Somme Buttplate

[Peter Laidler]

Coooooool is underselling a car like that. It is a masterpiece. The idiotic thing is that I don't like huge cars but being an engineer, these big examples just seem to bring out the beast in me. The sheer quality of the, well.... everything. It's one of those 'words fail me moments.........

Thanks again Ed and all, a true sight to behold

[RobD]

I am off to the Somme battlefields in a fortnight. The attached is the basement of the B&B I shall be staying in.

[finloq]

I am off to the Somme battlefields in a fortnight. The attached is the basement of the B&B I shall be staying in.

That one is going to give me nightmares.

[Roger Payne]

Here's another cellar on The Somme....

ATB

[curly]

Personally, I wouldn't keep my rifles in a cellar, it's just inviting rust as these photos prove, has Roger got a licence for that? ;-)

Curly

[Roger Payne]

Doesn't belong to me sadly, Curly. I wish it did. I was just lucky enough to be able to hold it for a while. A local farmer unearthed it about 18m ago whilst ploughing a field between High Wood & Delville Wood, so I was informed.

ATB

[Amatikulu]

Roger, is that the remanants of a Vickers?

[browningautorifle]

Sure looks like one!

[enfield303t]

If anyone is interested in staying at a B & B in Ypres my good friend Peter stayed at Varlet Farm. The owner according to Peter was such a great person and they have many artifacts found on their farm including a Maxim. The email address is info@varletfarm.com. Oh yes I am not getting a free night for promoting this place. LOL

[Roger Payne]

I'll back enfield 303t on that. I've stayed at Varlet Farm a couple of times. Charlotte is a lovely person & will positively spoil you with home made food. She also used to let everyone have a little (harmless) battlefield souvenir, though I'm not sure if that is still the case. I'm now fortunate enough to have a little place near High Wood on The Somme. Although it's the other end of the British Sector of the old Front Line, it's still only about an hour & a quarter from Ypres, so I just drive up these days. It's quite something to drive the Western Front....

Yes, it is what's left of a Vickers. Brought to light after nearly a century. I was scuffing about on the site of the old Meteorological Trenches a few weeks ago & found a Webley Flare pistol. Being largely brass it's in pretty good nick. If anyone's interested I'll try & get some photo's of some battlefield finds. A French friend of mine dug a German trench on the edge of our village about a month ago & unearthed about 5 G98's, a couple of German mess tins, caches of both German & British ammo......it fascinates me, so if there's any interest amongst others I'll bring back & post some pictures. The flare gun I left in France as they don't require a licence of any sort over there....!

ATB