David Herbert Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 When things were at their most desperate the Home Guard often did not even have guns ! They were issued with wooden ones to drill with and expected to ward off the invading Germans with pointy sticks. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draganm Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 (edited) Draganm,Don't believe all you read! There is a vast difference between regular troops on Home Defence duties, 24 hours a day, and Home Guard volunteers who did their duties after work and were usually men who were past conscription age and many would have had previous army service, and experience. My father was in a HG unit and their weapons instructor had served in the Boer War and Boxer Rebellion and had been an instructor at the School of Musketry (as it was called in the early 20th century). They did on occasions train with regular units, but definitely did not have tanks. well I only have a passing curiosity on the subject but the Wiki article is interesting. According to them the HG or LDV were both a notable fighting force at one time, They are credited with shooting down numerous Luftwaffe aircraft and the V-1 flying bombs which followed them in the summer of 1944. The Home Guard's first official kill was shot down on Tyneside in 1943. The Home Guard in Northern Ireland also took part in gun battles with the IRA.[30] and at other times an object of ridicule and TV comedies. 1200 of them did perish from German bombs and rockets, so surely a memorial wouldn't bee too out of line, even if they didn't operate the vehicle on the pedestal? At any rate, might be more interesting than a plaque that reads "here's something we dug up" :-D Not a novel idea though, looks like "dads army" did finally get one in 2005 , small white rock with inscriptions http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/4142414.stm Edited November 5, 2016 by draganm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 i have mentioned the rickmansworth cromwell on this thread before and have been told by a few of the "old gang" of it's whereabouts. the story goes that a cromwell that was being pushed around a breakers yard fell into an old clay pit and was not worth digging out again, a few of the road wheels were removed and the radiators but the rest of the tank was left there and eventually covered up in rubbish and left to it's own devices. unlike a lot of buried tank stories i have no reason to doubt this is true. another forum member had given me the exact location so yesterday a friend that lives nearby went to look for the tank and found the ground was littered with the detritus of years of commercial use which tied in nicely with the story. there was no real chance of finding the tank as it's at least 3ft deep to the rear vertical plate (which is now horizontal). anyway we wanted to find the land owner so he went to the adjacent industrial site and asked a business owner. the guy gave the information and then asked if my friend had come looking for the buried tank it seems the tank is well known about. we will contact the landowner on monday and see what transpires! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surveyor Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 i have mentioned the rickmansworth cromwell on this thread before and have been told by a few of the "old gang" of it's whereabouts. the story goes that a cromwell that was being pushed around a breakers yard fell into an old clay pit and was not worth digging out again, a few of the road wheels were removed and the radiators but the rest of the tank was left there and eventually covered up in rubbish and left to it's own devices. unlike a lot of buried tank stories i have no reason to doubt this is true. another forum member had given me the exact location so yesterday a friend that lives nearby went to look for the tank and found the ground was littered with the detritus of years of commercial use which tied in nicely with the story. there was no real chance of finding the tank as it's at least 3ft deep to the rear vertical plate (which is now horizontal). anyway we wanted to find the land owner so he went to the adjacent industrial site and asked a business owner. the guy gave the information and then asked if my friend had come looking for the buried tank it seems the tank is well known about.we will contact the landowner on monday and see what transpires! All the best with your endevors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 thanks i'll give it my best shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Rick, in an earlier thread you said you wanted the British WW2 hitch I have, do you still want it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 yes mate, pm sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrier barry Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 Rick Please clear some of your PM. Tried to PM you, but your in box is full. Baz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Rowe Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 The trouble with the Covenantor from a collect-ability point of view is surely that it never 'did' anything, it was only ever a training machine, like Cavaliers. Is this picture not France 1940? Cheers Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 The trouble with the Covenantor from a collect-ability point of view is surely that it never 'did' anything, it was only ever a training machine, like Cavaliers. Is this picture not France 1940? Cheers Andrew. Probably.....but its an A13. Now I would be interested in restoring one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 baz sorry mate hadn't cleared out the sent messages. all good now. we contacted the rickmansworth landowner who didn't seem very approachable but maybe we caught him on a bad day. anyway we will keep on with it until we have an answer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draganm Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 we contacted the rickmansworth landowner who didn't seem very approachable but maybe we caught him on a bad day. or that's just his nature and why the tank is still buried there hopefully the winery owner is a good chap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Another interesting one http://www.lancers.org.au/site/Stockton_Bight.asp What turrets did they put on the LVT(a)4s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 What turrets did they put on the LVT(a)4s? The 75mm howitzer armed turret from the M8 HMC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted November 11, 2016 Author Share Posted November 11, 2016 yes the difficult landowners could have something to do with why both tanks are still laying there but don't worry i have a plan to shock and awe them if things don't work out. basically i will give the exact locations and owners contact details to every tank nutter within my reach and let then grind them into submission Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 I think that one of them might react by digging it out himself and then cutting it up just to prove that he won't be pushed around. However he is old and will die eventually. Then you get to start all over again..... David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1950 Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Rather Cynical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 The 75mm howitzer armed turret from the M8 HMC. cheers....wonder what the weight difference versus buoyancy was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 (edited) However he is old and will die eventually. When it comes to some, its the only solution. The luck is getting in touch between the time when the old guy who will not sell anything dies and the time his relations call in the scrappy to take it all away. I was chasing down an original Loyd gearbox and V8 engine, still bolted together as it had been when it was hauled out of the Loyd before it was taken for scrap (sad in itself) a few years ago. He wanted a huge sum a couple of years ago and I didn't need it, so I left it. I chased up this week on behalf of another Loyd restorer who wanted it, only to find that he had spent ages trying to sell it, had no takers, so split it up and sold it for parts to a classic car owner! Edited November 11, 2016 by ajmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draganm Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 When it comes to some, its the only solution. The luck is getting in touch between the time when the old guy who will not sell anything dies and the time his relations call in the scrappy to take it all away! there should be an app for that :-D Seriously though, it's extremely hard to get rare items under these circumstances. Same applies to old cars, the family that inherits the stuff either scraps or donates the vehicle and the time window to get in the middle of this is what, a few weeks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 state of play so far. the denbies vineyard owner has still not repiled to my earlier call, so i will give him a nudge today. a friend has spoken to the rickmansworth cromwell landowner but got nowhere fast, however as fate would have it another forum member and friend knows the landowner through work and has agreed to approach him on my behalf. when i get more info i will keep you all posted. i don't want these leads to die off and be forgotten about !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Lawrence Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Several posts ago I mentioned that I had the instruction manual for a Covenanter and a document regarding 9th AD that may have been relevant to the Dorking Covenanter. I am now gradually unpacking all my books and 'bumf' that were in storage due to a severe fire in my work room and stables and so here are some photos of them plus a photo of the original Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1950 Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Irrespective of the outcome the valuable information just keeps on coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draganm Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 (edited) no kidding, those manuals are amazing. I have to ask though, A Panda for a combat unit mascot to Strike fear into the enemy? , not too many people are deathly afraid of Pandas :-D Hey Rick I hope your Divining rod is in good shape "they dug for 4 days with a Hymac digger after locating the tanks with a Diviner. We couldn't use a metal detector because they were buried too deep said Mr. Welton. So according to the article, there is definitely one more there " in really bad shape" that they left, and maybe as many as 2 more on top of that in unknown, un-dug condition. Edited November 15, 2016 by draganm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted November 15, 2016 Author Share Posted November 15, 2016 tony thanks for your input and pics, i will include your newspaper cutting in my email to the vineyard owner. please don't sell the instruction book to a bookworm/collector, we may need it soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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