Lancashire Fusilier Posted 25 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 25 May , 2014 Two old interesting photographs of the Queen Anne Mansions, London S.W., one taken in the mid 1920s, and in the bottom right of that photo we can see the large arched entrance to the Queen Anne Mansions which is exactly where the ' AEC ' converted bus is parked in the right hand photo in the previous post. The other photo taken during the WW2 London Blitz, shows the damage caused to the Queen Anne Mansions by German bombs. LF 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 25 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 25 May , 2014 An interesting WW1 social aside, and certainly one related to AEC. The AEC factory at Beckton, London, women's football team, season 1917-18. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 25 May , 2014 Admin Share Posted 25 May , 2014 LF Thank you once again for the pictures of the 'buses', I worked just across the road from Queen Anne's Gate. Great thread. As for the women's football team there's a whole new strand of social and sporting history there Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalyback Posted 25 May , 2014 Share Posted 25 May , 2014 Ladies football was very popular in WW1 and up to 1921 when the FA effectively banned the game for woman, something not Chan f ed until 1971. Gate number very high in WW1 with so many men in the forces. I think a separate thread if not already done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 25 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 25 May , 2014 Ladies football was very popular in WW1 and up to 1921 when the FA effectively banned the game for woman, something not Chan f ed until 1971. Gate number very high in WW1 with so many men in the forces. I think a separate thread if not already done. During WW1 there appears to have been a thriving ' Women's ' Football League based mainly in the North of England, with most of the teams made up of women working in the different munitions factories. For those interested, here is an excellent link to extensive information on the subject :- http://www.donmouth.co.uk/womens_football/womens_football.html LF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 26 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 26 May , 2014 Fantastic armoured cars, WW2 vintage for a WW1 cab. It does make you think how the armistice was a 20 year gap. I can clearly see the WW1 cab and shape yet the wheels are clear WW2 vintage. Mr LF a virtual pint for you, unless you prefer tea. Many thanks, a nice cup of P.G. Tips will do nicely. The wheels, and tyres on that Austin Armoured Car are interesting, particularly the fitting of N.A.P. ( Normal Air Pressure ) tyres. N.A.P. pneumatic tyres with their distinctive ' triangles ' tread pattern, were introduced towards the end of WW1, and were used more extensively in the mid-1920s, when that photo was probably taken. They were promoted as being un-puncturable, un-burstable, non-skidding and some were guaranteed for 10,000 miles, hence their being highly suitable for military vehicles, particularly an armoured car. Here is a selection of N.A.P. Tyre advertisements dating from 1917/18 to 1925, extolling the benefits of fitting N.A.P. tyres. Regards, LF 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 26 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 26 May , 2014 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 26 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 26 May , 2014 1917/18 N.A.P. Pneumatic tyre advertisement. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 26 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 26 May , 2014 Posted Today, 07:09 AM 1922 catchy N.A.P. Pneumatic tyre advertisement. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 26 May , 2014 Admin Share Posted 26 May , 2014 Going back to the buses, I like buses! I rececently read Walter Williamson’s, memoir, ‘A Tommy at Ypres’ where he mentions how, as a relatively new arrival he is sent on a course and told by an ‘old sweat’ to take the ‘Poperhinge Bus’, he’s sensible enough to know there is no ‘bus’ but expects the drivers will offer a lift to a ‘Tommy’waiting by the side of the road, no such luck. Lorry after lorry pass by until until eventually a driver who is out of cigarettes takes pity on them for suitable recompense. Later, older and wiser, he’s learned how to catch the ‘bus’. He says that first of all you must not look as though you need a lift or the driver will ’step on the gas’ as he passes by. Assuming this nonchalant attitude has worked as the lorry passes you make a ‘wild dash’ and jump up to get a hold on the tailboard. If successful in this stage you then, ‘hang on for dear life and move your legs in a frog-like motion till you get a toehold on the hinge of the tailboard. If luck and your fingers hold the rest is easy, you simply heave yourself over the tailboard and into the wagon.” Apparently you get full marks if as the lorry bounces over a hole in the road it throws you inside the wagon rather than the alternative for which you get no points at all. No wonder they put stairs on the civilian version! He also mentions how, on another occasion having successfully ‘caught the bus’ the driver realise he and his mate are on board and turns off the main road and speeds up making alighting a very dangerous process, as Willaimson observes drily, an example of ‘what passes for humour in the ASC MT’. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 27 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 27 May , 2014 No wonder they put stairs on the civilian version! He also mentions how, on another occasion having successfully ‘caught the bus’ the driver realise he and his mate are on board and turns off the main road and speeds up making alighting a very dangerous process, as Willaimson observes drily, an example of ‘what passes for humour in the ASC MT’. Ken, Another nice transport related anecdote. Regards, LF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 27 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 27 May , 2014 Some further examples of ex-WD ' AEC ' lorries being converted to public transport London buses after WW1, and again we see the excellent ' General ' bus conversion, which included a proper staircase, bus seating, and a bus crew of a Driver and a Conductor. The introduction of these ex-WD lorry buses greatly improved public transport for Londoners, and helped supplement many of those London buses lost after having been sent off to France as troop transports at the start of WW1. Also, note the fitting of the bus safety rails between the front and back wheels, to prevent persons or large objects falling under the bus. LF 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 27 May , 2014 Admin Share Posted 27 May , 2014 Brilliant - what happened when it rained? I see the conductor has a mac! Pity we don't have pictures of Tommy Atkins trying to 'dodge their fare' on the Menin Road, but then again knowing you and this thread... Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 28 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2014 Brilliant - what happened when it rained? I see the conductor has a mac! Pity we don't have pictures of Tommy Atkins trying to 'dodge their fare' on the Menin Road, but then again knowing you and this thread... Ken Ken, Normally, when in military service use, the tarpaulin would have been rolled back, as was also done on the converted WD lorry shown in post # 1842. However, on these AEC ' buses ', the tarpaulin has been removed, and would have been too large to be stored on the bus, so I assume the Bus Company were confident that that it was going to be a rain free day, or if not, the passengers put on their raincoats. Fortunately, in most of the photos, the passengers are wearing light clothing, so it was probably in the warmer months.Also attached, is a photo of Tommy Atkins, who luckily, had just been offered a ride in an Officer's Staff Car, after the considerate Officer noticed the poor man standing by the side of the road at the extremely dangerous Hell/Suicide Corner crossroads on the Menin Road, after Tommy was unfortunately dropped off and left there by an ASC driver with a somewhat warped sense of humour, telling Tommy ( that very dangerous intersection ) was the location of his new billet. The photo is actually of a Sunbeam Staff Car at the ' Hell/Suicide ' corner on the Menin Road, with the photo dated May, 1915. Regards, 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 28 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2014 From the Imperial War Museum's model collection, a wonderfully detailed model of an ' AEC ' B Type London bus converted to a Western Front troop transport. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 28 May , 2014 Share Posted 28 May , 2014 What's the red cylindrical thing near the drivers seat? An early fire extinguisher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 28 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2014 What's the red cylindrical thing near the drivers seat? An early fire extinguisher? Yes, you are correct. Here we can see a fire extinguisher fitted in the cab on a ' General ' B Type London bus being cleaned at their Willesden Bus Depot. As far as being an ' early ' fire extinguisher, that type of cylinder fire extinguisher was invented almost 100 years earlier ( 1818 ) in England by Captain George W. Manby, so not so early. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 29 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 29 May , 2014 An excellent photograph giving very good details of one of the Austin Armoured Cars Model 1918, sent to India to deal with any potential civil unrest following the end of WW1, this armoured car has been refurbished and modified with the fitting of steel disc wheels and N.A.P. tyres, along with enlarged machine gun protectors. Also of note, this is one off the rare instances where the armoured car has been named, with the name ' Deer ' painted on the armoured car, hopefully this was because it ran like a Deer. Another unusual feature was the flying of a unit or command pennant on the front of the armoured car. LF IWM7018 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 29 May , 2014 Share Posted 29 May , 2014 An Autocar armoured vehicle fitted with two guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 30 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 30 May , 2014 An Autocar armoured vehicle fitted with two guns. Johnboy, Thanks for posting the Autocar artwork, and for those interested in the Autocar armoured vehicle or its designer, Canadian Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Brutinel, who also founded the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade who were equipped with the Autocar armoured vehicles, there is a lot of information and photographs of the Autocar and Lt. Col. Brutinel on this Thread, from page 23 - 25th October 2013 - post # 565 to page 24 - 27th October 2013 - post # 596. Just as a refresher, Rayond Brutinel's plan was for an armoured heavily armed, yet light vehicle that could roam the battlefield bringing its firepower to bear as and where required, in essence these armoured vehicles were mobile machine gun posts. With the aid of a group of wealthy Canadian backers, Brutinel had his armoured vehicles made by the American Autocar Company of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., with their armour plating coming from the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. The Autocar's engine as an Autocar two-cylinder. 20 of the Autocar armoured vehicles were built for Brutinel's 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade, and were sent to France. Originally armed with two American Colt/Browning machine guns, on their arrival in Britain and before being shipped to France, the Autocars were re-equipped with 2 Vickers machine guns. Brutinel's 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade were involved in heavy fighting throughout their service in France, and sustained heavy losses, as although the Autocar was armoured panels on all sides ( which were not that high ), the top of the vehicle was completely open. Attached is a selection of Autocar photographs, with many more shown in those earlier posts # 565 - 596. Regards, LF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 30 May , 2014 Share Posted 30 May , 2014 I have a couple more of vehicles in the same style [artwork?] Just a shame that they don't show dimensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 30 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 30 May , 2014 A good clear overall view of one of the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade's Autocar armoured vehicles, showing its drop down armoured sides, internal layout, its 2 Vickers machine guns, and the armoured vehicle's unit markings. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 30 May , 2014 Share Posted 30 May , 2014 A Mannesman Munar with chain drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRANVILLE Posted 30 May , 2014 Share Posted 30 May , 2014 A good clear overall view of one of the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade's Autocar armoured vehicles, showing its drop down armoured sides, internal layout, its 2 Vickers machine guns, and the armoured vehicle's unit markings. 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. That's a great photograph - it almost looks 3D! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 30 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 30 May , 2014 That's a great photograph - it almost looks 3D! David David, Yes, I agree, it is almost like actually being there. Regards, LF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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