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Remembered Today:

WW1 Military Motors - 1916 set x 50 cards


Lancashire Fusilier

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Three years!! Where has the time gone?

David

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Lancs,

Yes, thanks for a continuing thread of much and varied interest. Can you keep it going for a further three years?

Regards,

Mike.

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Well done LF. and many thanks.

Crimson Rambler.

Many thanks, and also thank you for your contributions to this Thread.

Regards,

LF

Three years!! Where has the time gone?

David

David,

I hope the coming years start to slow down a bit.

Regards,

LF

Yes, thanks for a continuing thread of much and varied interest. Can you keep it going for a further three years?

Mike.

Many thanks, and yes, many more years of postings still to come.

Regards,

LF

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Have we had all 50 cards from the thread title?

Nigel

Yes, all 50 Cigarette Cards in the set have been posted.

Regards.

LF

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Here is a photograph of one of the more unusual ' vehicles ' of WW1, a motorized aircraft cockpit simulator which ran on tracks, and was mounted with a Lewis machine gun. This cockpit simulator, which probably had an electric motor housed in the base of the simulator vehicle, was used for gunnery training at the RAF's Gunnery School located between Rang-du-Fliers and Verton in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France.

The photograph, shows the simulator passing large paper targets depicting silhouettes of German aircraft used in gunnery practice.

Although this photograph may appear to have a wintery ' snow ' background, it is not snow but rather sand, as the RAF's Gunnery School was surrounded by sand dunes.

The following series of photographs, were taken at the RAF Gunnery School by War Photographer, 2nd Lieutenant David McLellan.

LF

IWM These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

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Airman preparing large paper targets depicting silhouettes of German aircraft, which were used for gunnery practice at the RAF's Gunnery School located between Rang-du-Fliers and Verton in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France.

LF

IWM These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

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I hope the coming years start to slow down a bit.

Regards,

LF

I'm sorry to inform you that they only get faster and faster...... :angry:

Anyway, thanks for a fantastic thread and all the effort you put into it - a top, top read every day!

Best wishes for the Christmas season

Colin

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Here is a photograph of one of the more unusual ' vehicles ' of WW1, a motorized aircraft cockpit simulator which ran on tracks, and was mounted with a Lewis machine gun. This cockpit simulator, which probably had an electric motor housed in the base of the simulator vehicle, was used for gunnery training at the RAF's Gunnery School located between Rang-du-Fliers and Verton in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France.

The photograph, shows the simulator passing large paper targets depicting silhouettes of German aircraft used in gunnery practice.

Although this photograph may appear to have a wintery ' snow ' background, it is not snow but rather sand, as the RAF's Gunnery School was surrounded by sand dunes.

The following series of photographs, were taken at the RAF Gunnery School by War Photographer, 2nd Lieutenant David McLellan.

LF

IWM These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

I'm intrigued as to how this railed cockpit was held to the track and driven? With the distinct camber and the recoil of the firing Lewis gun plus the height of the gun and pilot I feel sure it must be on captive wheels otherwise I suspect the whole thing could have toppled over?

David

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I'm intrigued as to how this railed cockpit was held to the track and driven? With the distinct camber and the recoil of the firing Lewis gun plus the height of the gun and pilot I feel sure it must be on captive wheels otherwise I suspect the whole thing could have toppled over?

David

Yes, and how great it would have been with the targets also whizzing round on an outer track....

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I'm sorry to inform you that they only get faster and faster...... :angry:

Anyway, thanks for a fantastic thread and all the effort you put into it - a top, top read every day!

Best wishes for the Christmas season

Colin

Colin,

I suspected that time probably speeds up the older we get !

I appreciate your interest in this Thread, and I also wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Regards,

LF

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I'm intrigued as to how this railed cockpit was held to the track and driven? With the distinct camber and the recoil of the firing Lewis gun plus the height of the gun and pilot I feel sure it must be on captive wheels otherwise I suspect the whole thing could have toppled over?

David

David,

That is the importance of keeping these 100 year old photographs published, as without the support of the photographic evidence, it may have been easy to doubt that these machines ever even existed.

Perhaps the sheer heavy weight of the bottom portion of the simulator was sufficient to help keep it on the tracks. Also if you look at the very bottom centre of the simulator's bodywork ( level with the track ), there appears be a metal fitting or guide aligned with the track, which if fitted to both sides of the simulator's bodywork, helped keep the base of the simulator attached to the track.

Regards,

LF

IWM These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

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I wonder if the base is loaded with some ballast or if it is one solid piece?

I take it the track is on an incline as it does not appear to be powered.

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I wonder if the base is loaded with some ballast or if it is one solid piece?

I take it the track is on an incline as it does not appear to be powered.

Actually, this could be correct - that the trainer was not actually powered, but rather just pushed into an inclined plane and it then ran along under momentum - a very high speed would not be required as the actual airplane would not be so fast. I also agree that the bracket at the bottom does look like a securing bracket onto the side of the rail and my guess is there would have been a similar one on the other side. I furthermore suspect the cockpit top section would have hinged open and the trainee bobbed down and got inside it at which point it would be fastened shut with him inside - very neat.

David

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Just a few inches in from the track's rail, there appears to be a power cable running the length of the track and passing under the simulator. I can think of no other reason for this cable, other than it provided electrical power to the simulator through its base ?

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

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If it is an electric cable what was it powering? The track? As it is visible in front and behind it is unlikely to be powering the simulator. Is it more likely to be a cable attached to a winch at both ends? the front one to pull the simulator and the rear one to return it?

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In addition to the tracked cockpit simulator fitted with a Lewis machine gun, the RAF's Gunnery School located between Rang-du-Fliers and Verton in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France had a second cockpit simulator fitted with a Vickers machine gun.

This ' movable ' cockpit simulator, allowed the operator of the Vickers machine gun to fire at targets depicting silhouettes of German aircraft which were visible for 6 seconds.

This photograph shows this simulator in use, and whilst awaiting their turn in the simulator, Pilot Officers drawn from various regiments, are put to good use loading the simulator's Vickers machine gun's ammuntion belts.

These photographs are dated 17th July, 1918.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

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Here is another photograph of the cockpit simulator fitted with the Vickers machine gun in action, the ' pop up ' targets depicting the silhouettes of German aircraft, which remained visible to the Vickers machine gun operator for just 6 seconds, were controlled from a control panel which is being operated by the Airman standing at those controls in the foreground of the photograph.

Again, off to the right we can see a group of Pilot Officers awaiting their turn on the simulator, loading Vickers machine gun ammuntion belts.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

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If it is an electric cable what was it powering? The track? As it is visible in front and behind it is unlikely to be powering the simulator. Is it more likely to be a cable attached to a winch at both ends? the front one to pull the simulator and the rear one to return it?

Johnboy,

It looks to be a cable rather than a rail, and as you say, it may be pulling the simulator around the track ?

The fact that they were using electrical power to operate the gunnery targets remotely, could mean that the technology was there to also operate the tracked simulator electrically ?

Surprisingly, this is the only photograph I can find of this tracked simulator. Hopefully, another photograph will surface, or a written account of how the simulator actually worked.

Regards,

LF

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It looks to be a cable rather than a rail, and as you say, it may be pulling the simulator around the track ?

To me it is neither an electric cable nor a traction cable - given the curve in the tracks it would in both cases need to be kept in place by pulley wheels and there don't seem to be any such things along the track.

Also, there appears to be quite a bit of sand accumulated between the running rail and the whatever-it-is, which speaks against an electrified 3rd rail as per the London Underground.

But it would be interesting to find out...

Cheers

Colin

Edit: Or the track was also used by as a transport railway with a narrower guage?

Edited by Wigwhammer
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Just a few inches in from the track's rail, there appears to be a power cable running the length of the track and passing under the simulator. I can think of no other reason for this cable, other than it provided electrical power to the simulator through its base ?

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Actually that looks as if it is the running rail. The 'clamp' could be a pick up shoe taking electricity from the third outside rail. It would not require a great deal of ballast to stop it falling over or derailing.

EDIT If you look closely a the photograph in post 2936 you will see that it is indeed am outside third rail. The vehicle overhangs the far rail but does not the near rail. Sand has been blown or pushed up against the running rail giving the appearance of a cable but notice the flat top.

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I agree, Phil's explanation for an electrified 3rd rail providing power to the tracked simulator would seem to be the most logical conclusion, and fits nicely with the various details shown in the photographs.

LF

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The ' Maudslay ' Lorry

The Maudslay Motor Company makers of the WW1 ' Maudslay ' 3-ton A-Type Lorry, was founded in Parkside Coventry in 1903 by Cyril C. Maudslay.
Cyril's father, Walter H. Maudslay had also been an engineer manufacturing marine engines, and for a short time Cyril Maudslay was in partnership with his brother Reginald Maudslay, before Reginald left the Maudslay Motor Company to form his own vehicle manufacturing company ' The Standard Motor Company '.
Originally, the Maudslay Motor Company produced a range of luxury motorcars which were among the most expensive on the British motorcar market.
In 1904, Maudslay produced their first ' Commercial ' vehicle, a petrol railway locomotive made for the City of London Corporation. The 12-ton locomotive was powered by a 3 cylinder 85 hp Maudslay petrol engine.
Other ' Maudslay ' commercial vehicles followed, and in 1905 Maudslay produced their first double decker bus, followed by a range of commercial lorries ranging from 1.5 to 6 tons.
Following the outbreak of WW1, and as was the case with most other British motor manufacturers, Maudslay concentrated on making lorries for the British War Department under the ' Subsidy Scheme ', which were mainly the Maudslay 3-ton A-Type Lorry.
It is estimated that by 1918, some 1700+ Maudslay Lorries were in service with the British military.
After WW1 Maudslay continued as a motor manufacturing company, until being taken over by AEC in 1948.
The first photograph, shows a convoy of ' Maudslay ' 3-ton A-Type Lorries parked alongside the wreckage of German motor transports destroyed by shell fire during the British Third Army's attack on the German Drocourt-Queant Line on 2nd September, 1918.
The Drocourt-Queant Line, running some 11 miles West of Cambrai, was part of the Northernmost section of the Hindenburg Line.
LF
IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

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A superb 1909 Maudslay Tourer.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

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