mikie Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10026 Posted May 22, 2017 Ken, Between all the bricks and hardware that you took with you in the move, I would have loved to see your moving truck. The doors look beautiful! You are correct that old things were made properly. My Dad recently had some work done to his front porch. The people doing the work told him to sandblast clean the railings and put them back because no one made railings like his now. Everything today is done cheaply and not built to last. I love to see the history in your thread. To me, even items such as these fittings show history. ...Kat I wonder if Britain's sea level rose up a couple of inches after Ken moved all that stuff off the island. Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10027 Posted May 22, 2017 I wonder if Britain's sea level rose up a couple of inches after Ken moved all that stuff off the island. Mikie Good one! ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10028 Posted May 22, 2017 Ken, So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. It is a shame that the burial was not a complete celebration of his life but at least you have the memories. It is nice that you and your fellow WWII vehicle enthusiasts can remember your friend and the great times together. Very interesting with the British cans. You are a fountain of knowledge! ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10029 Posted May 22, 2017 . Normandy Then & Now . . . . . . . . . Periers This is a view of the town hall in Periers around July 1944, members of the 90th Infantry Division were credited with capturing Periers. the statue at the front was saved and is in a different location in the town now, not far really from were it stood pre-war, I will try and get a photo of it next time I am that way, it was difficult on Sunday as the town was filled with a vintage vehicle display and a flea market. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 22 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10030 Posted May 22, 2017 . Normandy Then & Now . . . . . Periers, cont . . . . . . . . . . Here is a shot of the rebuilt town hall as it appeared yesterday May 21 2017. Spent a great day at the vintage vehicle show with my Jeep and other friends with their vehicles, nothing of interest on the flea market, fantastic five course luch with wine and cider for attending with a vehicle. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 22 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikie Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10031 Posted May 22, 2017 All right! A new Then & Now! It looks like that statue had a pretty close shave or two. Reminds me of a time visiting friends in Indiana. They showed us 3 houses fairly close together on a street and commented that the two on either side had been leveled by a tornado 2 years earlier, but the house in between didn't get a scratch. No fleas, and a nice lunch (5 courses??? Wow!) sounds like a good day to me. Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10032 Posted May 22, 2017 Hi Ken, Nice 'then & now' comparison. You have to wonder what the corresponding interior damage looked like. I guess the postwar tradesmen had solid employment fixing (and rebuilding) that kind of damage for years after 1945. Regards, RC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10033 Posted May 22, 2017 Ken Great updates and postings You have been busy between the shoe box and chores,lunches,entertaining,jerry can-ology,dumpster diving.No grass growing under foot on your end Keep up the great work!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10034 Posted May 22, 2017 I wonder if Britain's sea level rose up a couple of inches after Ken moved all that stuff off the island. Mikie They probably re-zoned his neighborhood after the clean out of artifacts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikie Posted May 22, 2017 Share #10035 Posted May 22, 2017 . Normandy Then & Now . . . . . . . . . Periers This is a view of the town hall in Periers around July 1944, members of the 90th Infantry Division were credited with capturing Periers. the statue at the front was saved and is in a different location in the town now, not far really from were it stood pre-war, I will try and get a photo of it next time I am that way, it was difficult on Sunday as the town was filled with a vintage vehicle display and a flea market. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 22 2017. . From the way he's looking up at the statue and holding that carbine, I'm not sure if the soldier is admiring the statue, or is thinking about doing some target practice. I seem to recall in Up Front Willie and Joe in some ruins and in all the wreckage, there is a single unbroken pane of glass. One of them says something like "Go ahead, break it. You'll feel better". I couldn't come up with it with a quick search. Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 23, 2017 Share #10036 Posted May 23, 2017 The surplus shop here had a British 1943 dated can for sale for $35.00. I was sorely tempted to buy it but sadly I don't have a size 9-1/2 billion shoe box to put it. More sadly is that the can is now gone. More more sadly, so is the store. . Hi Mikie, the 43 dates Brit can at $35 seems right on the money, probably pay 20 euros here for a rusty bodied one and less if its really rusty. The two cans I bought as they were unmarked and undated were 5 euros for the two and price would have been more for dated and either Brit or German cans. Still even unmarked or dates they are perfect condition on the bottom and side perfectly usable. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 23 2017. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 23, 2017 Share #10037 Posted May 23, 2017 Ken, Between all the bricks and hardware that you took with you in the move, I would have loved to see your moving truck. The doors look beautiful! You are correct that old things were made properly. My Dad recently had some work done to his front porch. The people doing the work told him to sandblast clean the railings and put them back because no one made railings like his now. Everything today is done cheaply and not built to last. I love to see the history in your thread. To me, even items such as these fittings show history. ...Kat . Hi Kat, it wasn't truck it was truck'S, I self moved everything, using my business experience I palletized everything and used plastic shrink wrap around the items to hold them to the pallet. On one of the trips I was bringing a pallet of the blue paving stones to the tail-lift end of the truck and the weight of the paving stones broke the wheel of the pallet truck through a weak part of the flooring. On another trip, again moving a pellet of the paving stones the pallet hand-truck started to accelerate towards the open rear-end and I had to try and arrest the speed at which the weight pushed me into the wall of the truck and the handle of the hand-truck cracked a rib. Work unloading had to continue and get back to Cherbourg for the ferry to the UK. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 23 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 23, 2017 Share #10038 Posted May 23, 2017 Hi Ken, You are getting everyone all 'fueled up' about jerrycans now. The one accessory which seems in short supply (at least wherever I look) is the issue jerrycan spout (wartime or even postwar issue). Regards, RC . Hi Rusty & Mikie, regarding American fuel cans it's virtually impossible to pour from the mouth of the gas-can without the aid of a spout or a funnel, Attached below are two of the spouts I have ( have another couple of variations somewhere ), the top one is a post war French army one for British and German type caps. the lower one is a WWII American one for the US gas-cans which are screw threaded, the spout has a large rubber which is seated into the open can and the cam-lever is operated to compress the rubber and force into the threaded side of the opening. Early WWII the US spouts had screw fittings holding the cam lever, later they were a riveted fixture. During the war the screw thread opening on the gas cans had replacement caps initially retro fitted in the field, and some factory fitted, before that the McCord company ( M-1 helmet makers ) manufactured 60.000 can lever caps similar to the British and German design but somewhat larger, only 60.000 were made so it doesn't appear that they were truly adopted. It's quite universally known that these spouts during the war had the nick-name of ' Donkey-Dicks ' Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 23 2107. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted May 23, 2017 Share #10039 Posted May 23, 2017 . On one of the trips I was bringing a pallet of the blue paving stones to the tail-lift end of the truck and the weight of the paving stones broke the wheel of the pallet truck through a weak part of the flooring. On another trip, again moving a pellet of the paving stones the pallet hand-truck started to accelerate towards the open rear-end and I had to try and arrest the speed at which the weight pushed me into the wall of the truck and the handle of the hand-truck cracked a rib. Work unloading had to continue and get back to Cherbourg for the ferry to the UK. . . Hi Rusty & Mikie, regarding American fuel cans it's virtually impossible to pour from the mouth of the gas-can without the aid of a spout or a funnel, Attached below are two of the spouts I have ( have another couple of variations somewhere ), the top one is a post war French army one for British and German type caps. the lower one is a WWII American one for the US gas-cans which are screw threaded, the spout has a large rubber which is seated into the open can and the cam-lever is operated to compress the rubber and force into the threaded side of the opening. Early WWII the US spouts had screw fittings holding the cam lever, later they were a riveted fixture. Ken, I think you could tell story after story after story. You need to write a book! I can't believe you broke a rib and still worked! Very interesting gas funnels! You really do have some amazing items in that shoebox of yours. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 23, 2017 Share #10040 Posted May 23, 2017 Hi Ken, You are getting everyone all 'fueled up' about jerrycans now. The one accessory which seems in short supply (at least wherever I look) is the issue jerrycan spout (wartime or even postwar issue). Regards, RC . Hi Rusty, here's an incomplete rare German style of jerrycan spout, it has been ground dug post war, can't say I have ever seen one in the flesh before or for sale, hopefully someone somewhere has a decent example. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 23 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10041 Posted May 24, 2017 I wonder if Britain's sea level rose up a couple of inches after Ken moved all that stuff off the island. Mikie . Hi Mikie, well you might be right maybe the island floated a little higher after I shipped all my stuff off there, here's a few of the late Victorian chimney pots that came with me, and became garden planters. It was said during WWII that with all the American troops and equipment on the island prior to the invasion of France the only thing that kept the island afloat was the number of barrage balloons flying overhead. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 24 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10042 Posted May 24, 2017 Ken, My Dad recently had some work done to his front porch. The people doing the work told him to sandblast clean the railings and put them back because no one made railings like his now. Everything today is done cheaply and not built to last. I love to see the history in your thread. To me, even items such as these fittings show history. ...Kat . Hi Kat, thanks for the story of your fathers railings and I can fully appreciate that the people told him to save the old railings and re-use again. wonder were these were originally used before I got them. Just been down a corner of the garden and these are my three sections of railings that I will be fitting into place this summer now I have re-discovered the four stanchions in the dark end of the garage put there ten years ago with the thought ' I won't be needing these this week ' ! ! . . . . . . . . . . . Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 24 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LtRGFRANK Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10043 Posted May 24, 2017 I can't let Boo see these or she will want some for her flower bed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10044 Posted May 24, 2017 I had several WWII dated water and gas cans. But I have a friend next town over that has several WWII vehicle so I gave them to him as they didn't fit in my collection . Hi Robert, good call passing the Jerrycans onto your friend with the vehicles ( just remember you knew me first though hahahhaaaaa ) Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 24 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10045 Posted May 24, 2017 They probably re-zoned his neighborhood after the clean out of artifacts . Hi Ron, several pages back I think you asked the question ' what were the thoughts of my neighbours when I arrived home with more pieces '. I did intend to show you a photo of when I arrived home with several German barbed wire stakes during the visit of my sister two summers ago, she queried ' what on earth do you want those pieces of old steel for ' I had to explain what they were and what they were worth should you wish to purchase them, I think the monetary mention rather than the historical usage did the trick. Anyway here's another piece I just pulled from a shady corner of the garden, this was being thrown away when I got it, I had no idea what its original intention was, but it was just too well made to be destroyed in a furnace. Well my thoughts are leaning towards a bird feeding table stand, or maybe a garden Fifty-Cal mount . . . . . . . if I had one. This thing is so heavy it will stand without need to be bolted down even though it has holes to do so. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 24 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikie Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10046 Posted May 24, 2017 . Hi Ron, several pages back I think you asked the question ' what were the thoughts of my neighbours when I arrived home with more pieces '. I did intend to show you a photo of when I arrived home with several German barbed wire stakes during the visit of my sister two summers ago, she queried ' what on earth do you want those pieces of old steel for ' I had to explain what they were and what they were worth should you wish to purchase them, I think the monetary mention rather than the historical usage did the trick. Anyway here's another piece I just pulled from a shady corner of the garden, this was being thrown away when I got it, I had no idea what its original intention was, but it was just too well made to be destroyed in a furnace. Well my thoughts are leaning towards a bird feeding table stand, or maybe a garden Fifty-Cal mount . . . . . . . if I had one. This thing is so heavy it will stand without need to be bolted down even though it has holes to do so. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 24 2017. . Nice save. I have no idea what that is, but I do see that it has decorative possibilities. Is it painted gray? Maybe it's something off a ship? Ken, you remind me a bit of my late Aunt Stella, an artist. She had an eye for some things anyone else would call an old piece of junk and make amazing artwork out of it. Mikie Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10047 Posted May 24, 2017 . Normandy ' then & now ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . time to get back to a military post of some sorts so looking through my files I found this color image of a US infantryman looking out to sea with the island of le Mont Saint-Michel in the background. I just happened to have a shot of the island in another folder from a recent visit with my daughter, so it's not an attempt to replicate the exact spot that the serviceman was stood in but the island is little changed except for modern cars. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 24 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10048 Posted May 24, 2017 . Normandy ' then & now ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . time to get back to a military post of some sorts so looking through my files I found this color image of a US infantryman looking out to sea with the island of le Mont Saint-Michel in the background. I just happened to have a shot of the island in another folder from a recent visit with my daughter, so it's not an attempt to replicate the exact spot that the serviceman was stood in but the island is little changed except for modern cars. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 24 2017. . Ken, Great picture! Amazingly it looks like the buildings survived the war. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikie Posted May 24, 2017 Share #10049 Posted May 24, 2017 . Normandy ' then & now ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . time to get back to a military post of some sorts so looking through my files I found this color image of a US infantryman looking out to sea with the island of le Mont Saint-Michel in the background. I just happened to have a shot of the island in another folder from a recent visit with my daughter, so it's not an attempt to replicate the exact spot that the serviceman was stood in but the island is little changed except for modern cars. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 24 2017. . It looks like the same angle in both pictures, just the distance is different. Man, that soldier looks young! Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 26, 2017 Share #10050 Posted May 26, 2017 Ken, Great picture! Amazingly it looks like the buildings survived the war. ...Kat . Hi Kat, not certain that it was actually defended, the German army in that area were trying to retreat across France to avoid being cut off by the US army sweep attempting to cut off the retreat. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, May 26 2017. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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