Richard Farrant

Not quite, Mark. It was built in 1937..........the photo shows it after I restored it to working order in 1980 Engine is a 9 hp Lister

You are determinded to get this are'nt you? and No ! :-D

No :n00b:

I saw you point that out to someone else, so I tried and it did not show for me

Sort of, yes, but there is more too it than that.

As I blew Catweazle's "What is this" yesterday in short time, thought I should subject you all to another one. Now this is not quite what you might think it is.

I think as Chris says, the actual body on a MWR is the same as MWD, the extra plank is bracketed to the canopy frame. We had a MWR in the yard once and it had all the earth links between metal cab panels, etc, but body was exactly the same as a MWD that I was restoring. Good timber is worth going for, nothing worse than sap bubbling paint work, shrinking planks, etc. You might find Whitworth coach bolts are some old established body builder or try searching on web.

Those plates are not fitted to wartime vehicles, so no problem there.

Another one of the varied and interesting jobs that we had come through. They also had at Lydd, some winches for target towing, which I believe were wartime balloon winches as they were driven by Ford V8 and gearbox.

Sorry about this .............going by the number plate, I would say Danish army dummy tanks on Universal carriers. One surface locally and after the frame work was removed, it revealed a sound vehicle, except the pulpit part at the front had been cut out, this one looks intact in that area.

The Morgan fitted with JAP were ohv and slightly smaller, I think this was an industrial engine, it would have been an animal in a motorcycle as it was very heavy because of the cyl barrels.

:rofl::rofl::rofl: and you thought this one would run and run, you will have to try harder.

Ha ha, well aquainted with them, it is a Wickham trolley, armoured plated and a target was mounted on top. The run on narrow guage rails across ranges. Powered by a 1300 cc JAP v-twin side valve with a fluid flywheel. The engine was started at the end of the line and set off on its own, there are levers and links underneath that catch on trips in the track that knock the throttle off and apply the brakes. They used some on Lydd Ranges and we had them up in the workshops to overhaul periodically. One of them was often "driven" back to the starting point pulling the others with it and could get a good turn of speed. The engines sound great. I think one ended up at Beverly museum, perhaps that is where the photo came from?

:idea: Bodger Baz has a Bedford OX tractor unit, just the job to hitch up to that !

I know of a WOT2 in Kent (or was) with a 15cwt wooden body and canvas tilt and it is a FFW. Body similar set up to MWR wireless truck. Now looking at it, the body data plate appeared to have a post-1945 contract number on it, so it is entirely possible that the WOT2 was rebuilt as FFW after the war, but in how many numbers? A lot of rebodying was done due to Korea, etc.

It is as you say a bridge launching trailer, which would have been used with a Scammell Crusader ( looks like one attached to trailer in your photo). It was used to carry and deploy a No.9 bridge which is of one piece and maximum span of 12.2 metres. It would be used directly over an existing low classifiction bridge. The other version of this bridge is the no.8 which is folding and was carried and deployed on a Cheiftain AVLB.

That is all assuming that the tank is standing on a hard surface, but when on soft ground the whole area of track will bear the weight. The rubber pads on the Cent are for road work and are a later addition. From memory, tracked vehicles are designed to have a ground pressure of approx 11 pounds per square inch, no matter what weight or size of the vehicle, so more weight, then longer and / or wider tracks.

Mark, I took a MV to every one, they were wonderful shows. Yes, I did go to the hangar dance there, had my Bedford outside the doors on one, great atmosphere. Will see if I can find photos. Do you recollect one year there was a Battle event at Brands on the Saturday and we travelled down to West Malling afterwards, as the airshow was just on Sunday. Ray Hanna was practising and did a better and lower display than on the public day..........straight over us!

Fred, You will probably not find any service history, although careful rubbing down in the right places may reveal unit and div signs from its postwar service (ignoring those painted on by past private owners). If you know its postwar WD reg number, which might be on a brass plate on nearside of chassis, you can then go to RLC Museum at Deepcut and ask for a copy of the Key Card for that number. This will give you chassis no., original WD census no. starting L*******, contract no and brief detail of the location it was struck off from and disposal date. All for £25 !

That forum is interesting, just been reading on there about the ghostly sightings on West Malling aerodrome. Don't recollect seeing anything when we used to camp there for the airshows, too many people about perhaps :confused:

One and same person, Viscount John Prestwood

Mark, That is Earl Attlee and is the one seen in all the Dorset steam fair photos with a Conqueror and Cent ARV on a trailer.

and one from WW2..........

CW, I cannot remember what ads I posted before the meltdown, but here is one from the WW1 era.........especially for GWT

Reminds me of what Spike Milligan wanted inscribed on his headstone ......."I told them I was ill"