[MoMo]

The 90 minute documentary, " Day of the Kamikaze "is being repeated tonight on Channel 4, U.K.. This is sure to appear all over the world, at some point. It is the best that I've seen on this subject. Watch out for it!

[MoMo]

WWWHOOOOOO!!!!

Diecast bargains for U.K. members : I was scouting for some beach apparel in Matalan today when I came upon a forlorn pile of Corgi Warbirds. What's this? I thought. Must be all those Corgi Warbirds which didn't sell elsewhere!

Fat city!

There were Stukas, Mustangs, Corsairs, Lanc.s ( in 144 scale ) 190s and Spits...........all at four quid each !!! ( that's £4.00 )

I went for the winter camo, Russian front Stuka and the exotic-looking 190. I'll get the Corsair and Mustang tomorrow ( I have the rest ! )

Lucky me!!!!

If you're a U.K. member, and live near a Matalan store, check availability by phone and you may be lucky !!!!

MoMo

[MoMo]

Well, I was instructed to go spend that book token which I received last Christmas for Waterstones. I had to get some holiday reading so that I would not get bored when we go to Barcelona and the Catelonian coast.

First, I made a detour to Matalan to rummage through the remains of the Corgi Warbirds. I picked up a Spit Va-Tangmere Wing, 11 Group, W/C Douglas Bader and a Corsair F Mk. lV - 1841 SQN, FAA, Lt. Robert Hampton Gray and a P51D Mustang, " Hurry Home Honey ", 364th FS, Capt. Richard 'BUD' Peterson!!!!!! All £4.00 each!!!!!

Oh, the books?

I chose four :

• " Dunkirk ; Fight to the Last Man" by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
• " The Forgotten Soldier ", war on the Russian Front-a true story, by Guy Sajer. Personal account of the author's experience as a soldier in the Grosse Deutschland Div.
• " POW ", Allied Prisoners in Europe, 1939-45, by Adrian Gilbert
  
• " Whicker's War", by Alan Whicker. This guy had the life of Larry during the war in Italy and after the war as a Global Reporter for ITV in the U.K. I saw the televised account of this book, so the printed account should be fascinating.

Just a few days to go, then Viva Espania, Viva Catelonia!!

In truth, all I want to see is the sun. I'll sit on the beach, soaking it up and reading my books. A couple of trips into Barcelona to visit this one really good model shop I know near the centre. A couple of sundays devoted to visiting the Stamp fair in the centre of Barcelona to see if I can make some finds!! The rest of the time I will devote to being a shiftless, useless lump on the face of the earth.

:2 9:

[jim]

Mo, you will enjoy Whickers war, its an interesting read especially if you know about Alan Whicker of course!

btw I tried 2 Matalans but no joy, the staff looked at me as if I was daft and claimed no knowledge of anything to do with Corgi, Corgi who said one, never heard of them!

Nothing changes.

[MoMo]

That's the way of the world, Jim. Nobody knows anything. I guess that I just found a lucky little corner!

I started reading " Whicker's War " last night. Whicker's observations on the short-sightedness of Whitehall Warriors with regard to the effectiveness of propaganda are interesting. I always wondered why there was so little film of the BEF in France and Belgium, and why there is practically no film of the Brits at Dunkirk. This was, Whicker observes, because there were no Army Fim Units at that time. The Treasury would not finance filming because they did not appreciate the value of propaganda. It was only until the North African campaign got underway that we find them filmed.

[jim]

You would have thought that when lead water pipes were removed from houses that the level of intelligence in our young people would improve !

It seems not.

Maybe its me suffering from grumpy old man syndrome?

[MoMo]

Metal worth much money!!! Chinese and Indians using it for diecast!

Yesterday I held a little piece of history in my eager, little mitts!

I was visiting " Treasure Bunker " in search of the elusive HM M10s, or any other HM new issues which could be lurking. I noticed that one of the guys was just putting out a Royal Horse Artillery team of six horses with limber, crew and eighteen pounder. A lovely piece from Brittains. I admired it a lot until I saw the price....£235.00!!!

Ouch!

Next, I had a long look at the newly-arrived " Rourke's Drift " diorama with lots of Welshmen in Red tunics and pith helmets, Zulus looking menacing and a backdrop building, " The Hospital". Another impressive piece from Brittains. Lots o' cash again.

" Just look at those Zulus charging that infantry. Those Martni Henry rifles sure made mincemeat of them! " I remarked.

" Aye," replied the guy. " Those Martini Henry bullets were lethal. So heavy. Some of the rounds went through two or three guys! "

" Yes, I guess that the movie must be a standard favourite with most guys. I heard that the rifles were really heavy."

" Sure. Try one out! We've got one in this case."

I was speechless for a moment. A real Martini-Henry! I grabbed at the chance. It was love at first sight. It was heavy, but so what? I went through a pantomime of examining, posing, aiming, stroking, examining some more: all the War Department marks, the proofing marks, the marks and scratches of history, etc.

" It's from Afghanistan. The guys out there have uncovered caches of them, looted from the British Army."

" Wow! They must be from that massacre in the 1880s. A piece of history. How much???? I want it!!!

" Sorry. That one's sold. Bloke came in yesterday, took a look, bought it on the spot. But we will probably be able to get some more soon."

Just think, that rifle could tell a few tales.

The itch to possess a piece of history. Shawn would have been proud of me!!!!

STORY UNDER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T HEARD IT :

British soldiers serving in Afghanistan have recovered weapons looted from the bodies of their Victorian forebears.


Rare Martini-Henry rifles lost in the bloody defeat at Maiwand in July 1880 have been retrieved 128 years later by troops fighting the Taliban and al-Qa'ida in Helmand province.
Two of the rifles, dated 1874 and 1878, are currently on sale in a Sussex antique shop for £1,100 apiece.


Mark Hawkins, co-owner of The Lanes Armoury, Brighton, said: "When we first fought the Afghans, we kept sending out armies who lost. The Afghans killed our chaps and took their weapons.
"Now British officers are finding these guns, recognise them for what they are, and are getting permission to bring them back. We've had a few through. I think a soldier might pick up a couple, keep one as a souvenir of his time in Afghanistan, and bring the other to us."


Peter Smithurst, senior curator of historic firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, said: "The Martini-Henry was the first purpose-made breech-loading rifle introduced into British service. It is an iconic rifle."


The Martini is particularly popular with collectors, he said, because of both its place in the development of firearms technology and for the role it played in the famous battles of Britain's colonial campaigns.


Mr Smithurst said Afghanistan was increasingly a source of antique firearms. "I have been getting quite a few email inquiries from British servicemen and the American forces as well."
Mr Hawkins said: "The Martini-Henry is a very, very collectable gun – almost entirely down to Michael Caine and the film Zulu. Everyone who has seen that film has seen the Martini-Henry and knows it is the rifle used by the British in that era."


Unlike the successful defence of Rorke's Drift in 1879, as featured in Zulu, the battle of Maiwand a year later was one of the worst British defeats of Queen Victoria's 63-year reign. A 2,500-strong Anglo/Indian force was routed by an Afghan army of about 12,000 men.


Among the 1,000 British and Indian dead were 286 men of the Martini-armed 66th (Berkshire) Regiment, who made a last stand in a walled garden in the village of Khig. When only two officers and nine men of the 66th remained alive, they charged the hordes of tribesmen surrounding them.


An Afghan witness described the end: "These men charged from the shelter of a garden and died with their faces to the enemy. So fierce was their charge, and so brave their actions, no Afghan dared approach to cut them down. Standing in the open, back to back, firing steadily, every shot counting, surrounded by thousands, these British soldiers died. It was not until the last man was shot down that the Afghans dared to advance. The behaviour of those last 11 was the wonder of all who saw it."


The weapons they wielded so gallantly could finally be returning home.

[jim]

Very interesting stuff MO, thanks for posting it.

[smartd]

Indeed, very interesting report Momo.

[MoMo]

I was thinking, that Martini-Henry................they're asking for X amount of cash................that's about the same sum I got for some marking/grading which I done. Perfect excuse. I'll have to ask nicely, " can I have a rifle, Dear? "

Hmmmmmmm.