Norman D. Landing

[Escht]

Just bought  some light reading

[mikie]

20 hours ago, General Apathy said:

.

Hi Flibble, 

 

really sorry to hear that you lost a watch last week, as I also have several vintage watches in my collection,  I can feel the loss as I also lost one or two over the years when the straps break or fall apart.  Several posts back I mentioned that one of my watch straps fell apart but fortunately it was at the desk while added posts to the forum. 

 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 16  2025.

 

...

 

 

😢

Do you folks use original bands when wearing these watches around? I can imagine that some of the original bands could be rarer than the watch. 
mikie

[Escht]

I'm currently working with a couple of friends to help find a rudder for this MK19 Anson currently being restored at Carew Cheriton near Tenby. This aircraft was based at Halfpenny Green airfield with the Air Scouts in the 1970's before being acquired by Coventry Air Museum where it was stored outside for many years. At which point we know the rudder was with the aircraft but not on the aircraft. Acquired some years later by an air museum at Gloucester where it became even more derelict. Aircraft was bought by Carew Cheriton and now is slowly being restored to exhibit condition. During the hunt for the rudder, drawings of same so we can remake one I came across an old member of the Birmingham MVT and West Midlands Battle Re-Enactment Group , Gary Hancock, who is now Aircraft Conservation Manager at Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington. I met up with him yesterday to take a look at their Anson Mk19 and to see what they had in the way of drawings. Even after 40 years we still recognised each other. Small world.

[Johan Willaert]

Hi Ken

Charlie just posted this photo on his facebook page….

[Mr_Flibble]

18 hours ago, mikie said:

😢

Do you folks use original bands when wearing these watches around? I can imagine that some of the original bands could be rarer than the watch. 
mikie

Both of my original movements were refurbished with reproduction canvas straps, so no problem there.
My Aeromatic 1912 wanna-be-aviator watch went through 3 bands before I lost it last week. Meh.

 

Got this one on the way for now.

 

[General Apathy]

.

today's then and now . . . . . . . . 

 

this comparison worked in an opposite way to my normal Then & Now's,   I have always known of the action at this farm and then recognised the building whilst watching a video about the battles of Normandy.  I didn't have the video screen grab with me so I made a rough comparison of the two images from memory remembering the two roof windows, unfortunately I shot the right end side of the building and needed the left end side  of the building, I'll take a better comparison next time I am passing. 

 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 22  2025.

[manayunkman]

Love that old stonework and well done putting the T & N together.

[General Apathy]

.

couldn't resist this one . . . . . . . . 

 

I visited a French friend at his militaria store today and spotted a can of Shinola in a display case, it's only the second one I have seen in forty years,  so with that old American forties phrase running through my mind the green-eyed demon made me buy it . . . . . . . . . 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 22  2025.

[mikie]

24 minutes ago, General Apathy said:

.

couldn't resist this one . . . . . . . . 

 

I visited a French friend at his militaria store today and spotted a can of Shinola in a display case, it's only the second one I have seen in forty years,  so with that old American forties phrase running through my mind the green-eyed demon made me buy it . . . . . . . . . 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 22  2025.

I’m glad you know the difference! 
😁

mikie

[General Apathy]

1 hour ago, mikie said:

I’m glad you know the difference! 
😁

mikie

.

I'm pleased the phrase taught me the difference  . . . . . . . . .

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 22  2025.

[General Apathy]

.

with apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson . . . . . . . 

 

Whilst driving I have eyes to the left of me and eyes to the right of me looking for Normandy finds and then and now's, sometime I even have eyes to the front of me.  And today the eyes to the left of me spotted a trailer laden with rusty metal, a quick U-turn and back to the farmyard wall to observe if there was anything to be found. The most interesting piece was the rusty body of a 1920's / 30's petrol pump, sadly as is always the case the glass globes that normally sit atop of the pump were missing, it was similar to the one in the attached photograph.

 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 22  2025.

[General Apathy]

.

An interesting site featuring old petrol stations both in the UK and USA, along with cars and other road associated pieces 

 

https://www.mediastorehouse.com/galleries/petrol-station

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 22  2025.

[P-59A]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/battle-of-the-bulge-surrender-at-stoumont/vi-AA1w1Jpk?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=126ce5c6c9064ef597f5511f9fcfcd44&ei=72

 

Do you ever watch the Wayfinder then and now videos?

[mikie]

4 hours ago, General Apathy said:

.

with apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson . . . . . . . 

 

Whilst driving I have eyes to the left of me and eyes to the right of me looking for Normandy finds and then and now's, sometime I even have eyes to the front of me.  And today the eyes to the left of me spotted a trailer laden with rusty metal, a quick U-turn and back to the farmyard wall to observe if there was anything to be found. The most interesting piece was the rusty body of a 1920's / 30's petrol pump, sadly as is always the case the glass globes that normally sit atop of the pump were missing, it was similar to the one in the attached photograph.

 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 22  2025.

Once again, I’m Dr Watson to your Sherlock Holmes. Your powers of observation are amazing. Even knowing what to look for I still don’t see the pump. I’ll blame it on the allergy medicine I’m on today. 
mikie

[mikie]

Gunji spotted this car while we were out walkies today. He isn’t sure what it is. Maybe you guys do? It probably would have filled up using a gas pump like the one Ken saw today. 
mikie

[Johan Willaert]

5 hours ago, mikie said:

Gunji spotted this car while we were out walkies today. He isn’t sure what it is. Maybe you guys do? It probably would have filled up using a gas pump like the one Ken saw today. 
mikie

I believe that could be a Model A Ford

[earlymb]

It's a model A Ford indeed, I think this body style is called a Fordor Sedan. There were many different bodies available.

 

Made some progress on the jeep again yesterday. I put all the grommets (rubber for an early production jeep) in the firewall; there are a few different internal sizes so I hope I put all in the correct places 🤭 After that I put in the firewall padding, this is a 3-section part made of cardboard with a black layer on one side. It is fitted with round head machine screws and special clips instead of washers and nuts to avoid pulling them through the cardboard when tightening. Earlier I managed to rescue a few original screws and clips and re-used these. I also found out the foot starter switch was actually installed with the nuts on the inside, so I changed those.

 

All grommets in place, and the bright heads of the padding screws:

 

 

 

I forgot a pic of the padding in place, so that will follow later. Some lovely original TR20-marked bolts:

 

 

I also started a bigger job. This jeep spent 50 years on a Montana farm and during that time something big was welded to the front, possibly a snow plow. When we got it it had a heavy steel C-profile as a front bumper. Back then we removed a lot of thick welds and made a few to look like the feet of the grille brackets (with coach bolts as fax rivets), but the front horns of the frame (between grille and bumper) were damaged and at some spots very thin on the top so I will rebuild this area.

 

 

 

 

Coach bolts were also (incorrectly) used to fix the front bumper to the gussets and the holes for the bolts were modified for these. The front horns are very likely a tiny bit out of alignment, but I have no way to correct that so I'll just see how I'll make the bumper fit later. I can always weld shut and re-drill holes.

 

I will remove the top of the main C-profile of the front horn till under the grille bracket, and recreate the front foot of this. The slightly smaller section of C-profile that is inside the main frame rail to form a metal box is riveted in place originally. This section too had 2 non-original holes in it and was warped a bit, so it took some work to straighten out.

 

 

 

 

I have welded shut the 2 non-original holes and also welded the gap between the inner C-profile to the main rail that you can see on the left side. This is not original, but since the new top rivets will be faux this will add some extra strength.

 

The metal of the main frame rail is 3 mm thick, so I dove into my scrap box to see if I had something that would fit. Luckily I did in fact find enough correct material there to make tops for both front horns and front feet for the grille brackets. These pieces actually came off the jeep earlier, anyone recognize them? 😊

 

[General Apathy]

10 hours ago, mikie said:

Gunji spotted this car while we were out walkies today. He isn’t sure what it is. Maybe you guys do? It probably would have filled up using a gas pump like the one Ken saw today. 
mikie

.

Hi mikie,

 

I am never sure of all the detail differences between the models A & B , but certainly the pick-up version appeals much more for me, and here's a great looking example from this Classic car seller.  I believe the area code 856 is South West New Jersey.  

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 23  2025.

 

...

[Johan Willaert]

1 hour ago, General Apathy said:

.

Hi mikie,

 

I am never sure of all the detail differences between the models A & B , but certainly the pick-up version appeals much more for me, and here's a great looking example from this Classic car seller.  I believe the area code 856 is South West New Jersey.  

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 23  2025.

 

...

The Waltons truck?

[General Apathy]

18 hours ago, P-59A said:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/battle-of-the-bulge-surrender-at-stoumont/vi-AA1w1Jpk?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=126ce5c6c9064ef597f5511f9fcfcd44&ei=72

 

Do you ever watch the Wayfinder then and now videos?

.

Hi P-59

 

Thank you for highlighting this link for everyone,  personally I had never encountered it before.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 23  2025.

 

...

[General Apathy]

1 hour ago, Johan Willaert said:

The Waltons truck?

.

Hi mikie,

 

This little beauty a 1946 Nash slipped by in a UK  auction in 2023 without  me seeing or hearing of it, 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 23  2025.

 

...

[General Apathy]

.

Hi earlymb,

 

Looking great all OD with grommets and parts fitted, strange though that you have shelving on the floor and ceiling . . . . . . . 😂 😂

 

Look forward to seeing more of the rebuild as and when you are ready. 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 23  2025.

 

...

[mikie]

Gunji spotted a vintage pickup today that may be more to your liking. It was off the street so hard to get a good picture. We are not in your league on these things but Gunji’s guess is 1940ish Ford? 
Baylan spotted this woody nearby. But none of us knows what it is. Baylan thought it was pretty cool. I tried getting a picture of the nameplate but with two leashes tugging on me it didn’t come out readable. 

[General Apathy]

28 minutes ago, mikie said:

Gunji spotted a vintage pickup today that may be more to your liking. It was off the street so hard to get a good picture. We are not in your league on these things but Gunji’s guess is 1940ish Ford? 
Baylan spotted this woody nearby. But none of us knows what it is. Baylan thought it was pretty cool. I tried getting a picture of the nameplate but with two leashes tugging on me it didn’t come out readable. 

.

Hi mikie,

 

I believe it to be a UK made Morris traveller, made somewhere between 1949 and final production 1971.  More of an estate type car than a pick-up. 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, March 23  2025.

 

...

[mikie]

I’m out of LIKEs so here… 👍Yes that is it! 
I’ve heard the term estate car before but didn’t know what it meant so just looked it up. 
Here in the US they are called station wagons. Dad always had station wagons when I was a kid in the 60s -70s. We used to ride in the back and play. No seatbelts back then. He’d get arrested for that nowadays. But it was great fun. 
mikie