Dad's REME photos

[blackbob]

A propos of nothing really... We found an album with some of my late dad's photos of his time in the REME (Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers) doing his National Service, during the Korean War. [It's tempting to say, 'The First Korean War', but it's not at all a laughing matter]

There are quite a few more, if anyone is interested, I confess I don't know what the trucks are although I remember him talking about Bedford QL's left-over from WW2, they're maybe some of the 'smaller' ones?

[oehrick]

Now appearing at at timber feller / extractor/ hauliers near you (via a Ruddington sale) !

Can't help with the I/D I'm afraid Bob but thanks for posting them. I'd hazard a guess that last but one photo, the wagon at the back is possibly a Scammell (Explorer or Constructor??) and I've heard them called 'coffee pots' due to the cylindrical header to the radiator so the one he's leaning against might be another. The last yankee truck looks a bit light for tank haulage so it may not be a Diamond T.

There must be some of the right vintage hereabouts to have driven these so you will soon get a positive I/D

First pic instantly made me think MASH but ours were probably named differently to the American ones.

NB what is the connection between Scamell, Camelot the Lottery and most of the fried chicken sold in N London ?

Given up already ? Tollpits Lane Estate is where the Scamell were built and is now home to the Lottery and one of the biggest fresh chicken dismantlers about (to which, in a former life, I made numerous breakdown visits trying to keep their ill used and abused bandsaws running!)

[Jerry Coles]

Hi IMHO as I'm also ex REME (63-87), the trucks in photo 2 are QL's and were still in service in the 1960's (specialist type veh's), the two Scamells are a knocker early diesel and the nearer one is a petrol wrecker (interesting with the engine side panels on). I learnt to drive in a Scamell wrecker in 1967. Oh how I hated the gate on the gearbox, every change meant going across the gate.
The wrecker is a GMC 2 1/2 ton wrecker, the Diamond T had a very long bonnet.
Hope this helps
Arte et Marte (by skill and by fighting) REME = Ruin Everything Mainly Engines or Rough Engineering Made Easy !!

[blackbob]

Excellent guys, thanks for your input!

From a page titled 'Typical Smash-ups', we have these:







It seems the wreckers were well used

And a dumb question... What was the round hatch in the cab roof for, all the trucks seem to have one? For armament? For someone to keep a lookout for aerial attack? Or just an escape hatch in the event of a rollover?

[oehrick]

Conning tower for monsoon season ? AA gun mounting ?? air to mud refueling port ???

Some more nice pics Bob and hopefully further to come ?

[Daves rusty bits]

I always find old black and white pictures of people going about their life really interesting, thanks Bob

[oehrick]

Its like the pictures on the radio Dave, so much better than those on the telly, likewise the colours in a good B&W print beat those in a colour print hands down.

Whaddya mean he's out of bed again nurse ??

[blackbob]

I always find old black and white pictures of people going about their life really interesting

This one's for you then Dave

This is my uncle Charlie (on the right), he had got married, had a daughter (not in the photo) on-the-way and taken on the tenancy of a farm just before the outbreak of WW2. Being in the Territorial Army he had to go to France, and was taken prisoner at St Valery (at around the same time as Dunkirk).
Sadly I can't remember any of his tales of POW life. After return to Scotland he went on to buy a farm and develop a successful farm business. He died a few years ago but his wife (centre of photo) died last year, well into her 90's. I don't know who the guy on the left is. I remember Kenneth (the young lad in the middle) going on to drive early-1960's Classic Capri's in the 1970's, and of course Charlie had Majors and an M103 combine, so there is a Fordson link

[Daves rusty bits]

Gives us a hint that times were tough then. I recon Kenneth could still fit into those shorts when he was driving Capris

[AdrianNPMajor]

Hello Bob
Much respect to your dad. Lovely photos. Thanks for sharing. The Korean War was not for the squeamish. An old friend of mine was there, and the stories he tells, if you can get them out of him, make your hair stand on end.
My dad was in the REME too. He was part of the BEF and ended up in Dunkirk.
He managed to get back home and went ashore on D Day driving a Cat D7.
This photo was taken in 1942. My eldest sister is the star of the show!
Kind regards, Adrian.

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[Jerry Coles]

The round hatches in the Veh roofs were known as "Cupola's" and were provided so that the co-driver could act as an "Air Sentry" so you could bale out when a Stuka was coming down at you! Some had round knobs on the roof so that you could fit an Anti-Aircraft machine gun to. Again a WW2 concept but still fitted to many veh's late in the Army. I remember diving across the cab on a very cold morning in Germany and hitting my head on the huge icicle that had grown down from the Canvas cover! The Bedford RL's (later model than the QL's pictured) had a wood platform to stand on as the engine cover was between the seats. A real pain as the gearlever was way back behind the engine cover and you hit the platform every time you changed gear (you also tended to operate the floor mounted dip switch as you double de-clutched through the gears). Many memories of driving in Germany on Exercise.
Jerry Ex REME Tels Tech

[blackbob]

Bit of an update...

You could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather when I went to our local vintage-tractor-and-vehicle rally - and found this sitting there:



This is a '55, petrol, and stayed in the Army until 1986. The owner seemed very knowledgeable about them, and what they could do. For example, and with reference to dad's photos (I went home to fetch them), the Scammells normally 'hunted' in pairs - one could winch out a bogged Centurion tank on its own, but it was easier and quicker in a battle situation, with two. He said that there were 2 crew to each recovery vehicle (he didn't seem to like the term 'wrecker'), and both men had the same training, so either could drive if one was wounded.

Interestingly, it was his opinion that the 'smash-ups' had been damaged by shellfire, and not just road accidents as I had thought; so they had been recovered from battle situations. We will never know; although I can see what he means, there isn't much frontal damage on any of them?

I must admit I felt a bit of a lump in my throat, when I opened the driver's door of this Scammell, and saw a vision of my dad sitting there among all the bare metal and man-size levers.
Oh and I'll post some more photos from that day, there were a selection of Fords from Majors to a couple of TW15's, maybe make a new thread for Shows etc?

[AdrianNPMajor]

Bob, you may enjoy this.
Best, Adrian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6sgxIW3YCs

[Brian]

Interesting!! The one we had at Wrights as a heavy breakdown truck for lorries had a massive Rolls Royce petrol engine which did about 3 gallons to the mile. The rear wheels were chain drive and she was restricted to around 20 mph.

The foreman at my first garage was a man called Johnny Black, although a Norfolkman born in Cressingham, he served in the Black Watch which we all thought was funny. He told us about being sent to the front to recover a stranded tank but everytime they got the hawser attached, the Germans would send over a shell and send them running for cover. Johnny said they were just playing with them and in the end they left the tank for another day.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Brian, my dad was from Nottingham but during 44/45 he was attached to the Gordon Highlanders.
As a boy I remember visiting Edinburgh Castle on a family holiday. My father asked to look at the records of men killed in action so he could find the names of friends.
Best, Adrian.

[blackbob]

Yes Adrian, I did enjoy that!

Regarding the half-tracks.. The guy was telling me that every tractor was supplied with a set of half-tracks, it's what the baskets under the cab doors are for.. but they have all disappeared, no-one has any, and everyone in the military-vehicle world is wondering whether they are all stored in some dusty warehouse somewhere?

Here's another of my dad's photos:

[oehrick]

The REME films were interesting, tank throws a track, no messing about, cut it with a shaped charge - and there's me thinking they were a fairly new development for cutting girders in hi rise buildings - Blaster Bates would be disgusted with me no doubt

A lot of those multi axle drive vehicles went into timber extraction & haulage (from Ruddington and other dispersal sales no doubt) just like Fowlers and others in WW1, I wonder how many of the WW2 vehicle makers, who were not allowed to profit from war work, lost their livings through the flood of flog offs afterwards ?

Fantastic thread, even at 3 gpm, keep it going

[AdrianNPMajor]

Rick, just to continue the thread, my dad was born in 1920, and in 1937 he became an apprentice at Stanton Ironworks works near Nottingham.
I still see manhole covers with this company's name on them, and of course I think of one person.
Best, Adrian.

[oehrick]

Cast iron memorials so to speak Adrian.......

I guess you have probably seen what Graces Guide says of them but just in case http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Stanton_Ironworks

Interesting to see the connection with with REB Crompton - arguably East Anglia's first 'tractor' builder with his 1861 steam road locomotive / car / cart, just ahead of H A O McKenzie of Scole (1874) and S G Soame of Marsham (1897), the latter being the only survivor and in which I had the pleasure of a short ride at last years Marsham Tractor show https://marshamvillage.wordpress.com/lo ... wagonette/

Sorry Bob, gratuitous lack of REME related matter, will self administer a slapped wrist

[AdrianNPMajor]

Cast iron memorials indeed, Rick. What a lovely way of putting it.
Thanks for the links. The Soames Steam Wagonette must have been quite a sight in the 1860's. Its DNA is to be found in many modern machines.
Bob, my apologies also.
I bet your dad would have loved this forum and the conversations that happen here.
Best, Adrian.

[blackbob]

No problem guys, I'm not at all in a childish tantrum about my thread being hijacked

Yes my dad would love these conversations about old stuff, he worked at the 'Aberdeen Corporation Works Department' (what we would nowadays call 'the Council') as a mechanic, looking after all sorts of plant and vehicles, from a WW2 Mack 6x6 petrol snowplough, this one (scroll down a bit): http://www.gtm.org.uk/visit/exhibitions ... ollection/ to diggers and Drotts, down to Mini vans and mowers etc. I think he even worked on the burners at the crematorium, and the pumps which used to pump the city's sewage out to sea. When there was a big reorganisation of local government he had to accept 'promotion' but he didn't stick that for long, he quit and went self-employed; he hated having to go to work in a suit, and often somehow came home with it grubby anyway.. He died in 1985, so I can't even remember many stories from his working days.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Nice snowplough.
Bob, your dad's REME training and experience meant that he could tackle most things, and all work would have been carried out using the very best procedures.
I expect Brian's training at Ford was similarly thorough.
Most admirable.
Best, Adrian.

[Jerry Coles]

If any of you venture down the M4 near Swindon then visit the new REME museum here
http://www.rememuseum.org.uk/
Lots of nice displays!
Cheers
Jerry REME 67-87