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[w3526602]

Hi,

Clock on https://www.rafaberporth.org.uk/page11.html and scroll down to the cartoon.

"Many a true word said in jest"

I only heard a Bloodhound take off, while I was passing through Aberporth.   "****** noisy!"

602

[Mr Pickles]

Ha again,

... and here are some shots of the Lancer side-loading fork-trucks fitted with the special "boom" for handling the Bloodhounds.

https://www.rafaberporth.org.uk/page13.html

The truck would park along side the missile, and the "boom" could be move in and out sideways, allowing the missile to be lifted, then pulled  over the truck's load bed. Once in the air, the missile could be moved sideways, up and down, and back and fore. Memory is vague about whether the suspended missile could be made to pitch and yaw, but I think it could.  Have I got the terminology correct?

The drivers cab was over the left-hand front wheel, while the engine was over the left-hand rear wheel. I forget the terminology for the transmission....shove it into gear, and press the loud pedal. No clutch.

On one occasion, I jambed the throttle pedal down with a screwdriver, walked to the back of the truck, and used another screw-driver to activate the remote starter solenoid. It was ... ahem ... in gear, wasn't it? I will let you visulise four tons of driverless truck chugging it's way across the workshop, with Yours Truly trying to climb into the cab, using the now rotating front wheel as a ladder. I'm here, so I must have been successful ... but I still wake up screaming. 

602

Over the last 60 years, I have owned, built, modified and played with many Airfix Bloodhound missile kits. One was even included with the Hercules kit!

Now you have answered a question, that has been on my mind all those years, how did the Bloodhound get off the transporter onto the launcher?

Airfix should re-issue the kit, with a side loading forklift included!

Many thanks Mr.P

[Genem]

...there is a tented camp on Cyprus still called "Bloodhound Camp" I believe. We stayed there on exercise ( early 90s, post Gulf War1....we had to use up the vast quantity of "compo" left in stock. #constipation )  and were told it was where the Air Defence missiles had been based. I got burnt to a cinder running a shooting range for a week. The landrover connection would be the training pool vehicles we took over. Mine was a very basic 2.5na soft-top 90, I hung an early GPS from the strap tensioning the canvas. I also  remember having a bit of a row ( OK, I charged him) with the medic who ran out of fuel in his 1 Tonne Ambulance about 2 miles short of Paramali village, home of the "enemy" for the exercise, the wrong side of a very deep gorge. ( I'll also probably not mention the sacking of a company 2Ic for overly intimate relations with a nurse in one of the tents...sadly for him we returned to camp before he'd got his trousers on again. ). My better half flew out for a weekend and I hired a little Suzuki (410 ?) thing and had a bit of a drive about. The Cypriot Army turned us round on a country lane just before we met the Turks running North Cyprus. They had a neat sign for the Greek Cypriots, lined out in stones on the hillside.... " Last time you ran, next time you swim". Very diplomatic. NATO allies and all that...       

We organised the exercise phase such that every enemy position involved a land-rover full of water jerrycans and any serious physical exercise happened overnight or before 8am at least. Hot ? Just a bit, especially for soldiers from Glasgow and Ayrshire. 

Think on't, when you see those adverts for landrover spares from Cyprus. Its the kit we sold the Greek Cypriots when we stopped using Series vehicles in Cyprus.... Roll on the day the Saudi NationaL Guard s decide to sell off their stocks...   

Echoes of an Empire long gone.

 

[w3526602]

Hi Mr P,

They also had big trollies (6" castors), so the missiles could be pushed around the workshop.

Workshop note ... an officer complained about the Bloodhound electricians walking about with their (I think) left hands in their trouser pockets. He accepted the explanation that, in the event of an electric shock, the current would go to Earth through their boots, NOT through their other arm, via their heart.

Discuss!

There was also an explanation as to why missile electricians were allowed to stop working, sit on the missile, and read a newspaper. Unfortunately, I can't remember that explanation.

602

[Porkscratching]

602 just goes to show that these officer class twerps were easily hoodwinked by a bit of imaginative 'flannel' if delivered convincingly..

[w3526602]

602 just goes to show that these officer class twerps were easily hoodwinked by a bit of imaginative 'flannel' if delivered convincingly..

Hi Porkscratching,

Hmmmm! I was onceb marched in front of a officer, charged with "being absent without leave". I had taken the weekend off, when there was a Saturday morning parade.

I explained that my mother looked after my German Shepherd bitch (lady dog), but was incapable of handling her when she was in "season". After some questioning, I had to admit that I knew about the problem in sufficient time to apply for leave. (We had 28 days per year entitlement)

I accepted "his" punishment ... three days jankers. These were my first and only jankers in 9 years.

My sergeant told me that the room was in hysterics after I had been marched out.

So, I was partly successful. I had spent a few hours thinking up an original excuse, and wasn't particularly concerned that it wasn't true.

602

[Porkscratching]

Ahh..602 you should have just rocked up for Sat morn. parade, then bunked off...

[w3526602]

, then bunked off...

Hi PS,

Camp was near Thetford (Wittsend Territory), and home was in Croydon. About 100 miles, which took about three hours in my jalopies, including crossing London North to South.

Jalopies? Anything from an Austin 7, to a  Minivan. For a period, it was a 1931 MG L-type Magna open 4 seater (£35) into which I had dropped the engine from a 1936 Vauxhall 10 (£10). The huge difference in weight distribution gave "interesting" straight line steering. 

602

[Porkscratching]

Fair enough !... You could have got your mates to do an "Albert RN " for you...

[w3526602]

Hi Porkscratching.

One day, standing to attention, while the CO inspected us, he stopped behind me and spoke to some other poor "erk".

"Ah! Your the chap with the VC?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Of course, I wasn't allowed to turn round to see who it was.

602 (GSM - Standing in NAAFI queue Arabian Peninsular) (Campaign Medal Malay Peninsular- standing in NAAFI queue). Pingat Jasa Malaysia. (A nice thank you for "being here") Barbara got a bit miffed when she asked why I'd got the last two "What do you mean by taking me to a war zone?"

PS I also have my Uncle John's "Dead Man's Penny" - MIA - I think in Ypres - 1915. I must nip over to France one day, BITL, to pay my. respects. I used to play with his medal (GSM?)  when I was in short trousers. It meant nothing to me at the time. I wonder if I can get a replacement? If I can, I can't pretend it's mine, despite the same name (Name and number are engraved around the edge of GSMs.

PPS. BITL?   Have I just invented a new thingy?  (possibly called an acronym?) BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.     Probably not.

[Porkscratching]

I believe you can get official replica re issues of medals ...but I think you may have to be next of kin to the original recipient..
Worth checking out...

[w3526602]

Hi Porkscratching,

Uncle John was my father's older (and only) brother. Dad is now dead too. Dad's sister, who might have been older than Dad, died before him. I don't think he had any other brothers, and I can't remember ever meeting any of my aunt's on either side of family. Dad was Middlesborough, Mum was Glasgow.

When did Next of Kin cease to travel down the male line? I was aware that it was changing, but can't remember when that was.

Back to Google.

602

[Porkscratching]

Not sure how it works but well worth looking up, you may be able to claim his medals if you're a nearest relative, ...I'm sure I've known someone who's done this, just can't recall who, otherwise I'd ask..!

[w3526602]

Yep, I will get round to it ... one day.

It's strange having a "dead man's penny" with your own name on it. 

For those who don't know, a DMP was given to the relatives of every soldier who was killed in WW1. Probably about 100mm dia, with a patriotic scene  (Britannia, lions, flags, etc) and engraved with the deceased's name. I suspect it's cast in bronze, but not sure of the source of the metal. (I understand that VCs are cast from melted down gun barrels, ex-Crimea war. )

602

PS, I wonder if I can find a picture of Corporal Jones VC, on the Royal Barge. Just to show that us Brits know how to treat our "enlisted men". I wonder if Maj served him tea and biscuits?