11th Armoured

And a short video of one operating...

This is the beast in question - there's a picture about halfway down on the right that shows the operating lever that prompted the nickname. Kevin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1895_Colt–Browning_machine_gun

I did find this photo (third post down) just after I posted above, but I don't think it was a particularly common occurrence. https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/173218-ww1-military-motors-1916-set-x-50-cards/page/43/

Just a thought - weren't the Motor Machine Gun Batteries armed with Vickers guns? I don't think I remember seeing a British combo armed with a Lewis gun before. I note that the Belgians used the Lewis as well though, including on some of the Minervas I think, so could the bike combo also actually be Belgian?

Not sure about "anti aircraft lorry", to be honest - that looks like a Belgian Minerva armoured car to me.

I would imagine that German artillery would have had a field day with that if it was an observation post (or at least one close enough to any action to see anything useful)! Wasn't it the usual idea that the observers or other messengers close to the front (balloon or terrestrial) had a pigeon basket with them with a few birds & then said birds would fly messages back to their 'home' loft (like this one) which would then essentially function as an 'exchange', routing information to the intended recipients? Kevin

The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway at Skegness has a number of WDLR wagons: http://lclrhvt.bravesites.com/

Mary Poppins - the unsuccessful audition... 😂

Great stuff! 👍

If the new museum has any space constraints, then it would probably also be more flexible as an exhibit if it was made of wood or similar - if it was a policy to periodically change the items on display, then moving a range wreck, a static, cosmetically-restored 'original' or even an unpowered new-build replica in mild steel or whatever isn't necessarily going to be a simple matter. If you're also going to display railway rolling stock, then this may be something you've already taken into account, but worth bearing in mind. Kevin

Yes Paul, and the operative word in what I wrote was "If", so thank you for clarifying matters, but no "pessimistic view of the StuG and its owner" was made nor implied, I trust you'll concede. As an onlooker to yet another apparent TM bashing thread (StuGs & their maltreatment seems to be the soup du jour at present, it appears), I was simply stating a possible reason (in my own admitted ill-informed opinion) for the reported reluctance of the TM to continue with hosting an externally owned vehicle. It appears I was wrong, which is absolutely fine by me - it's a poor day that goes by w

I don't know any of the details here (& I suspect I'm not alone in this...), but playing 'devil's advocate' for a second, might I point out that the entire museums sector has taken a MASSIVE hit as a result of coronavirus & the resulting enforced closures, which has meant that for most of them their non-grant income has been reduced to zero or close to. If the privately-owned StuG came with any ongoing financial implications for the museum, either in rental charges, maintenance commitments or basic running/wear & tear costs, then I can see why management may have had to make unp

I've always liked the look of the Humber Scout Car & they're a fairly uncommon sight in my experience, so it's good to hear that a couple more may soon see the light of day 👍

Seconded!

I'm sure an owner will come along shortly with the definitive answer regarding turret rotation, although a fixed turret sounds just a bit inflexible, to be honest. This photo's not the clearest, but it's the best I've found thus far - going by what seems to be the MG slot and the position of the smoke mortar & bracket, I'd say this shows the turret rotated rearwards: