4x4

[poledark]

If, like me, you live and drive down country lanes every day, then the high driving position is BRILLIANT for seeing over the hedges into the fields, and on to the road ahead.

 

When I go fishing I use my "white van" it's a Fiat Fiorino (which has NEVER given me a moments trouble in 6 years) but I cant see anything except the hedges each side, so the same road becomes much less pleasant to drive along.

 

So my (our) 4x4 adds considerably to my quality of life and I dont care if I upset anyone by using it!

 

Den

[corydoras]

Steve Burke:

Steve Burke:

My friend drive an original Land Rover Pinkie, or 110, as used by the Long Range Desert Group, also known as the Desert Rats in World War Two. It is brilliant - no power steering, air con, etc, just raw power!

My father was a gunner in The Long Range Desert Group, which I believe was just a small part of the Desert Rats. They went in small units of armed Land Rovers on recce missions. There were usually 2 or 3 in each group as I gather breakdowns, let alone losses to enemy fire, weren't uncommon. Later the LRDG was nicknamed "The Pathfinders of the SAS", who were formed shortly after, taking over some of their duties, and who they had to get in and out of the behind the lines positions.

 

Dad then volunteered for the Malta Convoys and on his first trip the entire convoy was sunk as they had no escorts. This was because they were a decoy convoy, but the ruse didn't work as both convoys were wiped out. Only 2 survived on my Dad's ship, and he was lucky to get away with just the loss of his right arm.

 

In fact his nickname was Lucky as he always seem to survive accidents. These included a helicopter crash in India, escaping from prison in the Sudan just before being shot at dawn (for being British), and falling off the top of Victoria Tower on the Houses of Parliament - straight into a big pile of sand!

 

I remember in the early 60s visiting him at work in Germany where his "company car" was a Landrover. Flat out it would just do 70mph, at which speed you couldn't hear a thing and had to hold on for dear life!

Steve

 

Maybe I have got the wrong end of the stick here, but neither your father, or anyone elses could possibly have been driving a Land Rover during WWII as they were not designed until 1947 and the first Land Rover did not come to market to 1948, long after the war was finished.

 

If you have ever seen Ice-Cold in Alex you will see a Land Rover in some scenes. This is a continuity error famous amongs Landie afficionados

[Steve Burke]

Apologoies, Dad always called them Land Rovers. I can't check with him now as he died recently.

[billy5000]

Hi all

 

sorry to hear your old man died recently steve

i called the thread 4x4 because there are so many wannabe land rovers so 4x4 was fairer

 

just trying to imagine what these land cruisers would look like rolling around in a war (i think not)thats a job for the good old landys.

 

 

billy

 

[ 28. June 2003, 08:01 PM: Message edited by: billy5000 ]

[corydoras]

Steve Burke:

Apologoies, Dad always called them Land Rovers. I can't check with him now as he died recently.

I am sorry to hear that Steve. I know what it is like, it is not that long since I lost my father too.

 

They were probaly jeeps, the first Landies were heavily influenced by the jeep design.

 

Regards

 

Corydoras

[Steve Burke]

They could well have been Jeeps. In fact Dad may even have called them Jeeps, and I've just used what has almost become a generic term.

 

Although he served on land and at sea Dad was in fact in the RAF Regiment, aka the Rock Apes. However his first love was the sea, to which he ran away to as a boy, so it was fitting that he was wounded at sea and had his ashes scattered at Hurst Castle in Hampshire where this thread started.

[gilbertron]

i've got a '98 jeep cherokee which is a good fishing wagon, albeit very thirsty (its the 4 litre petrol) but since i moved out to the wild peaks of derbyshire i've been hankering after an old land rover, so if anyone has one for sale, or knows some one who has, get in touch

[billy5000]

Hi all

 

hi gilbertron i bet the 4litre cherokee does suck the juice

i suppose land rovers are much better for the juice even though they still suck quite a bit but not as much as a 4 litre but a diesel landy would be a good investment on the juice

 

hope you get a good one

 

billy

[corydoras]

Steve Burke:

...his first love was the sea, to which he ran away to as a boy...

Me too. I 'ran away' to join the Merchant Navy when I was 16 and I loved the sea.

 

I left after 9 years because after seeing a few old seaman I decided that I did not want to be one, but I never regretted going to sea, and truth be told, I'd do it all over again given the chance.

 

[ 30. June 2003, 03:40 PM: Message edited by: corydoras ]