Review: TRACKS – the Magazine commemorating the LRDG

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Title: TRACKS – the Magazine commemorating the LRDG
Issue: No.1 June 2021
Editorial, Layout & Design: Kuno Gross

MLU Forum member Kuno Gross is an experienced desert traveler and published author on desert warfare and aviation (e.g. “Incident at Jebel Sherif”, “Operation Salam”, “Bagnold Sun Compass”, “Pilatus SB-2 Pelikan”).

The publication of this magazine was triggered by a copy of the June 1941 issue of TRACKS, the “house paper” of the LRDG of which only a single issue was published. Kuno was fascinated by this window into the past and published what may be seen as the second edition of TRACKS, 80 years after the first one. He found some notable LRDG experts willing to contribute to this magazine, including Sam Watson, John Valenti (LRDG Preservation Society) and others.

As I provided some vehicle information, I was given a copy as a sneak preview. As it is a magazine well worth reading, I am happy to present this review.

This issue of TRACKS provides the reader with a well balanced mix of articles like historical backgrounds on people and events, review of historical sites, battlefield finds, technical details on the vehicles used by the LRDG and some glimpses into the original issue of TRACKS. See the full table of contents below.

While pictures of the LRDG Ford F30 CMP truck with census number L4406114 sitting in the Sand Sea near Ain Dalla have been shown on the internet and printed media before, this magazine is the only one I have read that publishes a detailed research into its history. It is amazing to see how much Ian Chard managed to deduct from a satchel full of British Army B111 service conduct sheets which was found behind the driver’s seat in 1975.

It is that level of detail, researched and written by authors with a deep knowledge of the LRDG, what makes this magazine worth recommending to anyone in interested in the LRDG and the desert war in WW2 in general.

Note: by buying this magazine, either in print or pdf-format, you are supporting the publication of the next edition.



CONTENT 2021
• Editorial Note: Kuno Gross
• Foreword: Lieut Col R.A. Bagnold
• Forte el Gtafia, shelled by the Artillery Section: Kuno Gross
• LRDG Desert Poems: Private J.M. Williamson, R Patrol
• Kufra, a historical Note: Capt. W.B. Kennedy Shaw
• Long Range Desert Group Preservation Society: Jack Valenti
• Chevrolet WA or WB? What type of trucks: Kuno Gross
• "Big Cairn", the loneliest Pile of Stones: Andras Zboray
• The LRDG in Greece, Jeep and Trailer: Erik Ahlström
• Who was Norman Moore? The editor of TRACKS: Ian Chard
• The Sand Tyres, "Shoes" of the Patrol Trucks: Charlie Down
• Brendan O'Carroll's Books: Bob Amos-Jones
• Now and Then, Halt at Gilf Kebir: Kuno Gross
• B122 Conduct Forms, Witnesses of the Past: Ian Chard
• "Sand Channels": Sam Watson
• The SRD Rum Jar from Siwa: Sam Watson

Magazine details:
• Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand; 1st edition (24 Mar. 2021)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 52 pages
• ISBN-10: 3752608382
• ISBN-13: 978-3752608380
• Dimensions: 19 x 0.3 x 27 cm

Ordering details:
Contact Kuno Gross via info@desertstories.org for details on how to order TRACKS 2021. It can be ordered in bookshops also. Price is EUR 18,-- including shipping.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Kuno wrote:

“ TRACKS 2021: As of today, all pre-ordered copies of "TRACKS 2021" are shipped and on their way. I do still have some 30 printed copies available. e-verisons is also available.”

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Issue 2 will be published shortly, Kuno Gross is taking pre-orders:

Ordering details: TRACKS 2022 can be found at www.bod.de (under: “buchshop”) or, if you prefer, at Amazon and other bookdealers. However, we are also receiving pre-orders. The cost of a pre-ordered copy is EUR 21.50 (including worldwide shipping). Pre-orders are collected from now and then shipped all at once, presumably at the end of March /beginning of April. So, pre-orders will take some time until they reach the readers but will be a substantial support for the authors to cover the cost. If you can, and if you are a bit patient – please go for the pre-orders. Please send me an e-mail to info(at)jebelsherif.org for payment details (pls. replace the (at) with "@" in the e-mail address).

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Issue no. 2 has the full first-hand story on the 3-ton F60L CMP truck found in the desert. And a detailed article on the iconic 30-cwt Chevrolet LRDG truck, plus many other interesting articles - well worth reading!

TRACKS Revival 2022 (The Magazine commemorating the LRDG)
************************************************** *********************
TRACKS was a “one issue” magazine done by the LRDG and distributed in Kufra in June 1941. In 2021, eighty years after, it was “revived” by a group of authors, not out of a commercial interest but of pure enthusiasm for the subject: The LRDG.
The reception of TRACKS 2021 was very well, the reader’s feedback all very positive. This encouraged the authors to go for TRACKS 2022. Again, we have a “bunch” of LRDG-related articles, topics not too widely known, which should find the interest of the LRDG enthusiast.
TRACKS 2021 consisted of 52 pages – TRACKS 2022 has substantially “grown” to 64 pages containing 148 illustrations and photographs.

CONTENT 2022
• Howard’s Cairn --- Kuno Gross
• Now & Then: Siwa, Cleoptatra’s Pool --- Kuno Gross
• LRP - First Reconnaissance Mission --- Bob Amos-Jones
• Who was Norman Moore? (2) --- David Redhead
• Patrol Truck Chevrolet 1533X2 --- Charlie Down
• Badges and Insignia of the LRDG --- Brendan O’Carroll
• LRDG Memorials --- B. O’Carroll, K. Gross and M. Kennedy Shaw
• LRDG poem --- J. G. Medemmen
• Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo --- Sam Watson
• Raiding Forces Wings --- Sam Watson
• LRDG silver Goblet carved Bone Knife --- Sam Watson
• Fata Morgana or Reality? --- Tarek el Mahdy
• Recovery from the Desert --- Mohamed Nabil (Translated by Tarek el Mahdy)
• Attempting Identification --- Kuno Gross
• LRDG Heavy Section - Marmon Herrington --- Erik Ahlström
• Sgt. Fraser's Cigarette Case --- Jack Valenti
• B122 Conduct Sheets (Continued) --- Ian Chard
Magazine details:
• Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
• Language: English
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Illustrations & photos: 148
• ISBN: 978-3-755-71623-5
• Dimensions: 19 x 27 cm

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Issue 2 will be published shortly, Kuno Gross is taking pre-orders: "The cost of a pre-ordered copy is EUR 21.50 (including worldwide shipping)"

The website only permits European countries as a destination. How do we get Worldwide shipping?

[Little Jo]

Hi All

I tried to purchase the two "TRACKS" books however I could not open the site as Australia was not available no matter what I tried. Can anyone give me some advice as to how I can purchase these books, or does the bookseller not send to Australia.

Tony

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Tony & Tony,

Contact Kuno via info(at)jebelsherif.org, I’m sure he can fill in the details.

[Kuno]

Ordering details
TRACKS 2022 can be found at www.bod.de (under: “buchshop”) or, if you prefer, at Amazon and other bookdealers. However, we are also receiving pre-orders. The cost of a pre-ordered copy is EUR 21.50 (including worldwide shipping). Pre-orders are collected from now and then shipped all at once, presumably at the end of March /beginning of April. So, pre-orders will take some time until they reach the readers but will be a substantial support for the authors to cover the cost. If you can, and if you are a bit patient – please go for the pre-orders. Please send me a PM via Facebook/Messenger or an e-mail to info(at)jebelsherif.org for payment details (pls. replace the (at) with "@" in the e-mail address).
[NOTE: The original ask was EUR 20.-. However, since PayPal, takes about EUR 1,50, I have only received EUR 18.50... therefore the asking price has been updated to EUR 21.50]

[Kuno]

Orders to Australia -

Colleagues, pre-orders to me will be shipped worldwide, all at the same price. But this is a "one time action" only.

Further orders through Amazon etc.are not under my control and it may be that amazon.de does not deliver to certain Countries and other "divisions" of Amazon do not have TRACKS (yet).

You can still try to order through any other website which has TRACKS listed. For example I found this one (no relation to it), where "Australia" appears to be on the list of Countries they deliver to: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/books/detai.../hnum/10467104

[Bob Carriere]

Thanks every one.....once I adjusted for English it was simple to order both books........ a gift to self!!!!!


I may have missed the option BUT is it also available in Electronic format as a download??????

Nothing like wearing suspenders and a belt at the same time.

Bob C.

[Kuno]

TRACKS 2022

I thought it would be good to place an order at the publisher by end of next week. Who wants to get TRACKS 2022 directly from one of the authors - please drop me a note. Doing so, you would really help to cover the cost

Please note that Libyan desert sand, as shown in the photo , is not included in the order

[Bob Carriere]

I got both the 2021 and the 2022......fantastic reading....... good quality pictures many never seen before. Would recommend to anyone with sand in their shoes!!!!!!!!!

Bob C.

[Ganmain Tony]

PM sent to you.

[Little Jo]

You can still try to order through any other website which has TRACKS listed. For example I found this one (no relation to it), where "Australia" appears to be on the list of Countries they deliver to: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/books/detai.../hnum/10467104

Hi Guys

I ordered my two "Tracks" books from the site in Germany that Kuno suggested. They took my order and I paid via PayPal. The conversion rate was $72.00 Aus. So I guess I now wait for the books to arrive. I will advise when recieved.

Cheers

Tony

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Latest news, please make sure you order your copy straight from Kuno if you’re interested. He doesn’t make any money on this really but needs the sales to cover his costs and publish the next issue:

THANK YOU MR. POSTMAN: TRACKS 2022

The most awaited delivery of today was the 100 printed copies of TRACKS 2022. I can say that writing and publishing is sometimes tiresome and it happens that just want to stop in the middle of a project - but all is forgotten once you have the printed result in your hands (and a few minutes later a new idea starts to take shape :-)).

Still - some more copies need to be sld to re-cover the direct cost. TRACKS 2022 can be ordered at below mentioned links or directly from me - see all the details below.

I have planned to ship all ordered copies within about ten days from now.

************************************************** *********************

TRACKS Revival 2022 (The Magazine commemorating the LRDG)
************************************************** *********************
TRACKS was a “one issue” magazine done by the LRDG and distributed in Kufra in June 1941. In 2021, eighty years after, it was “revived” by a group of authors, not out of a commercial interest but of pure enthusiasm for the subject: The LRDG.
The reception of TRACKS 2021 was very well, the reader’s feedback all very positive. This encouraged the authors to go for TRACKS 2022. Again, we have a “bunch” of LRDG-related articles, topics not too widely known, which should find the interest of the LRDG enthusiast.
TRACKS 2021 consisted of 52 pages – TRACKS 2022 has substantially “grown” to 64 pages containing 148 illustrations and photographs.
CONTENT 2021
• Howard’s Cairn --- Kuno Gross
• Now & Then: Siwa, Cleoptatra’s Pool --- Kuno Gross
• LRP - First Reconnaissance Mission --- Bob Amos-Jones
• Who was Norman Moore? (2) --- David Redhead
• Patrol Truck Chevrolet 1533X2 --- Charlie Down
• Badges and Insignia of the LRDG --- Brendan O’Carroll
• LRDG Memorials --- B. O’Carroll, K. Gross and M. Kennedy Shaw
• LRDG poem --- J. G. Medemmen
• Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo --- Sam Watson
• Raiding Forces Wings --- Sam Watson
• LRDG silver Goblet carved Bone Knife --- Sam Watson
• Fata Morgana or Reality? --- Tarek el Mahdy
• Recovery from the Desert --- Mohamed Nabil (Translated by Tarek el Mahdy)
• Attempting Identification --- Kuno Gross
• LRDG Heavy Section - Marmon Herrington --- Erik Ahlström
• Sgt. Fraser's Cigarette Case --- Jack Valenti
• B122 Conduct Sheets (Continued) --- Ian Chard
Magazine details:
• Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
• Language: English
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Illustrations & photos: 148
• ISBN: 978-3-755-71623-5
• Dimensions: 19 x 27 cm
Ordering details
TRACKS 2022 can be found at www.bod.de (under: “buchshop”) or, if you prefer, at Amazon and other bookdealers. However, we are also receiving pre-orders. The cost of a pre-ordered copy is EUR 21.50 (including worldwide shipping). Pre-orders are collected from now and then shipped all at once, presumably at the end of March /beginning of April. So, pre-orders will take some time until they reach the readers but will be a substantial support for the authors to cover the cost. If you can, and if you are a bit patient – please go for the pre-orders. Please send me a PM via Facebook/Messenger or an e-mail to info(at)jebelsherif.org for payment details (pls. replace the (at) with "@" in the e-mail address).
[NOTE: The original ask was EUR 20.-. However, since PayPal, takes about EUR 1,50, I have only received EUR 18.50... therefore the asking price has been updated to EUR 21.50]

[Tim Bell]

Have messaged the chap on facebook.

One of my childhood neighbours was an eccentric chap called Peter Clayton... he had an amphibious Ford escort amongst other stuff.

He also had his father's diaries and used to arrange trips out into the Libyan desert.

Rightly or wrongly he was good mates with the Colonel (not KFC chap) and had free range to do what he wanted.

Sadly I was at school and my mother wouldn't pay for me to go.

Long dead now of course. No idea what happened to his father's material.

Tim

[Kuno]

All ordered copies will be shipped tomorrow from Germany. Please note that it is sent as a normal enveloppe at the cehapest possible rate, no tracking number therefore. ...and I cannot telll you how long it may take until they reach their desitination. About 30 copies are left with me or direct sale - if you are interested, please drop me a note.

[Kuno]

Originally Posted by Tim Bell

Have messaged the chap on facebook.

One of my childhood neighbours was an eccentric chap called Peter Clayton... he had an amphibious Ford escort amongst other stuff.

He also had his father's diaries and used to arrange trips out into the Libyan desert.

Rightly or wrongly he was good mates with the Colonel (not KFC chap) and had free range to do what he wanted.

Sadly I was at school and my mother wouldn't pay for me to go.

Long dead now of course. No idea what happened to his father's material.

Tim

Peter Clayton was the son of Patrick Clayton, desert explorer and commanding officer of LRDG T-Patrol. Peter helped me when I wrote the book "Incident at Jebel Sherif - the first clash of the special forces"... maaany years back.

[Tim Bell]

Originally Posted by Kuno

Peter Clayton was the son of Patrick Clayton, desert explorer and commanding officer of LRDG T-Patrol. Peter helped me when I wrote the book "Incident at Jebel Sherif - the first clash of the special forces"... maaany years back.

Perhaps 37 years ago when I knew Peter.

[Little Jo]

Originally Posted by Little Jo

Hi Guys

I ordered my two "Tracks" books from the site in Germany that Kuno suggested. They took my order and I paid via PayPal. The conversion rate was $72.00 Aus. So I guess I now wait for the books to arrive. I will advise when recieved.

Cheers

Tony

Hi All

Just to let you all know I have recieved the two Tracks books. The were delivered to my door in perfect condition from Germany to Australia. I have to report I am impressed with them and glad to include them in my library. So for you Aussies. You can have them sent to Australia.

Cheers

Tony

[Kuno]

Thank you for the confirmation and positive feedback :-)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

TRACKS is an annual publication by Kuno Gross and members of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) Preservation Society which is not to be missed. I had to honour to contribute a short article on the Chevrolet 1311X3 15-cwt truck. Contact Kuno via email if you want to pre-order it.

ANNOUNCEMENT: TRACKS 2023
When we started TRACKS in 2021 we did not even think that there would be a second issue - now we are already going to publish the third.
At first I want to say thanks to the authors and contributors without whom, working out of pure enthusiasm, nothing would have been possible.
It is still a good piece of the road to go until it is printed. It will be again 64 pages and sent to the readers at EUR 21.- (including shipping worldwide). This is how it is calculated now, always depending on changes outside our control...
Content:
Jack Valenti - by Charlie Down & Kuno Gross
Misterious Silver Cups - by Jack Valenti
Forte ez Ezzeiat-attacked - by the LRDG by Kuno Gross
Forte ez Ezzeiat-Cartoon - by David Searle
Scorpio the Gangster - by David Searle
LRDG Jeep - by Erik Ahlström
Now & Then: Forte Bu N'Gem -by Kuno Gross
Stuart Michael „Lofty“ Carr - by Ian Chard
Road Watch - by Brendan O‘Carroll
Battle for the Dodecanese - by Anthony Rogers
LRP Lament by L/Cpl Claude - 'Bluey' Grimsey
LRDG missing in North Africa - by Ian Chard
On Patrol with the LRDG - by Capt. W. G. Alexander
LRDG related Sites in Egypt - by Sam Watson
Chevrolet 1311X3 - by Hanno Spoelstra
LRDG medical provision - by Bob Amos Jones
Who is interested in a copy, please drop a note here or send me an e-Mail so that we can estimate the number to be printed and precisely calculate the cost.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

The June 2023 issue can now be ordered here:

https://www.bod.de/buchshop/tracks-j...-9783749447787

[Bob Carriere]

Some site have a choice of language....could not find the language button on this one....

Thanks

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Some site have a choice of language....could not find the language button on this one....

Scroll up and click on “contact Kuno by email” and he’ll set you up alright.

[Bob Carriere]

Done.... .......... ............ sigh!!!!

[Little Jo]

Hi Guys

I have just purchased my third copy of "Tracks" the June 2023 issue, I purchased the book from. JPC Germany, email below.

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/books/detai.../hnum/10467104

They are the same people I purchased my previous two issues from. All done in English and very easy to go through the process. I paid by PayPal, the total was AUD$52.00 all up from Germany to Australia. Looking forward to Hanno’s contribution. Oh, what it would be like to be young again and have the time and money to be part of one of those adventures into the desert. I am sure it would be quite a different experience than my trips into the Australian outback in my younger years.

Cheers to all

Tony.

[Bob Carriere]

Track 2023........... to Canada after all the conversion of money came to $45 Canadian.......... looking forward to reading it....

Bob C.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

The June 2023 issue of TRACKS magazine landed on the doormat yesterday. Published by Kuno Gross and other noted members of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) Preservation Society.
Crammed with great LRDG info and an obituary for the late John J. Valenti - well worth having!
Also happy to see my article on the Chevrolet 1311X3 15-cwt truck published

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

The June 2023 issue of TRACKS magazine landed on the doormat yesterday. Published by Kuno Gross and other noted members of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) Preservation Society.
Crammed with great LRDG info and an obituary for the late John J. Valenti - well worth having!
Also happy to see my article on the Chevrolet 1311X3 15-cwt truck published

Attachment 133479 Attachment 133480

The single page of the 1311X3 article that is free contains much valuable information.

I believe the LRDG had a CMP F8 for a short period, maybe this truck variant could be the basis of a future article.