Adam Elsdon

It makes me laugh when i see motorways full of cars and trucks at standstill, and the buses go off in central london, when they get an inch of the white stuff, thats heavy frost where i live!

Crocs explorer on a lane up the road from me last year, you know its deep when you have to wear snow shoes to get about......

I have never been to W&P, although what i have heard doesnt sell it for me, a few reasons..and if you forgive a comparision with Dorset steam fair, which i havent been to, but sounds in my opinion, well worth going too...

Entrance fee to exhibit your vehicle, how do they get away with this, i believe Dorset dont charge.

The facilities at Dorset sound a heck of alot better, i.e. toilets and the emergency services base themselves at the event, i wouldnt of thought they have the same idiots on quad bikes problem.

And from another exhibitor point of view, if you are displaying a vehicle in an "Arena" for public display, ths show pays the fuel, whether that is diesel for your vintage Drot bulldozer, or coal for your steam engine as it "Adds" to the event from a spectator point of view.

And i believe the entertainment is second to none, so if i am taking the family, they are having just as much fun, as there is the variety.

If i was to travel down from Scotland, Dorset would be my destination of choice.

I believe that there is nothing officially sanctioned for white painting the wheel nuts. The Split rims and Hub nuts were painted red as required, to indicate fastenings that shouldnt be undone during a wheel change.

The white painted wheel nuts seem to have originated within units for ceremonial parades.

I have got to admit, i hate the Red and White wheel nut thing, it seems like vehicles fall into private hands and the next thing, Red and White paint all over the wheel fastenings.

Im not even keen on the Regulation red painting, i like to see the vehicle colour everywhere it should be, without the garish fantasy paint application.

You could buy this one for considerably less, no restoration required and works straight out of the box!

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?t=15980

Just read on the NEAM website that the Military Vehicle museum at Newcastle that has been closed for quite a while is co-locating with the NEAM, excellent stuff!

My Aunty who doesnt live a million miles from the NEAM is going to be getting visited more often! :-D

Thats good news mate, hope it spurs you on to getting the old girl up, out and running again !

Its not cold yet you pair of shandy drinking nancies !:n00b:

Now i have a mental picture of people dressed up as roughtie toughtie types, poncing about saying its a bit nippy!

Wave hello to the DH Vampire in the air cadets compound for me, i spent ages as a boy filling and sanding/rubbing that down prior to it been painted not long after it was first delivered by the RAF!

Found out some more info, reference Brigades and divisions that the Regiment served with. At what point he was moved to 2nd Battalion and why is still a mystery.

1st Battalion

Part of 11th Brigade in 4th Division.

23 August 1914 : landed at Le Havre.

2nd Battalion

Part of 25th Brigade in 8th Division.

6 November 1914 : landed at Le Havre.

The Great War Forum is excellent for researching, lots of knowledgeable people who are genuinely interested in helping find history on your relative.

The photos were taken on my Nokia phone! i was toying with the idea of displaying the certificates, but i may leave them sealed in a zip bag in a folder at the moment, the medals i intend to display, along with the photograph, i have also obtained an original WW1 era Rifles Brigade cap badge and i will mount them in a frame.

I am on the look out for a seller of extremely good replica medals or unissued items if there is such a thing, as i would like to get the Victory medal replaced and with the correct service details stamped around its edge, and a clasp and rose for the 14 star. I think the likelihood of finding a ribbon for Romanina medal is hugely slim.

I like this 1/35 scale Mk1 Pig from accurate armour, not cheap but its nice.

Cpl G.F. Elsdon was mentioned in despatches dated 7th Nov 1917.

So far i have come across nothing that mentions the whereabouts of the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade just prior to that date, and what actions they were involved in, if anybody can shine a light on that, it would be tremendous.

What remains of his medals, he was awarded the 1914 (Mons) Star with clasp and rose, the War Medal, the Victory Medal with oakleaf denoting his Mention in Despatches (MiD) and the Romanian bravery award.

His Regiment was involved in the retreat from Mons and the battle of Le Cateau, right at the very start of the war, and he would of been one of the original "Old contemptibles" he survived the great war and went to live back in Wallsend Newcastle.

The clasp and rose are missing from the Mons star, the Victory medal and MiD Oakleaf are missing and the ribbon from the Romanian award.

His Mention in despatches certificate, signed by Winston Churchill, and his Certificate for his Romanian Award "Barbatie si Credinta" clas 2. Both listed officially in the London Gazette.

Eventually, i have pictures, this is a photograph of Corporal George Forder Elsdon of the Rifle Brigade, it took a while to work out what was going on with his dress, but it turns out that he is dressed in what is known as "Hospital Blues" his records show him returned to 2bn Rifles 3 times, this generally indicates that he was taken off of the regiments records and then listed on his return, generally after injuries requiring a man to be sent back to England for medical attention. The photo was taken in Burnley, during one of his periods away from the front.

The colour photo is from an re-enactors site and is a very good example of the same Hospital blues uniform, this was issued on entry into a hospital, so that patients could be easily identified, and that the public could see that a man had done his "bit" also the normal uniform from the front was probably in a real state Mud blood lice etc.

enemy at the gates a great film :coffee:

Interestingly one website i was reading about Russian Snipers translated from russian, thought that they were portayed like idiots in the film!

Not so many as far as i can tell, the Germans, British or Americans didnt take on the Sniper role any where near as seriously as the Russians did, this translated into later doctrine during the cold war the eastern bloc countries had alot of sniper training especially compared with the wests forces.

I was reading up on this after seeing that film "Enemy at the Gates" i found the female sniper aspect interesting.

It turns out they were exceptionally lethal to the Germans

309 [inc. 36 snipers] Ludmila Mihaylovna Pavlichenko (54th rifle regiment)

~300 Natalia V. Kovshova and Maria Polivanova (528th rifle regiment) female team

242 Liba Rugova

155 Yekaterina Zhdanova

143 Inna Semyonovna Mudretsova

125 Tatiana Ignatovna Kostyrina (691st rigle regiment)

107 N.P. Petrova

100+ Roza Shanina

Vasily Zaytsev portrayed in the film wasnt bad, but he doesnt top the score board

242 [inc. 11 snipers] Vasiliy Grigorievich Zaytsev (1047th rifle regiment)

But nowhere near the top Russian sniper of WW2

702 Mihail Ilyich Surkov (4th rifle division)

The numbers at the start are for "Confirmed Kills" seems the actual total was far higher in reality.

Anyway here is a picture of the lovely Miss Pavlichenko with the tools of her trade, by my tally 8 female russian soldiers accounted for nearly 1500 confirmed German troops, which is an exceptionally effective fighting force by any means

Theres a post elsewhere on this forum, its a scan of a letter from Rolls Royce stating that unleaded can be used with the B40/60/80 Series of engines, as the valve seat material wont be affected by unleaded petrol.

Bugger there goes the neighbourhood! :-D

You can get plenty practice in the SMVG's own "Despatch" Magazine....er, I did say Adam.

 

See me after class laddie.:cool2:

 

Al Smith

 

The Scottish Military Vehicle Group

 

Al, I was going to give you a shout about something i'm thinking about doing, so whoa there and watch this space!!

Good to see another SMVG face on here!!

I am presently researching my Great Grandads history, i just recently came into posession of paperwork and photographs.

This is what i have so far, he was called Joseph Pattison and was Sergeant Major Band master to his excellency the Viceroy of India, i also have a Warrant certificate showing his promotion to Warrant Officer in-situ remaining the Viceroys Band Master.

His regiment was the Kings own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI's) and going by dates on envelopes and paperwork he was in Calcutta and Simla India at least between 1902 and 1906. I have a card listing a music arrangement for a function in 1905 at the Viceregal Lodge by Sgt Major J Pattison band master to H.E. Viceroy who was Lord Curzon at that time.

I am trying to find out his Army history in the KOYLI, but am finding it very difficult, ww1 and 2 are easy in comparison.

Also his post in India is quite high profile, but i cant find anything out other than the info i have.

Any help would be appreciated!

I was going to post this in another thread, which has closed, however, does anybody have experience in writing articles for magazines and having them published, what sort of format do they want them in, what about pictures and copyright, on your own and archived photographs.

I see it regularly about mags wanting articles, or people saying if you can do better submit one, but i have never seen anything about how they would like that.

I did do one for the EMLRA (Ex Military Landrover Association) quite a few years ago, alot of words about Land Rovers in service, bunged it in, and it was published the next month, with no changes whatsoever! either it was brilliant, or they probably needed something to pad it out!!

Anybody out there who would like to give myself and others interested in this a few pointers..

Typical army gate guard with numerous coats of flakey paint, pain in the butt to remove with paint stripper!

A needle gun would probably be the ticket, not much to worry bodywork wise on these, if its had mechanics robbed it could be a pain though.

Didnt withams have an ambulance version a little while ago, the alleged last in service pig.

One of my colleagues at work, used to work in the paper mills, and just about everybody he knows has bits missing, and quite a few deaths while he worked there.

Thanks Ted for claryfying the point I was trying to make that BMC/Rrover supplied the red arrows pilots with transport, mind you some of thier cars could have been donkeys.

The Red Arrows used to have Lightweight landys painted up in the team colours, always thought it would be nice to recreate that and take it to shows, make a change from green.