And so to Old Warden Aerodrome, home of the excellent Shuttleworth Collection of vintage and classic planes where Biglorryblog has been invited to witness the new Citroen Nemo and Berlingo vans. All laid on by that most avuncular and charming of PR men Phil Reed. After driving said vans BLB is invited to take a stroll around the collection in the various hangars in the company of a terrific guide whose name I sadly forget. But hey ho...here are some of the things that caught my eye starting with this khaki-coloured carrier above. So 'It's Pie Time' guys!!!! What is it?
Now for another one...I'm sure you all know that's a Westland Lysander (painted in Special Ops colour scheme for dropping off and picking up agents in occupied Europe from nearby RAF Tempsford..) But what's that tractor next to it? Clue: It says La Combustie 40 on the grille....
Easy peasy...for all you farmers out there what's this little eager beaver?
Now there's no need to get all steamed up over this one...so what is it?
And how about telling me something about this one too? I was struck by the tiny spine that surrounds the prop-shaft and supports/connects the engine/front end to the back. It didn't look very big--one big bump and....snap?
Of course everyone knows what one of these is....but where did the name Jeep come from? And an extra Pie Point to anyone who can make the connection with a spinach-eating sailor! Now click through here for a REAL classic....
And here are three pies up for grabs here. yes it's a Gloster Gladiator (well DUH..everyone knows that). But a) What was the name given to the three Sea Gladiators that provided the early air defence at Malta? b) Look behind the right-hand undercarriage strut and you'll see a curved metal casting resting against the wall by the door...what is it from? c) and finally what's that pointing at the tail end of the Gladiator....? Meanwhile, I heartily recommend a visit to the Shuttleworth Collection which has lots of old planes, cars, tractors--you name it. And the Nemo and Berlingo were very nice too Phil..OK?
Comments (3)
Just to start off 'pie wars', I could be wrong , but the green tractor next to the Lysander actually reads Le Robuste 40. This is an Hungarian tractor built by HSCS, a manufacturing tie -up even in those early days of the 1930's. Hofherr-Schrantz and Clayton-Shuttleworth providing the letters for the acronym.
It is probably an example of an airfield tractor used to tow world war two fighters to their dispersal points. The traction engine is also a Clayton Shuttleworth, a compound locomotive from 1913/14, called 'Dorothy'.
I should know which Grey Ferguson is on the next picture, but whether it's a TEA20 or a TA,TD, etc, can be someone else's call!
Faith,Hope and Charity, I think, were the three Gladiators to defend Malta and that looks like a Bofors 40mm Anti-Aircraft gun on a four-wheel gun carriage about to blow the tailplane off the Glad! Well, I've finished my Sunday lunch cup of tea now, so 'Over to you', Pies away, chaps!!
Mike B. Limoges. France.
Posted by Mike Blenkinsop | June 22, 2008 1:28 PM
Posted on June 22, 2008 13:28
Well, Mike has got most of the pies by the look of things! Just to add a bit more, I think the army vehicle in the top photo is a Fordson from WW2.
The Allis Chalmers tractor looks like a Model B, and that narrow torque tube between the motor and the rear-mounted transmission was to give the driver better visibility. It was patented by AC and several other tractor manufacturers who wanted to use the same idea had to pay AC for the privilege of using it.
The name Jeep does not come from the letters GP (General Purpose) as is sometimes mentioned. It is said that any new vehicle that came into the RE workshops for testing in WW1 was called a Jeep for some unknown reason. Later, a character in the Popeye cartoon strips was called Eugene (I think) the Jeep. This character looked a bit like a dog, but walked upright, and was a very capable animal who could overcome all kinds of difficulties, so the small 4x4 built by Willys and Ford eventually and unofficially gradually came to be called a Jeep, and the name stuck until it became official. That's what I was told when I was in the army many, many years ago, but it was definitely NOT from the letters GP.
Someone else's turn to add some more, now........
Posted by Vic Hungerford | June 23, 2008 4:32 AM
Posted on June 23, 2008 04:32
I claim a Pie for the curved object leaning against the wall. It's the main suspension element for the Westland Lysander. As a 15 year old Sea Cadet in 1943 I spent 2 weeks at Yeovilton working in the hangar assisting the Fleet Air Arm Mechanics
do retraction tests on Wildcats. This involved winding up the gear 28 turns with a hand crank in the cockpit, something I find hard to imagine pilots doing after taking off from a carrier in the heat of battle.
As a treat I was given a ride in a Lysander, my first flight in a military plane, an experience which prompted me to become an Airframes Mechanic.
Posted by Robert Winkelmann | July 3, 2008 6:54 PM
Posted on July 3, 2008 18:54