NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 31 MAY 2010

Welcome to what’s new on Miliblog this week in what’s a very historical week in military history. Seventy yeras ago this week in 1940, the little boats were heading across the English Channel to pick the remnants of the British and French armies from the beaches of Dunkirk. This week I would like to dedicate this week’s newsletter to my dear Uncle Bob, Private Robert Nourse. A lovely chap, he joined up into the Royal Worcesters and soon found himself digging trenches in Northern France. After a long retreat to the beaches he was eventually picked of the beaches by one of the little boats and managed to get back to England. He died a couple of years ago, but would never speak of his experiences, saying that he lost many good friends.

Also this week, June 6, is the 66th Anniversary of the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy.

As much as we would have liked to be over in Normandy visiting the various museums and famous sights, we instead went a few miles down the road to the West Park in Wolverhampton for the annual Wolverhampton Steam Fair and Transport Rally. For a full report visit our Show Reports tab, with lots of pictures of vehicles from the event. However below are five sample photos to tempt you to have a look further at all our show reports.

Firstly we have a lovely Austin Champ. These old British soldiers from the 1950′s are so full of character, you can just see the National Serviceman is his khaki uniform and beret driving it down the roads of Western Germany. The small and patina of these vehicles have grown on me over the years and if I had the room to store one, I’d certainly be out there looking. Next is a lovely Landie, but a pretty rare one too, a S3 Shorland Armoured Car. The owner told us all about it’s history, which is also in the Show Report. Flying an Ulster Defence Force flag, is a clue.

Next photo is another unusual vehicle spotted in the commercial section. It’s a Dodge Commando RG13 Coach, previously serving with the RAF as a coach/ambulance. Following on is a Scammell Explorer that we haven’t seen before, which is another nice 1950′s British Army vehicle.

Finally, we have a photo of Phil Palmer’s Leyland Hippo 10 Tonner. Although we’ve seen this beast many times before, it never fails to impress with it’s size.

So have a great week ahead wherever you are in the world.

Cheerio !

Simon

Austin Champ (HMJ 951 F)

Land Rover S3 Shorland Armoured Car (HNP 853 J)(12 FL 02)

Dodge Commando RG13 Coach (A 135 YOX)(18 KA 92)

Scammell Explorer 10Ton Recovery Tractor (YSY 250)

Leyland Hippo Mk2 10Ton GS (JSK 164)