Severnside Area M.V.T Newsletter – August Thru October 2008.
Sheet 1 of 4.
The show season is gradually winding down, time to think about planning the New Year Road Run! At the last meeting I was introduced to Steve Young, who is a re-enactor and knows of a large disused airfield, RAF Charmy Down (it closed in 1952) which may possibly be suitable for holding a Kemble-sized show. We arranged to meet there the Sunday after, and the site does, I think, have great potential. The original roadways are in fair condition, there are underground concrete bunkers with slit trenches, the control tower and many other buildings are still standing. There are four access gates, two of which are in regular use. The main problems are that the site is overgrown and would need a lot of tidying up, many of the buildings are derelict, the Water Board uses part of it as a catchment area for a reservoir and the control tower has been vandalized. Also, since the two main access routes are sharp turns on bends of the A.4 hill toward Bath , there is a potential collision hazard, mindful of the heavy traffic this road carries.
We have been offered a site adjacent to the Motor Museum at Sparkford rent free (with a few strings attached) and one or two other possible sites have also come to the Chairman's attention.
The reason we may have to move from Kemble is that their management are thinking in terms of a fourfold rent increase, which would make the show totally non-viable. Talking of which, the small profit from this year has, with final accounting, turned out to be a loss of some £1200. That's still a massive improvement on last year, though.
Forthcoming Events:-
Saturday Sep 6 th - West Wilts MVT Bar-B-Q, from midday at the Pig & Whistle, Forest Rd , Melksham. Mv's optional, local membership have been sent a mailshot, hoping for a good turnout of hitherto unseen members!
Tuesday, Sep 9 th - Gloucester MVT meeting, at the RBL, Hardwick from 20.00
Wednesday, Sep 10 th - IMPS meeting, at Shoplands Sawmills, Clevedon from 20.00 sharp.
Sat-Sun Sep 13-14 th , Swindon & Cricklade Wartime Weekend, at Blunsdon Station. Battle re-enactments both days, discount meals for exhibitors. Further details from Mandy Keedwell 01453 890920.
Thursday Sep 25 th - Severnside MVT meeting at the RBL, Kingswood , from 20.00.
Sat-Sun Sep 27-28 th , Prescott Hill Climb, “invited Clubs and Championships”. (And we've been invited, via Bernie Pitt!) Try your all-wheel drive military machine against the likes of Bugatti, Porsche and Morgan 3-wheelers! Situated 5 miles Northeast of Cheltenham, GL52 9RD off the A.435 between Gotherington and Gretton to Winchcombe road. RAC signposted.
Sheet 2 of 4.
Sat-Sun October 11-12 th , Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway Rally, at Cheltenham Racecourse. Steam trains up to Toddington and back, the show was superb last year!
Sunday, October 26 th , another Dallas Digout, at Dallas Autoparts, Cold Ash Farm, Long Lane, Hermitage Nr Newbury , RG18 9LT .
So, apart from any short notice events, invites to grace Military base parties, Mormon churches or RBL poppy day collections, I think that's it for 2008!!!
Events Roundup:-
Heddington & Stockley Steam Rally -was cancelled last year but Saturday was reasonably dry, until late afternoon. Neil Mitchell had a good array of his vehicles on show, including the Diamond T tank transporter and the little 1950 Unimog towing a WW2 German field kitchen. The mv's had a separate field all to themselves, but unfortunately all but two were kept from entering the show ring with the other commercials, by a fire in a fairground organ.
Truckfest- Saturday was reasonable weather-wise, but Sunday, if we had one heavy shower there must have been ten! The roads at the lower end of the site looked like rivers for a while. John James and Steve Whitehouse won prizes for Hotchkiss Jeep and Dodge Ambulance respectively, congratulations!
Filton Festival- Very short notice for this one, Tony Blake of Bristol City Council phoned me less than a week before. Did anyone go?
War and Peace Show (Beltring)- As usual, a brilliant and massive show. Not quite so well attended this year, especially noticeable in the four days preceding the official start, maybe due to fuel price increases? Congratulations to Martin Saunders from the Gloucester Group, who's recently restored M.56 wrecker won best in its class. Our unofficial open-air cinema once again proved a big attraction to our joint (with Glos MVT) camping area in the Americas Field. One of our members, “Deaf” Dave, felt unwell on the Thursday evening, he walked into the first aid centre and they thought he'd had a stroke. They contacted Tina at the Disco in the Kitchener bar, she saw them and said “No, he always talks that way!” Nevertheless, an ambulance took him to Maidstone Hospital . They checked him out, gave him a clean bill of health and sent him back to the camp site at 0430, in a taxi kindly paid for by his friend John James.
The next day, Deaf Dave eats some raw chicken fillets, makes himself very sick and ends up back in Maidstone Hospital , where he remained for the next fortnight. After exhaustive tests, nothing could be found amiss, and he returned home. I guess his Mother was glad of the break…
Sheet 3 of 4
On the way back, near the Clackett Lane Services, our Dodge 6 x 6 threw off its fan belt. Mike refitted it but it quickly shredded to destruction. Fortunately, Kevin Milstead, in his Morris MRA1 wrecker had a spare one of the same size, which Mike fitted at the services. Then my mobile rang, it was Bernie, she and Neil were stopped just off Junction 6 of the M.25 in their Jimmy, with a fuel pump leaking badly. I just happened to have Steve Curtis's tow bar in the back, and a trailer board with an extension lead, so we “hooked to” and I towed the Jimmy to Rex Ward's place, near Reading . The story doesn't end there, after fitting a new fuel pump, they got as far as the end of Rex's drive, just by McDonalds, and the Jimmy stopped again! It did start again after a few minutes, so back they went to Rex's, and camped in his yard overnight. After a carb rebuild and a new fuel pipe they got home without further incident.
Welland Steam Rally -I heard it was a cracking show, weather was hot and sunny.
W-S-M Heli-Days -About 20 mv's attended, including a 3-1/2 inch anti-aircraft gun, a DUKW, Don and Joan's Bedford OY, Alan French's Jeep, Tim Konewko's Jeep, Neil Smith's Dodge Command Car and two 6 x 6 Dodges. Mike Winter did a superb display of military radio transceivers next to his Jeep. The Weston Super Mare Amateur Radio Society set up a special event station on both days, callsign G4WSM/P, farthest contact was U.S.A. The event was very well attended by the general public-at £2 admission-and the weather was hot and sunny-in fact it was probably the best weekend of the summer!
Kemble Steam -Saturday morning started off badly with rain, but it cleared up by about eleven o'clock . There were two show rings, one on the tarmac exclusively for the steam stuff. The Sentinel steam lorry club had an exceptionally large showing of some twenty of their lorries. Sarah and Annabel had their recently acquired M.38 Jeep on show, a lucky find in excellent condition.
Lacock Garden Centre, Dig for Victory Weekend -Just over half the 30 vehicles booked in turned up, weather was a bit showery on Saturday. The evening 40's dance and hog roast was a great success, with some 150 people attending. There was a realistic looking bunker set up by a group of re-enactors in the lower corner of the field, and four more vehicles arrived Sunday morning.
Somerset at War Weekend, Kenn -Road runs both days, Saturday's the advice was small vehicles only, so I went on Sunday. We followed James Shopland's Bedford QL from the
(Western) IMPS camp site just outside Yatton to the Sheepway, Portishead where there's a disused army camp with several gun emplacements and a few derelict buildings. We went on to the Portishead docks, and then to Battery Point. We had with us a very knowledgeable guide who told us all about the various sites. After lunch at the Ship Inn, we returned to the camp site at Kenn. I was then able to deal with the broken-off nearside middle axle inner tyre valve, with some gratefully received assistance from Dave and Tim! I rather unwisely drove across
Sheet 4 of 4.
the overgrown grass at the Sheepway army camp-following another truck-but something got between the tyres and caught one of my newly fitted valve extensions. First I knew of it was a loud hissing as I got out of the cab, all part of the fun in running a big truck???
Oldland Common Show & Avon Valley Railway 1940's Day :-The Oldland Show itself went very well, but, due to a communications problem, some early arrivals were turned away and directed to Bitton Station. There was a bus service between the station and the show site, but none of the event staff I spoke to knew how frequent it was or where to pick it up from. (They did know in the show office!) Apparently only two vehicles ended up at the field the Railway had hired specially, much to their annoyance. One vehicle owner told me he wasn't happy about being in a field nowhere near the main show, with no food stalls, no security for the evening and just two toilets for company! Still, until you try these things you don't always know how they'll work out. It was the subject of a lively discussion at the last Severnside meeting.
Whitchurch Fete -No reports, did it take place, did anyone go?
The Great Dorset Steam Fair -I went on the Friday, so as to miss the weekend crowds and consequent hour or so delay in entering the showground. Seemed bigger than ever, especially the fairground! A good showing of mv's, the massive 3-axle Kraz was there, and the Magirus bus sporting Dutch colours. So was the Rapier missile system, with the usual collection of various Scammells, Jimmys, Jeeps and Land Rovers. Several wheeled armoureds, mostly Saracens and a few tracked vehicles. The WW1 Holt gun tractor was working, Holt later became known by their present day name of Caterpiller. Thre's something for everyone, with Shirehorses, horse ploughing, dogs, nostalgia stalls displaying various collections such as tractor and implement seats, petrol cans, blowlamps, fire fighting equipment. And of course, the climax of the evening, the showmans' traction engines all lit up and running much of the fairground. This show is said to be the largest of its kind in the World, if you missed it this year, try and make a point of going next year.
Well, that's all I can think of for now; see you at Swindon and Cricklade, maybe?