Date: 02-08-18.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome. Apologies: Tim Cross, Gary Stock, Alan and Linda Farren.
Present: Neill Elliott (secretary) and 19 members. The minutes of 05-07-18 were
approved and signed.
1
War & Peace: Roy Sharman said he was impressed with the
facilities, however Simon Tasker was not and had hired his own toilet! Tim Hawkes
and Neill Elliott said the show was improved and it was like the old times of 10
years ago. 2
RIAT: Tim Hawkes reported that 40 MVT vehicles were displayed
at the world’s biggest air show and were well received. He was aiming for 70 next
year. Details are on the events section of the MVT main website. 3
Bramcote Camp: Steve Myles and Roy Woods attended the open
day where there were Gurkhas and the Army’s modern vehicles on display. 4
Neill Elliott asked if the area should buy a “Silent Soldier”,
a silhouette of a WW1 soldier provided by the RBL. Dean Port said he would
sponsor this. The silhouette could be taken to RBL events. 5
Neill Elliott promoted the Equata event at Grafton Park on
August 11. 6
Neill Elliott said we had been approached by the RBL to
attend several events, which included a Fun Day at Henlow on September 2, a “Saying
Thank You” event at Northampton on September 1 and a Bedford Honour Walk on
August 12. 7
Steve Smith said there was an open day at Harrington on
Saturday, September 1, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the
opening of the Carpetbaggers Museum. MVs were welcome. Peter Clarke to put
details on the area website. 8
Neill Elliott asked whether members wanted a talk from an
expert on the Home Front and this was agreed. 9
Neill Elliott and Ian Gardiner gave a slide presentation on
their participation in this year’s Red Ball Express, run through France,
Belgium and the Netherlands. They covered 1,266 miles in Ian’s Jimmy at an
average of 8.8mpg, spending £800 on fuel. 10
Tim Hawkes said the
MVT was keen to get involved with the Gaydon Military Show on September 30.
Peter Clarke asked whether we could arrive in convoy. He said if members booked
on line, entrance was free. 11
Tim Hawkes mentioned a D-Day event at Chicksands next year
and several members were interested. 12
Neill Elliott said that Sywell Aviation Museum was talking to
Rusty Waughman about a talk on the Berlin Airlift. 13
Tim Hawkes said the MVT had been approached by a Lottery
winner who has invited members to use and display MVs on his vast estate at
Linton, near Cambridge. September 15-16 was suggested. 14
Neill Elliott said it was great to see three Jeeps in the
Aviator car park. Simon Tasker also arrived on his H-D MT350 motorbike.
Date: 05-07-18.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome. Apologies: Ian Gardiner, Neill Elliott, Tim Cross, Mike
York, Tony Patrick. Present: Peter Clarke (webmaster) and 11 members. The
minutes of 05-06-18 were approved and signed.
1Wicksteed at War debrief: Tim Hawkes said the show had been
very successful with record numbers of vehicles, re-enactors and traders.
Around 18,000 people attended. 250 children came to the Friday education day. He
thought the fire engines were a big attraction. He thanked the volunteers who
did a good job but said a rota of duties, which he asked for, was sadly missing.
There were eight medical incidents, mostly sun-related and none of them
show-related. However, the first aid requirements needed reviewing. He
apologised for his actions during the last battle when the German re-enactors
went off plan. The CoM held a formal inquiry but decided that no further action
was necessary. There would be no Wicksteed at War next year as most of the
organisers would be in France. They would decide in June whether to resume the
show in 2020. Next year there was a large event planned at Market Harborough
and the area could perhaps support this. Roy Sharman said there was a lot of
food, provided by Lynn, left over as many didn’t know about it and went hungry.
Peter Clarke said the food arrangements were flagged up in the previous minutes
and were available on the area website. 2
Peter Clarke said Mike York had attended Syresham Scarecrow
Festival, after a request for vehicles, and was made welcome. 3
Brian Rive and Simon Tasker said Wartime in the Vale was very
good and starred a replica WW1 tank. 4
Five members attended Armed Forces Day on Northampton Market
Square and the Mayor had his picture taken standing by Mike York’s Jeep. Peter Clarke
said he was disappointed that, although there were hundreds of Cadets on parade,
there were no Regulars or Reserve Forces. Kevin Lamberth said the RBL had also
commented on this. 5
Brian Rive said he enjoyed Shuttleworth Military Pageant.
Peter Clarke said that several SEM members attended but it was shame that no
attempt was made to make it a SEM event and arrive in convoy, as we did in
2015. 6
Peter Clarke flagged up the Bramcote Camp event and Steve
Myles said he would attend. PC to pass on his details to the organisers. 7
Tim Hawkes said 36 MVT members from all over the country
would be at RIAT. 8
Three members said
they were going to War and Peace. 9
The area secretary and chairman were both absent as they were
taking part in the Red Ball Express event. Kevin Lamberth asked whether they
could prepare a presentation for the next meeting. 10
Peter Clarke said the
company which hosted our area website was changing the software but its introduction had been to
postponed three times, which didn’t bode well. Tim Hawkes said the CoM was proposing
to have area websites under the umbrella of the main MVT website, which could
make things easier for us. 11
Roy Sharman flagged up
Earls Barton Transport show on August Bank Holiday and had entry forms. 12
Roy Sharman said he thought that the Chicksands show last
year was a waste of time as the Intelligence Museum was closed and there was no
point in attending this year. Kevin Lamberth said he knew the curator and would
try to arrange a tour for us. 13
Peter Clarke flagged
up Gaydon Military Show on September 30. Tim Hawkes said the MVT was getting
behind this and he had been talking to the North Oxon and Cotswolds Area. To be
discussed next month. 14
Tim Cross has sent
pictures to CMV magazine of the Deenethorpe visit. 15
Tim Hawkes flagged up an armoured vehicles event at Catterick
on May Bank Holiday 2019. There were details on the main MVT website. 16
Tim Hawkes reminded members going on the D-day tour next year
to get their export licences. 17
Tim Hawkes reported from the CoM and said the MVT was growing
by about 50 members per month and was now the biggest MV club in the world. He
put this down to the PPL insurance we offer. A new company, based in
Northampton, had taken over our database and membership renewals and he hoped
this would be an improvement.
Date: 05-06-18.
Venue: Wicksteed Park. Apologies: Ian Gardiner, Tim Cross, Simon Tasker.
Present: Neill Elliott (secretary) and 20 members. The minutes of 03-05-18 were
approved and signed. 1 NE
flagged up a show at the Shuttleworth Collection on July 1. 2 Roy
Sharman mentioned Hollowell Steam Fair where pre-registration was necessary.
3 Peter
Clarke asked for vehicles for the Armed Forces Day in Northampton on June 30.
He, Mike York, Steve Myles and Brian Rive to attend.
4 Roy
Sharman said the Earls Barton Steam Rally had closed but the date had been
taken by a transport rally at the same venue in August. 5 Tim
Hawkes and Dave Wright outlined procedures for Wicksteed at War 2018, including
duties of the main officers, safety, displays etc. Around 50 stalls were
expected and the event had generated 62 risk assessments. NE asked that
volunteer helpers report to the MVT trailer to assigned duties. Linda would be again
be doing a fish and chip run on Friday evening and providing sandwiches on
Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. There was no SEM barbecue on Saturday but
Wicksteed was putting on a barbecue nearby.
Date: 03-05-18.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell. Apologies: Tim Cross, Gary Stock, Ian Gardiner, Steve
Smith. Present: Neill Elliott (secretary) and 19 members. The minutes of 05-04-18
were approved and signed.
1 Neill
Elliott welcomed new members Gary Agutter and his son Dan who have a Dodge
WC63, and later also welcomed new members Gary Morgan and Hayley. 2 NE
said Drive-it Day at Bicester Heritage was very enjoyable and was the first
outing for Ian Gardiner’s GMC. Peter Clarke said Bicester were keen to get
military vehicles to their Flywheel event on July 23-24 but the cost would be
at least £35 per person for a two-day pass. He thought being charged so much to
be part of the display was not on. After discussion, NE said that the North
Oxon and Cotswolds Area had been granted free admission last year, after a last
minute appeal for vehicles. 3 Farewell
to Deenethorpe: Richard Hall said he was astonished at the turn-out out of
50-plus vehicles despite the appalling weather. A vote of thanks was given to
Tim Webster who organised the event. Kevin Lamberth also thanked the team who
provided teas and coffee. Brian Rive said the land owner had told him that some
of the wartime buildings would be preserved and a museum created. The memorial
would be re-sited. 4 NE
said the MVT AGM at Coventry was attended by five SEM members, the most any
area fielded. 5 NE
said the Rusty Waughman talk was stunning and members agreed, recording a vote
of thanks to NE for organising it. Roy Sharman said, while he greatly enjoyed
the talk, he was disappointed at the lack of bar staff in the Aviator, making
it very difficult to get drinks. He also thought there should have been a £5
charge for non-members to go to the RAF Benevolent Fund. NE said £255 was
collected for the charity but he would take on board his comments. Rusty was
willing to give another talk, this time about the Berlin Air Lift, and perhaps
it could be a joint production with Sywell Aviation Museum. 6 Roy
Sharman said Orlingbury village was having an event on July 14-15 and MVs were
welcome. Contact Trevor on 07979 896692.
7 Kevin Lamberth said administrative errors meant he still didn’t know how
much SEM had raised in 2017 Poppy Appeal collections. A new RBL team had now
taken over taken the appeal in Northampton. 8 NE led discussion about the Top Traveller Trophy. It was generally
thought that more modern vehicles had a distinct advantage when it came to
clocking up miles. Tim Hawkes suggested that the trophy could be given to
someone who had contributed the most to SEM during the year or for a notable
feat. 9 NE said several members were going the Land Rover Show at Gaydon and
mentioned the Army open day at Bramcote. 10 Tim Hawkes said there were still places for RIAT on July 13-15 and
members could book via the main MVT website.
11 John Underwood said he and Judith would again organise a Poppy Road Run
on November 11. It would take in two memorial services. He also mentioned a 40s
day at East Carlton Park on August 1 followed by a Transport Gala on August
4-5.
12 Tim Hawkes said 146 MVs were booked for Wicksteed at War and more were
flooding in. 43 stalls had been booked. The theme was RAF and he outlined the
attractions expected. There would be a final meeting at the Park on Tuesday,
June 5, which would take the place of the normal area monthly meeting. Volunteers
were welcome to arrive and help out from Monday, June 4. Free camping and
caravanning for volunteers was available, as last year. There would be a Friday
night Purple Heart disco, a Saturday night barbecue for SEM members and a
Saturday night Victory Dance. There would
be a rota for marshals at the booking-in area. Andy Speechley outlined arena
events. Peter Clarke asked about traffic arrangements bearing in mind the
gridlock last year and Tim said that the new management team at Wicksteed was
aware of the problem and had promised to sort it. Tim said that there would be
no show in 2019 as a lot of members would be involved with the Normandy
commemorations. 13 NE said he had been approached by organisers of a military-themed event
at Market Harborough planned for August next year. There was a huge show field
and the possibility of vehicles being displayed in the town itself. Members
gave this their support.
April's guest speaker Rusty Waughman with SEM members after his talk
Below: Rusty's medals
Date: 05-04-18.
Venue: Cirrus Room, Aviator, Sywell. Apologies: Simon Tasker and Martin Samson. Present: Neill
Elliott (secretary) and around 100 members and guests. The minutes of 01-02-18
were approved and signed. 1 Neill
Elliott outlined some pending local events, including Drive-it Day at Bicester
Heritage, Rushden Cavalcade, Earls Barton classic car meet and the MVT AGM at
Coventry. 2 Tim
Hawkes gave details of the Farewell to Deenethorpe event on
April 28 and asked for volunteer marshals to get there early. He also invited
the audience to Wicksteed at War, June 9-10.
3 3 NE welcomed our guest speaker Rusty Waughman and said it was an honour
and a privilege to meet him. Lancaster
pilot Rusty, aged 94, of 101 Special Duties Squadron, RAF, was one
of the lucky ones who returned from the infamous Nuremberg raid on March 30,
1944. More Allied aircrew died in that single night than the total RAF losses
during the whole of the summer-long Battle of Britain. He told the
packed room that he joined the LDV aged 16 in 1939 and when he turned 18
volunteered for the RAF. He had been a sickly child, surviving two potentially
terminal illnesses, including TB, so was surprised to be selected for pilot
training. He was sent to Canada to learn to fly on de Havilland Tiger Moths,
Boeing Stearmans and Airspeed Oxfords. Returning to the UK on the Queen
Elizabeth liner, he progressed to Wellingtons, Halifaxes and then Lancasters.
He was posted to 101 Squadron in 1943, completing 30 ops. Because of its special
duties in jamming German night fighter radar, his squadron had the highest
attrition rate in the RAF, losing up to 60 per cent of its strength. Rusty’s
crew was the first to survive a complete tour of duty for six months. After his
tour he became an instructor, staying on in the peacetime RAF and flying on the
Berlin Airlift. Rusty received several deserved applauses after his talk and
question and answer session.
NB: The March
meeting was cancelled due to snow.
February 2018
Annual General Meeting
Date: 01-02-18.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell. Apologies: Heather Bailey, Alan and Linda Farren. 24 members
present. The minutes of 07-12-17 were approved. 1
Neill Elliott welcomed prospective new member Roy Shakeshaft. 2
Ian Gardiner said that for personal reasons he was standing
down as area secretary and nominated Neill Elliott as his successor. Members voted unanimously to elect NE as
secretary. 3
NE resigned as chairman and proposed IG as his successor.
Members voted unanimously to elect IG as chairman. 4
NE thanked PC for his work on the website and proposed him as
webmaster for a further year. There being no other nominations, this was
accepted unanimously. Heather Bailey was re-appointed deputy webmaster. 5
NE said that at the Christmas party £55 was collected for a
charity nominated by John Underwood as a way of thanking him and Judith for
organising the Poppy Road Run and refreshments. 6
The buffet cost had a shortfall of around £80, which led to
discussion on funding events which could not be funded by MVT central funds,
ie, Christmas party and summer barbecue.
After debate it was decided that those who attended for functions should
pay for them themselves. 7
IG produced a magnificent trophy made of gear cogs from a
Jordan F1 car. The MVT SEM Top Traveller Trophy was awarded to an affiliated
SEM member who had travelled the most miles during the previous year to and
from events in an MV of any age. Fourth was Steve Smith with 604 miles, third
Peter Clarke with 936 miles, second Brian Rive with 1,203 miles and the winner
was Simon Tasker with 2,096 miles in his ex-USAF Dodge Ram.
8
Tim Cross thanked members for his get well card. 9Roger’s Road Run was voted a great success and Richard Hall
thanked members for their efforts to get his stricken Jeep repaired. 10
IG said the Stoneleigh Militaria show was very busy and Tim
Hawkes said they had given out thousands of leaflets advertising Wicksteed at
War.
11
IG said he had been approached by Tim Webster who was helping
to organise an event on April 28 to mark the final closure of Deenethorpe
airfield. A dozen members said they wanted to attend.
12
NE outlined plans for the Easter Saturday, March 31, opening
of Sywell Aviation Museum. Around 10 members said they would attend. 13
TH said the MVT safety day at Armourgeddon was on March 11
and would last until around 2.30pm. Areas covered would be fire-fighting,
vehicle marshalling, Wicksteed at War, radio usage, data protection and first
aid. Other area secretaries and the CoM had been invited. Hi-vis vests would be
awarded to those completing the course.
14
IG said the Bicester
Scramble was on April 22.
15
NE said the March meeting would include a talk by
ex-Lancaster pilot Rusty Waughman. Sywell Aviation Museum members were also
invited and the meeting might be in the Cirrus Room of the Aviator. 16
NE said he hoped SEM members would attend the MVT AGM at
Coventry Transport Museum on April 8. PC said the museum was well worth a
visit.
17
Kevin Lamberth said new people were in charge of the RBL
Poppy Appeal in Northants and he still was not able to give us an idea about
how much was raised by members. 18
Members brought military-related items to sell.
December 2017
Date: 07-12-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell.
Apologies: Simon Tasker, John Underwood, Ian
Gardiner, Roy Sharman, John Denney, Martin Samsom.
Present: Neill Elliott (chairman
plus 16 other members.
1 NE reminded members
that Roger’s Road Run was on Sunday, January 14. Details on the area website.
2 NE said there was no
meeting in January but the February one was the AGM as well as a “Sywell digout”
bring and buy sale. Bring any items you have for sale. PC said the Army Cadets
had given him a load of old uniforms and he would be selling these for charity.
3 NE said the Poppy Road Run
had been a great day out and John and Judith Underwood’s hospitality had been
second to none. He circulated a thank-you card to be signed by members. As John
would take no money for his expenses, NE suggested that members contribute to a
charity of John’s choice. PC said Weldon Royal British Legion were very pleased
with our turn-out at their remembrance service and he had sent them some photos
to be used in their newsletter.
4 NE said that Charity
Commission rules meant that the cost of the buffet could not be met from the
club’s funds, as these were for educational and administration purposes only. He
suggested a £10 per head contribution towards the cost. Going forward, the
matter of raising funds for expenses such as the Christmas buffet or a barbecue
would be raised at the February meeting. 5 Kevin Lamberth volunteered
to set the quiz for next year. This year’s quiz was won by George Jackson and
Tim Hawkes. We then enjoyed a tasty buffet!
6 PC thanked NE for arranging the quiz. 7 PC reminded members to bring details of their
MV mileage to the February meeting for the Piston Cup. This is open to all MVs,
whatever their age, and is for mileage travelling to and from show, meets and
other events where their vehicle was on display. Members must be affiliated to
the SE Midlands Area to take part. NE said IG had made a suitable trophy. 8 PC said the area website had topped 10,000
hits but he still needed contributions for the members’ vehicles section.
November 2017
Date: 02-11-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell.
Apologies: Peter Clarke, Simon Tasker, Allan and
Linda Farren, Heather Bailey.
Present: Ian Gardiner (secretary)
plus other members.
The minutes of 05-10-17
meeting were approved and signed.
1 Mike Garnet from
Chicksands gave an excellent talk about D-day and the significant events
leading up to the battle over the bridges at Arnhem. He also recently took part
in a parachute drop over Arnhem and filmed it . . . seriously frightening. 2 Tim Hawkes outlined plans for Wicksteed
at War 2018. The main theme will be 100 years of the RAF and he hopes to have a
large number of aircraft on display, together with the Nursing Yeomanry horses. 3 Tim Cross confirmed details for poppy
day and John Underwood for his Poppy Road Run on Sunday, November 12. 4 IG reminded all to bring a small item
for the secret Santa gifts for the next meeting.
Date: 05-10-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell.
Apologies: John Denney, Simon Tasker, Tim Cross, Heather
Bailey, Richard Hall.
Present: Ian Gardiner (secretary)
plus 17 other members.
The minutes of 07-09-17
meeting were approved and signed.
1 IG relayed to members the gist of a letter he had received from MVT chairman
Simon Johnson. There had been no change to membership numbers following the
adoption of Personal Public Liability Insurance (PPLI). Coverage was for
members displaying MVs or equipment or with other vehicles as part of a
military display, ie, a civilian car used as a Home Guard vehicle. Members must
stick to the MVT Code of Conduct (available on the main MVT website) when
representing the club. Tim Hawkes added that some parts of the Code, ie the parts
relating to the use of uniforms and flags and emblems were being reviewed. IG
said that new data protection guidelines would come in next year and would have
an impact on the area website. The MVT was running at a loss but there were
plans to break even by 2020. Grants to shows would only be made to events
accepting entries from all MVs, not just wartime. TH added application for
grants must come from the area secretaries. IG said vehicle verification was
getting more difficult because of stricter DVLA rules. Non-members and dealers
may be charged more for this service. 2 Names were taken for those willing to take part in the Poppy selling in
Northampton town centre on November 4 and 11 and also for the Poppy Road Run on
November 12. 3 Peter Clarke said he attended the British Military Weekend at the
British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on Sunday and met members of the North
Oxfordshire and Cotswolds Area. They proposed putting on a joint show or
supporting an existing one. PC suggested that the British Military Weekend was
a good candidate and could be used as a crank-down event. Camping was available,
the museum was open free to participants and facilities such as toilets and a
restaurant were in place. IG said he would liaise with Tony King, the events’
organiser for North Oxon and Cotswolds.
4 IG passed around an email from a member who was trying to trace a
Leyland Hippo. 5 IG said November’s meeting included a talk by Mike Garnett on Arnhem.
December’s meeting would include a quiz, food and a secret Santa. 6 IG said he would like to see more members’ vehicles featured on the area
website and pictures and information should be sent to PC. 7 Neill Elliott showed some film clips of post-war vehicles being
displayed and tested.
Date: 07-09-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell.
Apologies: John Denney, Simon Tasker, Tim Cross, Martin
Sansom, Tim Hawkes.
Present: Ian Gardiner (secretary)
plus 18 other members.
The minutes of the 03-08-17
meeting were approved and signed. 1 Members reviewed summer events they had attended, including the Grafton
Underwood riding for the disabled, War and Peace, RIAT, Milton Keynes Museum 40s
weekend, John Marchant’s 90th birthday and Tanks, Trucks and
Firepower. Gary Stock said the toilets at War and Peace were disgusting and
there were not enough showers. He expected more for the £35 entrance fee. RIAT
was spectacular but members who camped in the car park with their vehicles had
to queue with members of the public to get in. A fast-tracking system was
needed. Roy Sharman thought John Marchant’s 90th celebration was too
low key and he would have liked more activities. It was pointed out that the
event was organised by John’s family and perhaps this was what he wanted. 2 Events this weekend included Stoke Bruerne Village at War, the Victory
Show and Goodwood Revival. 3 Gary Stock commented that he thought it wrong that owners of heavy
armour should be paid to attend shows when owners of soft-shinned vehicles were
not. A pro-rata system was needed, he said. 4 John Underwood gave details of this year’s Poppy Run on Sunday, November
12. All were welcome but he would appreciate approximate numbers at the October
meeting. Peter Clarke was asked to post details on the area website.
5 JU said there was a British Military Weekend at Gaydon Museum on September
30-Octover 1 and MVs were needed. 6 IG said MVT member and serving Warrant Officer Mike Garnett would be giving
a talk at the November meeting on Operation Market Garden and Arnhem. 7 IG was still hopeful that Richard Grace would give us a talk about his
family’s Spitfire and a tour around their Sywell hangar. 8 Members discussed the December meeting and decided on a quiz, buffet and
Secret Santa presents.
9 Roy Sharman said that Ramsey 1940s weekend had been very good. He also
attended the Great Dorset Steam Fair which was incredible. On the way back he stopped
off at the Explosion Museum at Gosport, which was well worth a visit. 10 JU wondered if the pyrotechnics
accident during a show at Audley End House would have repercussions. No-one had
any information on this. 11 IG said he had been given a very old side-valve compression kit but no
members wanted it.
Date: 03-08-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell.
Apologies: Ian Gardiner, John Denney, Richard Hall.
Present: Neill Elliott (chairman)
plus 17 other members.
The minutes of the 06-07-17
meeting were approved and signed. 1 NE said regrettably there would be no open day at East Carlton this
year. John Underwood added that a repeat of the Poppy Road Run in November was
possible. 2 NE said that John Denney had been asked to provide vehicles for an event
involving disabled horse riders at Grafton Underwood on Saturday, August 12. 3 NE said John Marchant (MVT member 167) was celebrating his 90th
birthday at his Old Stratford farm on Sunday, August 20, and he proposed a road
run to the event, starting at Sywell. Five members indicated an interest in
this. He said help was needed the day before to erect a 12x12 tent and Peter
Clarke volunteered for this. 4 NE had been contacted by the chairman of Northamptonshire County Council
with a view to supplying vehicles for a 1940s ball and dinner at Sywell on
November 25. Members thought that those supplying vehicles should get free
entry. Tim Hawkes offered to negotiate with the council on this. 5 NE said that the Deenethorpe veterans’ families had told him that the
Jeep and Land Rover tour of the old airfield had been the highlight of their
visit to England. They wanted to make a donation to a charity of our choice.
After discussion, the Blind Veterans UK charity was nominated. PC said he had
received, via our website, several messages of appreciation from the Americans. 6 NE reported that the North Oxfordshire MVT Area was promoting an on-line
petition to save the chapel at Biggin Hill, following the ending of MoD funding.
7 NE introduced our guest speaker Mike Lousada, an MVT member who had taken
part with his military vehicles in numerous films and TV shows. Mike bought his
Austin K2 ambulance in 1987 for £600 and restored it. 13,102 were made but
there are only 40 left in the world and just 14 on the road in the UK. Mike
film’s credits included Operation Crossbow, starring George Peppard and Sophia
Loren. He was cast as a German officer by the director Carlo Ponti, Loren’s
husband. His ambulance and Humber staff car made regular appearances in Foyle’s
War. Mike also appeared in The Imitation Game, which was shot at the former RAF
Bicester, and this started an interest for him in the Bicester Heritage
project.
Date: 06-07-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell.
Apologies: None.
Present: Ian Gardener
(secretary) plus 23 other members.
The minutes of the 06-06-17
meeting were approved and signed.
1 IG welcomed two new members. 2 IG said that the personal public liability insurance (PPLI) proposal had
been passed by the MVT membership and membership fees would rise £10, partially
to pay for this. Tim Hawkes added that the PPLI would begin on August 1. The
new fees would start in September. A schedule of insurance would be on the
wrapper of the next Windscreen. Members would have PPLI cover at any event they
attended if they were there as part of a military theme. The insurance covered
the individual, not the vehicle and did not include battle re-enactments. The
MVT was the UK first vehicle club to have this. 3 Neill Elliott said that Wicksteed at War 17 had massive support from
members and was a great success with exhibitors and stall holders very pleased.
TH said the park was unhappy about grass damage caused by tanks and the club
might look into providing plastic mats for manoeuvring areas. Other issues to
be looked at included a better barrier on the sterile lane to the arena,
vehicles moving without marshals and the tight turn by the level crossing. 4 NE showed members’ photographs of events at Wicksteed, Wartime in the
Vale, Chicksands and Deenethorpe. The veterans’ families at Deenethorpe really
appreciated their Jeep and Land Rover tour of the airfield. Mike Garnett said
he could arrange a visit to the Chicksands Intelligence Museum at a date to be
fixed.
5 Around 12 MVs attended the Shuttleworth Collection’s Military Pageant. 6 NE said MVs had been requested at the RBL Honour Walk on July 9. 7 Other summer shows were discussed. 8 IG reminded members that the guest speaker at August’s meeting was Mike
Lousada, talking about his film work with MVs. 9 NE said there would be a celebration of John Marchant’s 90th
birthday on either August 19 or 20 at his farm at Old Stratford. Members agreed
on a short road run to his farm and a barbecue. 10 Around six members had pre-booked for the D-day 2019 tour.
11 Peter Clarke brought along post-war uniforms donated by David Parrish to
be sold for the Army Benevolent Fund.
Date: 06-06-17.
Venue: Draughty tent, Wicksteed Park.
Apologies: Simon Tasker.
Present: Ian Gardener
(secretary) plus 22 other members.
1 IG took names for the visit to RAF Chicksands
and to see the Churchill film. 2 Neill Elliott took names to meet the USAAF
veterans and families at Deenethorpe. 3 IG gave details of a GMC and trailer and
Brockhouse Corgi for sale. Peter Clarke to put these on the website.
4 NE said Linda
had once again volunteered to run a barbecue on the Wicksteed at War Saturday
evening for area members and would do a Friday night chip run. She would also
provide lunch refreshments for volunteers. He thanked her for this. 5 John Denney announced he was getting married on
the Saturday of Wicksteed at War. It would take place in the Celebration Suite
at 4.30pm and move to the Victory Party in the evening. 6 NE said the guest speaker at the July meeting
at Sywell would be Mike Lousada on his film work, his K2 Ambulance and Bicester
Heritage. 7Wicksteed at War: Tim Hawkes went through the
arrangements for Wicksteed at War, including the Friday schools day. Armourer
Tom Webster would be located in a locked compound with live weapons. TH had run
this past the police and council and all were happy with the arrangements. NE
was in charge of volunteers and intended to rotate them around the site if they
wanted this. He asked volunteers to report to the MVT tent at 8.30am both days
to be allocated duties. Roy Sharman asked what would happen if someone who had
not booked in failed to produce their insurance or driving licence. TH said
they would be refused entry to the vehicle field and asked to use the public
car park. John Underwood asked members to be alert to any security issues,
bearing on mind what happened recently in Manchester and London. 8 NE reminded members of the Bedford RBL Honour
Walk on July 8, 10am-4pm. 9 TH said spaces were still available for RIAT. 10 JD said that
long time MVT member John Marchant would be 90 in July and we could perhaps
have an event at his farm to mark the occasion. PC said that John was the
grandfather of the military vehicle preservation movement.
Date: 04-05-17.
Venue: Carpetbaggers Museum, Harrington Airfield.
Apologies: Ian Gardiner, Peter Clarke, Garry Stock, George
and Caroline Jackson.
Present: Neill Elliott
(chairman) plus 20 other members. 1 We were made most
welcome by Fred West and Keith Taylor of the museum. They gave us a very
detailed presentation of the workings of the airfield and really brought it to
life. With over 70 aircraft and some 5,000 men, it must have been a hive of
activity supplying the French Resistance and agents, all done in total secrecy.
The visit was much appreciated by all. 2 Neil Elliot ran
through the current events list noting: Visit to Chicksands (details next
meeting from their Military Liaison Officer); Wicksteed at War (the camping
issue has been resolved with a small area reserved for MVT members, however
Caroline Jackson continues to be unhappy with these arrangements.); Deenthorpe
visit Thursday, July 5 (times TBA). 3 Next meeting will be on
Tuesday, June 6, at Wicksteed Park.
Date: 06-04-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome.
Apologies: George and Caroline Jackson, Martin Sansom,
Andy Speechley.
Present: Ian Gardiner
(secretary), plus 20 other members.
The minutes of 02-03-17 were
approved. 1
IG said seven SEM members attended the MVT AGM at Gaydon last
week where there was a lively debate about public liability insurance for
events and individuals. Tim Hawkes made an excellent presentation on the scheme
and the vote would have been almost unanimous for the scheme but for proxy “no”
votes. The motion was lost by 104 votes to 97. One area secretary brought along
76 “no” votes. There would now be a poll
of the entire membership, with details in the next Windscreen and IG urged
everyone to vote. 2 IG
said he was surprised at the AGM to be awarded the Warwick Affredi Shield for
area secretary of the year. He said it was in recognition of the area’s efforts
with Wicksteed at War and leading the way in safety training and was earned by
all the SEM members. 3 IG said
the safety training day at Armourgeddon was a success. Tim Cross said he had
spoken to members of CoM who attended and they were all impressed by it. 4 Neill
Elliott introduced the guest speaker, Gordon Hall, a member of Sywell Aviation
Museum and a retired police chief inspector who did his National Service in the
RAF Police. Gordon is a Normandy Beaches tour guide and gave an informative
talk on operations on D-Day and just after. 5 IG
said we had been invited to attend Armed Forces Day at RAF Chicksands, Bedfordshire,
by a serving officer who was also an MVT member. Kevin Lamberth said the museum
at the base was excellent but that there might be security issues. PC said
that, as this was a public Armed Forces Day and we had been invited, these could
be overcome. Six or seven members were interested in attending. 6 IG
reminded members of the opening of Sywell Aviation Museum on Easter Saturday
and 20 members said they would attend.
7 NE
said we had been invited by PC to a talk on an historic Hawker Hurricane, which
had been recovered from India and was now based at the Shuttleworth Collection.
The talk was at 7.30pm on Wednesday, April 12, at Bugbrooke Community Centre,
admission £3. 8 IG
reminded members that the May meeting was at Harrington Museum with a tour and
film show. 9 IG
said he had been asked to raise the issue of members’ caravans at Wicksteed at
War as the park had raised the daily camping rate from £5 to £15. John Underwood said it was unreasonable to ask
members to help run the event over three days when they had to pay the park £45
for the privilege. Tim Hawkes said he would take this up with the park with a
view to providing low-cost or free camping in the camping field. 10 JU
said he was thinking about another open day and road run based on his home in
East Carlton. This received an enthusiastic response from members.
Date: 02-03-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome.
Apologies: George and Caroline Jackson, Ross White.
Present: Ian Gardiner
(secretary), plus 18 other members.
The minutes of 02-02-17 were
approved. 1
IG said the Sywell Aviation Museum’s talk on the People’s
Mosquito was supported by seven SEM members and Neill Elliott won the main
raffle prize, a huge Airfix model Mosquito. 2
Brian Rive entered his Jeep in the MVT’s Wilkinson Sword mileage
competition and came third with a total of 1,377 miles. The winner, another
Jeep covered 2,916 miles and the second place went to a GMC with 1,795 miles.
Brian received a round of applause for his effort. 3
Tim Hawkes reported that 39 members had signed up for the
safety training day on March 19. They included members of CoM, area secretaries
and representatives from our insurance company. IG said he would make a dummy
to be run over by a tracked vehicle. NE
commented that SEM was leading the way in safety training. 4
NE said Sywell Aviation Museum was opening on Easter Sunday
and had welcomed MVs. Gates open at 0900 and the short opening ceremony was at
1030. The museum had offered a bangers and mash lunch to MVT members. Weather
permitting, after lunch we would leave for a short road run. 5
IG said the guest speaker at the April meeting would be
Gordon Hall, a Normandy tour guide. He reminded members that the May meeting
was to be at Harrington Carpetbaggers Museum. Business would be kept short and
then we would have a film and guided tour around the former USAAF base. The
June meeting would be at Wicksteed Park, but on Tuesday, June 6. 6
IG again mentioned a rally for Vauxhalls, Opels and Bedfords
on July 7-9 at Market Harborough. He would gather more information about this. 7
IG said that on Thursday, July 6, some veterans and their
families were returning to the former USAAF base at Deenthorpe. This was the 75th
anniversary of the Americans arriving. Vehicles were requested for transport. 8
NE distributed an events diary with details of local and
national events.
9
Peter Clarke said he had been in touch with the organiser of
the monthly classic car and bike meets at Earls Barton and she was happy to
allot a space for MVT vehicles. The first meeting was on April 5, from 1630. 10
IG said he was pursuing an off-road opportunity at Billing,
but there would be costs involved. A 4x4 group could be invited to share the
cost. 11
IG said he and NE were looking at road runs later, possibly
to Bicester Heritage. 12
TH said the MVT had started planning the D-Day tour for 2019
and he urged members to sign up as soon as they could. 13
Roy Sharman said War and Peace had moved back to the Hop Farm
but with a new date. 14
PC reported that Heather Bailey had now been trained on how
to update the mvtsem.com website. 15Wicksteed at War 2017: NE said that help was still needed for
marshalling, booking-in etc. PC commented that the cost of camping had risen
from £15 for three days to £15 per day. TH said the MVT could do nothing about
this but mentioned that military-style camping by vehicles was free. IG led a discussion
on a possible road run during the weekend but the consensus was that this would
be too difficult to fit in. 16
NE said the Norfolk area secretary had written to other area
secretaries complaining at the CoM’s intention to raise membership fees by £10
per year to pay for individual public liability insurance. TH explained the
reasons behind the move and PC pointed out that the Norfolk position was at
odds with the SEM who had unanimously approved the idea at last month’s
meeting. The motion will be discussed and voted on at the MVT AGM on April 2.
Date: 02-02-17.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome.
Apologies: Richard Hall, George and Caroline Jackson,
Gary Stock, Andy Speechley.
Present: Ian Gardiner
(secretary), plus 19 other members.
The minutes of 01-12-16 were
approved.
1 IG reviewed his first
year as area secretary and went through some highlights, including Sywell
Aviation Museum opening, Wicksteed at War, airfields road run, Poppy Appeal, Remembrance
Day road run, Christmas party with a D-day veteran as guest speaker and the
recent Roger’s Road Run. He said it had been an enjoyable year, if stressful at
times. He thanked chairman Neill Elliott for his support and also Peter Clarke
for looking after the website, minutes and Windscreen reports, Tim Cross and
Kevin Lamberth for their photographs and Tim Hawkes for Wicksteed at War.
2 This being the AGM,
IG handed the meeting over to NE, who thanked IG for his hard work, which was
applauded by the meeting. NE nominated IG as area secretary and this was
seconded by KL. There were no other nominations and IG was elected unanimously by
all those present who were affiliated to the SE Midlands Area. 3 IG proposed NE as
chairman, PC as webmaster, Heather Bailey as deputy webmaster and TH as
Wicksteed at War show director. With no other
nominations, were elected unanimously. 4 IG said Roger’s Road
Run had been a success and several members had attended the recent Stoneleigh
event. 5Proposed 2017 events:
IG said he had been in contact with a land owner at Billing who had an off-road
course we could use, perhaps in conjunction with a road run. KL suggested the
local 4x4 club could join us at Billing. Sywell Museum opening was on Easter
Saturday. It was suggested we could leave after the opening for a short road
run. Another road run was planned in south Northants, ending at Bicester
Heritage. A trip to Chicksands was a possibility, as KL had contacts there.
6 TH outlined plans for
the March 19 safety training day. Members of MVT CoM, area secretaries and event
organisers had also been invited. Those passing the course would receive an orange
MVT marshal 2017 vest. 7 IG said the Carpetbaggers
Museum at Harrington had invited us back for a longer visit and he proposed the
May 4 area meeting be held there and not at Sywell. This was agreed.
8 IG said we had been invited
to take part in a show in July organised by the Bedford, Vauxhall and Opel
Association. 9 There was discussion
on the June area meeting and it was decided that this would be at Wicksteed
Park on Tuesday, June 6. 10 TH reported on CoM
matters. He asked members to please affiliate to their local area. He ran through
a new insurance policy for the whole of the MVT. This included coverage for
road runs, school visits, village shows and larger events, provided he was
notified beforehand via a form on the main MVT website. As part of this cover,
all MVs should contain a fire extinguisher, first aid box, wheel chocks and
drivers must have their driving licence, insurance documentation and abide by
the MVT code of conduct. 11 TH said the CoM had
been looking at individual public liability insurance for members. A proposal
before the MVT AGM would be to provide this with a £10 increase in the
membership fee. After discussion of this, PC proposed a straw poll be taken and
this showed all in favour of the CoM proposal. 12 IG said he was
pursuing guest speakers.
13 NE said that on July
6 veterans and relatives were visiting Deenethorpe airfield and some MVs were
requested. 14 IG said that the
Earls Barton classic car meets resumed in April and it was suggested we arrive
together and park in a club area. PC said he would contact the organisers and
ask for a reserved area.
15 IG said the MVT AGM
was at Gaydon on April 2. 16 TH said War and Peace
was to return to the Hop Farm at Beltring on July 25-29.
17 NE said the Royal
British Legion had invited us to their Honour Walk in Bedford on July 8. Tim
Cross said we had supported the Northampton event in previous years but KL said
this has clashed with Wicksteed at War last year. 18 NE reminded members
about the mileage award, open to all MVs. IG was looking at providing a
suitable trophy. 19 IG said George and
Caroline Jackson and Gary Stock had attended a schools day in Milton Keynes
with a Ferret, Jeep and GMC and had been well received.
Date: 01-12-16.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome.
Apologies: None given.
Present: Ian Gardiner
(secretary), plus 22 other members. The minutes of 03-11-16 were
approved. 1
I G welcomed guest speaker Arthur Jones and his friend Steve Harper. 2 IG said there were 16 MVs on a very successful
Remembrance Day road run and members thanked John and Judith Underwood for
arranging this. 3
IG reminded members about Roger’s Road Run on January 22 and said
details were on the area website.
4 Tim Hawkes passed around the 2017 MVT calendar
which included many SEM vehicles.
5
TH said the CoM had approved funding for Wicksteed at War 2017 and had
made significant progress on public liability insurance for MVs at shows.
Details would be released at the club’s AGM. 6
IG said Operation Poppy in
Northampton town centre had raised £1,832.33. 7 IG
proposed that SEM area should have its own version of the MVT’s Wilkinson Sword
award for furthest distance travelled to shows and meets during a year. Members
agreed that this should be open to all ages of vehicles, not just wartime. The
award would start on January 1, 2017, and run until December 31, with the
winner announced at the February 2018 meeting. Members should keep a tally of
mileage and shows attended.
8
Arthur Jones entertained with two love stories, one his mother’s love
for her son and the other the love of a family in France who took him in when
his Sherman tank broke down. Arthur joined the army in 1944, aged 18, and,
after just a few weeks learning to drive a tank, landed at Gold Beach on D+7.
His was an observation post tank and had a dummy gun! He ended the war in
Bremen, aged 19, but was not demobbed until 1947. He and a friend traced the
family who had looked after him in 1944 and 62 years later there was a reunion,
filmed by Central News TV. 9
The buffet was served and secret Santa presents exchanged. 10
IG reminded members there was no area meeting in January.
Date: 03-11-16.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome.
Apologies: Richard Hill, John Denney, Steve Smith, Martin
Sansom.
Present: Ian Gardiner
(secretary), plus 14 other members.
The minutes of 06-10-16 were
approved.
1 IG thanked Tim Cross for taking last month’s minutes in the absence of
Peter Clarke, who was on holiday. 2 IG said we would have vehicles once
again in Northampton town centre for the Poppy
Appeal on Saturdays, November 5 and 12. TC, who was organising this, took
names. Tim Hawkes, CoM member responsible for health and safety, reminded
members that each vehicle should have wheel chocks, fire extinguisher and
insurance documents. The public should not be allowed in the vehicles and they
should be either roped off or manned continuously. If these conditions were
met, any liability would be covered by the MVT’s insurance. 3 John Underwood’s road run on November 13 was promoted (details on the area website).
4 IG said the December 1 area meeting would be busy, with a buffet, a talk from
D-Day veteran Arthur Jones, and a raffle. The meeting thought there would be no
time for the usual quiz. IG was talking to The Aviator about buffet prices and
the cheapest was £8.95 per head.
5 There was discussion on SE Midlands petty cash and how we could retrieve it
from central funds. Conflicting advice was being given and TH said he would
investigate. 6 PC reported Roger’s Road Run would either be on Sunday, January 15 or 22. As
soon as he heard from Roger, he would post details on the area website.
7 IG said he had been looking at an
area visit to the Normandy beaches.
Prices for the ferry depended on the vehicle, date, number of people etc. Gary
Stock said ballpark figures were £1,000 for a GMC, £500 for a Dodge and £350
for a Jeep. The Poole-Cherbourg route was the cheapest. After discussion, the
consensus was that mid-September was favourite. IG to continue working on this. 8 Members reported that Stoke Bruerne Village at War was a good
show but there were doubts whether it would run again next year. 9 IG said the deadline for Wilkinson Sword mileage entries was
January 31 and members urged Brian Rive to apply.
10
IG urged members to affiliate to
the SE Midlands Area. PC said details on how to do this were at the bottom the
area website home page and on the main MVT website.
11 PC said Heather Bailey had
volunteered to be the back-up webmaster (mistress?)
and he would be training her later.
12 TH said he had storage space for a vehicle in Cransley for £40 a month.
13 Neill Elliott showed some pictures he had taken in the early 70s
of MVs at Lulworth and Bovington.
Date: 06-10-16.
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome.
Apologies: Peter Clarke, George Jackson, Caroline
Jackson.
Present: Ian Gardiner
(secretary), plus 18 other members.
The minutes of 04-08-16 were
approved. 1 Kevin Lamberth (RBL)
has now joined the MVT and brought along Vaughn Glynn (Poppy Appeal organiser)
and Dave Parrish MBE (speaker who stepped in at the last minute).
2 There was a report on
the Holme Hall run with just three vehicles attending (low number due to some
non-starters). A good event but spoilt by weather. 3 Tim Cross had a good
response from members who would like to bring their vehicles into Northampton
for the Poppy Appeal days, Saturdays, November 5 and 12. 4 John Underwood outlined
his Remembrance Day run which attracted considerable potential support. 5 Tim Hawkes gave an
update of the Wicksteed at War 2017 theme which is Vietnam and 100 years of the
British Cavalry, plus battle scenes including WW2. It is intended to invite
members from other areas to join the March training day. John Underwood
suggested adding fire extinguisher training if some out-of-date ones can be
found to let off. A request was made for some more marshals for next year. 6 IG asked if it would
be possible to have an assistant for updating the web in Peter Clarke's absence
and Heather Bailey offered to help.
7 Dave Parrish gave a
very good talk with slides about the Unknown Warrior, which was much
appreciated by all. Dave said that if we needed another speaker in the future,
he had contacts.
Date: 01-09-16
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome.
Apologies: Neill Elliott, Andy Speechley
Present: Ian Gardiner
(secretary), plus 15 other members.
The minutes of 04-08-16 were
approved.
1
IG said the scheduled speaker for this meeting had been taken
ill so the talk was postponed until next year. 2
IG said he thought the airfields road run went well and all
agreed. The Harrington Museum volunteers were keen to have us back for a proper
tour and talk, which could take the place of a regular monthly meeting. IG to pursue. 3
The Holme Front road run was planned for October 1. IG
proposed two meeting points along the way and to park in the event’s public car
park, because, as reported in previous minutes, the organisers wanted all
participants in place by 9am with no movements until the show ended. By using
the car park we could come and go as we pleased. Details to go on the area
website. 4
Members attended the Tanks, Truck and Firepower event which
was enjoyed despite a torrential downpour. Some planned to go to the Victory
Show in Leicestershire this weekend. 5
IG said the speaker for October’s monthly meeting was a good
one and urged members not to miss it. The December speaker would be D-day
veteran Arthur Jones. 6
IG said he had been thinking about a short area tour to
Normandy. After discussion, the consensus was that a weekend was not long
enough to see everything and to get value for money for the ferry fare. At
least a week was needed. Tim Hawkes said the CoM was already making plans for
the 2019 tour; IG to contact Rex War or Isaac Preston to see if a group booking
was possible. IG said he would give more thought to a smaller tour before 2019. 7
Peter Clarke handed out some cuttings about the early days of
the area, which had been sent to him by Steve Gascoigne, the founder-secretary
of SEM Area. 8
Roy Sharman handed out a list of tools and spares available
for a charity donation. 9
TH said the CoM was making progress with its investigation to
provide public liability for static vehicles at shows. Caroline Jackson said she
and George’s public liability and display items were covered on their household
insurance. She urged members not to be covered by two separate policies, which
could lead to complications in the event of a claim. 10 John
Underwood gave details of the Remembrance Sunday road run on November 13.
Vehicles would meet at his house for coffee, leaving at 9.30am for Weldon
memorial. Then a scenic drive back to his house for lunch and a look at his
museum before driving to the Deenthorpe memorial. The event would end around
3pm and members would make their own way home. Details, with addresses and a
postcode to be put on the area website.
Date: 04-08-16
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome. Apologies: Tim Hawkes, Brian Rive. Present: Ian Gardiner
(secretary), Neill Elliott (chairman), plus 18 other members. New member Stephen Myles was
welcomed. The minutes of 07-07-16 were
approved. 1
IG gave details of the road run on Sunday, August 7, which
would start from Harrington, taking in Desborough, Grafton Underwood and
Thurleigh. Tim Cross was asked to take pictures, including a group shot, for
the area website and Windscreen. The TTS group had also been invited. 2
After discussion, it was decided that the second road run on
October 1 would be to the Holme Front event. MVs would use the public car park
and would not actually be part of the event, as this would mean us being on
site from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
3
IG said he had attended a debrief on Wicksteed at War 2016
and had presented discussion points raised at the last area meeting. It was
felt more marshals were needed and the arena layout tweaking. Next year efforts
were to be made via social media to attract war-gamers. Wicksteed Park was
pleased with the 2016 event.
4
Gary Stock said he had attended War and Peace. There were
fewer MVs than previously but it was still an excellent event. 5
NE said he went to the Blitz Tearoom in Kettering and it was
a good evening. 6
IG said the guest speaker for next month’s area meeting would
be Mike Losada, talking about his K2 ambulance, film work and Bicester
Heritage. The October speaker was a surprise but he urged members not to miss
the meeting. For December, Steve Harper, the Shuttleworth Collection’s patron,
would bring along D-day veteran and Sherman tank driver Arthur Jones. There
would also be food.
7
Roy Sharman said he had gone on an Arhem battlefield tour and
could recommend it.
8
RS had cleaned and categorised the donated 1950s tools and
asked for a charity donation should members want any of them. 9
John Underwood said he went to the 1940s show at March, near
Peterborough and suggested a road run to next year’s event. Post-war vehicles
were also welcome. 10
JU said there would be no open day at East Carlton this year.
11
JU suggested a Remembrance road run on November 13 and would
liaise with IG over this. 12
IG said he went to Normandy on business and took time off to
visit battlefield sites and war cemeteries. He showed pictures and was thinking
of organising an area visit to Normandy. Discussion took place and GS said the
best time to visit for an anniversary of D-day, for instance the 75th
anniversary in 2019. Steve Linnell said in his experience the best time to
visit was when the area was quieter as you could get around much easier. Peter
Clarke pointed out the MVT regularly organised tours of Normany so we could
simply tag along on those.
13
NE had visited Tank Fest and showed pictures of tracked
vehicles on display. 14
SL said he had a Bedford RL manual for sale via a friend for
£20; PC to put an advertisement for it on the website.
Date: 07-07-16
Venue: Aviator, Sywell Aerodrome.
Apologies: Ian Gardiner, Richard Hall, Tim Hawkes, John
Denney.
Present: Neill Elliott,
chairman, plus 12 other members. New member Gordon Woodham
was welcomed. The minutes of 07-06-16 were
approved. 1
Brian Rive and Heather Bailey attended the Shuttleworth
Collection Military Pageant and were made welcome. Tim Cross, Jim Poole and
Peter Clarke attended the Northampton Armed Forces Day, met the Mayor and
pictures had been sent to Windscreen. 2
Wicksteed at War. NE said he, IG and the show committee
wanted to thank all those who helped to make the show superb this year. NE took
suggestions for improvement for next year. NE canvassed opinion on the
appearance of the vehicle display area and said several exhibitors wanted us to
tighten up on procedures to make sure the area was purely military. After some
discussion, members agreed that no civilian tents, trailers or caravans should
be allowed in this area and the camping field should be used instead.
Exhibitors should be encouraged to keep modern items, such as cool boxes, out
of sight. Civilian vehicles must be moved away from the area by 9am. The
procedures should be spelt out more clearly on entrance forms. No vote was
taken but all were in agreement. NE said other MVT areas could be approached to
help with marshalling and we could train them at Armourgeddon. 3
NE said the question of public liability insurance at shows was a dog’s
dinner but the CoM was continuing to look into it. 4
NE said he and IG has arranged two road roads this year,
Harrington to Thurleigh on Sunday, August 7, and a trip to Holme 40s weekend
near Peterborough on Saturday, October 1. Another trip to Chicksands and
Bicester was being planned. 5
NE said the CoM’s area liaison officer had asked for a list
of vehicles SE Midlands members owned and this was compiled. She also needed to
know about school visits, which we did occasionally. We also included the WaW
education day.
6
Roy Sharman mentioned a 1940s day at Rothwell on July 9 and said the dates
for the Dorset Steam Fair had been changed this year. 7
NE said four speakers had been lined up for monthly meetings:
Provisional - August, a serving Chinook helicopter mechanic;
Booked - September, Mike Losada, whose K2 ambulance has appeared in 26 films and
has carried John Mills; October, booked - a surprise but not to be missed; December,
Christmas buffet and (booked) Arthur Jones, D-day Sherman tank driver.
8
NE brought in some donated tools and invited members to help
themselves.
Date: 07-06-16
Venue: a leaky 12x12 tent, Wicksteed Park in a thunderstorm.
Apologies: Simon Tasker, John Denney, George and Caroline
Jackson,
Present: Ian Gardiner,
secretary, Neill Elliott, chairman, plus 16 other members.
The minutes of 05-05-16 were
approved. 1
IG said he was working on road runs and the first would be in July or August, perhaps to
Thurleigh. The Military Intelligence Museum at Chicksands was also a
possibility. More details at the next meeting. 2
Saturday, June 18, was Armed
Forces Day at Rushden, said IG, with steam trains, a drive through the town
and a flypast. Details were on the website. The Armed Forces Day at Northampton
was on June 25 and Tim Cross was co-ordinating the small number of vehicles
needed on the Market Square. 3
IG was still working on the Shuttleworth Collection visit but communication was difficult. For
the Military Pageant on July 3, Shuttleworth needed names of drivers plus type
and age of vehicles. If we did this and became part of the show, entrance for a
driver plus one would be free. If not, we could still attend for a reduced
group rate of £22.50 each. Names were taken of those who wanted to go. 4
Investigation into public
liability insurance while static at a show was continuing. Tim Hawkes said
the issue was cloudy and it was a work in progress. 5
IG said the CoM had appointed area liaison officers to work with areas. 6
IG said a Chinook helicopter ground crew warrant officer has
been lined up to give a talk in the
future. 7
Someone had offered IG some WW2 tools, which he would bring to the next meeting.
8
NE said he had been in contact with the North Oxfordshire
area with a view to participating in the Flywheel
event at Bicester on August 12. MVT vehicles would be admitted free. Details to
be put on the website later. 9
Other diary dates
were discussed and these would be put on the website. 10
Wicksteed
at War: NE went through layout changes and signing in procedures for
the show. Andy Speechley said there would a marked-off lane to bring vehicles
from the vehicle field to the arena. TH said that if a vehicle arriving had a
V16 sign, it meant it had pre-booked and the driver’s licence and insurance had
been checked. If vehicles turned up without booking, licences and insurance
should be produced. If this was not available, there was a declaration form to
be filled in. TH said that the offer of an alternative to the Saturday Victory
Dance had been withdrawn by Wicksteed Park but members could get discounted
tickets to the dance by quoting “Save 5”. TH said that Wicksteed management was
keen on the “Disneyfication” of the park during the show, which meant civilian
vehicles and caravans should not be near the display areas. The only exception
was traders’ vans, which had to be near their stalls. He said marshals could
help in clearing civilian cars from the vehicle display field by 9am. Peter
Clarke said he was happy to pay £15 to put his caravan in the camping field but
would be annoyed if others were allowed to pitch nearer the show for free. TH
said that for next year he would look into hiring a section of field for MVT
members’ caravans and civilian tents.
Date: 05-05-16
Venue: Aviator, Sywell
Apologies: None.
Present: Ian Gardiner,
secretary, Neill Elliott, chairman, Caroline Jackson, treasurer, plus 18 other
members. IG welcomed new member Steve
Miles. The minutes of 07-04-16 were
approved. 1 IG said there were 161 members of the South East Midlands Area but only 24 had so far
affiliated to the area.
2 IG said that now SEM was a “dry” area, with
its funds being held by the central MVT, there was no longer a role for a treasurer. He would administer the £250
the area was allowed. 3 IG said he had been in touch with the North
Lancs area which had negotiated a deal for public
liability insurance for members when vehicles were stationery and on display
at shows. It would cost about £5 per year. A show of hands revealed most
members were interested in this and details of how to apply would be placed on
the area website later. 5 IG was still talking to Shuttleworth about participation in the Military Pageant on July 3
but the collection was busy with another major project and we were still
waiting the go-ahead. Details would go on the area website as soon as possible.
Caroline Jackson said the Beds Steam Rally, held in the park at Shuttleworth in
September, was well worth attending. Gordon Beale organised the MV element but
pre-booking was necessary. 6 IG said the road run to Thurleigh would be in August, date to be arranged. 7 IG, NE, Tim Hawkes and
former area treasurer Peter Hamblin attended the MVT AGM on April 24 and therefore made up some 10 per cent of the
total 40 attendees. NE said TH was awarded the Chairman’s Trophy for his work
as events and safety co-ordinator. The meeting applauded Tim’s efforts. 8 IG said he had discovered 24 WW2 bases within a 25 mile radius of
Sywell and would like to organise a series of road runs to look at them. The
meeting thought runs of 40-50 miles should be the maximum. The first might take place in August. 9 The open
day at John and Judith Underwood’s private museum might not be possible due
to family commitments but if it did take place, it would be a lower-key affair.
10 NE said Wicksteed
at War preparations were progressing well and the Checkpoint Charlie
recreation was taking shape. Sandbags were to be filled with wood chippings and
help was needed to do this on June 4-5 at a Bozeat timber yard. Vehicles and
re-enactors from the period 1961-65 were still needed. Andy Speechley said the
arena display would include a WW2 battle, a CVRT pull and a Vietnam War
display. TH said there would be a Purple Heart disco on the Friday night.
Discounted tickets at £7.50 for the Saturday night dance were available from
Wicksteed Park by quoting the code “Save 5”. For those not wanting to attend
this, the Celebration Suite bar would be open at no cost. NE said the next area
meeting would be on Tuesday, June 7, at the Celebration Suite, Wicksteed Park,
not at Sywell. CJ asked about barbecues on site for members and members
indicated they would welcome this on the Friday and Saturday evenings. She and
Lyn Hall would look at this. TH said there would be more on-site catering this
year. 11 NE distributed various MV-related magazines he thought members would be interested in and
asked what website and forums they followed.
12 PC said that more members
should be affiliated to the SEM
Area. It was easy to do this on the internet and instructions were on the area
website and the main MVT website.
13 PC said he would email members when the area website was updated if they sent
him their email address and membership number. 14 Andy Speechley showed a replica Browning 50 calibre machine gun
which he was converting to fire using oxygen and propane. Solenoids and printed
circuit boards should give it a realistic rate of fire. He was looking for a
vehicle on which to mount it for Wicksteed.
Apologies: John Denney, Tim Hawkes.
Present: Ian Gardiner,
secretary, Neill Elliott, chairman, Caroline Jackson, treasurer, plus 17 other
members.
1 Two new members,
Dave and Keith, who had volunteered for Wicksteed at War safety training, were
welcomed. 2 Past events: NE
said the opening of Sywell Aviation Museum on Easter Saturday had gone well
despite the cold wind and a lack of aircraft. Simon Tasker said he had enjoyed the
Soviet Threat weekend at the Hack Green Bunker. Peter Clarke said he had
attended the Earls Barton classic car meet the previous day and had asked the
owner of a 1960 Auto Union sports car to come to Wicksteed. 3 A quiz compiled by
NE was won by Andy Speechley and Alan Farren.
4 Wicksteed at
War: NE reported that everything was progressing well with Checkpoint Charlie
being built and a good selection of vehicles and re-enactors booked so far. The
June monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 7, at the Celebration Suite
at Wicksteed Park, not at Sywell, to tie up any loose ends. Because of the
different layout this year, caravans would have to be left at the park’s
caravan field. CJ objected to this and NE said he would refer this to TH. 5 IG said he and
NE had attended the MVT CoM roadshow at Peterborough which explained the
changes to areas’ financial dealings due to the Charities Act. Only 20 members
turned up. PC said he decided not to go because he was happy with the new arrangements.
IG said that the MVT areas had gone from 51 down to 34 as some areas were not
compliant with the law and some had not responded to instructions from the CoM.
NE said he asked the CoM whether guest speakers could be paid out of the MVT
central fund and was told this was OK as long as the talk was educational. 6 NE and IG would
welcome suggestions for guest speakers. Arthur Jones, the D-day veteran was a
possibility, as was someone from Sywell Aviation Museum. 7 Forthcoming
events: IG outlined several MV-related events, near and far. Discussions about
a return to the Shuttleworth Collection were ongoing. He and Richard Hall were
looking at a visit to Thurleigh Museum, combined with a road run. Other ideas
included a trip to Armourgeddon, perhaps with some off-roading, a look at the
workshop and tank driving at special rates. 8 Tim Cross
reported that the Molesworth hangar dance had been cancelled.
******************************************
Present:
Ian Gardiner, secretary,
Neill Elliott, chairman, plus 13 other members.
IG reminded
members of the safety training day
at Armourgeddon on March 13, 9am-1pm. Tim Hawkes said there were five new
volunteers, in response to a Facebook appeal. TH said the date
for Arthur Smith’s drive in a Sherman
had not yet been fixed but it was likely to be either March 9 or 10 at Bruce Crompton’s
place in Norfolk. Members were welcome to go along. PC mentioned National Drive-it Day on April 24.
There was a big rally at the Husbands Bosworth Gliding Centre. TH said this
clashed with the MVT AGM at Gaydon
and members might want to drive to that. IG said he was
talking to the Shuttleworth Collection
about taking part in their Military Pageant on July 3. More details later. TH gave his MVT CoM update: the chairman, secretary and
treasurer were touring the country to explain how charity status affected the way we held our funds. The SE Midlands
Area had no issues with this. The rules on vehicle
registration had changed and if a vehicle contained more than 25 per cent
new or non-original parts, it would be given a Q-plate. This would include
Jeeps with a new body tub. He recommended getting vehicles registered before
replacing large parts. The CoM has decided that it was not the MVT’s placed to
lobby on proposed new gun legislation
as we were a vehicle club, not a gun club. Other members pointed out that
automatic weapons were an integral part of some vehicles, for instance certain
marks of Ferret, so we had a vested interest in the outcome. There was a heavy workload for verification officers, particularly
from dealers, who sometimes didn’t appreciate that this was being done
voluntarily. The MVT chairman and treasurer would be stepping down at the AGM. Wicksteed at War: NE said Checkpoint Charlie was being built by a
firm in Wellingborough but we needed help in producing signs. He had found an
East German Border Guard re-enactor but more were needed to represent Russians,
East Germans and Americans. Civilian vehicles were also needed and he urged members
to put out feelers. TH said a Spitfire
had been promised for a ground display with the possibility of a Me Bf 109. NE
said help would be needed at Wicksteed in the week before the show. TH said
there would again be a Friday night Purple Heart Vietnam era disco and a Saturday ball. NE and IG said
they had been looking at ideas for growing
the area and had come up with some ideas, including a visit to a F1 factory
at Silverstone, a BBQ, summer road run, visits to Thurleigh, Bedford autodrome
and clay shooting. They welcomed other suggestions. Roy Sharman said he missed
the speakers we used to have at most monthly meetings. Members wanted to
support John Underwood’s open day again and suggested attending the monthly
classic car meets at Earls Barton. Peter Clarke to put this on the webpage
diary. Richard Hall said the large US hanger at Duxford was due to reopen soon
and was well worth a visit. Tim Cross said
he and Jim Poole attended the funeral of
ex-area secretary Brian Shoebridge with their Jeep and Bedford MW. His family
was very grateful and were sending a donation to the Royal British Legion. Heather Bailey
said she was looking for dry storage
for her Standard staff car and members promised to help. NE appealed for
more members to send material for the area website, particularly projects and
vehicles.
*********************************************
Members were notified of various local shows worth
attending (see Diary Dates section). John Denney said the road run
had been very enjoyable and the Milton Keynes Museum was well worth another
visit. Thanks went to Roger Higgerson and co for organising this. Tim Hawkes reminded
members of the marshals’ safety day at Armourgeddon, Husbands Bosworth, on
March 13. Wicksteed at War
2016: TH said we now had British, German, American and Italian re-enactors
booked but that we wanted early 1960s’ uniform groups for the Checkpoint
Charlie recreation. The Facebook Events
page indicated that more than 2,500 intended to attend and it had attracted six
more volunteers for marshaling duties, who would be trained at Armourgeddon. AGM: JD and TH
reminded that we were now a “dry” area, in that all our funds, apart from some
ready cash, were held by the central MVT but we had easy access to them
provided we went about it in the correct way. JD said he wished to stand down
as secretary but would carry on as a verification officer and would still be on
hand to help his successors. Ian Gardiner was proposed as secretary by Peter
Clarke, seconded by Simon Tasker and voted in unanimously. Neill Elliott was
proposed as chairman by TH, seconded by George Jackson and voted in unanimously.
Caroline Jackson was proposed as treasurer by TH, seconded by GJ and voted in
unanimously. PC volunteered to write area reports for Windscreen and was
thanked for his efforts with the area website. AOB: PC said we had been invited to return to the
Shuttleworth Collection during a flying day. IG to liaise with Shuttleworth.
****************************************
Kevin Lamberth gave
an illustrated talk on his recent visit to the Auschwitz and Birkenau
concentration camps in Poland and was thanked by members.
We had a buffet meal
and John Denney was thanked in his
absence for organising this. It was followed by a raffle and a fiendishly
difficult quiz compiled by Ian Gardiner and won by George Jackson and Tim
Hawkes.
Tim Hawkes
reported back from Sunday’s CoM meeting: Proposed legislation could mean vehicles fitted with a
new body would be classed as new vehicles and given a Q registration plate.
This would apply to Jeeps given a reproduction body.
There has been a large spike in vehicle verification
requests due to imports from the USA and Russia and our volunteer verification
officers were being swamped.
Those responsible for the Paris attacks were found to
have used formerly deactivated firearms. This could have repercussions and the
future of all deactivated weapons could be in question. Funding for shows
in 2016 was discussed. The area asked for £8,000 and this was granted by the
CoM.
Lots of members
had not affiliated to their local areas This was easy to do on line via the
main MVT website. Wicksteed at War
2016: TH said the park was running the Saturday evening 1940s entertainment and
he has asked for free tickets for members. This saves us money to spend on
other things. There would again be a 1970s- themed disco on the Friday evening.
The show would have a Cold War theme and it was proposed that a replica
Checkpoint Charlie be built. Post-war vehicles were needed for this. Neil Elliot
would run this. We were trying to get a replica Spitfire and its re-enactment
group. There would be a safety training day in March. John Underwood thanked TH
for all his efforts as show director and members applauded this.
Roger’s Road Run
would be on Sunday, January 24, and details were on the area website. Operation Poppy in
Northampton town centre this year raised £2,254 for the RBL. Members sang Happy
Birthday to TH to mark his 40th. Richard Hall said
that Ken Haverson’s widow was grateful for messages of condolences following
his death.
There would be no
meeting in January and February’s would be the area AGM.
April's guest speaker Rusty Waughman with SEM members after his talk
Date: 05-04-18.
Venue: Cirrus Room, Aviator, Sywell. Apologies: Simon Tasker and Martin Samson. Present: Neill
Elliott (secretary) and around 100 members and guests. The minutes of 01-02-18
were approved and signed.
