Jolly Jeeper

It's Point A of Mark's that made the 60th such a good trip for me. Just did our own thing as the mood, the weather and the time caught us - all afternoon lunch by a harbour one day because the sun was out and we sat at a table outside the restaurant... Great things that have happened on Normandy tours; 1; A South African taking me for a ride off the beach at Arromanches in his GPA (50th). 2; Richard Beddall (AWDC/MVT) taking me out to the Mulberry Harbour pontoons in his DUKW (55th) 3; Seeing some Jersey MVT guys let a Lancashire veteran drive their Bren carrier (45th). 4; Buying a Brummie veteran a glass of Calvados (60th) 5; Meeting the King of Romania in a field (45th) 6: Seeing a veterans coach emblazoned with 'liberators of Port en Bessin' across the windscreen (45th) 7; Watching the NVA veterans march onto the beach at Arromanches (50th) 8; Needing 4x4 to get on and off the British MVT campsite at Asnelles (50th) 9; Watching Bill Millin (Lovat's piper) playing the bagpipes (45th) 10; Seeing lots of AEC Matadors on the road (every time) 11; Watching a pretty Dutch girl ride a Harley 45 (55th)... There's loads more... JC

Jack, Maybe I'm just anti-social but after various experiences (some great, some good, some bad) on MVT National campsites for the 45th and 50th and an MVT area campsite on the 55th - four of us in two Jeeps just booked a campsite on-line and went to the 60th. It's only France and we all think nothing of going on a day's booze cruise these days... We drove the Jeeps from Yorkshire to the Overlord Show, went for a curry and got on the ferry. We were the only MVs on our campsite, we cooked and lived like kings in a 9x9 tent, slept in smaller tents, had swims in the pool each day and beers from the bar. We went where we liked when we liked and didn't worry about having to be anywhere at any set time, didn't have to wait for anyone ever. Despite all this we bumped into people we knew, went to museums, found autojumbles, met veterans, gave French girls a lift, paid our respects at the memorials, had a beer with some Polish guys and so on. It was a great trip (see the Content thread hereabouts) and we're hoping to repeat it in '09. All you need is insurance, a tent, a camera and some petrol money. You won't regret it. See you there. JC

Land Rover World and Staffs and Shropshire LRC present the 1st Classic Land Rover RTV Trial – open to all pre-’84 leaf-sprung, road legal Land Rovers 2nd September 2007 - Melbourne, Derbyshire (Close to J24 M1) Classes for 80/86&88/LWB/Standard/Modified/Forward Control/Club Team Trophy Best Looking Vehicle Trophy sponsored by Alldrive (UK) Ltd Most Appropriately Attired Crew Trophy sponsored by LRW magazine Entry Form Name______________________ Vehicle____________________ Address____________________ ALRC Club ________________ ___________________________ Member No_________________ (Competitors must be a member of an MSA registered ALRC Club). Phone ______________________ Email ______________________ Contact; Tony Sinclair, 22 Moira Road, Ashby-de-la-Zouche, Leicestershire, LE65 2GA. 01283 819191, 01530 411072. tonyoffroad@aol.com Entry Fee £25 (cheques payable to Staffs and Shrops LRC Ltd). Enclose an SAE with entry form. Please note; This is an RTV trial to be run under ALRC rules so all entered vehicles must be taxed, MoT’d and use road legal tyres. MoT certificate is to be produced at scrutineering.

Rorke's Drift hasn't been forgotten in South Wales. There's a pub right in the centre of Camarthen with loads of South Wales Borderers memorabilia and paintings on the walls - can't remember its name sadly but I stayed there once. JC

Langley Farm 4x4 Show with autojumble and off-road course. 8th and 9th September 2007. Hosted by the Yorkshire Land Rover Owners Club (YLROC) Held in Scissett near Huddersfield, handy from J39 of M1. Follow A636 towards Denby Dale. OS Map 110 Ref SE252108. Trade stands, refreshments, kids’ amusements, birds of prey, army display. Jeep, Series I Land Rover and other vehicle line ups, 1 mile off-road course £15 per driver per day unlimited use/£25 per weekend per driver unlimited use. Seat belts must be fitted and worn on off-road course. No fires, kids’ quads of kids’ motorcycles. Autojumble stands £10 per day or £15 per weekend after admission. Weekend admission prices – camping £25 per pre-booked unit/£30 on gate Day rate £10 per vehicle Advance Booking 01132 860586 Langley07@yroc.freeserve.co.uk

Jeeps in Normandy again (2004) Sitting with a pint watching the flames of a real fire in a West Yorkshire pub one winter afternoon, it all seemed straightforward: We'd take the Hotchkiss M201, a licence-built Willys MB, to Normandy for the 60th anniversary of D-Day. We'd not bother with any of the big military vehicle club campsites or tours but just do our own thing. We'd seen the cynical T-shirt slogans at the US Sturgis and Daytona bike events – "I rode mine to trailer week" – so knew what we had to do. We'd drive it to the ferry port and through Normandy. Another pint as some friends joined us. They said they'd be interested in coming as well and before I knew it we were taking the Mahindra CJ340 too. At least if we had a problem with one, we could tow it with the other! We went home and booked a ferry and campsite. The months passed by at an alarming rate and suddenly there was only a month to go although both vehicles, stored hundreds of miles apart, were insured, taxed and MoT'd so I just had to check the oil, water, tyres and batteries. STARTERS ORDERS Despite having a fully charged battery the Hotchkiss wouldn't start. The problem appeared to be the starter motor so I unbolted and tested it, putting it on the floor under my boot and putting two wires to it from the battery. The charge threw the starter dog out with enough force to start anything. Examination of the starter dog's teeth revealed they were badly worn as were those on the flywheel and there wasn't enough metal left for the two to engage sufficiently to turn the engine over. My Hotchkiss was one of two built for a stunt scene in Saving Private Ryan that never made it into the actual movie. It had been fitted with a V6 Ford engine and a T90 Jeep gearbox (stronger than the Willys and Hotchkiss T84). I had to face the truth about the engine conversion: it was poorly crafted rubbish. The problem arose in the bellhousing comprised of half the Hotchkiss one and half a Ford V6 one. Where they touched they’d been welded! While nowhere near as famous as Milner's "piss yella" coupé from American Graffiti, its movie past and hot rod engine had endeared the Jeep to me. Until this particular morning. I'd be able to get another starter but pictured myself spending the trip fiddling with the Jeep to keep it going, which wasn't what I wanted at all. Everything paid for and no (expletive) Jeep. What to do? I knew of another SWB Mahindra for sale cheap and figured I could brush it NATO green in an afternoon but thought the reliability of an unknown Mahindra could be a hiding to nothing. I called a couple of contacts who would be able to help. First, Tony Sinclair at Alldrive: "Er, Tony, if I can find a flathead-four Jeep engine, is there any chance you can fit it in the next three weeks?" "Call me back when you've got the engine," he said, "And remember you'll need a bellhousing too." Second was Steve Rivers at Dallas Autoparts: "Have you got a complete Willys Jeep engine in stock by any chance?" "No but I've got some reconditioned Hotchkiss ones. When do you need it?" "Tomorrow!" JOHNNY DOES DALLAS It was game on, time to smash the piggybank and get busy. Dallas Autoparts are wartime Jeep specialists based near Newbury in Berkshire so I went down to collect the engine. It had been reconditioned by the French army and came bolted to a special pallet with a bellhousing. I also bought all the genuine Jeep bits that I could think of that were missing from my Hotchkiss including the exhaust, engine mounts, radiator, clutch plate and cover, hoses, air filter and so on. This lot was delivered to Alldrive's premises in Woodville, Derbyshire just off the M42, by lunchtime. I borrowed their trailer and went to get the Jeep. To save unhitching my Land Rover, photographer Wayne Mitchelson towed the Jeep on to the trailer with his Land Rover 110. We strapped it down and returned to Alldrive. In the space of 48 hours everything was in the workshop. There were 19 days before it had to be ready. PHONE HOME To compound the problem, for 10 of those 19 days I wasn't available other than by mobile phone because of work commitments. I went on the BMW X3 press launch in Scotland and stopped more than once (where there was a signal), to get messages from the workshop and order extra bits from Dallas Autoparts. I managed to sneak into Alldrive on my way to press day at the motorshow and I have to admit that old Hotchkisses were more on my mind than new Hyundais that day. I wanted to see the Jeep in the workshop because Tony and Andrew Sinclair were pulling out all the stops to get it ready. At this stage there were only five days to go and I was already in the Mahindra as part of the move towards the ferry terminal. The Hotchkiss was up and running, it ticked over like a sewing machine and the cylinder head, with Willys cast into it, looked right at home. What had complicated the job was the replacement of the parts, gas-axed out by whoever fitted the V6. An engine mount and the battery trays needed refabricating and welding. Originally the Hotchkiss had been a 24-volt model fitted with two 12-volt batteries wired in series, but the Ford car engine had necessitated a conversion to 12 volts. the reconditioned Hotchkiss engine was fitted with 24-volt ancillaries so it made sense to convert the Jeep back to a 24-volt system. It now takes more than a glance under the bonnet to spot that so much chopping and changing has gone on. On Saturday I was due to leave, I headed west in the Mahindra while my three friends rolled south in the unproven Hotchkiss towing a trailer. The two Jeeps and four people finally met up at Chieveley Services on the M4/A34 intersection. Seeing the two flatfenders together was a novelty. Things were going well and a couple of hours later we arrived at the Portsmouth Overlord military vehicle show before dark. This was a staging post for the ferry departures. We camped here and looked around the show, which would have provided a buffer of time had there been a problem with either of the 4x4s. As is the way of these shows, beers and barbecue followed, although I wouldn't relax until both Jeeps were in France. At the show I noticed something that struck me as odd. Hotchkiss M201s are generally acceptable to military vehicle enthusiasts even when, like mine, they are painted as US vehicles. This is no doubt a result of their being Willys MB lookalikes. On the other hand, Mahindras are much less acceptable despite there having been military ones made. Yet both are simply flatfender Jeeps licence-built in foreign factories; Hotchkiss in France and Mahindra in India. Having said that, one guy at the Portsmouth show recognised my Mahindra from 4x4 magazine and enthused about it and his own that he had at home. EXHAUSTIVE TESTING It rained as we drove onto the overnight ferry and was still raining when we disembarked in Caen the next morning. On the way to the campsite the Mahindra's exhaust suddenly sounded louder and I realised it had cracked somewhere. We put the tents up in the rain and then sun came out (which meant I didn't have to lie on my back in the wet while making a temporary repair to the exhaust). Luckily the crack was accessible and two jubilee clips and a bean tin made a repair that would easily last more than a fortnight. This incident was fortuitous: not only was it to be the only mechanical trouble we had from either of the Jeeps for the trip’s duration but it was the beginning of 10 glorious days of uninterrupted sunshine. Mostly, we piled into the Hotchkiss, driving around with the roof off and the ’screen folded down. When photographer Garry Stuart joined us, we used both Jeeps and went about compiling the D-Day magazine feature. The countryside here was the scene of fierce fighting in what became known as the Battle of the Falaise Gap but the town's fame stretches back another nine centuries to 1207, when it was the birthplace of William the Conqueror. A statue of him astride a galloping horse is found within the old town's medieval fortifications. The warmth of the afternoon sun seeped from the stone and the town had such a sleepy feel that it was hard to imagine the bloody events of August 1944 that are commemorated in the town's museum. Driving through Normandy is like driving through a history book – every place name has some connection with D-Day, the landings and the fighting that followed. Heading back to the campsite west of Bayeux took us through Thury-Harcourt and Villers Bocage on the Orne and Odon rivers respectively. In ‘44 these were formidable obstacles to cross. The British 50th Northumbrian Division was in action in this area for six weeks trying to capture Villers Bocage. After the crossroads at Tilly sur Seulles we pulled up at one of the British cemeteries where the peaceful stillness was a sharp reminder of the violent deaths of those interred here. Quite by chance I found myself in front of plot I.H.3 and was shocked to see my own name on a headstone. Of course, it wasn’t my name but that of 14669914 Private John Carroll of the 10th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, killed in action on 12th July 1944 aged only 20. The cemetery register records he was the son of John and Edith Carroll of Sunderland, Co Durham and that's all I know about him. His age and hometown mean there's an outside chance he was a distant relative. His youth means he probably wasn't married and his parents will be long dead so perhaps no one had stood before this particular headstone in 30 years. As we motored back to the campsite I couldn't bring myself to say anything at all and just listened to the gentle hum of the Jeep’s bar grip tyres.

No worries at all. Got heaps more pics but they're too big to post - can email them if you want. I'll try and find my Normandy 2004 one too, it was in Windscreen but many people here probably haven't seen it. JC

Here's a couple of pics from the above trip;

Here's something - slightly secondhand I'll admit (but I doubt many people here saw it - offered it to CMV and MMI neither replied so it's yours. Feel free to move it somewhere. Will find a pic and post it to illustrate what we were up to. JC Jeeps to Bailey Bridge Have you seen the movie A Bridge Too Far? It’s about the ill-fated parachute drops on strategic river bridges in Holland towards the end of WWII. The British 1st Airborne were cut off and surrounded in Arnhem, the US 82nd Airborne captured the Grave bridge completely intact but the Germans managed to destroy the Son river swing bridge before the US 101st Airborne could capture it. This was crucial because the British XXX Corps was driving along the single road over the bridges to relieve the Paras at Arnhem. To keep things moving the British had to supply bridging materials to the Americans and in the movie there’s a scene where Lt. Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur (Michael Caine) and American Colonel Robert Stout (Elliott Gould) are discussing how to get the portable bridging equipment to the bank of the Son river. Stout, ‘Hey that Bailey crap, you got it amongst this stuff?’ Vandeleur, ‘When you refer to Bailey crap I take it you mean that glorious, precision-made, British-built bridge which is the envy of the civilized world?’ Bailey Bridging was developed during World War II by Sir Donald Bailey and adopted in early 1941 as the standard Military Bridge. To enable bridges of varying spans and carrying capacities to be speedily erected, manually by unskilled labour the basic components were standardised and fully interchangeable, each individual component was capable of being carried by a six-man party and the component parts were transportable in a three-ton truck. Seeing as we knew where there was some ‘bailey crap’ crossing a Scottish mountain stream we thought we’d go and see it in something else that was also ‘the envy of the civilised world’ namely the Willys Jeep. It was so envied in France that French automaker Hotchkiss produced licence-built copies of the Willys MB referred to as the M201. One weekend, in late July, last summer found us preparing and loading up the Jeeps – a 1943 Willys MB ‘Elusive Elaine’ and a 1961 Hotchkiss M201 ‘Hot Rod’ - for an overnight trip. As we swapped the split ‘combat rims’ and bargrip tyres of the Hotchkiss in favour of a set of Firestone SATs on Hotchkiss steel rims, photographer Wayne and I were reminded of our earliest days in Land Rover clubs when the, then expensive, SAT – Super All Traction – tyre was the king of off-road tyres but didn’t last long at all on the road. We’d drive to wherever the tarmac ended on compromise tyres and swap them for the set of SATs. More than that though the whole low key start to the trip was like it used to be; a few mates, tents, stoves, the all-important OS map and a last minute stop at a Spar for the makings of a couple of meals and a few tinnies to drink around the campfire were all the necessaries for great weekends in the great outdoors. ‘Things are already more complicated than they used to be even ten years ago,’ I thought at the filing station as I added octane booster to the unleaded fuel I’d just filled my Jeep’s underseat tank with. The flathead engines warmed up as we headed for the Spar shop and then, under a cloudy sky, we headed for the hills and a military road. Military roads are nothing new; the Romans were among the first road builders in Britain and, although our Jeeps belong to the era of General ‘Vinegar’ Joe Stilwell’s Ledo Road, (from Ledo, Assam, India to Kunming, China built during World War II by African-American Engineer Units), our route would take us along a road built two centuries earlier. It was one of the many roads built by General Wade and his successor Major Caulfield to suppress the Jacobite Scots and their armed risings against the English and their supporters, the Corrieyairack Pass. It is a 770m (2526 ft) high pass in the Scottish Highlands and would be relatively obscure were it not for Wade's military road built over it in 1731, between Fort Augustus in the west and Laggan to the south east. It is the highest motorable road in the UK and has been being driven by 4x4 owners ever since recreational 4x4 use in Britain was just beginning and referred to as ‘boggling’, forty years or more ago when Willys Jeeps were just £25 each. For once though, where we were going was of less importance than what we were doing which was driving the most classic Jeeps off the tarmac in the type of terrain they were designed for. Most restored Willys Jeeps nowadays, it seems, do little more than park in static rows at military vehicle rallies. This always seems a shame to me as the Willys Jeep is one of the most capable off-roaders ever built and while they fetch big money now they can still be used and, with a degree of care, come away unscathed. The Willys and Hotchkiss Jeeps are remarkable similar although the Hotchkiss chassis is of a heavier gauge steel and has 24 volt electrics unlike the 6v system of the original. Both have flathead, or sidevalve, in-line, four-cylinder engines with a three-speed gearbox and two-speed transfer box. Four-wheel drive is engaged by means of one lever and low box by another, both of which are alongside the normal gearstick. Both four-wheel drive and low box are required to attempt the boulder-strewn track where the red coats once marched. The torquey engines and pliable leaf springs meant that the Jeeps eased themselves over the rocks at speeds low enough to preclude damage. The degree of flex in the suspension was surprising and allowed the wheels to stay in contact with the ground even on a couple of stretches of road where rainfall and snowmelt run off had taken its toll on the track’s surface. As we drove towards the corrie’s headwall the track began to climb and passes under the line of electricity pylons, the maintenance of which are probably the reason that this track survives as a road. The track then climbs up the corrie on a series of hairpins and, on this particular afternoon, saw us climb into the rain. This restored pair of Jeeps are both painted as US Army models and both carry the markings of Jeeps used on D-Day in the opening phase of the liberation of Europe – Willys Elusive Elaine carries the markings of the 82nd Airborne while Hotchkiss Hot Rod wears the colours of the 29th Infantry Division. Painting post-war Hotchkiss Jeeps as WWII models is a common practice frowned on by some and carried out with varying degrees of success depending on how many of the obviously French parts including hoods, blackout lights, wheels, tyres and wipers are supplemented with American components. Almost as much as possible has been changed on this particular Hotchkiss although, as noted above, the Hotchkiss wheels were reinstalled for this trip. As we rolled down the hill to the Bailey Bridge built here in a quiet glen by 278 Field Squadron Royal Engineers (TA) in November 1961 as an exercise. Forty five years later, rusting gently it still spans a stream where a granite stone bears the logo of the famous Highland Division. Battle honours and casualty lists made this division into a household name during World War I. More of the same came in World War II when the 51st embarked for Egypt and the North African campaign and fought at El Alamein, Mareth, Medenine and Wadi Akarit. After North Africa the Division landed in Sicily and were then moved back to the United Kingdom to prepare for the landings in Europe. In the hedges and narrow lanes of Normandy’s Bocage they had a difficult time and fought on however through France, Belgium, Holland and across the Rhine into Germany. In August 1945 the 51st Highland Division ceased to exist as a separate formation and became part of the 51st/52nd (Scottish) Division. Their wartime battle casualties in killed wounded and missing from D-Day to 5th May 1945 totalled 9051. The 51st was revived as a Territorial Division in 1948 and survived as such until 1967 when it was redesignated as a Brigade of the Scottish Division. In keeping with the nostalgic nature of the vehicles we opted to keep our night’s camp almost as nostalgic to somewhere in the postwar years. This meant, for some of us, eschewing the comforts of modern dome tents and thermarests for equipment much more basic; small cotton ridge tents and camp beds. Tilley lamps, paraffin Primus stoves and aluminium mess tins were the majority of the other kit. On a flat bit of grass below the bridge a circle of blackened stones indicated that others had previously camped here. We felt that the spot was as good as anywhere and opted to reuse the fire circle. Camping the fifties way was fine although my cotton tent – new around the time of the Suez Crisis - and a jumble sale purchase wasn’t as waterproof as I’d have liked. It also wasn’t as midge proof! The early morning midges were out in clouds and drove us from the stream bank early. The upside was that it was a beautiful day and we drove part of the way back the way we’d come before getting the pans and stoves out for tea and a fry up. Back in the fifties, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan said to the British people ‘You’ve never had it so good’. As we soaked in the sunshine and the view from the top of the Pass, I thought that thanks to our time machines and old tents we’d had a glimpse of that much vaunted decade and he was right; we’d never had it so good and still had a whole day ahead of us dawdling back down the Pass in the sunshine in one of the greatest places in the great outdoors.

Is this your 101 then Polecat?

I’ve written around 20 books on specialist motoring subjects for around ten publishers ranging from 'pile 'em high sell 'em cheap ones to more serious ones. Subjects include classic American bikes, Jeeps, classic American Pick-ups, British Bikes, tractors, Chopped Harleys and so on. The ones that may interest users of this forum may be Harley 45 - warhorse and workhorse (from 1994. Osprey) and the Jeep books. Did it almost full time for a while (along with magazine freelancing) but the cashflow was difficult so I got a full time magazine job again. Much of what's said here about books is right but send me a PM with specific questions and I'll do my best. JC

It's an AEC Matador towing a 25 pounder and a limber. I owned a Scammell Explorer 6x6 like in one of the pictures above for a while but it's a Matador that's parked in my fantasy garage/on the lottery win list. Had loads of Airfix ones when I was a kid... JC

There were a couple of Scorpions (I think) there. Don't know too much about Postwar armour. JC

Two more

Went to Nesscliffe MV Gathering on Sunday in the Hotchkiss. Here's a few pics of some great heavies and a Dakota flypast. Turned up early on Sunday morning so maybe I missed most of the event on Sat but I'm not sure I'd drive 150 miles each way to it again. JC

The second weekend in September always has numerous events scribbled in various year planners but if you’re near West Yorkshire there’s one event that’s always worth a visit, namely the Yorkshire LROC gathering at Langley Farm. It’s always one of my favourites and, as a result of knowing some of the organisers, and liking Series Land Rovers and Jeeps I’ve agreed to organise Series I and Jeep displays there this year (especially on the Sunday). If you’ve got a Series I Land Rover or a military Jeep and can get to Langley Farm in Scissett (near Denby Dale) over the weekend of September 8 and 9th bring it along. I should add that other Land Rovers and MVs aren’t excluded – there was a Stawart there last year. More details soon. JC

Steve, I'd be happy to send you the pics - do you want me to email them or send you a disk with them on? Let me know which and where and I'll get them off today. Took about 20, couple aren't worth bothering with and a couple are almost duplicates so there's a maximum of 16 I'd say. We did enjoy the day in York very much. Cheers JC

Somebody wanted to see more of Gwendoline. See plenty more of her (without the Jeep) at http://www.gwendolinelamour.com/ but for the Jeepers here's two more forties-style pics; Gwendoline Lamour and Elusive Elaine. JC

Went to the Yorkshire MVT crank-up in the Hotchkiss last weekend; it was a beautiful day so had the roof and windscreen down for the drive there and back. Event itself in the grand surroundings of York Castle and Clifford's Tower and was a friendly, laid-back affair. Here's a few pics. JC

Here's a trick to try on the campsite at Beltring, all that's needed are a couple of planks and four beer bottles;

Alway happy to chat about Carawagons! Mine's a civvy one as I'm sure you know but although it's the least used of my 4x4s i love it. Have you seen the small, slow moving but friendly Carawagon forum? It's at http://www.landrover6pot.org/sixpotforum/index.php JC

Here's a few points in response to recent posts in this thread; 1; Don't know about GL's alias or not but he says he has a Land Rover so could be aware that I edit a LR magazine from even a quick browse in Smiths. 2; Just to be clear I can confidently say that John Carroll is a pseudonym for John Carroll, member 3803 of the MVT. 3; The MVT Gen Sec, Simon Bromley is a great guy. Over the years I've bought Jeep bits off him, sold him a trailer, been on a New Year's Day off-road Jeep Run with him and more. He does a difficult job very well. 4; Forums are a part of life in hobbies now. There are numerous ones about LRs all well supported. Some are supported or sponsored by the commercial LR mags, some are independent and some are club ones. The posters talk about everything and anything including the LR magazine I edit. We live with it, have an occasional browse, make the odd post to provide information or stop the (very occasional) silly rumour getting out of hand. There's always gossip about the LR magazine shows for example but generally we all just co-exist. A great example is the LR Series II Club forum. 5; Finally, here's one of the Jeep pics that Windscreen didn't use... JC

Mahindra yeah, red wheels. CJ340 is a licence-built CJ-3B, some people laugh at them but they're the last cheap and plentiful source of flatfender Jeeps (as opposed to MBs). Here's another (a CJ540 lwb) that I'll probably come to Beltring in, there's something similar in the movie Sahara. FNG

Gerald, Thanks for reading my (long) post. Here's my thoughts in response to yours; Para 1 & 2 The proposals for the AGM remain my primary concern. The points about Windscreen have come to the fore in answers to other posts here and I agree that some of my points are subjective. Para 3 Fair point and I've put my cheque and renewal form in the mail today. The MV clubs are members of the FBHVC I believe. Para 4 Lots of questions here so answers follow in the order that you asked; AGM? No. Windscreen? That will be up to the editor of that magazine (but I'm not sure he'll want my contributions following this thread), I'm happy to submit stuff. Postcards? If anyone wants to see them, I'll scan them. I have actually sent more stuff than you perhaps realise that has appeared in Windscreen. Apart from the two page Normandy story mentioned above, an issue or two back there was a picture postcard from 1938/39 of a Cheshire regiment Bren Carrier and before that was something about abandoned trucks on a military training ground for example. A picture of a lady in a forties corset and stockings in a Willys Jeep wasn't used! JC

If I've got this right there should be a pic of my Hotchkiss and my Mahindra here... FNG