Well it has been a very busy summer down here in Cornwall. Unfortunately I have only been able to attend a small number of the many events that we have been invited to, so I am having to rely on those who attended for a lot of the information in this article.
But firstly restorations, my son was visiting a few weeks ago and he wondered what an AEC Matador looked like. I told him that I knew where there was one undergoing restoration in a back garden in Camborne, and I would show him. Round we went to Mark Simm's house and lo and behold the 'nude' Matador of a few months before was now hiding modestly in a custom built shed. Mark tells me that work is progressing well with the restoration. The roof of his shed has been raised with help from MVT member John Roberts. He is also very grateful to member and ex Matador owner John Clee and his wife for the donation of enough spares to overload Marks Land Rover and trailer. John is also trying to locate some plans for the cab, so that work can start on that. Just so that you appreciate Marks task I would like to point that this Matador arrived as just a chassis with engine and transmission in place. The tyres were literally falling to pieces, the fuel tank was missing and even the steering wheel had rotted away. A mammoth task, good luck Mark.
Still on the restoration front, Darryl and Marina have been very busy with the ex Alan Bushell Piglet. They stripped it down to the chassis but before it could be shot blasted it was decided that the metal moth had done too good a job and it was scraped. Another pair of LWB Land Rovers were acquired, the ex-military one of the two had a good chassis and was stripped of all the required bits and pieces. When I saw it a few weeks ago the Piglet was a painted rolling chassis with engine and gearbox in place, well done Darryl and Marina.
Nick Vandy has also been collecting again, this time an 'Armoured Sentry Box', that Roger Lambshead heard was on its way to the scrapyard. Apparently it had been used in a quarry when they were blasting, but I suspect H&S regulations had caught up with it and brought about its demise. It looks like a giant Dalek, and because of its size I don’t think it will be attending many shows. Two new members have joined us, Stan and Richard Liddington with 2 Bedford RL's to restore, and a third awaiting collection. An ex Andy Roberts truck which will probably at least yield some useful spares. Hopefully we will see one of these once common post war vehicles out and about before too long.
Lastly many thanks to Adrian, Darrel and Dave who spent many hours restoring the area's second Ben Hur trailer. It is now in use carrying some of the mountain of kit that the area seems to have accumulated, and looks very smart indeed.
Now over to Steve and Sheila Perry who spent a week in Gibraltar recently.
11th July saw veterans of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, Somerset & Cornwall Light Infantry and the modern Light Infantry join veterans of various other regiments and corps on a tour of Gibraltar, as guests of the Gibraltan Government, to participate in the tercentenary celebrations of their coming under the British Crown. We stayed in the former Sgts Mess at what used to be Lathbury Barracks, a third of the way up the Rock. During our eight-day trip we were taken around a selection of the 35 miles of tunnels, the earliest of which was the brainchild of a former Cornish miner called Ince, which was dug during The Great Siege in 1769-1774. A further 29 miles were dug during WW11, many of which, today, allow for the passage of up to four-ton trucks. The spoil from these tunnels was used to build the runway. Throughout our stay we were treated as VIP's, saw the civilian as well as military sights, attended dinners and lunches hosted by their Minister for Transport & the Environment, the Mayor, The Gibraltar Regiment Association and the Royal British Legion (Gib). We visited Europa Point which was the barracks at which the then newly amalgamated Somerset & Cornwall Light Infantry were presented with their new Colours in 1963. We were proud to be invited to march in The Ceremony of the Keys, shortly before the Gibraltar Regiment carried out the Changing of the Guard at the Governor's Residence.
The people of Gibraltar are very proud to be British, and are also very proud of their association with the British Forces that have been such a dominant part of their lives for three hundred years. This is their way of showing their gratitude to the Services, and ensuring that British people everywhere know that Gibraltar's commitment to Britain is undiminished. Ten such tours have been organised for this special year. We, in Cornwall, now share our MEP with this distant part of Britain, which may well result in stronger links than ever with them.
Thank you Steve,now to the shows that we have been attending. Kernow Old Vehicle Club on the 10th and 11th of July was unfortunately very wet. A few of our hardier members went on the Saturday, but the Sunday was a complete disaster apparently, with everything closing down around mid-day in a sea of mud. On the following Wednesday it was RNAS Culdrose's annual Air Day. Once again we were invited to take a few vehicles, and 8 members attended. Unfortunately Graham Martins K9 Breakdown Truck disgraced itself and broke down! Very embarrassing, but all OK again now I understand. Everyone had a great time on the Sea King Simulator, many thanks to Chris Dunn our resident Sea King pilot. Apparently Andrew Smith, Simon's son did better than most of the adults. I know how difficult it is, I lost count of the number of 'crashes' I had at last years Air Day, though I do think Chris was a bit unfair expecting a rookie to land on an aircraft carrier after 10 minutes practice! Anyway thanks for arranging it all Chris.
Our next event was the Liskeard Steam & Vintage Rally at Boconoc Estate, unfortunately once again I couldn't make it, and once again it was wet. I'm told that it's a lovely setting and a very nice show and we had about 10 vehicles there including Richard Taylor with his GMC who I overtook going down the A30 on his way there on the Friday evening. Everyone enjoyed themselves and once again got a bit muddy. The following Saturday, 24th July saw Frank Volante and Jeep, Martin Mason and 101, our two DR's John and Geraldine and myself with the Ambulance at the unveiling of the memorial to the 4 crew members of a Beaufort bomber that had crashed exactly 62 years ago to the day. on the outskirts of Camborne. They had left RAF Portreath and apparently become lost in fog, and crashed into a chapel on the hillside. All 4 crew were killed and their names are now on this permanent memorial. A guard of honour from RAF Portreath attended the service, as did Camborne Youth Band.
Hayle Rotary Club hosts a nice little vintage rally. I have never been before, even though it is only 10 minutes drive away, so feeling suitably guilty for the previous years missed I went along. This year it was on the 31st of July, the weather was kind, and the show was nice and informal. Frank Volante won the award for the best military with his Jeep, again, (or was it for years of attendance) well done Frank. Others members who attended were, Lawson Kent ( Lightweight), Bryn and Gwen Jenkins (Mutt) and lastly Jeff and Jo Kitchen in a borrowed 1930's Austin saloon. Next for me was Carnhell Green, even nearer, unfortunately it clashed with a fund raising event that we were holding at home, so I took the Ambulance there in the morning, had a look around, and cycled back. I then collected it in the afternoon. By all accounts a good day was had by all, once again the weather was fine. About a dozen members attended and all received the usual very nice horse brass.
Next the West of England Steam Society's rally held near St Agnes on the 20th to the 22nd of August. This year Adrian Snell took on the role of 'Liaison Officer' with the organiser's, and we were given a lot more space than previously. We went up on the Monday evening to put up our marquee, and with only a fraction of the exhibits in place it was very muddy even then. At our meeting on the Wednesday Adrian confirmed that the show would go on, come what may. The forecast was not promising, and Saturday dawned damp and dismal. We arrived to a veritable sea of mud. Nick Vandy's Hippo wallowed in and out of it with no problems at all, as one would expect I suppose with a name like that, but we all got through to our area without any problems. Unfortunately a large proportion of the exhibits in the Commercial and Car sections did not show up, which was a shame as by the afternoon the breeze plus the work of the Steam Rollers had returned the area to something like normality. One of ours that did not make it was Ken Spurr with his Volvo Snow-Cat. This broke down a few miles away, after appearing to lose all oil pressure. So Ken arrived in his Iltis instead. Late in the afternoon we mounted a rescue operation, headed by Steve Perry with his ex RAF Seddon Atkinson and low loader. Martin Mason used his 101 to tow the Snow-Cat in reverse on to the trailer, to save hand winching it. When it came to unloading it in the yard where Ken works the unit was facing uphill and a gentle push had all 3 tonnes of it rolling off. After all of this Ken reports that he had it running again within a few days, so all thoughts of an engine swop were dropped. The problem apparently was fuel related. Sunday was supposed to be wet again, but luck was with us because the rain proper held off until the show was closing. We managed to pack up all the canvass in the dry, which was a great help. Before this our trio of GMC owners, Adrian Snell, Steve Allen and Richard Taylor decided that they wanted their photo's taken. Adrian and Richard even going so far as to fit twin wheels on to the front of their trucks to help cope with the mud they said! Richard Taylor has done an excellent job on his ex Band of Brothers Jimmy. When I first saw it at Bodmin last year it looked a bit sad, with steam coming from a leaky radiator, now it is all tidied up with lots of kit and looks very nice indeed. It was very nice to see John and Dave from the Gloucester, a long trip down by REO for a wet weekend. Also Kevin and Sandra Webber with their OY from Totnes in Devon, thanks for coming.
There were obviously not the numbers through the gate that there usually would be, but there were more people than I thought there might be after the poor weather forecast. All in all a good weekend. Dates for next year are 19th 20th and 21st of August; hopefully the weather will be better.
.
Mount Edgcumbe was the lovely setting for a bank holiday weekend show of military vehicles and militaria brilliantly organised by Steve and Sheila Perry. Unfortunately I had hurt my back and was out of action for this event, so I have cribbed the following from Lawson Kent.
Over the August Bank Holiday weekend there was a grand gathering at a stunning Cornish venue, Mount Edgcumbe Park, 865 acres on the Rame Peninsula, across the water from Plymouth (…and England).
Like Pendennis, Mount Edgcumbe has a military pedigree going back many years. In more recent times, in World War two, the house was gutted after being struck by incendiary bombs. Given its close proximity to Plymouth, this fact is not surprising. Rumour has it that Hermann Goering, who was something in the Luftwaffe, had earmarked Mount Edgcumbe for his country retreat, so presumably he would not have been best pleased when one of his more incompetent bomb aimers suggested they release their bombs when they did.
In the build up to the D-Day landings, troops of the US 29th Infantry Division, among others, used the area for preparations and training, and also re-laid the estate roads to accommodate their wheeled and tracked vehicles. Many men embarked from the area in 1944, and it was in their memory that the show was arranged. The house and park was open to the general public, and during the weekend many took the time to view the military vehicles, and to talk to their owners.
The exhibits provided a varied line up, from WW2 jeeps, and GMC's, and various small tracked vehicles and trucks, and on to more modern Jeeps, Austin Champs, and Land Rovers. Pride of place, as far as I was concerned, at least, was a magnificent Scammell 6 x 6 recovery vehicle, serious stuff indeed. However, all the vehicles on parade were a credit to their owners, and all the various tents and acres of camouflage netting provided a fine sight to behold. Apart from the POL point, and the vehicle inspection area, there was the WO's and Sergeants Mess, plus the HQ tent, where tea and coffee were in abundance…..as long as you had a mug! The more enthusiastic of the group spnet several days under canvas, while others preferred home comforts, and came for a day visit.
Many thanks Lawson. It may be that this will become a regular event, either annual or bi-annual to coincide with Navy Days at Devonport. The free ferry across the river was a big attraction and enabled large numbers of the public to get to and from Navy Days and the MVT at Mount Edgcumbe. Well done to Steve and Sheila Perry for all the hard work they put in organising this event.
The next event for this report was also organised by Steve and Sheila; this was the invite to RAF St Mawgan's Families Day. We attended this last year and this year was every bit as good. We had 23 vehicles on display just back from the runway. As it was just families and staff plus there was plenty of space to move around and see everything. The flying displays started soon after 11am and the most amazing from my point of view, apart from the Red Arrows, was the Chinook. It stopped in the hover with the fuselage facing up at an angle of about 45 degrees, the pilot then proceeded to take off in reverse, this plus the rest of the display was fantastic. I didn’t know that any helicopter of this size could perform such manoeuvres, a superb display. Once again thank you Steve and Sheila.
Mention must be made of Greg Sanders who after driving to Normandy and back in his 'tuned up' C15 decided to go to the Great Dorset Steam Fair. All went well until the return trip, which took some 19 hours for the 200 miles. This was due to the fan belt shredding and then the exhaust manifold gasket blowing. Anyway Greg sorted it all out and got home to a lot of ribbing, well done Greg.
Oakhampton Camp was the setting for the areas next outing on September 11th and 12th. This was organised by our friends in the Devon group. Eight vehicles plus crews made the journey for the weekend, and were treated to breakfast in the base cookhouse and welcomed into the NAAFI. They made trips onto the military roads that go out over Dartmoor. There were several regiments on the camp for the weekend, which added interest for all that visited. Hopefully it will be repeated next year as a good time was had by all. Thank you MVT Devon.
Also on the same weekend Steve Allen (GMC) Malcolm Batten and Harry Philpott (Jeeps) and Alan Ellery (Bedford MW) went to Lanlivery Rally and Country Fair. A good time was had by all in spite of the inclement weather. It was so muddy in the ring that it was only really suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles. Alan took the MW in and got into the ruts and just had to keep going round and round until he got up enough momentum to escape, all good fun I'm sure
By the time you read this, far from slowing down we have a pretty busy time planned. Firstly the AGM, then a days shooting (not the committee, I hope!), the British Legion Poppy Appeal, then our twice yearly pilgrimage to Malvern. In between this Nick Vandy as winner of last years 'Best New Shed Award' has to judge this years entries. Anyway enjoy your green machines, and a Happy Christmas to all From Cornwall Area MVT.
Frank Burbery