Interesting Long Branch No.4 MK.1*

[Peter Laidler]

Re your thread 30 Rob. That mark R/REME has been discussed at some length in an earlier thread including photos of same. Para 3 above........ If you're asking why this doesn't simply happen, then the answer is that I just don't know. The REME deal with the REME side of the Army and the Ordnance blanket stackers deal with the Ordnance - and disposal - side of the Army! But we do know that Z, ZF, BER, cast etc etc etc items do get into civvy street. They don't know why we mark stuff as we do and we don't know why they sell the stuff except to get a small financial return

Let me give you another example. Same meat, different gravy. One of my REME Sgt friends was told to get a team of 5 together to inspect 80 old Centurion tanks, of various marks and types/bridgelayers, ARV's AVRE's etc that were awaiting scrap/disposal in Germany. A middle east nation, 'on the eastern shore of the Med' with a distinct liking for Centurions had expressed an interest in buying them. To put it bluntly, they were, er....... totally, er....... shagged for want of a better word. To the extent that the large diameter wheel/bogie/track runner station bolts into the hull or boat of the tank had chattered or sheared or ..... anyway, the tanks were finished so far as we were concerned and in any case we didn't want them any more. They met up with the representative of the buyer who told them that they were buying them as scrap (part of the contract - which Eric was to ascertain) - and would by paying scrap prices accordingly. He also told them quietly that within a year 75% of them would be totally rebuilt, up graded, new Continental engines and be in A1 condition again. Which they were!

The story here is that we sell old equipment for a price. What the buyer does is entirely a matter for him. IF he wants to make a killing selling on scrap tanks for rebuild, or scrap rifles, marked ZF or BER or whatever for the unwary to re-use then so be it. The new Centurion driver doesn't know that a year ago his beloved Cent was scrap, awaiting the hot-axe and nor does he care because a bunch of expert technicians has fixed it. UNLIKE most of the scrap No4's

I don't understand para 5 but if I can say, then I only want to say it as it is 'in my opinion based on nothing more than my experience, sometimes backed up with the EMER where necessary' It does rankle some....., they tell me! But, take for instance someone wanting 'all correct parts' for his rifle then I waste no time in telling them that so far as every REAL armourer in the real world is concerned, we don't do concourse car shows, the correct part is the original bit you took off or the next correct fore-end on the shelf.

Para 6...... I keep reading it Rob but maybe it was a bit too rowdy at our boozy dinner yesterday evening to be fully awake yet.

Kind regards

[Surpmil]

Thanks for humouring us Peter; I'm going to read that a couple more times to be sure I've got it!