General Mayhem

On the 29th of June, 1940, The British began evacuating 338,000 British & French troops from Dunkirk, on the Belgium coast. Most equipment had to be left behind. Civilian volunteers and vessels of all sizes aided The Royal Navy in this effort. Who would have thought then that in June 1944, they would be back? Also on this day, in 1941, The battleship Hood was hit by a salvo, from Bismark, a direct hit into the rear magazine, the resultant explosion ignited the forward magazine, blowing the ship apart. Just three men, out of a company of 400, survived the ordeal. And if you will forgive my indulgence: On this day in 1941 The German Army completed the conquest of Crete. My father was among the defenders, his war was over and four years of incarceration about to begin. But in 1943, on this day, The dams on the Mohne & Eder rivers in the Ruhr Valley, were breeched. (Do you know why they can't film a remake of The Dambusters? Because you can't call a dog nigger anymore. And Lindenburgh completed the first, non-stop trans-atlantic flight from New York to Paris in 33 & a half hours, back in 1927.

There is a company in Bournemouth, that supplies the Armed Forces with all their uniform requirements. The public can purchase from them too. It's not the cheapest, but they do sell all the accessories, like swords, buttons , ribbons, medals, rank insignia and so on. It was a great help for me, to help my father get a replacement campagne medal, he's ninety this year, and when I gave him the medal, his eyes filled up, you could see him remembering fallen friends, but for all the emotion, he was so grateful, and so proud. Hope you find it useful. http://www.messdress.com/index.html

Did anyone attend the Watercress Line's: War on the Line, last weekend. A great weekend. If you were there and I missed you, apologies, thinking about getting myself a General Patton uniform, substituting the name for Mayhem. Here's a link to last weekend's fun. http://www.watercressline.co.uk/1940s08a.htm

The ladies were well turned out too. So good to see so many getting involved, great weekend.

The clip says it all, any comments? http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1045687/iran_water_proof_air_force/

Yep, it's that time of the year when councils get rid of all the dosh that could cause them a cut in revenue next year, and some of the things they spend it on............... But hey-ho, at least we can get a laugh at the expense of the contractors when they come to move the van. Any witty captions?

Not so, all modern jets are computerised, computers run on windows.

Sorry to hijack your thread Bob, but welcome all the same. Andy, what constitutes British? What about a Chevy, ordered by the British military in 1938, manufactured in Canada in the same year, delivered to the UK in R/H drive, also in 1938, commandeered back by the Canadians in 1942, bought by the US Army in 1945, shipped back to the States in 1946, bought by a UK resident, as a wreck, in the mid nineties, restored from the ground up, and is now seen out and about on British roads? http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb48/savannahwitch/50266staffcar.jpg[/img]

If you can't get up to that neck of the wood, then get yourself along to the Mid Hants Railway on the 21st & 22nd June 2008. Have a look at last year's goings on. http://www.watercressline.co.uk/1940s.htm And here's the edited version, but sadly lacking in vehicles.

You do realise that you will now be sleeping with a grandma!

19 years, good grief. What a film though, I remember at the time much was said in the press about the so called Nose Pin Up Art. The cheesecake, naughty but nice girls that adorned the nose of the aircraft. Some pseudo types opined that these were the equivalent to warding off evil spirits, even to a superstition that it would keep a crew alive in battle. The crew on the other hand, admitted to seeing a scantily clad, nubile young woman on their plane. If you want to see some of the art work here's a good link. Don't worry, nothing risque, this was the 1940's. Some incredible talent amongst the crews. http://www.acepilots.com/planes/nose_art.html

The anacronym does spell S.P.A.M. and I was somewhat dubious when I received an e-mail about this event. It's advertised as a war Weekend, (presumably WW2) The splurge goes like this: Calling all stall holders, Re-enactors, Owners of military & 1940's vehicles, blah, blah, blah. The event is on the 12th & 13th of June, at Heckmondwike, West Yorks. No address is given but there are two contact numbers, which are: Debbie, 07779 155771 &, Lisa, 07779 155969 If any members in the area know about this, I would appreciate more details please.

I would just like to know why everyone gets out of their pram at the slightest hint of anything political. Not suggesting that we have any such thread, but in a democracy, all things are political, as Churchill famously said: "Better jaw jaw than war war." Sometimes I go to add a comment and then think better of it. And in the past, I have been told in an abrubt way that what I posted was political, like I was some pariah. Is that the way it has to be?

Is there a dig at something here? Or am I missing a point? Any hint of politics on this forum is immediately censored. There have been times when I've had an entry removed and left feeling exasperated, but hey ho, that's the rules so get over it. As for using my real name, thank goodness it's not Rushbottom or Treblecock.

Just to reiterate Markheliops original posting, My wife Tina, is a paramedic, based at Ringwood, Hants. Ringwood Ambulance Station is adjacent to the A31 on the very edge of Ringwood. It is so positioned because of the carnage that occurs on that very busy trunk road, and at this time of the year it always increases. It's true that the majority of cases are local people, travelling too close in poor conditions, with impaired judgement, caused by alcohol. But no one ever learns, not even after a headline grabbing incident. I would like to think that she won't be called out on the New Year's Eve/Day night shift. But you might as well believe in the tooth fairy. Happy New Year to you all. And to the one person that's decided to hang up their keys for the festivities, a big thank you.

Just looking at this old thread and wondered did you go for plain or camo? There's a certain 'something' about camo, whether or not it's authentic, don't you think? http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb48/savannahwitch/psdelight609-2z-camouflage.jpg[/img] I mean when everyone else goes wandering off the field, the loo roll and newspaper in hand.........dead giveaway, but the real deal is: http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb48/savannahwitch/camo_tp.jpg[/img] And then of course you get the camo Christmas wish list: http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb48/savannahwitch/em9393z-army-soldier.jpg[/img] Merry Christmas, by the way, there was a Santa in camo, but it just didn't look right.

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY ALL IS SECURE 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE, IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE, MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO, IN THIS HOME, DID LIVE. I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE. NO STOCKING BY THE MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES, OF FAR DISTANT LANDS. WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS, A SOBERING THOUGHT, CAME THROUGH TO MY MIND. FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY, I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE. CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR, IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME. THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER, NOT HOW I PICTURED, A LONE BRITISH SOLDIER. WAS THIS THE HERO, OF WHOM I'D JUST READ, CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED? I REALISED THE FAMILIES, THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT, OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS, WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT. SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, AND GROWN-UPS WOULD CELEBRATE, A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. THEY ALL ENJOY FREEDOM, EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE. I COULDN'T HELP WONDER, HOW MANY ALONE, ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE, IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME. THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT, A TEAR TO MY EYE, I DROPPED TO MY KNEES, AND STARTED TO CRY. THE SOLDIER AWAKENED, AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE, 'SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE. I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE, MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.' THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP, I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP. I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL, AND WE BOTH SAT AND SHIVERED, FROM THE COLD NIGHTS CHILL. I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE, ON THAT COLD DARK NIGHT, THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOUR, SO WILLING TO FIGHT. THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE, WHISPERED 'CARRY ON SANTA, ITS CHRISTMAS, ALL IS SECURE.' ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT, 'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.' THIS POEM WAS WRITTEN BY A PEACE KEEPING SOLDIER STATIONED OVERSEAS THE FOLLOWING IS HIS REQUEST. PLEASE WOULD YOU DO ME THE KIND FAVOUR OF SENDING THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN. CHRISTMAS WILL BE COMING SOON AND SOME CREDIT IS DUE, TO OUR BRITISH SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN, FOR OUR BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE THESE FESTIVITIES. LETS TRY IN THIS SMALL WAY TO PAY A TINY BIT BACK OF WHAT WE OWE. M JENG Lt Col HQ APHCS SO1 Rehab 2959(94261)

Have you ever fired a bren for real? I remember when I was about fifteen, I was at summer camp in the ATC when after our five rounds on the 303's we were given a demonstration with a bren gun. The RAF sargeant first showed us single round fire, although you might be forgiven for thinking it was set to automatic. Followed by automatic fire, he used a full clip in about three seconds. This was followed by "Any volunteers to have a go?" Nobody, but nobody had the balls to have a go. I'm up for that. I could only have been about five feet tall, the sargeant sat me on what he described as a firing stool. Looked more like a milking stool to me, he loaded the clip, I pointed the gun at the target, released the safety catch, and on the command of: FIRE I pulled the trigger. The cartridge emptied in about two seconds, the left hand side of the target was in complete shreds, and I lay on my back, looking skywards with the recoil. To be fair, there is very little recoil, but when you are fifteen and five foot nothing weighing about seven stone, it doesn't take a lot to blow you over. There was howls of laughter and the sargeant helped me to my feet. To this day I have always had the greatest respect for the bren gun.

Try and see what your doctor writes on your medical notes: S.IG. Stupid Ignorant Git G.O.K. God only knows W.O.T. Waste of time P.I.N. Pain in the neck P.I.A. you work it out. P.P.P.H. (I love this) Prescribe placebo phor hypochondria.

Congratulations to you, it took me until the age of 52 to realise that. Now I have a thriving business, and loving every minute of it.

An Americanism I saw recently: BMW - Big Money Works BUICK - Big Ugly Indestructible Car Killer CHEVROLET - Cheap Heap, Every Valve Rattles, Oil Leaks Every Time DODGE - Dear Old Dad's Geriatric Express FIAT - Fix It All the Time or Fix it Again Tony, FORD - Fault Of R&D GGM - Great Mistake MC - Got A Mechanic Coming? HONDA - Had One Never Did Again MAZDA - Most Always Zipping Dangerously Along OLDSMOBILE - Overpriced, Leisurely Driven Sedan Made Of Buick's Irregular Leftover Equipment PINTO - put in new transmission often PONTIAC - poor old Neanderthal thinks it's a Cadillac VOLVO - Very Odd Looking Vehicular Object VW - Virtually Worthless

Thank you for posting this, you have, in some small way, made me feel a lot better. You were all very tolerant about my poppy posting, so I don't want to cause any more controversy, so let's just say that my view of a monarchy is: The head of state should be elected. I know that this out of step with the majority view of this country, nonetheless it is something I feel passionately about. I was in the ATC from the age of thirteen to seventeen. When I was fifteen, a road accident put me in hospital for quite a long stay. My school, gave me one to one tuition, but only when a housemaster was available. I was then offered a return to my school, but would have to drop down a class in order to catch up. In the meantime, the CO of my ATC squadron, had visited me on a number of occasions, he had put a word in with RAF recruiting office, I was visited, in hospital by an RAF recruiter, and asked if I would be interested in going to their training school, where I would re-study for my, then known as GCE's, and if successful, the RAF would sponser me through A levels, and onto their University, at the end of which I would become a Pilot Officer. I thanked them and declined, explaining that I wasn't interested in joining the armed forces. The real reason was that swearing an oath of allegiance to the crown stuck in my craw so much, I just couldn't do it. I won't say that I have regretted it all my life, because I have been very fortunate, but if I could turn the clock back............

Is Agincourt the first ever battle where firing (shooting) by rank was used? I am sure it was. Incidently, the V sign, given by the English longbowmen, was a taunt to the French, inciting them to try and come and chop their fingers off. That it became a worldwide crude gesture to tell someone where to go, is just brilliant. I often wondered if Churchill's V for victory, didn't have a deliberate, tongue in cheek, ambiguity.