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start of our season is the now very well established Crank Up outside
the Castle Museum York in April. There’s always a good variety of
vehicles on display here and it’s a good little social do. This was
followed fairly quickly by our annual show, Battlegroup North, at the
beginning of May. The weather wasn’t kind and the new arrangements
didn’t work to everyone’s benefit but it was well attended and a
separate report is in our Events Gallery.
I took my MW along to
the new 1940’s weekend in Brighouse on Saturday 1st June. Whilst there
were not many military vehicles on show, and sadly some were post war
which is not in the spirit of the thing, there were plenty of other
attractions in the sealed off town centre. Stalls lined the streets,
space was given over to dancing, a stage set up on the crossroads for
singers, a miniature steam railway giving rides, a funfair for the
children as well as evening dances at the Ritz ballroom. The local press
reported a staggering 100,000 visitors, which may be over egging it, but
the place was absolutely packed and very atmospheric. One to watch which
needs more vehicles on display.
See www.brighouse1940sweekend.co.uk
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a gang crossed the Channel for the D-Day events including John Gray’s
family, Ivor Waterhouse and his bride to be Helen, Simon Roberts and his
uncle Cliff, Alex Watts, Mike Hemingway, Tony Pearson, Hugo Hunter,
Jonny Pearson, Steph Pogson and Richard Young. Their trip in 7 jeeps was
centred on Angoville-au-Plain where on June 6, 1944, a US medical post
was established in the church changing hands no less than three times in
the fighting.
Their gite accommodation
was the scene of a fire fight also on the 6th. The tour included Ste-Mère-Église,
Ste-Marie-du-Mont, Carentan, Colleville-sur-Mer Cemetery, the new
Overlord Museum, and the new tank museum. In a packed week they enjoyed
the green lanes, did the Liberty March in full kit, and to cap it all
had a ‘parachute’ drop from a C-47 Luton Van! at 3.00am as 2 sticks
of 5 having to make their own way back to St Marie de Mont. Their trip
video put together by Jonny can be seen on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JVfK8rjk5A
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Simon Roberts tells me
that the 1940’s June 16th event at Valley Gardens, Harrogate attracted
around 20,000 visitors over the weekend. The proceeds go to restoring
one of the magnesium wells. Music and entertainment was on all day and
centred around the bandstand. The area was represented by a small number
of vehicles mainly Jeeps but larger vehicles squeezed in also - Chris
Smyth took his Quad, Brandon Young his WC62 and Ian Garbutt his US Navy
GMC352.
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A few days later a
number of MV;s, including mine, could be seen jammed in between dozens
of classic commercials, motor bikes and some superb cars at the annual
evening Classic Gathering at the Carriage House pub on the A62 atop of
the Pennines between Marsden and Delph. This is well worth a run out if
you like old vehicles and the weather is kind.
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On
the 30th June a summer fair was held at the Wetherby Sports Centre to
raise funds for it. A few vehicles turned up to support the event and
put on a small display.
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Yorkshire Wartime Experience at Hunsworth, near Leeds, organised by Ken
Pugh and Stuart Wright enjoyed baking hot conditions over the weekend of
the 6th-7th July so the crowds could make the most of what was on offer
and there was certainly plenty to see and do. Re-enactors in trenches,
loads of displays, vehicles of all periods including some rare ones and
a full arena programme including a seriously large battle with
pyrotechnics were on offer.
Bob Fenton brought along
two pretty unique vehicles amongst others. A Rolls Royce once used by
Monty and his recently restored Vickers Carden-Lloyd rescued from a
French hedgerow in 2007. Mel Bean’s 5.5” howitzer was fired
successfully for the first time and made a most impressive BANG. Nick
Dunsford bought a Bedford MW, the week before the show, and spent some
time scrutinising mine prior to him starting a full restoration
including building a new rear body.
Our intrepid biker duo,
Colin Dixon and Mick Edmondson, made the most of their trip up the Dales
to the Ingleton Weekend by taking some two and a half hours coming back
the 50 miles on a scenic route through the Dales and still had enough
stamina to make the show on Sunday. My show photos are in our Events
Gallery and if anyone has good battle shots please send them in.
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| Nev
Johnson hosted his annual summer BBQ this year with a whole hog roast
which Gordon Trousdale says was fantastic. I am told only a few members
managed to get there which is a shame as it’s very, very generous of
Nev.
A very youthful Hugo
Hunter celebrated his 50th in style with a big 40’s do in the very
large rear garden of Tony Pearson’s place east of Doncaster. The party
went with a real swing to period background music. A line up of US
vehicles provided the backdrop, a sizeable BBQ and real ale beer tent
suitably titled Bar of Brothers provided sustenance. To much laughter
Hugo was presented with a child mannequin to go with the full size one
he takes to shows in his GMC.
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separate brief report on the War and Peace Revival, held on the
Folkstone Racecourse with a selection of my photos, will be in the
Events Gallery shortly. |
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Lastly John Gray,
who’s clearly very active over the summer months appearing on several
photos here and the front of the July’s CMV in Chris Till’s M24
Chaffee, tells me he’s bought a Chevrolet 15 ton 1943 Buffalo fire
truck one of only 40 ever made and one of only four left. It was
somewhere mid Atlantic as I wrote this. Enjoy the rest of the season and
please keep me posted with events and photos.
Mike Humphreys
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