introduction Greetingss from Sweden

[alan869]

Hello all!

 

Just joined and thought I would introduce myself. Names Alan and will be 60 in December. Come from the south coast (Bournemouth). Joined JPC (Junior Parachute Coy) in 68 and after P Coy etc was posted to D Coy 2 Para that were then in Belfast (May 1970). Came out in 74 (too many tours to Ireland and having had a narrow escape after a nail bomb:red:). Ended up moving to Sweden in 76 and to cut a long story short went via auxillary nurse, SRN to doctor. GP. In a fit of nostalgia for a few years ago, started to get my old uniform back together. Had some of it left, like my original bergan etc. Bought a Lightweight Landrover a few years ago. It´s been renovated and goes really well. Other intrests are old cars (Volvo PV 444 1956, 144 1967 and a 1977 Stag). Old caravans and camping stuff (4 vans and a canvas fold up) 2 of the vans are from 1949 and I have one of the few remaining Willerby Vogues from 1957 (which has been totally renovated)

 

-Stumbled across this site really. We didn´t have many vehicles where I served . We had lightweights etc in Ireland though. There was someone talking about A41 radios and the back pack. We never used the regular army steel frame packpack. The A41 went into your bergan (along with a spare battery) Had to get everything else in there as well. The bergan you jumped with. I was the Coy clerk for a number of years. In the field it was my job to be the OCs radio man, so I´ve lunked and -tabbed- with an A41 many times:shocked: Would like to buy an A41 in good nick for the lightweight...... Hope I haven´t bored too many of you, cheers, Alan

[stevenivers]

Welcome along Alan

[robin craig]

Welcome along,

 

Nice to hear from someone who actually did things than someone who tells us what the manual says, classic example your radio usage.

 

Hope you enjoy the forum, please post some pictures of your kit etc and start some threads.

 

Robin

[GoranWC51]

Välkommen hit Alan,

 

Kul att ha en jämnårig här (Fun to have someone my age here) Blev 60 den 2 januari (Turned 60 Jan 2nd)

 

Are you a member of the MFHF (Militär Fordons Historiska Föreningen)? I helped start that club in 1981.

 

I live on the island of Lidingö.

 

Göran N

[shane.c]

Welcome Alan,

[Tony B]

Welcome in.

[alan869]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I´ve never been involved with military vehicles before either in Sweden or elsewhere. The lightweight was an impluse buy as the guy who renovated it showed the renovation as he was doing it on the Lightweight Landrover site. He then was forced to sell it and it was cheap, especially after all the work he had done on it. I flew over to Stanstead on Ryan Air and picked it up in Cambridge. Was supposed to drive it back via Harwich - Esbjerg Denmark - Malmo Sweden and then home (Linköping). When I got to Harwich I was told that the ferry had been cancelled due to bad weather so I ended up the following morning in Hook of Holland. Drove it nonstop from there to Linköping. Started off in Holland at 08.30 and got in at home the following 02.30. Only stopping for petrol and hamburgers. It was very drafty as there are no rubber seals on the doors. This was the beginning of November. My right leg was totally numb by the time I got home:shocked: