RAFMT

Hogspear is one of a few traders that have somehow acquired this air of authority and impeachable reputation (despite some very dodgy stuff!) and people now just assume that if something comes from them it must be special and worth the prices they ask.

There have been rumours of them keeping a close eye on the obits section of the papers and swooping in, putting pressure on the family to sell at a price that's rather low considering what they sell it for. Although as i say, a rumour, and nothing has been proven in a court of law. Yet.

It's later than 1940/41 if it has a bridging plate, they weren't enshrined in the orders until Feb 1944, probably introduced in command orders a little earlier.

Glad to have someone else aboard that understands the true joy of the RAF, forget those pansy aeroplanes!

Unfortunately, and I’m speaking from a professional point of view, it’s going to be quite hard to trace existing family.

The RAF records would have contained a next of kin and a person to be notified in case of death; but for most of the young people this was their mother and father respectively.

Your best bet is to hire genealogists in each country to trawl through BMD records to find any spouses and children, or even siblings and their children. Also it would be worth, if you can find where each man came from, putting an advert in the local papers as extended families tend not to move around too much.

Our unit (Queens Regiment) don't allow the wearing of any ribbons (since as mentioned it would really only be gallantry awards etc) and only allow trade or proficiency badges if you can prove similar levels of skill.

Remember those yanks will be wearing purple hearts (because of ingrowing toenails) and unit citations. They like to give out ribbons!

Definitely artistic licence, or rather -i've not come across any mention anywhere of the RAF using them.

Simon,

When the service records arrive, if you need any help with the jargon and acronyms then give us a shout.

Regards,

Bryan

I was hoping to pop in next weekend before they turned it into winter wonderland for the christmas season.

Sad to hear it's closed. From what i understand all of the vehicles there were privately owned by various individuals and organisations, with the museum being an easy means of keeping them under cover and someone always around to keep an eye on them.

If REME museum can't help you, then you'd have to go through the official channels: https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

But, yes, the RAF Regiment did use Ferrets; the one at the RAF Museum is in the colours and markings of the Aden Protectorate Levies.

Yes, they are still going' or rather they were last i visited the family back in august.

I'm sure i've got a photo somewhere with an RAF one in the background.

So you're the one constantly scratching your a** then?

Nah, i have an advantage.

It's hard to tell where the Battledress ends and the body hair begins:wow:

Trust me, the aircraft itself is a fake.

And remember, there was a whole series of First World War photographs that were faked so it wasn't new, even in the 1940s.

Mine goes in on a wool wash with the normal detergent, then hang it out to dry.

It's quite sturdy stuff really, and anyone that recommends a special softener or or other method of "making it less itchy" should be scoffed at for not being a real man!

Well, I have done a ton of digging, yes I suffer from a sleep problem at times.

 

From another forum I have pieced together what appears to be the most thorough history of this vehicle so far and the best explanation as to its current colour scheme.

 

It was captured by the Ghurkas and somehow ended up in the UK after being brought back by sea. 18 Squadron RAF obtained it and took it by air to Germany and it was used by the OC of the Squadron as a daily hack vehicle.

 

During that time it was stolen (loose definition) by another RAF unit 230 Sqn and repainted in a Tiger stripe scheme, presumably to be part of the Tiger Meet event at the time and or because 230 Sqn uses the tiger in its identity.

 

Upon retrieval by 18 Sqn it was repainted in the black with the orange stripe as this was the Sqn colours. The Sqn was relocated back to the UK at this time. Attempts to UK road register it with DVLA failed and hence it was given to Cosford museum.

 

(Why they didnt go the CV route i'm not sure)

 

That is what I can piece together so far and all is open to being challenged.

 

R

Pretty much this, although the current scheme was applied before the squadron moved to Laarbruch - late 80's/early 90's.

And its black and red, not orange.

Can't enlarge the image to see what parts they've made it out from but it's 100% genuine rubbish.

Here's the link i originally put up:

https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

But as i said before only for those in service after 1920. Those who left after the end of ww1 are at the National Archives.

(I bet that's news to everyone)

Not me :-D

There was also some Spitfires flown by the US navy during the Normandy landings for spotter duties.

the same type of chaps who preserved the Spitfires and all the other great old Warbirds all those years ago ? :-D

That would be the Air Ministry then!

Believe it or not even as early as 1944 the Air Ministry were earmarking certain airframes for potential museum use.

Sorry for the delay, things went a bit hectic at work.

I can't any record of any RAF gliders coming down in that area during Operation Market.

So it was either a Yank glider, or the time frame has been remembered wrong.

Yep, those long vehicles will never work off road???

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The first one is meant for carrying ballistic missiles not for going on the front line, the one you show was used for carrying bridge parts. Try taking that up a decent sized hill! Also, most of the forward wheels will steer so nothing like the problems a fully tracked vehicle that length would have. But there was probably a reason only two were built.

The second one is articulated, two sets of tracks to eliminate the steering problem and allow it to bend in the middle if it encounters a slope.

Oh God.

This one resurfaces every few months. It was made up a couple of years ago by somebody and it took off so much that people actually started buying into it! Bear in mind the Russians did not use roman numerals, the real KV-6 was based on the KV-1 but slightly up-armoured if I remember it right.

The short answer is, I would be surprised if they didn’t do the same as with aircraft and issue blocks of registration numbers to specific contracts.

If you were going to mark yours up as RAF, then my advice would be to look at as many original photographs you can find and then either use that number or pick one either side of it.

For reference RAF43439 (later to become 05AS35 and gain fame as the tractor that pulled the carriage bearing Trenchard’s ashes) entered service on the 2^nd January 1942.

Even with the bolt simply left forward, i.e. uncocked, then would be fine if dropped.

In fact somebody recently tests, and a new sten from the factory, would have had a stronger spring and less likely for the bolt to jump from the safety slot than one that been used for a while. But dropped from shoulder height (not by an actual person- H&S wouldn't allow that) it never went off while uncocked and only went of a couple of times while cocked and in the safe position.

But as Tony said the sten was no worse than other 9mm blowbacks, but people see the crude manufacture of the weapon (it is after all 2 pipes some metal blocks and a sring) as an indication of it's quality as a weapon.

I can take a look when I'm back at work on Monday.