The man from the Clapham Omnibus

After more than twenty years I was finally persuaded by " Ginge" to drive what is now my Centurion Tank ! Here is a video of the controls . Here is me describing unscripted the external features of the Centurion Here is a bit more / All vids taken at the Conflict History and Remembrance Museum on the Isle of Wight

This war started following Pakistan's infiltration of forces into disputed Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against rule by India . India retaliated by launching a full-scale military attack . The seventeen-day war ended with over 6,000 dead between both sides and also witnessed the largest tank battle since World War II. The Pakistani Army had both a numerical advantage in tanks, as well as better equipment overall. Pakistani armour consisted mainly of American Patton tanks . The bulk of India's tank fleet were older M4 Shermans . Thankfully India also fielded some Centurions . In actual combat the Centurion battle tank, with its 105 mm gun and heavy armour, proved superior to the overly complex Pattons and their exaggerated reputations proved unfounded . The hostilities between the two countries ended a following diplomatic intervention by the Soviet Union and USA and the subsequent issuance of the Tashkent Declaration .

Centurion A.V.R.E. on the streets of Northern Ireland 1972 During the “ Troubles” in Northern Ireland ( or the north of Ireland to some of our readers ) The IRA ( Irish Republican Army ) had a significant grip on their own Catholic communities and the Protestants were becoming increasingly restive, expressing strong resentment against the ‘No Go’ areas that the “ terrorists” had set up in Belfast and in Londonderry . The Baracades had to come down ! On 31 July 1972 Operation Motorman commenced to reoccupy those ‘No Go’ areas . A total of 21,000 troops were concentrated in the Province and the intention was announced beforehand, as a result there was very little resistance from the PIRA ( Provisional ). The operation was one of the biggest undertaken by the British Amy since the invasion of Suez in 1956. Its aim was to re-establish the Army in all the hard Republican areas, particularly the Creggan and Bogside in Londonderry and the Andersonstown, Ballymurphy and the Markets

"This is going to come as a shock to many... but here in the U.S.A we live in a federal, constitutional, limited republic... not a democracy... where the people as individuals... not society... hold ALL rights and powers which may exist , (some of which are delegated to the government) and which may only be restricted in very limited ways, as specifically enumerated in our constitution. Neither the government, nor society, have any legitimate rights or powers which are not del egated by individuals, nor are they or those rights superior to individuals and individual rights. They are derived from the rights of individuals, thus they can only be equal to the rights of individuals. So, if you start saying  " the government allows us ...... " or "the government can't allow" or "society can't allow", or even "we can't allow", as regards another individuals exercise of their rights... You're almost automatically w

“ We will never surrender !” France fell to the German Blitzkrieg in May 1940 . The retreating British Army ended up being rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk by a flotilla of little ships leaving behind much of their equipment . A German invasion was expected ! Winston Churchill the British prime minister made his famous “ we will fight them on the beaches – we will never surrender ! “ speech and the Battle of Britain was on ! The UK desperately needed submachineguns . The Government ordered well made expensive Thompsons from the still neutral United States but there was never enough available . In order to rapidly equip a sufficient fighting force to counter the threat of invasion , the Royal Small Arms Factory , Enfield ( North London ) was commissioned to produce an alternative quickly and in large numbers . Whats in a name S.T.En. There Major R. V. Shepherd OBE and Mr. Harold John Turpin came up with the Design which became

Candidate for the worlds first Assault rifle    John Moses Browning was a genius — which is kinda like saying water is wet or snow is cold. It’s so blindingly self-evident, it really doesn’t need to be said. The operating mechanisms of his designs were revolutionary in their time, and continue to be used in modern firearm design today. Some of his masterworks continue unchanged (like the 1911 handgun), and others live on in the derivative designs of others. The Browning Automatic Rifle is one of those quintessential Browning designs that not only proved to be indispensable to soldiers in its day, but whose operating components would go on to form the basis for the main battle rifles still in use by some European countries in the 21st century. With World War I in full swing, the need for a lightweight, man-portable machine gun was becoming more and more critical.  Machine guns were considered to be in the same category as a mortar crew or artillery battery, namely a fixed

Bonnie and Clyde and the BAR ! Clyde Barrow, holding a Browning automatic rifle. BAR's could fire a twenty-shot magazine loaded with armor-piercing ammunition in under three seconds. During the depression of the 1930's in the USA criminals were looked at in a different way by many of the people who had been victimized and impoverished by the rich bankers and the emerging powerful corporations. Many people saw them as people driven to the edge that were only taking back what was stolen from them and striking back at a society and Government that let the Depression cause so much harm to so many . Two of the most famous criminals of that time were Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow . They were known to be quite skilled with their weapons, and unlike most criminals, they practiced with them and maintained them . Sadly they are considered to be responsible for the deaths of at least Nine law enforcement officers and five civilians during

M1 Carbine A “carbine” is historically a short light musket or rifle intended for use by mounted soldiers . During the Second World War, the American GI was armed with the M1 Garand Rifle the big brother of the M1 Carbine . This heavy self loading rifle was described by General George S. Patton as :- " The greatest battle implement ever devised " He also praised the M1 Carbine . From a letter to his wife Beatrice penned whilst on ship heading to take part in the Torch Landings in Vichy French North Africa :- “ The new carbine is a lovely little thing and very accurate “ The M1 carbine was one of America’s most popular and widely produced military rifles , serving the country from World War II through Vietnam. Not counting the M16, more M1 Carbines (and variants) were made than any other American long gun in history. Depending upon which vet you talk to, this neat little .30-caliber repeater was either the best or the worst arm he ever carr