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Salvage Sailor
Posted
On 3/14/2026 at 4:39 AM, General Apathy said:

.

A memory brought to life after seeing a tin of Brasso.

 

When I was a child asking family members who served in the forces during WWII about their experiences,  they said they recalled the times and hours of boredom in their barracks probably polishing uniform buttons and anything else brass.   They would often sing popular songs or compose silly or senseless ditties to while away the time.

 

Seeing this vintage tin of Brasso reminded me of one of the ditties they taught me. 

 

Shine your buttons with Brasso

You can buy it or steal it from Wooworths

it's only three and a ha'penny a tin

but I bet you there's bugger all in 

 

Image17.jpeg.daedf714f05de730225b128a54c973fa.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 14 March  2O26.

 

 

 

 

Brasso's Naval Cousin

 

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Nevr-Dull

 

"Shining Brightwork" - The almost daily drudgery of Seamen in port during working hours on the Bridge, Pilot House, Quarterdeck, Bells, Binnacles, Clocks, Ship's Wheel, Portholes, Porthole Covers, Sound Powered Phone boxes, Phone Cradles, Gauges, Meters, Growler, Alidades, Railings, Turnbuckles, "Fancy Crap", Scuppers, Repeat, Repeat, never ending...

 

Fingers and nails always covered with tarnish and vertigris, never getting the odor off of them until you put to sea again.

 

Flashbacks.....Way to Kill a nice day in Retirement dudes.....

 

 

General Apathy
Posted

.

Typo Correction,

 

Hello everyone

I have to correct a mistake in the credit I gave in the post relating to the Longest Yarn, the air freight company that carried out this magnificent gesture should have read as UNITED CARGO, I do apologise for this mistake.  

 

 

" The American company Global Cargo airfreighted these 120 cases to and from America in support of the veterans charity. "

 

IMG_0461.jpeg.6ad8d5f3d83e5cae2aaa977c7fa9806d.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 14 March  2O26.

 

General Apathy
Posted

.

A couple of old vintage post war adverts for Jeep, Dodge, GMC.

 

IMG_0415.jpeg.ac8aba229688e85aea2eac2af3d103a6.jpeg

 

 

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Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 16 March  2O26.

 

Posted

Moving day at my office. Such fun! My wonderful, scrappy small company was bought out by a big international mega company and we are getting squeezed into the corporate office a few blocks from here. I’m gonna miss this place 😢
mikie

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General Apathy
Posted

.

A house with history is for sale . . . . . .

 

This house has just come up for sale a couple of lanes away from where my daughter lives in the New Forest.   She lives near to the fields that were once the WWI Beaulieu airfield, the estate agents have included this 1917 photo of a biplane that landed on the roof of the house that is now for sale. 

 

IMG_0802.jpeg.4d13e32148cdfec5e40228eea90abbe9.jpeg

 

IMG_0801.jpeg.c502d41ffa851a1eb11a596ca9f000d7.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 16 March  2O26.

 

earlymb
Posted
7 hours ago, General Apathy said:

.

A couple of old vintage post war adverts for Jeep, Dodge, GMC.

 

IMG_0415.jpeg.ac8aba229688e85aea2eac2af3d103a6.jpeg

 

 

IMG_0414.jpeg.32d0c17db9b915738d515bd36978a875.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 16 March  2O26.

 

 

I think I still might have a few mail-order catalogues of SCMD (Surplus Civile et Militaire Duval) that my dad used to order parts from that we would then pick up at SCMD's yard near Paris on the way back from the summer holidays we would spent in Brittany. I'm pretty sure the prices (in French Francs) from the mid-1990's will bring tears to my eyes now... 😆

 

Last Saturday was as usual spent working on the jeep, mainly on smaller chores like stripping, cleaning and priming of all sorts of smaller parts so they can all get a coat of MAT1 in a single batch. The body is back on the dolly after the trial fit, but this time on the left side so I could work on the bottom of the right rear corner of the body and the inside of the right rear wheel well.

 

Like on the left side, the right rear corner had its share of accidents and damage and had some old repairs already. We managed to straighten out most of the dents, but it turned out a small section was so thin you could easily push a screwdriver through. Rather than trying to weld this shut I used my plasma cutter to cut a replacement patch.

 

20260314_165823.jpg.ec3a6763d67cb78b9762345ac738de97.jpg

 

 

Luckily the folded edge around the bottom was in decent condition and we were able to save that section, which saves me a lot work not having to re-create the fold and bend. It needs some more careful work with grinder, hammer & dolly, but should come out OK.

 

Welding in the patch was straight forward enough with the help of some good clamps, but with the limited vision through my welder's mask I mistook and old black line for the gap to weld... 😶Only once though.

 

20260314_180428.jpg.7b72bd5169eaa67d823699504a1349c0.jpg

 

 

It will need some more careful sanding (not grinding), but I'm happy how the repair turned out. My goal isn't to completely smooth the body out, it is an original one and should show that but visible welds where they shouldn't be would be a shame after so much effort.

 

20260314_185946.jpg.8c9e5553fb9e022bdaaaa19dfb839ee4.jpg

 

 

With that finished I had a look at the right rear wheel well. There was a stress crack right under the plate that holds the passenger seat, so we drilled at the ends of the crack to relieve the stress and prevent further cracks, and widen them a bit with a Dremel. Also, note the remains of the original, early green-yellow zinc chromate primer.

 

20260314_160145.jpg.2f004df68ba7b6c5d693b61c228e706f.jpg

 

I forgot to make a pic of the result, so To Be Continued...

 

 

 

Mr_Flibble
Posted
12 hours ago, General Apathy said:

.

A house with history is for sale . . . . . .

 

This house has just come up for sale a couple of lanes away from where my daughter lives in the New Forest.   She lives near to the fields that were once the WWI Beaulieu airfield, the estate agents have included this 1917 photo of a biplane that landed on the roof of the house that is now for sale. 

IMG_0801.jpeg.c502d41ffa851a1eb11a596ca9f000d7.jpeg

 

 


Avro 504 trainer. Matches with that Beaulieu was on the cross-country flight exam for student pilots at the time.  

earlymb
Posted
On 3/16/2026 at 4:57 PM, General Apathy said:

.

A couple of old vintage post war adverts for Jeep, Dodge, GMC.

 

IMG_0415.jpeg.ac8aba229688e85aea2eac2af3d103a6.jpeg

 

 

IMG_0414.jpeg.32d0c17db9b915738d515bd36978a875.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 16 March  2O26.

 

 

 

20260317_112624.jpg.bd4d539931c16136d12d8ff663f6d173.jpg

 

🫣

Posted

In support of our ongoing house interior renovation, I had to empty a bookcase I hadn’t really looked at in a couple of years. 
I was quite surprised to see this April 15, 1893 edition of Harper’s Weekly Magazine. Nice picture of an admiral I couldn’t remember anything about. Why the heck did I have this magazine so prominently displayed? So of course I unsealed it and looked inside. Oh, THAT’S why! Inside is the very first American printing of the Sherlock Holmes “Adventure of the Gloria Scott”! Besides militaria, I have also (in the past, I’m a good boy now) collected Sherlock Holmes memorabilia. He and Watson are my favorite literary characters. Totally forgot about it. So finding it was a nice surprise. 
mikie

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General Apathy
Posted

.

Purely a statement of fact, no open discussion started or invited, 

 

I thought that without any political statement, discussion or accusations we should simply record at this point in world events that fighting began between, Israel and America against Iran on the 28th of February 2026 and continues at this date.

 

Please do not open this post up to any further posts, discussion or comments, I just purely wished to record world events happening at this moment in time, should this forum still be read sometime in infinity. !!!! 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

General Apathy
Posted

.

Work continues this week in homing the eighty metres of knitted longest yarn D-Day story.

 

A group of volunteers have been unloading, unpacking and assembling the displays in Carentan , most of the knitted panels are outstanding work and hopefully something that future visitors to Normandy will be able to visit and appreciate. 

 

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IMG_0827.jpeg.4a760446380b68257a0a5809d270b5ea.jpeg

 

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Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

General Apathy
Posted

.

.

Work continues this week in homing the eighty metres of the knitted longest yarn D-Day story.

 

alongside the eighty metre long panels there will be a dozen or so of life size mannequins , the first arrival is shown here.  To go with the mannequins and the overall display a full size knitted Jeep is being constructed, here is a shot of one of the kitted tyres and rims.  I replied to the lady knitting the tyres by saying how good  it looked and that the knitter looked like she was cooking on gas.   🤣 🤣 as we used to say 

 

Almost to a person all the knitters are not collectors and have never seen real uniforms or a Jeep but their dedication is exemplary.

 

IMG_0853.jpeg.2fe777afa5fbdc0351149faf64c099d2.jpeg

 

f9a5d0cf-0f29-4012-9f44-6b9eda2cded0.jpeg.19ab5fcb7b43664351aa158e1d30c800.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

 

 

General Apathy
Posted
On 3/17/2026 at 10:51 AM, Mr_Flibble said:


Avro 504 trainer. Matches with that Beaulieu was on the cross-country flight exam for student pilots at the time.  

.

Hi flibble

 

thank you,  Beaulieu is named as a training airfield and several American squadrons were trained there before moving over to the fighting on the Continent. 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

General Apathy
Posted
11 hours ago, mikie said:

In support of our ongoing house interior renovation, I had to empty a bookcase I hadn’t really looked at in a couple of years. 
I was quite surprised to see this April 15, 1893 edition of Harper’s Weekly Magazine. Nice picture of an admiral I couldn’t remember anything about. Why the heck did I have this magazine so prominently displayed? So of course I unsealed it and looked inside. Oh, THAT’S why! Inside is the very first American printing of the Sherlock Holmes “Adventure of the Gloria Scott”! Besides militaria, I have also (in the past, I’m a good boy now) collected Sherlock Holmes memorabilia. He and Watson are my favorite literary characters. Totally forgot about it. So finding it was a nice surprise. 
mikie

IMG_4958.jpeg

IMG_4960.jpeg

.

Hi mikie,

 

I am also a Sherlock Holmes fan, this is the vintage lamp in my shower room I had decorated with the Sherlock Holmes address.  

 

IMG_0865.jpeg.84bea23d8f6ae657113de6f604d2e822.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

cutiger83
Posted
3 hours ago, General Apathy said:

.

.

Work continues this week in homing the eighty metres of the knitted longest yarn D-Day story.

 

alongside the eighty metre long panels there will be a dozen or so of life size mannequins , the first arrival is shown here.  To go with the mannequins and the overall display a full size knitted Jeep is being constructed, here is a shot of one of the kitted tyres and rims.  I replied to the lady knitting the tyres by saying how good  it looked and that the knitter looked like she was cooking on gas.   🤣 🤣 as we used to say 

 

Almost to a person all the knitters are not collectors and have never seen real uniforms or a Jeep but their dedication is exemplary.

 

IMG_0853.jpeg.2fe777afa5fbdc0351149faf64c099d2.jpeg

 

f9a5d0cf-0f29-4012-9f44-6b9eda2cded0.jpeg.19ab5fcb7b43664351aa158e1d30c800.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

 

 

 

 

I am out of likes but this is amazing. That is a life size knitted paratrooper????  AND she is knitting a life size jeep?? The hours it must take!   How are her hands? 

 

Are you going to try to take the jeep home? I am sure that is something you do not have in your shoebox. 😂😂😂

 

..Kat

Posted
On 3/16/2026 at 5:31 PM, General Apathy said:

.

A house with history is for sale . . . . . .

 

This house has just come up for sale a couple of lanes away from where my daughter lives in the New Forest.   She lives near to the fields that were once the WWI Beaulieu airfield, the estate agents have included this 1917 photo of a biplane that landed on the roof of the house that is now for sale. 

 

IMG_0802.jpeg.4d13e32148cdfec5e40228eea90abbe9.jpeg

 

IMG_0801.jpeg.c502d41ffa851a1eb11a596ca9f000d7.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 16 March  2O26.

 

And I thought carrier landings were tough, talking about a precision landing, my compliments to the pilot!  Apparently he even brought along his own ladder to get down from the roof and a bicycle for transportation to the local pub.  Now, the question is, how the heck does he take off again, that’s a short runway to the edge of the roof!  Some guys will do anything to impress the local gals…

Posted
52 minutes ago, BryanJ said:

And I thought carrier landings were tough, talking about a precision landing, my compliments to the pilot!  Apparently he even brought along his own ladder to get down from the roof and a bicycle for transportation to the local pub.  Now, the question is, how the heck does he take off again, that’s a short runway to the edge of the roof!  Some guys will do anything to impress the local gals…

🤣🤣🤣

General Apathy
Posted

.

English Cuisine hahahaaaaaaaa . . . . .

 

Last Sunday four of us were sat drinking coffee in the cafe',  A French regular at the bar approached us laughing and smiling  he explained that last week he had had to make a visit to a British company in Manchester in the UK.  He had to tell us that for the first time in his life he had enjoyed a local delicacy of the Northern England area, he had sampled a ' Chip-Butty ' , which is a sandwich made with two large heavily buttered slices of white bread filled with British style chips which are large chunks of fried potato smothered in malt vinegar and salt.  A sandwich unknown to in France, where the chips are very thin slivers of potato known as French fries and are no-where as enjoyable as the British chunkier chips, he was ecstatic and wishes to sample again on his next visit to the UK. We all laughed together.  An internet example of a chip-butty, in need of more butter and sprinkle of vinegar, methinks.  !!!! 

 

Screenshot2026-03-19at19_36_11.jpeg.6c98321cd00f1e056bf37bc64e3fb23e.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

 

 

General Apathy
Posted
57 minutes ago, BryanJ said:

And I thought carrier landings were tough, talking about a precision landing, my compliments to the pilot!  Apparently he even brought along his own ladder to get down from the roof and a bicycle for transportation to the local pub.  Now, the question is, how the heck does he take off again, that’s a short runway to the edge of the roof!  Some guys will do anything to impress the local gals…

 

4 minutes ago, mikie said:

🤣🤣🤣

.

Hi Bryan & mikie,

 

sadly I just had a touch of the Mikie's,  I have run out of likes, so 👏 👏 👍🏼 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

General Apathy
Posted
4 hours ago, cutiger83 said:

 

 

I am out of likes but this is amazing. That is a life size knitted paratrooper????  AND she is knitting a life size jeep?? The hours it must take!   How are her hands? 

 

Are you going to try to take the jeep home? I am sure that is something you do not have in your shoebox. 😂😂😂

 

..Kat

.

Hi Kat, 

 

you are not wrong, you are correct there's no knitted Jeep in my Shoebox, well no full scale knitted Jeep , but I have one of these.

 

Image23.jpeg.5d9b592d01d1ac9804f8bfb8fb34da11.jpeg

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

cutiger83
Posted
21 minutes ago, General Apathy said:

.

English Cuisine hahahaaaaaaaa . . . . .

 

Last Sunday four of us were sat drinking coffee in the cafe',  A French regular at the bar approached us laughing and smiling  he explained that last week he had had to make a visit to a British company in Manchester in the UK.  He had to tell us that for the first time in his life he had enjoyed a local delicacy of the Northern England area, he had sampled a ' Chip-Butty ' , which is a sandwich made with two large heavily buttered slices of white bread filled with British style chips which are large chunks of fried potato smothered in malt vinegar and salt.  A sandwich unknown to in France, where the chips are very thin slivers of potato known as French fries and are no-where as enjoyable as the British chunkier chips, he was ecstatic and wishes to sample again on his next visit to the UK. We all laughed together.  An internet example of a chip-butty, in need of more butter and sprinkle of vinegar, methinks.  !!!! 

 

Screenshot2026-03-19at19_36_11.jpeg.6c98321cd00f1e056bf37bc64e3fb23e.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

 

 

Looks delicious!!!

 

..Kat

Posted
30 minutes ago, General Apathy said:

.

English Cuisine hahahaaaaaaaa . . . . .

 

Last Sunday four of us were sat drinking coffee in the cafe',  A French regular at the bar approached us laughing and smiling  he explained that last week he had had to make a visit to a British company in Manchester in the UK.  He had to tell us that for the first time in his life he had enjoyed a local delicacy of the Northern England area, he had sampled a ' Chip-Butty ' , which is a sandwich made with two large heavily buttered slices of white bread filled with British style chips which are large chunks of fried potato smothered in malt vinegar and salt.  A sandwich unknown to in France, where the chips are very thin slivers of potato known as French fries and are no-where as enjoyable as the British chunkier chips, he was ecstatic and wishes to sample again on his next visit to the UK. We all laughed together.  An internet example of a chip-butty, in need of more butter and sprinkle of vinegar, methinks.  !!!! 

 

Screenshot2026-03-19at19_36_11.jpeg.6c98321cd00f1e056bf37bc64e3fb23e.jpeg

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

 

 

Arggh! Never heard of this either, now I want one! There's an English restaurant about an hour from me, I 'll have to see if he'll make them. You may have started a new trend in America!😃

Salvage Sailor
Posted

KingsLynnEngland.jpg.17f78b391538a1b27e42ece0d4153400.jpg

 

Restaurant Defibrillator, King's Lynn, jolly ole' England

General Apathy
Posted
1 hour ago, cutiger83 said:

Looks delicious!!!

 

..Kat

 

1 hour ago, BEAST said:

Arggh! Never heard of this either, now I want one! There's an English restaurant about an hour from me, I 'll have to see if he'll make them. You may have started a new trend in America!😃

 

1 hour ago, Salvage Sailor said:

KingsLynnEngland.jpg.17f78b391538a1b27e42ece0d4153400.jpg

 

Restaurant Defibrillator, King's Lynn, jolly ole' England

 

Hi Kat, Beast and Salvage,  this one looks even better as the chips have been fried a little longer, and you can see the breads been more liberally spread with extra butter an important ingredient, as is the soft bread and the correct amount of salt and malt vinegar.  

 

The link leads to a recipe for creating a British chip butty, with the writer expounding an interesting read on the subject and the recipe.

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/chip-butty-recipe-8605263

 

Screenshot2026-03-19at21_42_07.jpeg.373792caa1133bc1d4f5d12de1a231c3.jpeg

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 19 March  2O26.

 

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