Why are we here?

[John Pearson]

I do not mean I am searching for the meaning of life (answer 42) but what is your paricular interest in Military Vehicles?

In my own case, it is the mechanical engineering aspect: how a problem was solved and probably later re-solved once the enemy had reposed the problem. This means of course that I am as interested in a Daimler Dingo as a Ferret, a 432 is as interesting as a Bren gun carrier and of course a steam gun tractor from the Boer War would trump the lot!

Go on: let us know what EXACTLY it is that you find facinating.

[Richard Farrant]

In my own case, it is the mechanical engineering aspect: how a problem was solved ......

 

John,

 

I am along the same lines as you. My trade has always been in vehicle engineering, with 32 out 39 years working on military vehicles. The hobby came along around 1978 when a friend was looking for a jeep to restore and asked me to look one over. He eventually bought a Morris Commercial and I helped him restore it. I am interested to see how some of these vehicles were designed, sometimes in only a matter of months and how advanced the thinking was. You mentioned the Dingo, a particular favourite of mine and a vehicle which I have restored a good few of. Now the design of that was superb and the forerunner in basic transmission design to practically all British wheeled armour up to the Fox in the 1970's.

 

I could go on, but its getting late, will have to continue this another day!

 

Richard

[Joris]

My primary interest is in WWII and to have a WWII vehicle is something I wanted for the past few years. It did open a whole new world for me, I knew nothing about cars before I bought my Dodge and I've learned quite a lot in the past 2 months.

[Degsy]

After WW2 ex-military vehicles were to be seen everywhere, all garages

seemed to have a Chev, Ford or Morris with a crane, usually home built,

farmers and hauliers used anything they could snap up but the local council capped them all with a fleet of Diamond T's fitted with huge vee

snowploughs. As a small boy I was hooked and when at 6 or 7 years old

I was given a book about WW2 it started a lifelong interest.

[Guest matt]

For me it's the history behind the vehicles but also the engineering aspect.I have always been interested in military history and old vehicles,starting out with BSA's and early series Land Rovers.these two interests eventually came together into MV collecting.

 

Matt.

[Big Al]

Very simler lines to john history,engineering the question why did they do that :?: and working it out ,The development from ww1 to present day MVs the dingo has richard already said is a good example 40s design still in use in 90s. Post- war mvs intrests me being ex-army and served in some of them. Being involed in bring them back to life its good therpy in it's self

Alec

[tyler]

I got into it purely because I like taking stuff apart and learning about how stuff works, also I like physical expeience of driving them and seing the vehicle evolve, be it from a wreak to a restored vehicle or just seing it evolve over a show season, plus the rest of the experience that has already been said.

 

Tyler.

[fv1609]

I became a licensed radio amateur in 1964 as G8ADP, with an inevitable interest in UHF & microwaves. Results were much better being on top of a hill to squirt a signal to someone on another hilltop. A minivan had its limitations but by 1977 I was able to afford a Land Rover to take me to mountains rather than just hilltops.

 

The functionality of the Land Rover appealed but over the years I was bugged by the problem of nosey parkers reporting me to the police. In those days microwave dishes were quite unusual things & one has to remember the anxiety that I might have been a member of the IRA or a communist. But I am sure such people had more subtle ways of communicating, than doing in public. But public spirited busybodies were a curse. It occured to me that a military Land Rover would look more official so I bought a LightWeight.

 

The noseyparkerism dropped dramatically! A few persistant ones would draw up at some distance & monitor me through binnoculars which I found most irritating, if someone came up nicely & said "Excuse me this looks fascinating what's it all about?" I would have be happy to explain.

 

BTW the best treatment for nosey parkers is to carry a clipboard walk up to their car & write their registration number down, they will be off like a shot. If not write down the details of the tax disc or even "Excuse me sir is this your vehicle?" They do not like that!

 

Anyway Land Rovers came & went, then Humbers took hold. Then I took an interest in the documentation that authorised modification. Then a whole new hobby appeared on the collecting technical documents of the British Army. The document collection currently is over 100ft high. The trouble is I am often asked to do a copy of the manuals for a Humber well so far I have 346 different publications that relate to the FV1600. Its just not practical proposition!

 

So when I should be out there in the cold & damp doing mods etc I stay indoors hooked on this thing either doing articles on strange things like tents or the current one on the supply of water in the Army since 1840 or talking to you lot

 

 

.

[Dougy FV432]

Funny I was going to ask a similar question in as far as how did we all get involved with military vehicles. Mine started when I was young and my older brother had a plastic model kit for xmas. I went on then to start collecting and trying to do models. Then one day in 1997 I found out you can actually own a real one and started with a lightweight i got from a scrap yard. after that it just seems to snowball. The other thing I was wondering was if people get involved by family members, be it a father is interested and a son or daughter followed on, the reason I ask is that my son is 5 now and unfortunatly for him he sees it as the norm for his dad to have a tank, but fortunatly for me he likes it, I would hate it if he were to get interested in football or computor games. The one thing I do try not to do is force him into the hobby and only involve him when he wants and asks too.

 

Dougy

[John Pearson]

Thanks for all of the replies. In my own case, I graduated from Dinky toy Saladin and Bren gun carrier through a pedal jeep to Airfix tanks. My late father was an infantry Major during WW2 so I had an iterest in the period and vehicles but my real interest was in the mechanics. Poverty forced me to do my own motocycle and later car repairs and caused me to start a Degree in Mechanical Engineering but I discovered wine women and song in the first year so got chucked off the course. When I bought my first military vehicle in 1984 I could just as happily bought a steam train or a watermill (except they would have cost more money of course) but I am glad with my purchase, even though it took 20 years until I could show it off. Since starting with MV's, my interest has expanded to include production, history and use of each vehicle I own but the central core is always the mechanics: the first things I buy when I have a new vehicle is an EMER and a parts list! (Haynes manual if it is a car!)

[Centurion]

Hi all

 

I came to mv,s as a reult of a lifelong interest in anything mechanical. I was and still am to some extent interested in classic motorcycles and had thought about something from ww2. But then decided to buy a Jeep so that mrs C could drive it. What I like about it is the apparent mechanical simplicity compared to modern vehicles which even in small cheap ones have electronic management systems etc and the handbooks usually refer you to your nearest dealer. I know that all that is in the interests of safety but its overcomplicated and user unfriendly

 

regards

Centurion

[Degsy]

Hi John

How you ever contemplated restoring the remains of the Valentine is beyond me but you managed it and it is a huge credit to you.

 

 

Regards

Degsy

[Richard Grosvenor]

Hello,

I have to say I had no interest in getting a MV until I first saw a ZIL 131 at an agricultural sale about 6 years ago. It was another 4 years until I got one and then I was more interested in the vehicle itself rather than the fact that it was a Military Vehicle.

But it was a case of one is never enough so we started looking for another MV to go with it and stumbled upon the Ferret. Once we'd got a British MV my interest in the military side of it grew.

What I like about the MV's is the way function dictates form, everything is there for a reason, e.g.. An armoured MV has heavy armour to protect the crew, because it's heavy it needs a powerful engine, because a powerful engine uses lots of fuel it needs a huge fuel tank and so on, unlike a modern car where everything is a compromise.

I also like the way that a vehicles history can be traced.

But mostly I like the fact that other MV owners are a friendly bunch and always ready to lend a hand or a word of advice with any problems or questions I have.

 

Many Thanks

Richard

[John Pearson]

Hi John

How you ever contemplated restoring the remains of the Valentine is beyond me but you managed it and it is a huge credit to you.

 

 

Regards

Degsy

 

To be honest, I would never have started if I had realised how difficult it was or how long it was going to take. It was really a case that I didn't realise how little I knew.

Thanks for the positive comments though