Where do old anti aircraft guns go?

[simonm]

Just come back from exhibiting my Saracen at a local country fair, got talking to the chap that ran the roundabout, all of 83 years old and lived next to one of the US airbases between Royston and Bishops Stortford in Essex. He said that they started with Lightnings and eventually had Flying Fortresses based there, when the Americans moved out, he said literally overnight abandoning a huge amount of kit. The base commander had told the locals to help themselves, including to a load of jeeps! Going on from this, apparently Studebaker Weasles are no good as agricultural vehicles!

 

( A little bit of research, I'm guessing RAF Nuthampstead)

 

Being a fairground enthusiast - though a retired Farmer - he said that after the war, many of the anti aircraft gun bases were converted into fairground roundabouts! More than that, the octopus, thats the one with the hydraulic rams that make the capsules go up and down, again from anti aircraft guns, what better use for the rams !

 

On the smaller more gentle roundabouts, the drop tanks from fighter planes were in turn converted into the kids space ship / fighter planes. He said that during the war, if they came a cross a drop tank, this would be cut open and used as a rudimentary boat!

 

As to Saracen's, one ex Saracen driver who used to drive them in Northern Ireland, recounted how he arrived in Belfast, totally forgot about driving on the left - no real clues in sitting in the middle - and rather irritated the locals on his 1st patrol. Also when driving along parked up roads, the protruding wheel stations made a mess of the sides of the cars. Another chap who was a trooper often in the back of Saracens, how in a convoy of three, the rearmost one was blown apart by a 1,000lb bomb (IED) his, immediately in front was pushed forward by the blast.

 

Talking to people like this makes displaying worth it!

[Locolines]

Well, there's one in my garden !

[Gerry275]

Thanks simon for the info- sounds an interesting day and Locolines, what a great answer:cool2:

[simonm]

And to finish off the day, on the drive home she (12 tonnes of Saracen) conked out, just managed to coast away from blocking Faversham Road in Newnham. An awful noise, black smoke and then petered out and stopped! My guess was a vapour lock but that didn't explain the noise. A vapour lock as it was a very hot day and we had been going up and down hills and valleys. After a rest for an ice cream and to cool down she started but still made a huge noise, but not when idling. I got home - maybe I shouldn't have driven - but turned out to be a loose exhuast bracket, a bit of tightening, and all okay. I'll put it down to a bit of excitment. A bit worrying at the time!

[Redherring]

Have a Bofors-gun jack attached to a flat-top trailer for use as a portable table for a timber mill; can also cart three round hay bales. Dad bought two at a farm clearing sale in the 1950's. Robert

[armouredfarmer]

My first boss used anti aircraft gun and predictor parts to make theatrical revolve control systems back in the 60s. If I remember the revolve for the original production of "Oliver" was done like this, I have vague memories of setting it all up when it went into the Albery Theatre in the late 70s. You had a knob to turn on the control to set the required position, and when you pressed the go button the revolve turned to match the position the knob was pointed to.