LarryH57

My point exactly, Citroman!

Also a secondary shield suggests a blast protection set up.

An old friend of mine (since deceased) who was in the Fleet Air Arm in WW2, on a UK land base,was 'voluteered' with his mates, by his CO, to act as Crash Crew and used to have to deal with bombs that fell off the wing mounts of USAAF P-47D Fighter Bombers (on take-off) and they were literally dragged off the runway and dealt with later. A plough and some blast protection would have been better than what he had; ie his bare hands and a tow truck!

Also why Armour a vehicle for a simple cleaning job?

And yet with the plough on small wheels, it's not going to clean much as push larger objects out of the way. I dont think airfields were covered with logs and large branches or brick rubble?

This weeks mystery photo is from 1944 and shows a strange RAF Beaverette with a plough, but for what purpose?

It doesn't really fit the visual description of a snow plough.

As some of these armoured cars were used for crash rescue, allbeit in cut down form (as seen painted yellow in the 1944 Bomber Command film with Lancasters) so could this be used to push wreckage out the way or live bombs still onboard?

And what is mounted in the turret, some kind of water canon / Co2 / foam dispenser?

I guess it was a one of its kind.

Your thoughts.

Thanks all for your thoughts on this matter.

Yes Ferg, my point exactly.

My great grandfather died at the age of 62 in 1923 of old age and he looked like a very very old man in photos but I guess he had a hard life. Now a 70 year old is considered not so old as then, so the DVLA need to be told if they are intent on changing the law should start looking at the over 90s age group, some of which I know, who still drive but only locally, and relatively slowly.

For the non HGV drivers, I think the current system is perfectly OK. There is no evidence that the over 70s drivers are not being open and honest with themselves, let alone the DVLA,  if they have a condition that stops them driving.

I'm not yet 70, but even so, I did not drive last year after breaking my arm, until it was fixed. 

The trouble is like so many things, change is seen to be doing something when it isn't needed. Remember all the fuss there was over Homeowner Reports that sellers had to give to the buyer - ultimately the idea was dumped.

I think 'fiddling with the law' is the start of a descreat campaign by the government to get us off the road. Its OK to work till you drop age 67, 68 or older before you get a state pension,  but in the interim we will make life difficult for you if you live in a 'one bus a day' rural area

This one is for RAFM  / Bryan.

A photo I mentioned on another post - a Commer Q2 4x2 2 Ton Tractor (and Taskers Queen Mary trailer) said to be from 9 MU(?) 

Why 49 over 41 ? Not a standard marking. Below the 41 appears to be  a bridging plate of 9 / 5 and if so is the circular marking on the drivers mudguard in use or blank?

Also there is a split in colour or between matt and gloss

The DVLA Link is now fixed so have a go in English or Welsh!

Dear Members,

As you may be aware at age 70 in the UK you have to renew your Drivers License with the DVLA

The Secretary of State for Transport is looking to change the law, and reading between the lines it may be a synical way of getting older drivers off the road with a medical and tests etc, instead of relying on self declaration. In my IMHO people aged 70 (and possibly still working) are a different ball game to a driver aged 90 years or even 100 years old.  The insurance industry is of the opinion that new drivers aged under 25 years are the highest risk and not older drivers who typically drive locally, especially in rural areas rather than on motorways. Of course I want drivers to be safe and capable but I dont think a change in the law is needed so I have said so in this survey. Its worth doing as I believe it could seriously disrupt the lives of people who dont live in Islington! Is it a way to achieve Net Zero Carbon?

Interestingly the survey asks about what is done in other coutries, so for any EU based members, please post details of what they do where you are located.

DVLA Survey below ends in October 2023

https://online1.snapsurveys.com/s3dxzw  (new link added in place of the original)

Kind regards

Larry

Apparently about 1,000 were made for the RAF but I guess like the Austin K2, had only a 2 ton capacity were not so good in civi life.

I guess adding water, to my petrol tank is going to be too risky for a guy like me, wondering if thats all the water coming out or is it still watery petrol, and suddenly I have drained the tank?

I know there was a video on here from YouTube showing how to remove the ethanol from petrol using a large clear plastic container, circa 5 gallons but trying to do the same in a non see through LR fuel tank is risky.

I seem to remember the water could be coloured/died, so that once all the colour has gone, its just petrol?

And what stabalizer do you recommend for the E5 petrol it uses?

The Dennis AM30/40 cwt was built for the RAF and used in the UK during WW2.

Despite it supposidely being common, I have only ever seen one clear photo of one, shown below.

Do any others exist? 

Guys, thanks for all the info on laying up a vehicle. To be honest it seems quite involved, and so I have made a concious effort to 'escape all other commitments' and use the Lwt more often. Amazingly it fired up first time and I drove it on the road again, since February.  Luckily it is classed as Historic, so is ULEZ exempt and has lasted longer than ALL the cars, I have ever owned.

Peter and Bryan,

Thanks again for your comments. I appreciate you take on the colours as to be honest they are strange.

However as the title suggests people might ignore orders for the the following reasons, typically total ignorance of what was expected, next confusion with previous orders (we always do it that way), "lack of the right paint Sir", well do your best with what you have! And finally experimental reasons but rare at unit level.

Bryan, I appreciate your comments but seeing as the rest of the colours in the photo look normal I wonder if the colour film of the time showed just one colour wrong in a location such as the upper body , that could so happen to be painted in the only colour left in stores or by not so much a rebel but a someone mistaken when told to paint the 'upper surfaces' in a contrasting black or dark brown and opened a tin of Camouflage Green G3 instead?

The Type numbers for airfield tractors:

Due to work and other commitments how long may I not drive my Lwt?  what preparations will I ned to carry out?

Mad Dan,

It's the three piles couple of photos above my post, and the date it was posted was 23 May - the rusty pegs are on the left and more in that pile are bent!

In the photo above showing three piles of pegs, the bottom two piles are for a British Army 9x9 ft or larger versions like 12x12 ft

Some are typically bent.

I'm not sure about those with rounded tops.

This Commer Q2 has a base coat of M.T. Special Shade No.2, (the RAF version of SCC.2) but instead of Brown Dark (MT) 1A or Paint, P.F.U., Black Matt, it  has the camo as Green No. 3 

Why

It doesn't look colourised with the wrong colours, but a dark tilt is also strange.

In some views it looks dark brown and sometimes almost black?

Old post I know, but as far as I can tell the RAF used Norton 16Hs, the BSA M20 , some Ariel W/NGs and some Velocette MAFs (about which I have not no knowledge or seen).

I'm not sure about Triumph 3SW for the RAF, though a strange armoured vesion was used for airfield defence, I guess in the despirate days post Dunkirk?

Some of these types were 'with and without' side cars

An amazing bit of historical research!

Ted, thanks so much; I thought it was the same truck when I first saw it!

I guessed itwas early war period shot of a Bedgord MSC, dating from something like summer 1940, as their is no RAF Registration, and only the civi style plate.

I am trying to see what the offside disc is for, as it looks to be a bridging sign, but might be a Group Number applied in a circular pattern, which I have seen on a Commer & Queen Mary?

Is this an IWM photo with that May 1940 date attached?

This vehicles has a cab etc that looks like a Bedford MSC but the wheels don't. So is it an MSC or other Bedford type?

Perhaps its just an upgrade in the wheels and tyres to a more military pattern?

The doors on the Austin K2 are different, so its not a 2 Ton or ealier 30 cwt version

Also to my mind, it looks like it has started out being painted in RAF Blue, with RAF in white on the doors, and then had a rush job of sprayed camo, of Camouflage Green No.3 (bases coat) and Nobels Tarmac (Dark) Green No.4, which has worn off the cab. Does that suggest a type of paint used or 'incorrectly' used like building distemper?

Incidentally has anyone got any photos of an RAF Austin K2, 2-Ton Tender?

Now I am having second thoughts! perhaps this is an Austin K2