question WOA2 in a reservoir?

[woa2]

A story I am trying to get to the bottom of. I have heard this from several soucres and want to know if there is any truth in it.

 

During the drought of 1976, the water levels in a West London reservoir dropped, revealing a Ford WOA2. Reservoir could be the Staines, now Queen Mother's, or it could be one off the North Circular. The car could have been rescued, to be restored and was thought to have been reported in the local press of the time. Also I think I remember reading something in a 'Three on the Floor' magazine at the time.

 

Anyone help with any definite information on this?

[Pete Ashby]

A story I am trying to get to the bottom of. I have heard this from several soucres and want to know if there is any truth in it.

 

'Three on the Floor' magazine at the time.

 

Anyone help with any definite information on this?

 

Now there's a publication from the past Robert, I'll see if I can dig my old copies out for 1976 and see if I can find anything.

 

For the young readers of this thread 'Three on the Floor was not a 1970's sus publication on the top shelf :wow: but a vintage magazine that covered Fords and also started to cater for the fledgling MV movement of the time produced by the late John Carter.

 

Pete

[mcspool]

For the young readers of this thread 'Three on the Floor was not a 1970's sus publication on the top shelf :wow: but a vintage magazine that covered Fords and also started to cater for the fledgling MV movement of the time produced by the late John Carter.

 

Pete, that's what I like about the British: humour based on embarrassment, brought with a stiff upper lip as if nothing wrong has been said.

 

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more!

 

H.

[Pete Ashby]

Pete, that's what I like about the British: humour based on embarrassment, brought with a stiff upper lip as if nothing wrong has been said.

 

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more!

 

H.

 

Quite so Old Boy, us Brits have been demonstrating the finer points of our humour to our North European neighbours for 100's of years .........it has to be said mainly as a result of war........... Indeed on two occasions in the last 100 years we have successfully used it as a weapon against your Teutonic neighbours .

 

Regards

 

Chuckles

[Pete Ashby]

Found what you want Robert after blowing a huge cloud of dust of my copies of Three on the Floor and getting diverted looking at adverts for jeeps for £200 MoT'd and Doge Command cars for £500 drive away.......those were the days.

 

Right getting diverted again............ here's is the piece you wanted:

 

From T.o.t.F No26 July 1976 Editorial section reported by the late Dale Prior:

 

' we would imagine that the Ford V8 staff car recently unearthed in Staines South Reservoir will have more than just wiring faults. Dale Prior sent us news of this one (presumably a WOA2) which appeared when the reservoir was drained for the first time since 1943. One cannot help musing how the V8 came to rest in the Staines Reservoir? '

 

Pete

[woa2]

Thanks Pete. I vaguely remembered the story, but I've had people tell me the same story with details changed. I wonder what happened to the car?

Also, Staines reservoir was used by the Flame Warfare section during the war, so the car could have belonged to them. I wonder if it is still there?

[Tony B]

Thiose poor old resovoirs were used for everything from testing FIDO to de gaussing ship and ASDIC experiments. At one stage it was even proposed to use them for transatlantic flying boats, but we got Heathrow instead.

[Lauren Child]

Now that's what I call a flooded engine.

[N.O.S.]

One of these reservoirs has been deepened in recent times to give increased capacity by digging out gravel - may possibly have been the reason for draining this one in '76?