/GunsFromWWII

Plus our own for our own businesses.

We would like to do the same for HMVF - Facebook having billions of users around the world we would like to grab some of those guys and bring them to HMVF so they can share their knowledge. If you know you way around Facebook and have a few minutes on your hands a day and you can be creative and want to be part of driving HMVF's FB page forward then we would love to hear from you. HMVF's page is currently being admin'd by Martyn but would like to give him some help (but he makes awful tea so bring your own flask).

As you can see on HMVF's current Facebook - we take stories from here an link back to HMVF - have a look https://www.facebook.com/hmvfforum

Pay is rubbish, holiday allowance non exsistent and the pension is even worse. If that hasn't put you off then drop me a PM!

Thanks guys,

Jack.

That's a fantastic story Robin and thanks for sharing - looks like Chris is at home there. And it's wonderful that HMVF has allowed us all to make friendships around the world!!!

I was talking with a guy once at a show - he was taking boys stuff (tanks and stuff) and I was talking mens stuff (GMC's) and he said I should join a great forum called HMVF:blush: I said I would indeed check it is out. We have been friends for years now :-D

I wouldnt say dying out,but i would say its evolving !

15 or so years ago a military show was just rows of neatly parked vehicles on display - the odd driver wearing some uniform but that was about it,the public didnt really mix with the owners of the vehicles,they didnt ask many questions ...

Now more and more vehicles are displaying diahramas and equipemnt.....and personally i think this is a great thing !

Walking past a jeep,another jeep,a jeep with a wire cutter,another jeep etc,All ok if you liked jeeps (other MV's are available!) but for many it was getting very much same old/same old

- now there are displays and things to look at,the public get more value from a visit to a show as they learn more about the equipment and lives of those who drove or worked with the vehicles they are looking at.Owners take a pride in their vehicles,their kit and their knowladge of thier display....They park in random fashion and show sites are much more appealing on the eye than the military car -parks they resembled in the past...

For many now this is the first foot into the MV world - they start collecting kit / equipment and work towards a vehicle or buddy up with a vehicle owner to compliment each others displays.

Yes of course the cost of our hobby has increased - but so has everything,and so has the ease of restorations - the internet has made the world of spares and advice shrink and we no longer rely on auto jumbles and yearly shows to search or collect that missing part so needed.

I think the hobby is in a better place today than it has ever been in the 26 years ive been participating.....Facilities on tours and show sites have improved,camping equipemnt has got lighter and more practicle,mobile phones and the internet have opened our world up to members of the public and other like-minded enthusiasts,its enabled us all to reseach our vehicles and equipment like we never could before.......Sorry to disagree - but as ive said - i think its better now than its ever been.

That's makes fantastic reading and 100% agree with it!

I agree with all of the above and would add this fact - the price of all MV's has gone through the roof. This is market forces at work - supply and demand dictates that so with that in mind, the hobby is looking great. We have to start to worry when prices of Jeeps fall below £10,000. I think we would have the equivalent of our own 'stock market crash'.

I think with 70th anniversary of D-Day next year and the centenary of the WWI then we should expect a massive peak in interest of our history which will then take it on for the next 5 years. This has happened after every major anniversary and funny enough after every successful Hollywood blockbuster WWII film