GMC 352 Open Cab Half Doors

The open cab on the truck is great in the summer, however, when the temperature drops it can get pretty cold to say the least. Visibility with the the full canvas doors on is, to say the least, 'poor', so I've opted for a compromise that a few owners have gone for, and made up some half doors using 5mm thick external plywood. The purists might be offended, however there are pictures around of trucks using them in Normandy 1944, so why not ?
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Still need to organise some hinges, but I'm hoping to get lucky when I go to Northern Military Expo this coming Sunday.
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Should shipwrecks be left alone?

It is 10 years since a deal to protect the world's thousands of shipwrecks, but the UK and several other major maritime powers are yet to ratify it. Should this underwater heritage be protected or is it acceptable to plunder ? There is an interesting article about this on the BBC web site. Link
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Bloglovin - Blog Update Notification Site

Apparently it is possible to keep a track of your favourite blogs by subscribing to this site called 'Bloglovin'. It lets you know they have been updated. Link
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The only living master of a dying martial art

A former factory worker from the British Midlands may be the last living master of the centuries-old Sikh battlefield art of shastar vidya. The father of four is now engaged in a full-time search for a successor. Link
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Looking at beavers do their thing

A great clip on U-Tube from the BBC Earth Channel. Definitely worth watching.
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Normandy: Waffen-SS and Paratroopers fighting in Saint-Lo

Some good footage here of the fighting in Normandy from the German perspective.
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Is the US Declaration of Independence illegal ?

In Philadelphia, American and British lawyers have debated the legality of America's founding documents. Link
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Friday Humour, Early - "Engineers & Women"

Saw these today, and thought I'd share :)
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Tiger I - Replica + Tank Overhaul Russian Style

Chaps, have a look at the pictures in this link of a Tiger I replica that has been built. Awesome looking job it has to be said. Link
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This is short clip of tank overhauls. Sadly it is in Russian so I have no idea what they are saying, but its worth watching nonetheless if you are interested in WW2 Russian tanks.
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Friday Humour, Early - "Politically Incorrect Thoughts!!"

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My neighbour knocked on my door at 2:30am this morning, can you believe that 2:30am?!

Luckily for him I was still up playing my Bagpipes.
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I sat on the train this morning opposite a stunning Thai girl.

I kept thinking to myself, please don't get an erection, please don't get an erection...

but she did.
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The Grim Reaper came for me last night, and I beat him off with a vacuum cleaner.

Talk about Dyson with death.
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I was in bed with a blind girl last night and she said that I had the biggest penis she had ever laid her hands on.

I said "You're pulling my leg"
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I've just had a letter back from Screwfix.

They said they regretted to inform me that they're not actually a dating agency.
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I saw a poor old lady fall over today on the ice!!

At least I presume she was poor - she only had £1.20 in her purse.
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My girlfriend thinks that I’m a stalker.

Well, she’s not exactly my girlfriend yet.
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What’s the difference between Iron Man and Iron Woman?

One’s a superhero and the other is an instruction.
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An old lady is being examined by the Dr. He asks have you ever been bedridden?

She says yes I have and I've been table ended and backskuttled a few times too
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Went for my routine check up today and everything seemed to be going fine until he stuck his index finger up my arse!

Do you think I should change dentists?
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A wife says to her husband you’re always pushing me around and talking behind my back. He says what do you expect?

You’re in a wheel chair.
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I was explaining to my wife last night that when you die you get reincarnated but must come back as a different creature.

She said i would like to come back as a cow. I said you're obviously not listening.
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The wife has been missing a week now. Police said to prepare for the worst.

So I have been to the charity shop to get all her clothes back.
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Hi mate i don't want you to panic but I’m texting you from the casualty.

Turns out the new Dyson Ball cleaner isn't what I thought it was.
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The Luckiest People On Earth

The title says it all :)
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New Hamster

Thought I'd share that we have a new Hamster here at the Vulture's Roost. 'Bubbles' a 10 week old male Syrian Hamster has joined the mad house !
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The 1/6th World of Kampfgruppe von Abt - Tiger Tank Maintenance

Stumbled across this on on U-Tube. A truly awesome modelling job !
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Here we can see a scene from a previous Kampfgruppe von abt diorama shoot showing a Fries Gantry Crane servicing a Tiger Tank whilst a Stug III arrives on the back of an Sd.Ah.116 Trailer, all the models in this scene are 1/6th scale
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New GW Boxed Game - Dreadfleet

Whilst over visiting family is Crewe, I popped into the local GW shop. After fending off the store assistant three times who wouldn't take 'I'm just browsing thanks' as an answer to his questions over whether I needed help, I was drawn to their latest 'limited production run' offering. At £70 Dreadfleet is not a cheap game to buy, however the models are fabulous and the production values of the rule book and other elements are very high. Although its pitched at a 12+ age group a quick flick through the rule book convinced me that my 9 year old could manage to play it (in some form), so it was out with the credit card :) Just ploughing through the rule book at the moment. I'll post again on how our first game goes. In the meantime check out what Boardgamegeek has to say about it: Link
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WWII Vehicle Maintenance

Love this little video on U-Tube all about WWII vehicle maintenance. Lots of CCKW trucks on show :)
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Old SSI Computer Games - Free To Download

This site is hosting old computer wargames done by companies such as SSI. They are free to download. Link
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F-35B Lightning II - First Ship Landing

The Marine Corps’ F-35B Lightning II made its first landing Monday aboard a Navy warship at sea, the service announced. The hop apparently was uneventful and the landing, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, went exactly as predicted. Link
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UK military deaths in Afghanistan

Lest we forget....
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The UK's military role in Afghanistan since 2001 has not been without its human toll. Members of the Army, RAF, Royal Marines and special forces have lost their lives in the fight against the Taliban. Here, the BBC News website offers a look at who they were and how they died. Link
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Replica Tiger Tank

Believe it or not a company in Hungary (I think) are making a replica Tiger Tank. They are almost there, just need to sort the tracks out from what I have read. There is a video on U-Tube of the vehicle prior to fitment of the running gear.
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Holme - 1940s Weekend

After a couple of abortive attempts to take our CCKW 352 truck to local events, plans came good on Sunday when my son and I took a leisurely 10 mile drive to the village of Holme, where a 1940s weekend was being hosted. A refreshingly relaxed affair, the main village road was closed to the public between 10:00 and 16:00 with only ‘vintage traffic’ movements allowed. We pitched up at just after 10 and were directed to find a convenient place to park near Holmewood Hall which was used during the war by the United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS) for packing airborne containers to be parachuted into occupied Europe. The UK of recent has been experiencing some unseasonably hot weather, and Sunday was no exception, so I was grateful to be able to park up near some trees which provided a measure of shade from the suns glare.
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Chatted to lots of folk, including one guy in his seventies who on seeing the truck reminisced with me about being a child of 7 during the war, and going to a local US airbase that was hosting a children’s party. Apparently all the kids were picked up in a CCKW and his memories of them all in the back with the canvas up and the seats down were very strong, and brought a smile to his face as he was relating the story.

There were a few other military vehicle there:
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This Leyland 'Hippo' is one massive truck !
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It was good to see the odd vehicle there that was slower than ours ! :)
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Can’t finish this posting without showing a picture of one of the many vintage vehicles that were on display. I’m a sucker for a nicely maintained vehicle of any type when painted white, but this little Ford Popular car took my breath away for a moment. Simply beautiful :)
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All being well we’ll definitely be along next year.
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Grinding The Crack

An amazing piece of flying this....
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Upper Gereshk: The Helmand Plan Meets Tough Reality

For anyone who might think that after 10 years in Afghan things should be getting easier, this BBC article makes kinda depressing reading... Link
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German Reunification And The Euro

Absolutely nothing to do with gaming or military stuff, but I would like to recommend to you my favourite economics blog called Mindful O Money (The social news and knowledge network for the investment community). I don’t pretend to understand a lot of what Shaun Richards writes about, however this guy really does know his stuff and he wrote a fascinating piece on 29 Sep 11 entitled, ‘Did German reunification mean that the original concept of the Euro was doomed to failure?, This makes interesting reading for those wondering about the Euro mess. Link
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