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German Tank scrapyard?


Jack

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  • 2 months later...

You have to wonder what all of that metal was used for, but I'm betting the value gained from it's re-use were far greater than the value of a museum piece these days.

 

It's sad to say from a restoration point of view, but at the time that much metal was probably worth a lot more in terms of getting civilian life running again.

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The situation in the Channel Islands in 1945 was that they were bankrupt. the variuos ordnace left behind, esopecuially mine feilds, ment the tourist industry and farming could not get back to normal. So most of the stuff was dumped. People did not want to remember at the time. The states of Jersey did store some equipment in a tunnel at L'Aleval, with a view to future display. However following a fatal acident in about 1964 when two young children were killed in the tunnel it was emptied by a team led by colnel Blashford -Snell, and sold for scrap or dumped. Liberation Day , May 9th is not nessacarily a celebration for all Islander's.

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Blashford Snell - there was a man. Whilst researching my book I stumbled across this page:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1514628/Ken-Mason.html

 

It refers to Capt The Rev Basil Pratt. He was padre to 15/19H when I joined in Omagh in 1976. There was a disco every week (Friday? Traditionally Army discos are on a Thursday so as not to interfere with the weekend, but on ops in NI I am sure the disco was on a Friday.)

 

On my first disco night I stood in the crush for beer in the NAAFI lounge (the queue was marginally shorter than in the bar) and found myself with an extremely close view of the back of the leather jacket in front of me, emblazoned "HEAVEN'S ANGELS". Stood in the queue, its wearer turned and, not recognising my cherry-boy face, introduced himself ebulliently with Sandhurst accent and hand outstretched as far as possible in the crush. "Hi. The name's Pratt. Basil Pratt. Pratt by name and Pratt by nature."

 

What a great welcome to the regiment. We stood and talked (well, he talked) for longer than was absolutely necessary. He great stories of his adventure with Blashers two years earlier. But what stuck in my mind was. "The leathers? I ride a BMW R90 (which was as big / good as it got in the 70s). Did you know, I can pull up at a red light and sit there for 30 seconds waiting for them to turn green without ever putting my feet down. Low centre of mass and perfect balance." If I had had any doubt before, there was none now. At the end of the tour and we returned to the mainland, first thing I did was buy my own bike.

 

Great stuff.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hi Neil - have you told us about your book? Come on, spill the beans!!:cellphone:

Yes I have told you about me book. I have finished about six chapters up to and including my return from Omagh where I had been section rifleman.

 

Started on Tidworth as a Scorpion crewman and came to a stop last September for my daughter's wedding. Never got going again. I had hoped to clock up a couple of weeks'worth on the holiday that I am just back from but ...

 

It will be called "A Tracked Armoured Car" due to recce crewmen spending their lives explaining to civvies that a CVR(T) is not a tank, it's ...

 

Don't hold your breath.

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