What about identifying this one?

[spidge]

Originally Posted by Gerry Chester

Hi Ron,

At the conclusion of hostilities in North Africa, the large numbers of abandoned German and Italian vehicles, everywhere to be found, became a hunting-ground for each tank crew seeking personal transportation.

Dick Hayward (my Churchill's driver) and I came across a beautiful Bugatti Open Tourer only to find, on opening the bonnet, the distributor cap to be non-existent. After searching in vain for the cap we eventually settled for Lancia diesel powered open-deck lorry which Dick, being the expert mechanic he was, fine-tuned the engine. The fun the crew of Bangor had, swanning around Northern Tunisia, was not lessened when later we discovered that "our" Bugatti had been salvaged by another tank crew.

Alas, the use of personal transport ended two weeks later when the Army Command issued orders that ALL Axis vehicles, by a certain date, had to be handed in. Taking the order literally, before the deadline, the Bugatti became a British vehicle when it was repainted, appropriately numbered and ceremoniously presented to the OC for his personal use. The car stayed with the Squadron while in Africa but I cannot recall whether it was, in fact, shipped to Italy.

Cheers, Gerry

No insinuation of officer privilege there is there Gerry?

[Ron Goldstein]

Hi Gerry and Spidge

I see Spidge says "No insinuation of officer privilege there is there Gerry?"

One of my treasured posessions is the autobiography of George Kennard, better known as Loopy Kennard, ex CO of the 4th QOH.
The book is entitled simply "Loopy".

After spending most of the war in a Geman POW camp he was released at the end of the war and subsequently joined A Sqdrn at Monfalcone.

The reason I mention all this is that when he re-joined the regiment from England he brought with him a pack of hounds for their fox hunts !

Officer privilege ? You don't say !!!