In the background

[Keith Webb]

Originally posted by alvin5182
Gents:

Found this on my hard-drive. Italy or North Africa I'm thinking.

Al Davis

You'd be pretty much on the money there - the codes denote 253 squadron RAF.

Here's a potted history:

On 30 October 1939, No 253 Squadron reformed at Manston and was originally intended as a shipping protection unit with Blenheims. None were delivered, however, and the squadron began to receive Hurricanes in February 1940, becoming operational on 3 April. In May 1940 one flight was sent to France to reinforce the hard-pressed Hurricane squadrons while the second flight flew daily to French airfields from 17 to 23 May. After re-equipping in Lincolnshire, No 253 took part in the Battle of Britain from the end of August and remained in southern England until January 1941. In February the squadron moved to the Orkneys for air defence duties, returning to England in September for convoy patrols off the East Coast. After taking part in the Dieppe raid, No.253 became non-operational in preparation for the invasion of North Africa and arrived in Algeria a few days after the landings. It provided air cover for the Army and its supply lines during the Tunisian campaign and its aftermath, moving to Italy in October 1943. In February 1944, the squadron arrived in Corsica to undertake escort and anti-shipping missions, returning to Italy in April for similar duties over Yugoslvia. In April 1945, it moved to an airfield captured by Yugoslav partisans near Zadar for the last days of the war. After a period in northern Italy and Austria the squadron acquired a flight of Spitfire XIs from No.225 Squadron and disbanded on 16 May 1947.

Source

[Alex van de Wetering]

In the background.......a Ford (?) "mobile office"....or field modified Signals truck??? Has anyone got an idea?

Pictures taken at the "Grote markt" in Bergen op Zoom, Holland. Source:www.markiezenhof.nl

Alex

[Bob Carriere]

Good evening Alex...

How did you attach 3 pictures to the same email...??

Did you resize the 3 pictures to be under the 102kb cut off...???

Trying to learn to speed up my picture postings....

Bob C.

[cliff]

Bob the new system will allow multiple photos as long as they are 700 wide and under 244mb each. When the first has finished uploading just hit browse again and add the next photo etc.

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by cliff

Bob the new system will allow multiple photos as long as they are 700 wide and under 244mb each. When the first has finished uploading just hit browse again and add the next photo etc.

Cliff, you may mean 244kb.

[Alex van de Wetering]

How did you attach 3 pictures to the same email...??

Hi Bob, Just like Cliff mentioned, the new forum version has the ability to attach more than one picture to your post. Also the size has been increased, which does make it a lot easier to upload a picture. With the old forum I often had to reduce the quality of the picture a few times, to get it under 102kb. Now if only we could get the full size picture to show up in stead of a thumbnail....

[cliff]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Cliff, you may mean 244kb.

very correct Keith I did mean 244kb. Sorry about that folks.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

In the background.......a Ford (?) "mobile office"....or field modified Signals truck??? Has anyone got an idea?

Alex, thanks for finding these pictures!

It looks like one of many 3-tonners converted with a caravan body for use as a mobile office of some sorts. Most likely attached to a HQ unit.

Interestingly, the 3rd picture shows a Stuart VI Recce!

H.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

It looks like one of many 3-tonners converted with a caravan body for use as a mobile office of some sorts. Most likely attached to a HQ unit.

Interestingly, the 3rd picture shows a Stuart VI Recce!

Hi Hanno;

In answer to a question by Alex van de Wetering, in the 'Defrocked Priest in South Alberta Regt' thread in the Armour Forum, located here: http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4342,
I had replied that the vehicles in the photos from the 'Grote markt', Bergen op Zoom, belonged to those of RHQ and Recce Troop, of the 29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment), C.A.C., of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division.

Cheers

[Rich Payne]

This is part of a screenshot taken from a training film based at a Driver Training school. The Gun Tractor is parked by the entrance to the depot.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Mark W. Tonner

I had replied that the vehicles in the photos from the 'Grote markt', Bergen op Zoom, belonged to those of RHQ and Recce Troop, of the 29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment), C.A.C., of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division.

Hi Mark, thanks! Interesting to see the Stuart VI Recce, that Priest Kangaroo is a great find too.

Hanno

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Probably taken in North Africa?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Another shot in taken in North Africa. In case you noticed, the Germans riding the Daimler A/C are POW's.

[Les Freathy]

IWM photo H19763 showing Churchill inspecting artillery on 16 May 1942 aboard a Covenanter tank, in the background CMP Quads

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Les Freathy

IWM photo H19763 showing Churchill inspecting artillery on 16 May 1942 aboard a Covenanter tank, in the background CMP Quads

Looks like 6 of 'em. Lucky Winston!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Breakfast with a good helping of early CMPs!

"10Aug40 – Orillia – 0600hrs breakfast for the newly mobilized regiment". Credit: Courtesy Grant Tipler
Source: http://perthregiment.org/gallery/gallery.html

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hanno ... you missed one ...

[Keith Webb]

I visited an ex-79 Squadron chappie - here's a squadron portrait with something familiar in the background..

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Breakfast with a good helping of early CMPs!

"10Aug40 – Orillia – 0600hrs breakfast for the newly mobilized regiment". Credit: Courtesy Grant Tipler
Source: http://perthregiment.org/gallery/gallery.html

Hanno...That picture shows the first CMP proto type.. which ended up in a hippy community on Salt Spring Island ,BC the remains of which was rescued and is in the Canadian War Museum..or at least it was..
So the story goes..
It is the third from the left in the photo..The long nose conventional cab was not in keeping with the ability to knock down and reassembly and ship in tight quarters in war time conditions ..

[Mark W. Tonner]

... 64 years ago on Juno ... a 15cwt

[Alex van de Wetering]

Yes Mark,

certainly a noteworthy day, today. Any idea where the picture was taken? My guess would be Bernieres-sur-Mer. Anyone know for sure? I will be in Normandy next week.

Alex

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

Yes Mark,

certainly a noteworthy day, today. Any idea where the picture was taken? My guess would be Bernieres-sur-Mer. Anyone know for sure? I will be in Normandy next week.

Alex

Hi Alex;

Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer (NAN RED Beach - The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment & "C" Sqn, 10 CAR (FGH)). Two of the three DD tanks of "C" Sqn, 10 CAR (FGH) that were lost to enemy fire on the beach can be seen in the photo along with AVREs of 80th Assault Squadron, R.E., along with other various vehicles.

Cheers

[Noel Burgess]

As an aside to the last photo - anyone know what is below the 15Cwt and to the right of the BARV ???
Noel

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Noel Burgess

As an aside to the last photo - anyone know what is below the 15Cwt and to the right of the BARV ???
Noel

Noel, are you talking about this little thingy next to the Jeep? Looks like a boiler of some kind. Derek.

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Noel Burgess

As an aside to the last photo - anyone know what is below the 15Cwt and to the right of the BARV ???
Noel

Looks like a Sherman DD below,and to the far right a portable laundry or cook stove of some type..

[Noel Burgess]

Sapper - yes that's it, I had thought it looked like a tar boiler - but why would it be there???
Noel

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Noel Burgess

Sapper - yes that's it, I had thought it looked like a tar boiler - but why would it be there???
Noel

You might have hit the nail on the head Noel with the tar boiler. Advance parties of the Royal Engineer's five Airfield Construction Groups landed at the British and Canadian beaches on D Day with the bulk of their plant arriving D+ 2 or 3. Getting airstrips quickly operational was a huge concern of SHAEF in order to provide close air cover over the invasion beaches. 16 Airfield Construction Group had the first Emergency Landing Strip operational June 7th. PBS (Prefabricated Bituminous Surfaces) was commonly used for runway surfaces with repairs quickly made with a mop, a bucket of molten tar, and some burlap or Hessian.


CHIMO! Derek.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Hi Alex;

Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer (NAN RED Beach - The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment & "C" Sqn, 10 CAR (FGH)). Two of the three DD tanks of "C" Sqn, 10 CAR (FGH) that were lost to enemy fire on the beach can be seen in the photo along with AVREs of 80th Assault Squadron, R.E., along with other various vehicles.

Thanks Mark. I hope we have the time to take a comparison shot, in a few days.

Alex

[mike mckinley]

notice the chev prototype in the backround?????

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Breakfast with a good helping of early CMPs!

"10Aug40 – Orillia – 0600hrs breakfast for the newly mobilized regiment". Credit: Courtesy Grant Tipler
Source: http://perthregiment.org/gallery/gallery.html