Blackest, I was REME was with 4th 7th RTC and the Blues and Royals before Armoured Engineers Challengers were just coming in when I finished but did drive them among many old ones as well.
Mummy nothing cuts through black ice, the tracks we fitted for road use had a smooth rubber pad on each track plate. In a totally uncontrolled slide down Richmond hill I missed two vehicles coming up and the bridge at the bottom ending up facing the way I was going with very wet pants. I spent half my time pulling tanks out of ditches in Germany, it is a bit of a myth that they can go anywhere, that should really read nearly everywhere then the REME boys are needed.
If I ever win the lottery, I will be buying a DUKW and a SnowCat. Not sure where I can learn to drive a tracked vehicle though, I do know that they will come out to you for you to take your test.
Let's see who would try to take me on in one of those things!! I'd also quite like a Bowler Tomcat (looks just like a Defender on the outside, but has been tweaked so can go anywhere at quite a pace). I'd insist they paint it pink, and call it a Bowler Pussycat instead. Oh, what fun I would have with the silly little boys in the middle of Rotherham. They soon learnt not to try racing my husband in his LSE. Runs on autogas, has a 5 litre V8 engine, and goes like the proverbial. I used to have to remind him we were towing a caravan (a bloody big twin axle too).
Frank was the payment the same back then, think it was a slab of beer if you had to be pulled out. Brother had a fairly good career was colonels gunner at one point before becoming tank commander and eventually an instructor, sometimes at the weekends he'd bring my nephew in and get him issuing orders to the trainee's in the simulators (he was about 10 at the time).
@ frank.. great story.. thats what i needed back then.. love it
@gg.. yes so was i.. but i had had enough of the damage by the end of the week... and i knew going to report it would get me nothing..as i had no "hard" evidience to show it was them... so with my patience at the end of its tether i did it.. i will say i did not feel good doing it.. but sometimes needs must..
@mummy.. my driving bugs are those too and people who drive so close to you.. i hate my space being invaded.. the roundabouts.. ah yes.. those.. over hear it is terrible,had to rant out window while hand on the horn.. other day to a guy who was stopped letting al the cars from his left go out,nearly causing an accident with traffic coming from the opposite junction.. idots!! and those that dont indicate yes, and those that pull out infront of me...causing slamming on of brakes.. when there is nothing behind me.. and proceed to drive at 30 in a 60 limit!
my hubby says if the driver in front is wearing a flat cap beware ad be ready
OH was a driving instructor for a time. He used to tell his trainees that if someone indicated, the only thing you could safely assume is that the bulb in the indicator was working.
If someone is driving too close behind me, I either slam on the brakes (if I'm in blue, there is a NATO tow hitch and lots of under-body armour, and it's lifted so high they'd just go underneath and hit the tank and diff guard), if I'm in something else, I pop the rear wash-wipe on.
OH is really , really bad for road rage - you'd never think he used to be an instructor. It can't be good for his blood pressure - had to tell him off yesterday as he let out a string of invective and the kids were in the back. Just hoping small boy doesn't ask his teacher what a K**b jockey is!!
My pet bugbears are people who drive right on your tail, especially when you are in the fast lane and they want you to understand that you should pull over because they want to drive faster than you, even though you may be already doing over 70. I would like to have a large pop-up sign saying 'Get off my tail' woth maybe an appropriate gesture at the end!
The other thing that really irritates me is people who do not bother to indicate when they are going to turn left because they know that they are in no danger. Pedestrians don't know whether it is safe to cross the road and other drivers at roundabouts have to wait because they think that these delightful persons are going straight across the roundabout.
Blackest, what payment was that then we never got half of anything. We were mobile workshops who followed the tanks literally, if they broke down (often) or got stuck throwing a track (often) I had four Forward repair teams with Half tracks cranes mounted on them trailers full of spares and normally an engine, we changed them in situ plus me running round in my land rover checking things out. The initials for those units was Forward Armoured Repair teams, work it out for yourself. With all the teams out one day we got a call one was on its side just down the forest track from us, grabbing a couple of fitters I fired up the D8 and went looking. We lashed cables to the tank and the D8 and I started up, two minutes later the D8 was sitting on its bottom plate, no ground under the tracks and the tank still having rather a lean time. That took some living down, we fastened chains to the D8 and the nearest big tree then used the winch on the D8 which would have been the best idea in the first place, then I winched myself out. The lads lived on the story of the WO1 being bellied in the D8 for quite a while. I did get my own back but that is another story.
GF - just got back from Cornwall, and have only just seen your post from yesterday regarding your parking problems. That would be me too! Sense and normal neighbourly standards say that's not the way to behave, but it's the only way to sort out some problems, and, be honest, after the initial guilt feelings, don't you feel much better?
Completely different rant today. Why don't blokes dispose of the evidence??
If I was going to snaffle an entire packet of biscuits (and that's not unknown), wouldn't you put the evidence (empty packet) in the bin, hoping that they'd be forgotten and you'd be let off the hook? or even putting the empty packet (chocolate that was MINE in this case) back in the fridge? That's just rubbing it in, oh, Darling, I've scoffed all your chocolate, despite the fact that for one week every month you turn into a screaming harpy that only chocolate can appease, but I'm going to leave the empty packet in the fridge to taunt you, cos I can't be bothered to turn 180 degrees, lift the lid to the bin and dispose of the evidence.
If he starts on the jelly beans, I'll be up in front of the beak.........
Posts
Blackest, I was REME was with 4th 7th RTC and the Blues and Royals before Armoured Engineers Challengers were just coming in when I finished but did drive them among many old ones as well.
Mummy nothing cuts through black ice, the tracks we fitted for road use had a smooth rubber pad on each track plate. In a totally uncontrolled slide down Richmond hill I missed two vehicles coming up and the bridge at the bottom ending up facing the way I was going with very wet pants. I spent half my time pulling tanks out of ditches in Germany, it is a bit of a myth that they can go anywhere, that should really read nearly everywhere then the REME boys are needed.
Frank.
If I ever win the lottery, I will be buying a DUKW and a SnowCat. Not sure where I can learn to drive a tracked vehicle though, I do know that they will come out to you for you to take your test.
Let's see who would try to take me on in one of those things!! I'd also quite like a Bowler Tomcat (looks just like a Defender on the outside, but has been tweaked so can go anywhere at quite a pace). I'd insist they paint it pink, and call it a Bowler Pussycat instead. Oh, what fun I would have with the silly little boys in the middle of Rotherham. They soon learnt not to try racing my husband in his LSE. Runs on autogas, has a 5 litre V8 engine, and goes like the proverbial. I used to have to remind him we were towing a caravan (a bloody big twin axle too).
There's no substitute for cubes.
Frank was the payment the same back then, think it was a slab of beer if you had to be pulled out. Brother had a fairly good career was colonels gunner at one point before becoming tank commander and eventually an instructor, sometimes at the weekends he'd bring my nephew in and get him issuing orders to the trainee's in the simulators (he was about 10 at the time).
@ frank.. great story.. thats what i needed back then.. love it
@gg.. yes so was i.. but i had had enough of the damage by the end of the week... and i knew going to report it would get me nothing..as i had no "hard" evidience to show it was them... so with my patience at the end of its tether i did it.. i will say i did not feel good doing it.. but sometimes needs must..
@mummy.. my driving bugs are those too and people who drive so close to you.. i hate my space being invaded.. the roundabouts.. ah yes.. those.. over hear it is terrible,had to rant out window while hand on the horn.. other day to a guy who was stopped letting al the cars from his left go out,nearly causing an accident with traffic coming from the opposite junction.. idots!! and those that dont indicate yes, and those that pull out infront of me...causing slamming on of brakes.. when there is nothing behind me.. and proceed to drive at 30 in a 60 limit!
my hubby says if the driver in front is wearing a flat cap beware ad be ready
OH was a driving instructor for a time. He used to tell his trainees that if someone indicated, the only thing you could safely assume is that the bulb in the indicator was working.
If someone is driving too close behind me, I either slam on the brakes (if I'm in blue, there is a NATO tow hitch and lots of under-body armour, and it's lifted so high they'd just go underneath and hit the tank and diff guard), if I'm in something else, I pop the rear wash-wipe on.
OH is really , really bad for road rage - you'd never think he used to be an instructor. It can't be good for his blood pressure - had to tell him off yesterday as he let out a string of invective and the kids were in the back. Just hoping small boy doesn't ask his teacher what a K**b jockey is!!
GF
My pet bugbears are people who drive right on your tail, especially when you are in the fast lane and they want you to understand that you should pull over because they want to drive faster than you, even though you may be already doing over 70. I would like to have a large pop-up sign saying 'Get off my tail' woth maybe an appropriate gesture at the end!
The other thing that really irritates me is people who do not bother to indicate when they are going to turn left because they know that they are in no danger. Pedestrians don't know whether it is safe to cross the road and other drivers at roundabouts have to wait because they think that these delightful persons are going straight across the roundabout.
That's why I gave up driving.
Blackest, what payment was that then we never got half of anything.
We were mobile workshops who followed the tanks literally, if they broke down (often) or got stuck throwing a track (often) I had four Forward repair teams with Half tracks cranes mounted on them trailers full of spares and normally an engine, we changed them in situ plus me running round in my land rover checking things out. The initials for those units was Forward Armoured Repair teams, work it out for yourself.
With all the teams out one day we got a call one was on its side just down the forest track from us, grabbing a couple of fitters I fired up the D8 and went looking. We lashed cables to the tank and the D8 and I started up, two minutes later the D8 was sitting on its bottom plate, no ground under the tracks and the tank still having rather a lean time. That took some living down, we fastened chains to the D8 and the nearest big tree then used the winch on the D8 which would have been the best idea in the first place, then I winched myself out. The lads lived on the story of the WO1 being bellied in the D8 for quite a while. I did get my own back but that is another story.
Frank.
Completely different rant today. Why don't blokes dispose of the evidence??
If I was going to snaffle an entire packet of biscuits (and that's not unknown), wouldn't you put the evidence (empty packet) in the bin, hoping that they'd be forgotten and you'd be let off the hook? or even putting the empty packet (chocolate that was MINE in this case) back in the fridge? That's just rubbing it in, oh, Darling, I've scoffed all your chocolate, despite the fact that for one week every month you turn into a screaming harpy that only chocolate can appease, but I'm going to leave the empty packet in the fridge to taunt you, cos I can't be bothered to turn 180 degrees, lift the lid to the bin and dispose of the evidence.
If he starts on the jelly beans, I'll be up in front of the beak.........