General Apathy Posted June 9, 2009 Share #601 Posted June 9, 2009 Nice updates mate Thanks for the smile. I had added some others but they somehow disappeared into the dark hole of computing, so here are a couple added again. The aircraft shown above was one of two that buzzed the town at low altitude for maybe fifteen minutes around one hundred feet, these boys were enjoying their-selves they had the freedom of the skies. Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 9 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted June 9, 2009 Share #602 Posted June 9, 2009 Great pictures! And I also enjoyed the one of you decked out. I would love to see any of the pictures from this past weekend. I am so jealous of everyone who made it to the D-Day Anniversary....Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted June 10, 2009 Share #603 Posted June 10, 2009 Great pictures! And I also enjoyed the one of you decked out. I would love to see any of the pictures from this past weekend. I am so jealous of everyone who made it to the D-Day Anniversary....Kat Hi Kat, it was chaos here there were so many places to go and be, St Mere Eglise on the 6th opened up fields and fields of farmers land all around the town for parking, there could easily have been 50,000 people there. One small restaurant I know the size of 25 x 30 yards said they had 2,000 people eat there during the day. The U.S. military stationed there I was told amounted to 700 or so, and there were berets of all shades to be seen. Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 10 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted June 10, 2009 Share #604 Posted June 10, 2009 Hi Forum Readers, two more photo's from this week of D-Day celebrations, a Columbia cycle of wartime vintage, and a vet of the 29th Div. Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 10 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 10, 2009 Share #605 Posted July 10, 2009 Hi Forum Reader. a couple of days ago I heard a tractor coming in through the rear gate, so I turned to look and it was my neighbouring farmer and he dropped me off two sheets of aircraft matting. I had seen him a few weeks before throwing loads of this planking into the village dump and I told him that myself and other militaria interested locals would love to have this stuff, so he dropped me two off and gave two to another of my neighbours. During the conversation he also related that some time ago his uncle had this long length of rope and that his uncle had cut it in half and gave him one half, well turns out that it was a glider tow rope that his uncle had cut and shared with him ???? :w00t: :crying: Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 10 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted July 10, 2009 Share #606 Posted July 10, 2009 You really get the neatest things! Are you going to do anything special with these? The glider tow rope..Did it look different from other rope? I was wondering how you knew what it was. Thanks...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 10, 2009 Share #607 Posted July 10, 2009 You really get the neatest things! Are you going to do anything special with these? The glider tow rope..Did it look different from other rope? I was wondering how you knew what it was. Thanks...Kat Hi Kat, well the plank on the left of the photo is too badly gone to do anything with really, so maybe just hang it somewhere dry like the garage wall or something. The one on the right is still pretty decent so I will probably rust treat it and try to cure it from rusting further, then hang it as part of a fence or such as the farmers around here have done for years. There's a guy further up the lane that has four pieces being used as a fence although unpainted they are in great condition as the rain runs off, and they are not laying on the ground which is why they do rot away. The glider tow rope I have seen in museums so it's easy to recognise one when you see it, but the farmer was aware of what it was but not that it had any value. A couple of weeks back a farmer showed me a complete camouflage parachute canopy and it's dated if I remember Sept 43, his father cut the harness and lines off and threw those away only keeping the canopy. Also a couple of weeks back in a brocante ( second hand store ) there was a single pigeon fold-down cardboard box all marked up United States signal corp. Athough I have three different sizes of wooden pigeon boxes and one of the round circular wire framed parachute models it's the first time I have ever seen an actual carboard version as shown in the QM catalog. Crazy what still keeps turning up around here, attached is a photograph of a U.S. Army dump on the outskirts of my village, the village houses are in the tree line. It's my guess that the bundles in the photograph could be leggings, as I had several of these type of bundles when I was dealing in U.S. militaria Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 10 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LtRGFRANK Posted July 10, 2009 Share #608 Posted July 10, 2009 That explains all the leggings in the market. Everywhere I go you find leggings. And some vendors think their worth a lot of $$$. The only pair I paid over $5 was a pair of size 6. I've come to think if you go out in you area and dig a hole you will find something. Robert :pinch: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted July 11, 2009 Share #609 Posted July 11, 2009 Hi Ken, Have you got more info on the bike? It seems another early/pre WW2 Columbia painted OD... Definately not a US Army contract bike... Johan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 11, 2009 Share #610 Posted July 11, 2009 Hi Ken, Have you got more info on the bike? It seems another early/pre WW2 Columbia painted OD... Definately not a US Army contract bike... Johan Hi Johan, Chris ( in the o.d. jacket ) and his girlfriend both have bikes like these, I will get in touch with Chris and let him know that you want to talk bikes with him, let you know when I do maybe a week or so, I am away for a few days taking my daughter to a ' Madness ' concert. Cheers Ken Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 11 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 11, 2009 Share #611 Posted July 11, 2009 Hi Forum Readers, possibly something a little unusual to show you, a small small circular wood plaque with a copy of the Liberty bell, it is boardered on three sides with the capsules used in the draft lotteries from Oct 29 1940 at the rear of the bell, the pink one to the right is for July 17 1941, the green one to the left is for March 17 1942. This has all the appearence of being a home made item, however on the wooden plaque at the rear is an American legion water transfer decal. Jeez the stuff I collected over the years ???? ( the blue one at the rear of the bell has snapped off and was missing when I bought this years ago, the pink one still contains the numbered strip ' S-491 ', maybe someone has access to the lottery lists and could trace this number and the name that went with it ) Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July11 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 11, 2009 Share #612 Posted July 11, 2009 That explains all the leggings in the market. Everywhere I go you find leggings. And some vendors think their worth a lot of $$$. The only pair I paid over $5 was a pair of size 6. I've come to think if you go out in you area and dig a hole you will find something. Robert :pinch: Hi Robert, yep there were loads of leggings around in bales and all sized 3R, it was a lottery when you opened the bail however as to whether the metal hooks had rusted or not, generally had to sort a bail into two or three grades of condition. When you bought the bales it was like buying a ' pig in a poke ' didnt know what you had until you inspected the whole bail, even opening one end didn't ensure the same condition throughout. :crying: :think: Regarding digging in this area, it's still very rural and even today lot's of small villages don't have mains sewerage, but septic tanks, and before that it was outdoor sheds with just holes in the ground and move it on when full :w00t: Not every depression in the ground is a fox hole :pinch: Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 11 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LtRGFRANK Posted July 11, 2009 Share #613 Posted July 11, 2009 Yup Ken. Same around here with just years past each house having an "Outhouse" out back. When I bought my place in 1971 it still had one. BUT most everyone that had one also threw things in them. There are people that go out and find them and dig them up looking for historical items. So get your shovel and get a diggin. :pinch: Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 11, 2009 Share #614 Posted July 11, 2009 Hi Forum Readers, another small item that is slightly unusual, when I say small it's probably five or so feet across from memory, it's still packed away at present and this is a digital photograph of an old processed film photograph I took of it. It's a horse water trough dated 1943, it is a canvas construction supported on sectional pieces of galvanised tubing, and leg supports. I have displayed it at shows a couple of times, however it has never had water in it, it was still unused when I bought it. Hope you enjoy seeing it. :think: Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 11 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgawne Posted July 12, 2009 Share #615 Posted July 12, 2009 you know, its all the weird wacky oddball stuff that you never even thought of the Army needing to have that I find interesting now. Heck with all the jump helmets and marine camoflage and pilots wings. Now a fold up horse trough? THAT"S cool! I remember when just about everyone in Normandy had a fence of the matting. I suppose it would be kind of cool to get enough to make a patio floor out of. How are your local Normans dealing with the fake paratrooper that was outed this yearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 12, 2009 Share #616 Posted July 12, 2009 Now a fold up horse trough? THAT"S cool! How are your local Normans dealing with the fake paratrooper that was outed this yearl Hi Jon, my apologies I forgot to tell you this ain't no ordinary horse trough, it's an ' AIRBORNE HORSE TROUGH ' there was a little known secret unit that was working with horse's during WWII in case the military ran out of fuel for the aircraft. Now these were no ordinary horse's they were winged horse's just like in Greek mythology, and they were used to tow gliders into the air on ropes of golden twine, tied to bejeweled bridals, and this trough was filled with the milk of nectar from the female virgin god's of mount etna Sorry Jon I was just working up my story for selling this water trough on eBay next week, and had to get Airborne into the story somewhere. :w00t: No idea what's happening on the fake paratroop front he's split and left town, story goes back to the states. Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 12 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LtRGFRANK Posted July 12, 2009 Share #617 Posted July 12, 2009 Hi Jon, my apologies I forgot to tell you this ain't no ordinary horse trough, it's an ' AIRBORNE HORSE TROUGH ' there was a little known secret unit that was working with horse's during WWII in case the military ran out of fuel for the aircraft. Now these were no ordinary horse's they were winged horse's just like in Greek mythology, and they were used to tow gliders into the air on ropes of golden twine, tied to bejeweled bridals, and this trough was filled with the milk of nectar from the female virgin god's of mount etna Sorry Jon I was just working up my story for selling this water trough on eBay next week, and had to get Airborne into the story somewhere. :w00t: No idea what's happening on the fake paratroop front he's split and left town, story goes back to the states. Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 12 2009 Been testing the wine again heh! Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 12, 2009 Share #618 Posted July 12, 2009 Been testing the wine again heh! Robert Hi Robert, no, you don't get such historically acurate stories like that on cheap wine , it takes a stronger nectar to enthuse the mind to write such drivel. :crying: Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 12 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 12, 2009 Share #619 Posted July 12, 2009 Hi Forum Readers, a small one-off item specifically named to one person, but for what reason I have not been able to find out. It is a small model of the USN, TBF aircraft molded in one piece resin of some sorts, on the underside of the wing is the model designation and the date of 7-43. Thee plane bears the name of C.H. Baldwin on one wing and the ' E ' for excellance award on the other wing, it stands on a wooden plinth supported by a upright bomb as the support. Around the side of the base plate it states, Eastern Aircraft, Trenton Division, Feb 2 1945. Sadly the resin has softened around the engine cover and along the sides below the cockpit, otherwise it is in quite good condition. Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 12 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
517th Posted July 12, 2009 Share #620 Posted July 12, 2009 Hi Forum readers, here's a couple of photo's from June 6th, myself and friends as we left for the day's events Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 9 2009. Great pics there Lewis???. Darky looks real miserable, must have bought a round........517th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 13, 2009 Share #621 Posted July 13, 2009 Hi Forum Readers. Prince Charles brother Prince Edward visited Hill 112 near Caen yeterday where the Victoria Cross was awarded to Albet Figg. Take a look at the link below to see the television coverage, the French flew the flags at half mast to honor the recent British dead in Afghanistan, a total of fifteen in this past week. http://jt.france3.fr/regions/popup.php?id=...;video_number=0 Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 13 2009 Please note that I will be unavailable to contribute anything further for the next seven days, I will be without a computer until then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 29, 2009 Share #622 Posted July 29, 2009 Hi Forum Readers, well you have to love France, I just went to the flower store this afternoon to buy some flowers for the house and a few plants for the garden as I am having an open house BBQ on Saturday, if your in the neighbourhood drop in. First off they knocked 16 Euros off the total for the plants and flowers, then I was invited to sit down and join them for a glass of home made cider and a piece of home made cake. Michel the owner then left the table and returns with a plank of airfield matting and says ' petit cadeau ', a small gift. Well that piece of plank is almost worth a third to a half of what I paid for the flowers but it is the sheer friendliness of purchasing something from a small family business here. Catherine and Michel will be coming along to the BBQ, and last year they arrived with some pots of plants for the garden. Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 29 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted July 29, 2009 Share #623 Posted July 29, 2009 You can add this piece to the ones you got not too long ago and build a bridge :w00t: Nice to hear that there are still great small family owned businesses. I used to buy from a local bookstore that had been open for years. Unfortunately this past year, Amazon and other large book stores like Barnes & Noble put them out of business. Sounds like you will have a great BBQ. Here in the south, we call BBQ a roasted pig not grilling out. The northerners (yankees ) call grilling hamburgers BBQ. HUGE difference. Are you roasting a pig or are you cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill Either way, it sounds like fun. Take care...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted July 29, 2009 Share #624 Posted July 29, 2009 You can add this piece to the ones you got not too long ago and build a bridge :w00t: Nice to hear that there are still great small family owned businesses. I used to buy from a local bookstore that had been open for years. Unfortunately this past year, Amazon and other large book stores like Barnes & Noble put them out of business. Sounds like you will have a great BBQ. Here in the south, we call BBQ a roasted pig not grilling out. The northerners (yankees ) call grilling hamburgers BBQ. HUGE difference. Are you roasting a pig or are you cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill Either way, it sounds like fun. Take care...Kat Hi Kat, well we are not roasting a pig, but there will be steak pieces, bacon back, chicken quarters, French spiced sausage, hot-dogs and hamburghers, think we have everyone covered there. I have one person flying in for the weekend all the way from Scotland, and a few catching ferries from England but there will be largely local French villagers. We don't have a North-South divide here, which amused me greatly on my first trip to the states and I am stood in a group of Americans and the question was thrown by one guy to another ' so which side was your gran-pappy fightin on in the wure ' I took it he meant war but he was a good ole southern boy....... Thanks for your wishes that we have fun, expect we will. :thumbsup: Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 29 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Posted July 29, 2009 Share #625 Posted July 29, 2009 Hi Jon, my apologies I forgot to tell you this ain't no ordinary horse trough, it's an ' AIRBORNE HORSE TROUGH ' there was a little known secret unit that was working with horse's during WWII in case the military ran out of fuel for the aircraft. Now these were no ordinary horse's they were winged horse's just like in Greek mythology, and they were used to tow gliders into the air on ropes of golden twine, tied to bejeweled bridals, and this trough was filled with the milk of nectar from the female virgin god's of mount etna Sorry Jon I was just working up my story for selling this water trough on eBay next week, and had to get Airborne into the story somewhere. :w00t: No idea what's happening on the fake paratroop front he's split and left town, story goes back to the states. Cheers Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 12 2009 And the horses name was Pegasus hehe Henrik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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