the old wartime photos thread

[louthepou]

Blimey Mk7, that was quick! Just remembered the EME's name too. Capt Hodgson. A week or so later, someone accidentally reversed the fitters old, clapped out Half Track into his land rover and crushed it against the wall of the workshop. Happy days

How great a picture of this would be...

[Peter Laidler]

Even funnier was the fact that at the rear of the REME half tracks (we had them until 1972 or so), were the winch pulley roller thinggies that allowed the winch cable to swing left/right/up, over the top to the jib etc etc. They were marked with the winch makers plate which I think was WITICHA WINCH Co or something like that. And very neatly, deeply reverse embossed into the stoved in door and rear panels of the Land Rover were the words - in reverse WITICHA WINCH Co. USA

[Donzi]

Could it have been Wichita Winch Co, As in Wichita Kansas? Just a thought.
Donzi

[Peter Laidler]

Could be Donzi as these were Lend Lease half tracks, left hand drive and all steel with big steel box bodies on the rear. They were VERY cold in the winter.

If I remember correctly, the actual winch was mounted below the front bumper bar that was kinked upwards in the middle to clear the winch drum. The cable could be played out left, centre or right or under the vehicle to the rear, where it could be played out similarly. I took my track laying vehicle licence in one folllowing a bit of confusion as to whether it was actually a track laying vehicle! VERY versatile bit of kit. We replaced them with a fitters 432 vehicle (Your equivalent of the M113 vehicle) called a 434 in England....or as the crunchies used to call them, a 43-twice.

But Armourers lived in the back of an old Bedford QL Armourers lorry. Ours was 77YC16 or later a specialised Bedford RL lorry 36 ER 24. I wonder where they are now

[BEAR]

Picture of my friend's grandfather. He is the soldier on the left, Cpl (A.Sgt) Frank Shipperlee, Royal Engineers. The caption on the back says; "Cologne, April 1920".

All appear to be carrying SMLE Mark III*s, but the perculiar thing is they are sporting 1903 bayonets. I have been unable to get any background on that fact or the reason for it. They obviously did not trust Frank with a bayonet.

His medals - Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, are on display at his grandson's home

They appear to be a guard detail and as such the Non-Commissioned Officer (the Corporal) in charge does not attach his bayonet because he does not actually "stand guard". He keeps his bayonet sheathed but in the event that one of his guards should not be able to stand his watch, the NCO will stand it for him until a relief guard can be found.
BEAR

[Ken The Kanuck]

Gramps



KTK

[Mk VII]

using the cup discharger with a bound-up P-17

[Mk VII]

RN sailors and Marines pointing Ross rifles at a German destroyers crew during the scuttling of the High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow in Nov. 1919

[Thunderbox]

A photo I show to collecting newbies who are after a "mint, unissued early war dated WW1 SMLE"......





There is a worse picture somewhere that shows a corresponding heap of discarded webbing and personal effects about 20ft high....

[jmoore]

Just think, those are the rifles that they kept! Its remarkable that any survive w/o replacement parts, let alone in "newish" condition. Post war rebuilding programs were very "efficient".

Its one thing that makes collecting arms of the "losing" side rather "easier", between the war trophies, and the warehouses full of "obsolete" arms that never received overhaul, matching and "correct" weapons seem more likely. ( At least until careless import/exporters and Bubba start messing w/ 'em!)