Military transport celebrated at show
THE Swansea Bus Museum and Transport Heritage Centre in Viking Way, Winch Wen SA1 7DA, rounds off its show and display year this Sunday (November 21) with a show entitled “Heroes on Wheels” made up of a varied collection of military transport that served this country and their armed service occupants so well in times of conflict and peace.
That classic ‘off-roader’ the Land Rover, originally created as a farming tool of rugged design to cope with rough terrain, features.
The first was designed by Rover engineer Maurice Wilks in 1947 in the sand of Red Wharf Bay on Anglesey, built with a Rover engine in an old Jeep chassis made up of off-cuts!
A year later the Land Rover was being exported to almost 70 countries and the military were not long in seeing the advantages of it.
There are seven models at the Swansea show, the basic Land Rover proving cheaper and more economical than the previous Austin Champ formerly used for front line duty, and as the ‘Landy’ was adapted for ambulance, communication, and even desert use by the SAS, the Champs were discontinued.
America had the Jeeps still, and eight of the legendary off-roaders bearing the characteristic white star on the bonnet will also be at the show, though even the USA started to buy Land Rovers after 1949.
American company Dodge was also in the military market, and a Weapons Carrier Truck will be on show – these bigger models came in 4x4 and six-wheelers, built in Michigan from 1940 to ’45 and seeing service in WW2, Korea and other conflicts after 1945.
And still on a truck theme, one of the more than 500,000 GMC trucks – or ‘jimmies’ as the GIS called them – made during WW2 is to be on show.
For quick raids into enemy lines another exhibit, an M8 Greyhound armoured car built by Ford, nicknamed ‘The Ghost’ and equipped with a 37mm main gun and machine gun, fought from 1943 to ’45 in Europe and the Pacific, some surviving far longer and seen in many other wars, including Vietnam.
British crews – there were four in each Greyhound – were not impressed with the floor armour and got round that by piling sandbags over it for added protection.
The two-wheelers were also to play a vital role in battle, motorcycles ideal to allow communications to be sent and received over difficult terrain.
Seven World War II versions of these machines will be presented at the show, still ridden today, including the diminutive Welbike, a small British single-seat WW2 motorcycle produced for use by the Special Operations Executive, issued to the British 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden in September 1944.
There are also parabike push bikes, and various WW2 motorbikes such as the Cushman scooter, Ariel, BSA and Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Troop movement and protection is also demonstrated by a 432 Armoured personnel carrier, a tracked vehicle from the 1960s that had over 20 different types, used for a gun platform, mine laying, troop transport – for up to 12 – signals, cargo and ambulance duty to name but a few of the versions.
Swansea, like many other cities in Britain, suffered badly during the Blitz, notably in February 1941, and the bravery of city and residents alike will be saluted at the show.
The fire service struggled to cope but fought on, and in later years, with that memory and the concerns of what more modern warfare might bring, the Government introduced a vehicle you might have seen in more recent times of crisis, and there will be one such at the show – a Green Goddess as they became known the RLHZ Self Propelled Pump manufactured by Bedford Vehicles. It was a fire engine used originally by the Auxiliary Fire Service, and latterly held in reserve by the Home Office until 2004, available to deal with exceptional events and operated by the military.
Other exhibits will include military vehicles from all eras, including WW1, WW2 and the Cold War years, band music of the era will play, with a number of re-enactment groups who will bring their own unique ‘look back’ experiences from the 1914–18 and 1939– 45 conflicts.
There will also be varied military weapon displays, and even an aircraft cockpit that may evoke memories of the WW2 Fairwood Common aerodrome, home to 10 Group Fighter Command, Hawker Hurricanes from 79 Squadron, Bristol Beaufighters of 600 Squadron, and Hurricanes of 317 Squadron.
Supporting the military exhibits will be stalls to entertain the whole family, selling and showing models and militaria, craftwork of numerous kinds, refreshments and a ‘retroshop’, plus re-enactment groups portraying the WW1 ‘Tommy’ and the ‘Welsh Tommy’ from WW2, plus all the usual fascinating SBM&THC exhibits and more.
THE top three finishers in the 2021 Roger Albert Clark Rally (November 25-29) will parade around Carmarthen Velodrome after the finish of the rally.
Five days of competition in English, Scottish and Welsh forests end with the Carmarthen finish and the rally’s first visit to the town, a town centre ceremonial finish from around 4pm on Monday, November 29.
Following that, the top three crews move to the velodrome for three laps of honour in formation on the banked concrete track. It is hoped that other finishers will also be able to complete a lap of honour on the 22-degree banked circuit.
The velodrome is the centrepiece of Carmarthen Park, opened on Easter Monday 1900, and is believed to be the oldest outdoor track in continuous use in the world and an important centre for cycling in the region.
Rally manager Colin Heppenstall said: “It will be a great finish for spectators, a slow speed parade under floodlights, and so rally cars will be arriving at the velodrome from around 3.15pm on the Monday afternoon.”