NEWS OF EVENTS AND TALKS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
Fund raising for S.A.F.F.A.
Over the past years i have had a collection tin on my display trailer.
I have not done as much show attendance as I would have liked but have collected the sum of £30.78.
Hopefully this year will raise more.
Poor common.
O.B. At poor common, Ferndown.
Over the 2019 year the Operational base was excavated by the C.A.R.T. Team and volunteers from the countryside unit. There was to be a presentation and unveiling of the information board ECT.
Covid 19 got in the way of this so i have eventually managed to get photos and a short video.
13/09/1926 - 05/11/2019
Jack Richardson sadly passed after a long and fulfilled life surrounded by a large and loving family. I was very lucky to have met and talked to him for a all too short a time. Sadly I Did not have the opportunity to hear all the stories he had to tell but I am very proud to have shaken his hand.
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01/11/2019
It has been noticed that some copies of the Aux stand down badges have been advertised as real and are Being offered for sale at inflated prices. Please be aware that C.A.R.T. (click this link) are selling comemerative badges for a reasonable £6.95.
chicken coup
aux insignia badge
rear view
New exibition trailer.
TRAILER for the 2020 season.
BOY, was I getting fed up with lugging those boxes and the gazebo and the tables and the screens in and out of the car.
So I have been designing and constructing a trailer that will carry the kit and double as a display.
the trailer is approx 4' x 5' (120 x 160) with two removable boxes that unfold to approx 12' (360)the boxes will contain the replica and home made weapons and are removable for safe keeping.
it is designed to look like a small chicken coup when folded up. This is because some wireless operators would hide inside a coup and I felt it to be a apt design feature.
now I can spread the word further and less strain on my back and heart.
with some more improvement to be made such as solar panel. battery. lighting. alarm. ECT.
FERNDOWN DIG.
Well, the digging is over and the dust has settled. the hole has been filled in and some of the concrete wall has been left on view. it is hoped that the site will have a info board explaining what it is and some of the history. however the Councils have now amalgamated and so we will have to wait and see how the site develops
watch this space??.
Well, what started out as a small hole to determine if it was the OB or not has now developed into a large excavation and has a long way to go.
This month of April 2019 we, the CART team (of which I am now a member) have been helping the Dorset countryside unit in mapping and uncovering the Ferndown OB.This has been talked about by the locals over the past few decades and played in by the local children up to the 90,s. It was assumed to be a air raid shelter and was capped by the DCC for safety reasons in the 90,s. we have uncovered the main entrance , the storeroom and the capped emergency exit manhole. When it is uncovered completely the powers that be will have to decide what to do to make the site safe as it is on public access land. They have shown a interest in remembering the men and their duties and I thank them for that. Will keep you up to date asap.UPDATE.Easter Saturday was great for working and with a mini digger on site we cracked on uncovering more roofing and several runs of vent piping. Best find was some of the hatch mechanism. No finds, not really expected as the children have been using for some time but so far lots of details for the records.
THE RECONSTRUCTED O.B. AT COLESHILL HAS BEEN VANDALIZED.
The hatch has been ripped off and the O.B. has been posted on U-Tube under the guise of a new discovery.
Funny how a 70 year old O.B. has a new can of WD40 on the table in the kitchen.
this O.B. can be visited legally on Sunday afternoons for free with usually a small display of their kit on show with experts to answer questions.
Just contact the National trust at Coleshill estates for details. I will add their site to the links page.
There is a correction to the BUNNY WISE (Sgt) Church Knowle unit.
I was contacted be a person who read the article in the Dorset Life Purbeck edition offering to help with some family history/geology. this resulted in the corrections mentioned. THANKYOU.
lytchett matravers talk Tues 6th feb
excellent turn out. over 50 seats filled and the TALK went very well.
lovely venue with projector and sound system.
looking forward to the next presentation at Dorchester
My display will be at the FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY open day at Poole Grammar School on Saturday 24th March 2018. free entry.
I have re arranged my display and constructed a Mk2 Auxillary supply box and my interpretation of a Mk1 content. photos on page 2 of exhibits.
RESULT.
After my jump with both feet into the murky waters of public speaking in june (a report follows) my second attempt was more polished and with a new computer and more content it was very well received. Ken williams was once again in attendance, Joy his wife (Fred Simpsons sister) was not well enough this time.
a slightly smaller audience of 26 people were present mainly due to inclement weather but never the less a much more pleasant and gratifying experience. thankyou to all our guests for a good review.
well......... my inageral presentation was nearly a disaster.
tried and tested at home and at the venue several times.
first the computer froze and again after a reboot.
Then the sound system decided to sqeal and i turned it off. i now realize that it was too close to the projector?
then I realized that if you turn out the lights for a projector show you cannot see the lengthy and well prepared notes to go with the slides.
after a horrendous start like that it could only get better.
the audience were silent and listened intently to me flying by the seat of my pants and i had a round of applause to finish. everyone was happy and asked loads of questions afterwards.
improvements for the next show are being put in place as we speak and with a little trepidation I am looking forward to the next one.??
BLUE POOL 10TH SEPT 2PM and provisional bookings for several in the new year.
BLUE POOL 10TH SEPT 2PM
second TALK a brilliant success.
Not quite a full house but all went well and I have two more talks booked for the new year.
