LarryH57

As you can tell I'm doing a few jobs in lockdown, waiting for the world to return to normal! Anyway I have a Lwt heater fan motor off a Smiths heater that needs a bit of TLC. The top cover, which encloses the motor brushes is caked in paint on the outside but the inside is fine. I want to put paint striper on outside only but will masking tape or gorilla tape actually keep out the Nitromors out? Incidentally is there anything else that might need attention? The brushes still contact the motor. The motor spins but it may be just me but I think it spins slower than the new one.

Well the Speedo works and I am just at the point of reassembly, and the rubber fixings would be a nice addition and a new blue lense, as it is broken at the back. And BTW when the dial is fixed with the correct screws and rhomboid rubber patch in place the dial face still seems to be slanted. Is this to be a bit more visible to the driver?

Guys one last question! The attached photo shows (bottom right) two of the three surviving rubber fixings that go over the end of three 'stalks' in the casing that take the Green Blue and Amber lights. I can only guess they are to shield the lights. However these are falling to bits, so does anyone on here know the part number and a source for them? Also the lenses for the Green Blue and Amber lights look to be held in by a tight fitting washer on the reverse side, but how do these come off as the blue light is broken and in need of replacement?

Thanks Fulltilt, My Lwt was built circa November 1980 and is a 2.26L GS. So I'm told the speedo would be in Kms for that time period, and I'm sure the one I am working on is the original fit and is also in Kms. Any clues over the reason for the internal colours of blue and white? And also what to use to secure the glass? As for the spare Britpart cable I own I guess you are correct, it's better for a S3. However by holding the speedo cable vertical with the speedo balanced on top I did get it to work nicely and with the cordless drill set to turn anti-clockwise, I got my speedo to maintain 40 kmph nicely. I guess its time to reassemble it now.

For some reason the speedo in my Lwt stopped working but it wasn't the speedo cable, as with a spare speedo installed everything worked as normal. Anyway I decided to take the old speedo out and take it apart. The first thing I noted was the inner surfaces of the casing were painted light blue and off white. But why was the inner surface painted like that as they are not seen when the speedo is put back together and installed in the Lwt. Is this original to the factory? Its made by Smiths and I'd like to restore things as near to factory fit as possible? On the rear of the casing under the makers name it says 'None O Jewels' - what the does that mean? When I took the speedo apart the glass was held in place in the inner rim by a substance resembling coal - whatever it was had crystallised, and I would appreciate knowing what's best to use that won't ooze out when the glass and outer rim are put back in place and spoil the look or turn to 'coal' in a year or two. Lastly to test to speedo I took a spare speedo cable part number 579435 and connected the gearbox end to a cordless drill. However despite using the correct speedo cable (i hope) I could not get it to engage in the back of the speedo itself and i wonder why in my speedo mechanism there is a recessed ridge all the way round the drive (just down from the yellow part in the attached photo) that doesn't have any way of connecting in to the speedo cable end. I guess the speedo cable needed to be pushed further in but I could not move it in any more so the cable did not engage. Why? Thanks

Hopefully Bryan will have access or is everyone in the RAF Museum working from home?

Graham, I spotted this book on line- if someone has it already they can check for photos for the 1946 Div sign. https://www.amazon.co.uk/QUEENOS-ROYAL-WEST-REGIMENT-1920-1950/dp/1845741501/ref=pd_lpo_14_img_0/257-6921451-9192103?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1845741501&pd_rd_r=e77a7302-5a86-454f-a5a3-56769a4f3a44&pd_rd_w=78SDu&pd_rd_wg=imaub&pf_rd_p=7b8e3b03-1439-4489-abd4-4a138cf4eca6&pf_rd_r=FXHMXEEZW3X1PMT1M7RP&psc=1&refRID=FXHMXEEZW3X1PMT1M7RP BTW Wally - I guess you meant drivers side in Europe is the OFF side and the passenger side would be the nearside the side nearest the pavement. So that means for this Jeep Graham has to paint the Div signs on the passenger side front and rear?

Wow! DBG and brown! I would have sworn that it never existed!

Dumb question but if a Jeep is parked on a British road, is the near side, the side with the drivers seat so nearest to a British kerb?

Graham, I cannot think of any other markings other than the M registration numbers in standard locations plus Y in a black circle and 62 on Green square. Do check if the Div sign is offside or nearside.

Well there you are, with what I hope is the correct AoS marking. One last check is to see if the 87, 60, 61 and 62 markings and all the others were not superseded or changed for security reasons in the immediate post war period. Hopefully, there is another post war BAOR expert who may know. Have you tried searching for pictures of any vehicles in 5th Div at this time (or 15th and 17th Bdes) as if they correspond with the WW2 numbers for NWE, then it will be likely that 'Green 62' will be correct. That's why this site is great.

I reckon the listing for the 17th Bde you obtained has the regiments in the correct seniority, so the RWK were top in the 17th Bde as they were originally the 97th Foot from much earlier times.

Yes, the 15th Bde would be senior to 17th! Keep up the good work as you are now down to the final two Brigades, and the position of 2RWK in one or other of them - so a red or green square for the AoS! BTW - have you tried to get a full service history on your vehicle, as some re-built Jeeps last quite a while in the British Army

Dear Graham, Yes, the British Army would 'position' a Regiment as a Battalion in a Brigade by the Regiment's seniority typically based on its formation date in the Army. By way of example in 1945, the 13th Bde (the senior Bde) of the 5th Div had 2nd Bn Cameron's as senior Bn, followed by 2nd Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, then 5th Bn Essex Regt as junior regiment. From this you can plot the AoS which would have been 57 in white on a red square for the 5th Bn Essex Regt. Incidentally I have found that the 2nd Bn RWK were in 184th Infantry Brigade of 61st Infantry Div up to circa August 1945. This Brigade was the junior Brigade in the 61st Division but 2RWK was the senior Bn ahead of 2nd Bn east Surrey Regt and 1st Bn Foresters. So that would have meant an AoS of a white 67 on a brown square. However, 61st Division was broken up in Sept 1945 so did the 184th Brigade stay as it was or get broken up too, meaning a completely different AoS - especially if either 2RWK or the Brigade changed seniority in 1946 with the 5th Division.

I remember seeing this repro Mercedes Benz truck at Tony Oliver's museum and thinking how authentic it looked for a film that could have used any period truck and yet many war films made since 1980, made little effort it getting the right vehicles for WW2 Germany!

Dear Graham, Going back to basics I am certain that in 1946 the British Army still employed WW2 style markings, so apart from a vehicle number beginning with M, the Jeep would have carried the Divisional Marking, so a Y for the 5th Infantry Division but in 1946 the Div sign was changed to a white Y on a black circle, according to Howard Cole's book on British & Commonwealth Formation Badges. This replaced the Y on a Khaki Square marking. Next is the arm of service marking (assuming the WW2 / NW Europe rules continued). An Inf Div in NW Europe would have had Red Square for the Senior Brigade, Green for the next Bde and Brown for the Junior Bde. With three Battalions per Brigade the senior Bde used 81 for HQ, then 55, 56 and 57 for each Battalion in seniority, on a Red Square, the next Bde used 87 for HQ, then 60, 61 and 62 on a Green Square and the Junior Bde used 94 for HQ then 67,68 and 69 on a Brown Square. It was only in 1948 that there was a reduction in regular Regiments and Brigades, so I assume in 1946 the make up was the same as WW2 more or less. I could not locate the Bde that 2RWK were in during 1946, as this will determine the AoS marking and colour of the Square, either red, Green or Brown. Further study is to see in DBG colour was in use in 1946 especially for Jeep rebuilds. Also in post war period the British Army changed the vehicle registrations, so you Jeep may have ended up with a registration like Ashley's Jeep; 46 YJ 36 in place of the M number. Someone on here will know about DBG and new registration introduction dates.

Just a thought is DB green in 1946 a bit too early for that colour? Where was RWK in say 1948, so as to match DBG?

As I own a Lwt I am always aware that over time holes appear especially in the tub, which I wouldn't normally have the skills to fix them. However I saw this advert online, which might be of use https://sheinv.com/products/easy-melt-welding-rods. Keep up the good work all!

Are you saying that NAM has lost track of some of its exhibits?

Oops, I have asked the wrong question! Where are all the vehicles they own now, as they are not in the museum in Chelsea

Anyone who has visited the National Army Museum in Chelsea in recent years will know that it has been stripped of exhibits it used to hold 20 years ago, sadly making it a waste of a visit. However the NAM has a 'Study Collection' and I wonder where it is located and if its open to the public? https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?q=searchType%3Dadvanced%26advancedText%3D%26associatedName%3D%26unit%3D%26event%3D%26campaign%3DWorld%20War%20Two%26fromDate%3D%26toDate%3D%26productionNotes%3D%26keywordNotes%3D%26placeNotes%3D%26ot[]%3D12%26ot[]%3D26%26ot[]%3D2%26ot[]%3D40%26ot[]%3D29%26ot[]%3D4%26ot[]%3D25%26ot[]%3D33%26otArc%3D1%26otArt%3D1%26otBmu%3D1%26otEqt%3D1%26otWea%3D1%26otVA%3D1%26resultsDisplay%3Dlist%26page%3D2&pos=4&total=2259&page=2&acc=1998-09-79-1

After all this, Climate Change will still continue to be controlled by the sun (in the sky) as it has since the beginning. The Museum of London has records for last half million years, showing warming reaches a peak every 100,000 years approximately, and we are getting to be 1,000 year away from the top, followed by a plunge in to ice age. All this was going on well before the invention of man (and woman). However they did not have taxes in those days and we all know that paying more tax will save the climate and reduce the rate of warming. Plus Acts of Parliament are also something new and those that command that the a certain element on the periodic table (CO2) goes away will surely succeed, like King Canute and the tide.

Just a thought - if we are still under lockdown later this year when my lightweight needs its last MOT before its exempt on 1st Jan 2021 then I suppose I just proceed straight to exemption, if god forbid the situation is not back to normal by Christmas!!!!

Bryan, That list from 1944 would be very welcome, as would a list from 1939 so as to compare types in use by the RAF at the start and end of WW2

Guys, For RAF Vehicles in use in WW2 I have seen reference to AMO A143 /44 as being the go to list of RAF types as it was a list of bridge plates for each type. Has anyone go this list that they may share with members?