Morris vehicles and Daimler Armoured Car at Cobbaton Combat Museum

[Paul S.]

I could see it working early on when they were up against the Italians with their light tanks and infantry, but not later on against the Afrika Korps and their heavier armour, better gunned tanks and effective anti-armour guns and tactics.

I can imagine them getting around the open flank of infantry in the line or a rear echelon formation, coming at them from their rear. Then run in gunning everything in sight while racing around getting and sending the intel, and dashing off over the horizon. That would work for lightly armoured scout cars.

Still, it sounded like 'desperate times call for desperate measures' that not many would be up to doing, and those were desperate times. For that, I had and have the greatest respect for them.

[Flying10uk]

If I remember correctly the Daimler from Swindon had no engine in the 1970s and the Army use to allow it to be borrowed, provided suitable transport was arranged, to attend a few selected shows. Somewhere I have a few photos of such an outing which I will up-load if they can be found. I believe that some-one once told me that the Dingo was the starting point for the Ferret design but I don't know how correct this is???

[bigduke6]

To be really honest and truthful, but it's got to be said........ but....... Those dusty bird sh...... muck splattered vehicles in a nissen type hut don't look museum quality to me. Sorry to say it........ But they deserve better.

They need to take a lesson from Alpaca Andy and his half track and the man from Qld with the Australian grand old lady, the magnificent Centurion

The vehicles at Bordon didn't fare much better in the end Peter, believe some were sold off too, there was a Matchless G3L for sale recently that was from Bordon but don't know if it was recent disposal or not.

The problem is and I,m guessing the museum that Flying10uk mentions is probably a private run one and relies on donations etc.......its a case of someone building up a collection and then run into storage problems and not being able to maintain them correctly, I always dig deep down in the pockets at such places, there is one in New Brighton on the Wirral (Perch Rock Battery) which I remember as a kid when my Dad took me, it did have some real nice displays, one I remember was the Uniform and a Lugar of a German pilot, I returned there last month with my Daughter (although her interest was Bubble world further down the beach front, I did a deal with her.......) the uniform is long gone etc, but a wheel and tyre of a Heinkel is still there plus others washed up on the Mersey, he has done an Aviation part mostly engines and parts from wreckage etc which is good, But other areas are none Military which I think let it down.

It had been around 36 years since I had been there, smaller than I remember but everything is bigger when you were a kid, (still think Curly whirlies have been cut short though).

[mrclark303]

still think Curly whirlies have been cut short though.... One of the great conspiracy's of our time Geoff!

Probably some EU dictate ... My mate's dad donated quite a few artifacts to the Fort, (I haven't been there for 35+ years now) from RAF Halton, its amazing what they "dumped" for burial or scrap back in the 1980's there.... things then got moved from the dump, into an old Volvo estate and off to quite a few museums in the UK!! Top bloke.

Back in the days before health and safety, some RAF bases, particularly MU's (I assume Army and Navy facilities too) were really badly contaminated with buried scrap and chemical waste.

I remember aircraft being scrapped at my local RAF MU back in the 1970's, hydraulic lines cut and fuel tanks drained and aircraft allowed to "bleed out" onto the grass over the weekend prior to scrapping, they did this for years and years, one can only imagine the soil contamination there now.

A lot of interesting finds came out of that dump too to be fair!

Sorry to go off topic guys..

[browningautorifle]

Sorry to go off topic guys..

It's OK...that almost never happens here...

[Flying10uk]

Tim and Preston who run Cobbaton Combat Museum always make ex-service personal very welcome especially Berma Star Holders and they hold a V.J. Event in August with a good selection of visiting ex military vehicles on show.