theredkite

Yup there's a gauge dead centre on the bulkhead behind the turret (i.e. at the front of the fuel tank). Iirc from when I emptied my fuel tank it's a floating mechanical thing (technical term) and therefore works completely independent of power supply.

2 v nice Spartans guys. Cheers for the tip Chas, that makes a lot of sense. Just goes to show the perils of letting civvies drive CVR(T)s without any training

Ah yes, I think the people who really "enjoy" changing down in a CVR(T) are the passengers, who suddenly find their faces slamming into the hardware in front of them... Great to hear you're enjoying the new toy so much, my poor Scorp just sits looking unloved since we moved from Northumberland (and access to fields) 6 months ago

Can anyone suggest someone who could move a Scorpion and Lightweight LR from Northumberland to Hertfordshire? As access isn't easy, a smaller vehicle would be ideal (or they could be driven to somewhere easier). So if anyone's uses anyone they'd like to recommend, now's your chance! Ta, Mike

Cheers Bob In the end I replaced the pipe from the fuel tank to the pump, and for good measure the pump itself. When I tested it off the vehicle i.e. new pump and new pipe into a fuel can, the blooming thing still wouldn't pump, and I began to believe the laws of Landie physics had stopped working in this part of the country. Turned out the new pipe was blocked with crud - goes to show you can't be too careful. I couldn't find anything other than replacement pumps around, but the quality really seemed to vary. I certainly think the first replacement I got was complete rubbish, but the one I finally used seems good stuff. Thanks for all the help, Mike

Cheers Ruxy. I suspect the £13 replacement fuel pump I've used may well indeed be rubbish... The lift pipe is clear, and so as far I can tell are all the pipes. It's all a bit of a mystery, but I'll try again when the new pump is fitted. Watch this space I guess... Thanks for the suggestions, Mike

I've always had to manually pump the fuel pump on my Lightweight to get fuel to the engine to start it off. However after not driving it over the winter, no fuel was coming through at all, even into the glass reservoir under the fuel pump. Having taken the whole thing apart several times I can't find a blockage (even though I did have cruddy petrol in it last year). My immediate question is this. When the fuel pump is off the engine, and connected to a fuel supply, should it draw fuel into the reservoir and then pump it out the other end? Any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated! Mike

I think the Dien Bien Phu M24s are still there, as a form of memorial. A quick google brought up this website: http://www.chars-francais.net/new/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Itemid=41 It's in French, but if you scroll down there are modern pictures of Bazeilles, Auerstadt, Saumur and maybe others.

Hi Ruxy Yes there seem to be a few of us up here holding the line against the hordes north of the roman wall...;-) Must be something to do with all that space we have! Mike

Bil My FFR Lightweight is also ex-TA, although RE rather than RA. When I was fitting the equipment rack for the radio gear behind the seats, there were no holes drilled in the sides of the rear tub. This led me to assume that it had never been used as a radio car, but as ruxy suggests may simply have been used as a GS. Does yours have any unfilled holes? Just a thought! Mike

A guy who was looking at my Lightweight told me that several had been airdropped by mistake into the middle of one of the wooded areas in Otterburn. They were so inaccessible that no attempt was made to recover them. Could be an urban myth of course...

An old thread I know, but the trial of the guys concerned is over and they got four years: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/8046357/German-tank-theft-pair-on-the-run.html And apparently the tank in question was never found...

I hope no-one thinks me disrespectful if I add my own recollection of the really extremely high quality of some of the people who would have reinforced BAOR in the event of the balloon going up. I'm afraid it's more Dad's Army than Rambo but there you go. In 1984 in my first term at uni I was tempted into the RAC wing of the OTC by a combination of an early morning visit from a beguiling young woman, a picture of a Fox (armoured car, not another beguiling young woman) and the prospect of lots of riotous dinners at the mess. (I realise I'm not doing much to dispel any Rupert-like images people may have). We were equipped with two Foxes, one Saracen and the remainder in Ferrets, and although I wasn't really aware of it at the time (!) our role was to be part of the recce element of a TA Brigade (49? 59? Can't remember). For various reasons I missed quite a bit of training, so when we went on exercise for the first time to Stanford Training Area I was assigned to the Saracen as commander, which essentially meant poking my head out of the top occasionally. The Saracen was notoriously unreliable, fuel blockages I think, and on the way to STANTA we were on a public road doing about 15mph, inevitably picking up a long tail back. As it was my job to poke my head out of the top I got the benefit of all the p***ed off drivers overtaking, so in a desperate attempt to make our feeble speed seem deliberate I got a pair of binoculars out and scanned the horizon as if it was really really important to see what was happening there. When we got to STANTA things quickly degenerated into farce. We were put through an imaginary NBC attack: one guy closing up his Ferret forgot to move his hand out of the way as he slammed a hatch shut, nearly severing the tips of several fingers; one other guy couldn't breathe when he put his gas mask on, but rather than either (a) indicate he had difficulties or (b) take the mask off (it was only an exercise after all) opted instead to © run out of breath and pass out. Subsequently another Ferret in the bottom of a valley drove over a tree stump, severing the brakes and immobilising it. For some reason we couldn't recover the crew, and they had the immense joy of spending the night underneath a live-firing mortar exercise. Owing to the rather high number of casualties I was moved onto a Ferret. I'd had almost no training, but was asked to drive it back to HQ. I'll never forget learning to use an upside down steering wheel and a pre-select gearbox for the first time while driving along a busy A14 on a Sunday afternoon... Anyway, I have enormous respect for the guys properly on the front line, then and now, I'm sure my experiences only go to prove the importance of having a proper professional army! Mike (O Cdt (retired)!)

Fascinating reading about it from the guys who were there - thanks. I don't imagine you would have realised it at the time, but while you were busy preparing for the Soviet invasion that never came, every time you went on exercise during the 70s and 80s the Soviet leadership was increasingly convinced that we were secretly planning to invade them. The culmination of this was Able Archer 83, which was I believe more of a command exercise than the full-on job with tanks and the like. The Soviet leadership really really thought they were about to be attacked, and supposedly it was the closest - after the Cuban missile crisis - that we came to nuclear war. I guess knowing that might have made those exercises rather less fun... Wikipedia on Able Archer 83 here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Able_Archer_83

Peter The best - almost the only - real description of CVR(T)s in the Falklands that I've come across is in the Blues and Royals history by J N P Watson. Unfortunately the vehicles are only described by their call signs 23 A, B & C and 24 A, B & C, and although there are some photos I've not seen elsewhere you can't make out the VRNs. And I say that as someone whose Scorp hull is apparently 02 FD 78, which was in service with the Blues and Royals in 1987! (My turret definitely has sand paint under the green, so there's a reasonable chance it was in Granby, unless anyone else can suggest desert use for a Scorp). Cheers, Mike

29 Commando Light Regiment, Royal Artillery, was very much part of 3 Commando Brigade. Just prior to the conflict they'd returned to the Citadel, Plymouth, from Norway with their 105mm light guns. 7 Battery nearly fired on an advanced party of 2 PARA at Fitzroy and Bluff Cove, and later on at least one gun from the regiment was moved up to Bluff Cove. Two batteries from the regiment also provided gunfire support for 2 PARA's assault on Wireless Ridge. Hope that's a help, Mike.

Wayne Not sure how useful this is, but your reg no is pretty close to my FFR Lightweight, 44 GF 32, which was produced in 1975 and apparently spent its entire life with the Royal Monmouth Royal Engineers (a unit name which sounds made up but isn't, also the only British Army unit to be Royal twice!) I have epic quantities of books on the Falklands, when I get home I'll have a look to see if lettering on the bonnet like that was common. Cheers, Mike

That looks enough fun to be worth any amount of work after

Cheers, Chris, interesting stuff. It's always seemed a little odd to me the idea of the British government selling off modern weapons, even as deacs. Now I guess most of the time they're not! The numbers on my LMG are UE66, the barred out number is (I think) RA2225 and the third number below it is A6976. Thanks again, Mike

I'll take that as a no then...although maybe I'd turn into Trilux Man, special power green tinted night vision with a pointy down arrow thing...perhaps not...

I've had a quick search and I don't think this question has been asked here before... Is it possible to reactivate an expired SUIT Trilux sight at all? I suspect that putting more gas in is impossible, but I recall seeing somewhere that potentially you can use an LED instead. Any thoughts? Cheers, Mike

Cheers for that, Chris. The one in the photo is in fact mine, badly photoshopped to avoid blinding everyone with my carpet pattern... As you say Chris it's an L4A3 converted from a Mk II Bren. The mystery perhaps is why there seem to be so few about, which is presumably why prices are higher than for standard Brens. Can't think why, given the relatively large number of SLRs and Sterlings around. Mike

No I agree. What he was worried about was the way they've had all the Bren markings etc scribbled through. It does look a bit unusual for a British Army weapon...

Funnily enough the dealer whose sold me a fair bit of gear told me he avoided LMGs as they always looked like they'd been butchered about. You can see what he means though:

I'm with CVRTNick and Degsy. The hull might have served in Granby, but the turret wouldn't. A bit like my Scorp, except my turret seems to have been in Granby but the hull hasn't.