Events: ...

Hi Guys.
There will be a show in Limerick Racecourse and the Defence Forces will be there also on 23rd and 24th of Aug. There is also a show coming in Mosney on 15th of June
Here is the list from the MVCI;
Curragh Show 10th, 11th May 2008
Mosney 15th June 2008
Loughbricland Show 21st, 22nd, June 2008
Greys Point Fort 5th, 6th July 2008
War and Peace 16th-20th july
Portstewart Show 2nd, 3rd, August 2008
Limerick Show 23rd, 24th August 2008
Kinsale Show 30th, 31st August 2008
Kilbeggan Show 6th, 7th Sept 2008

Other shows include Duncannon in Wexford from the 31st of May to the 2nd of June.
At all of these shows there will be 'dealers' selling and trading militaria.
Some fairs coming up are the Teachers Club 36 Parnell Square up the road from Sinn Fein office and its run by the medal Society of Ireland on;

June 7th

September 6th

December 6th

at 11:00am

A bigger fair is held in the North Star Hotel in the downstairs function Room from 10am on May 17th, Aug 16th and Nov 8th. This one is run by the International Militaria Collectors Club. and starts at 10am.

There will also be a fair held in Gorey Co Wexford on June 28th.
The SMLE is a 1917 dated Ishapore, not a Lithgow version. The Webley is the 38 version and not the ww1 .455 calibre. I use the RAC holster because it looks better than the standard pattern 38 one.
If you want to buy a de-ac this is the correct procedure. Ask your local gunsmith can he get one for you. If he can he will give you a cert to give to your local Gardaí. This will say that the Gun dealer has a de-ac available and will only sell it to you if the Guards issue you with a permit to keep it. When they give you the permit which costs nothing you collect your weapon.
If you go to the Guards and tell them you HAVE a de-ac he can arrest you because it is illegal to have one without a permit. Dont go don the road of importing de-acs you will only get yourself into trouble. Do it right and you only have to do it once. Mess about and you will always be looking over your shoulder and can get into deep trouble. Remember if the Guards call and you have something you should not have they can clear you out. Another way of aquiring de-acs is to join a re-enactment club.There are lots of them around, some of them have black powder licences for shooting their Brown Besses when they enact waterloo or the 1978 rebellion.
Start by going to shows and fairs, talk and listen.
Start by making your way to the Curragh and take it from there.
By the way I have just finished writing a book on the 1400 Tipperarymen who were killed in ww1. If you have any medals or information on these casualties I would very much appreciate some data or a pic of the medals.
Regards.
Tom.

Just a reminder that the Curragh show in on this coming Sunday.
Regards.
Tom.

I will take some pictures at the event for those who cannot go and post them for ye here If there is anything in particular you want photographed let me know before Saturday morning.
Regards.
Tom.

I know that Caffreys Army will be bringing up a few brens and no 4s. If he does not have a gustav the Clare re-enactors will have mockups of it. I will be in charge of the weapons and if you can name it you can handle it. You can play with any weapon you can name including the ak47, Broomhandle mauser, luger, p38, ppsh, Mk v .455 webley, No 4 and SMLE .303, Slr, Garand, M1 carbine, Mg 34 and 42, Mp40 etc.etc.
Regards.
Tom.

Thanks a million for those great photos. Looking at some brought me back. My favourite rifle, the Lee Enfield.... the good (well not really) ol' Gustav SMG... the B.A.P.

I think that's a smoke grenade above the old Bren... beside an Argus grenade?

The 84mm Recoilless Rifle.... you were in more danger behind that gun... the flame that used to shoot from the back would roast you.

Is that a Webley revolver resting on the Gustav SMG?

My mouth was watering as I looked at the pic where everyhing was for sale. What kind of price on the Gustav do you know?

I really enjoyed looking at those. Thanks Tom

The weapons are the following, top row, PPSH, Hotchkiss smg (folded back into itself) and a Sterling SMG.
Middle shelf, just out of the picture is c96 broomhandle mauser ( aka Peter the painter)and leather holster-stock, Gustav SMG, .455 webley, Artillery Luger with the paddle type of stock in leather harness.
Bottom P38 Walther, cutaway No 4 Lee Enfield rifle and below that is a de-ac No 4, 1911 Colt and below that is the luger.
Regards.
Tom.

I did not take a picture of the Artillery Luger as no-one asked me to. It just happened to be in the shot, what you see is what you get. The No4 Cut-away is the real deal as are all the weapons on that table and there were another 50 different weapons that I could have photographed but no-one asked me to. Most of the MGs and MPs from c1930 to date were there but no-one was allowed to handle them as they are too heavy (health and safety type of thing) but you could get yourself photographed behind any one you choose. Getting back to the cutaway No 4 it was sectioned about 10 years ago by Ryton arms in the UK and was de-activated before it was sectioned. Ryton advertised it as Military instructional aid. I asked them at the time why would the military de-activate a weapon and then sectionalise it and they did not answer.
Remember guys that the next fair is in the North Star hotel in Dublin this Saturday. Run by the International Militaria Collectors Club. Doors open at 10 am.
I think the entrance fee is either 2 or 3 euro.
Have a good one.
Regards.
Tom

The guy who took these pictures in from the North, a nice fella but mad into Military vehicles. He was aprked beside my baby which is in there as well.
This is his site and the pictures are from the Curragh last weekend.
http://activearmour.piczo.com/curragh2008page1?cr=6&linkvar=000044

and

http://activearmour.piczo.com/curragh2008page2?cr=6&linkvar=000044

Just back from the fair. The feckers put up the entrance fee to a fiver!!
However I picked up a pair of matching (left and right) RIC collar badges and an RIC snake clasp belt in great nick. All the tables were taken and full. One new Ozzie guy was selling Australian Army stuff which was unusual and some obsolete calibre revolvers were on sale also from one Northern Ireland dealer. Two new dealers were there one Irish guy but living in the UK was selling medals and knew how to charge as did the other new dealers from the UK likewise. One interesting lot was a complete ww2 Inniskillings uniform including webbing and the guys medals and other ephemera. I seen French uniforms, Dutch, Irish, British, German and USA. The usual edged weapons and the French guy had a stunner of a table with all the medeval weapons and obsolete calibre weapons and edged weapons. He also had a lot of medals and flashes.
An interesting fair but most of the stuff there I had seen before. The badges and snake clasp belt will be fine for a black and tan uniform I am making up for re-enactment. I expect prices to be a lot more reasonable at the June fair in the Teachers club and at the show in Duncannon on whit weekend. If you are going to that one in the Teachers Club call in to the Sinn Fein office at the bottom of the same street. They sell the Cumann na mBan repro badges for about a fiver. The go a lot dearer from dealers and on ebay.
Roll on Duncannon...
Regards.
Tom.

enfield wrote: »

I think no-one out there is listening to my rants.
Regards.
Tom.

Hi Tom,

Here's one avid listener. Thank you for al the info you post.

Thanks guys the silence was deafening. Tommorrow we are taking two trucks to the Vintage rally in Kilbeggan and will have a small display of Mortars, 60, 81 and 120, Carl Gustav recoilless 84 rounds, a round for the Panhard 90, a round for some tank I forget the name of and who know what else will be pulled out. Also there will be an exploder box from ww1. Oh yeah we will also have two clips of four bofors rounds they look real nice. I will 'do' them up at some later stage but at the moment they need a good cleaning. We are going to stick up a tent that I got in the Curragh and sling a few army beds in there with sleeping bags with a petrol cooker at the door, all the usual ould tosh. The rally is not a military one but it will be a nice day out and these old trucks need to be used or they will lock up, seals crack, brakes lock etc. The more you use them the better they go. I had a problem when I cam home and de-rigged the truck and it would not start for love or money. I asked a guy in Holladn who has one of these and he put me on the straigh and narrow. I placed a coil of rope in front of the grille on the front. It cut down the air cooling of the Radiator which meant the Carburrettor or go so hot than when the truck stopped the petrol going to it evaporated before it got to the sparkplugs. After she cooled down she was fine. No more rope on the grille from now on.
We will leave about 9,30 in the morning and the drive is the best part of the day especially going through towns you can see people mouthing 'what the f... are they'? On hot days we leave the doors off and stow them in the back and its real fresh driving in the sun. I tried driving with the windscreen down but the amount of kamakazi fies out there make it not worth the effort.
My nose skin has just returned after being absent since the Curragh. Use sun cream is great advice. The rally starts about 11,30am in the American Car Show fields opposite Kilbeggan Racecourse on the Mullingar Road out of Kilbeggan. I just remembered the unknown tank round is a 90mm round for the Scorpion Tank.
Regards.
Tom.

Of course we have the TPTP, ( Target Practice Training Projectile) I still remember firing one of them and it richochetting (or however you spell it) of a tank in the Glen of Imaal. Like yourself I was in the Army during the troubles and spent most of my time on the border in 'Blayney. We will have Flak jackets there also tommorrow if ya wanna try them on one more time and a 77 set to throw on yer back as well. The beds are quite comfortable by the way and we sleep in them when we are away from home. About the Bofors rounds I am a lazy peson and will stick them in a lathe and hold some scotchbright on them and Bobs yer monkey, clean as a whistle. Maybe in your day they came up easy but these have not been touched in 30 years. A guy in the Curragh was selling the sights (boxed) for the Bofors for 250 smackers.
Sin é.
Tom.

Stared out at 9,30 and got waved through a checkpoint by a Garda on the way, two hours and 50 smackers of petrol later we arrived. Only one other military truck there and he was not around to talk to. Blustery but warm we started to set up the tent and gave up after about ten minutes. We decided to make up a bed and put some ordnance on display. You could'nt, just could'nt keep an eye on it. Young lads wanted to handle it, push the plunger get photographed with a 'bomb', climb into the front and back of the vehicles and show off to their mates. So after an hour we put it all back in stowage, closed down the back of the trucks, locked the doors and went and looked at the other vehicles. Loads of stalls there selling auto jumble. Lots of good auto bits and bobs and believe it or not there was militaria for sale. I noticed a sam browne belt, holster and sword frog (ww1) with a rusty epee sword in it. There wete lots of helmets, gasmasks, British dpm uniforms, Army boots, insignia ( nothing special just pips and buttons, mostly queens crown stuff) and a kit bag.
Got edgy about 3,30 and headed home. I was delighted to see the truck was performing fantastic until about ten miles from home I realised the choke was out all the way since we left. So we got home on the smell of petrol. Face burnt but a good day with a lot of tosh and absolute drivel talked (you do get used to it but it takes perseverance).
Only one picture for ye.
http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a40/clondaleek/?action=view&current=RASCtunic001.jpg
Regards.
Tom.

Just arrived back. Lets just give shot bit of the weekend. More tommorrow. The guys from Battle grout South ( Saving private Ryan tyoe of club with vehicles, uniforms and weapons and do re-enactment), Munster vehicle club who ran it and other interested groups such as the Romans (great fun but absolute maniacs for their sticking to 'living the life' You wanna see what they were eating. It looked like barlet and carrots woth a bit of meat in it. The maidens were comely and the guys were mostly longhaired except for Caesar. Great crack and stuck to themselves in the moat of Duncannon Fort. The usual crack at night time when the village was taken over line a scenne from allo allo. We went down to the pub (meself and my navigator) wearing Dutch Army uniforms and I was carry my trusty webley in the RAC holster and the navigator with his 1911 colt. Sitting at the bar with the S and ww2 Special forces including the Russian Cossacks we were joined later by the Normans. Lots of drink ( me being the old man left it to the young 'uns and headed back to the uncle ned). The Gardai were around all the time and there was not one bit of hassle anywhere. They even came up for a bit of grub later in the night. There is never any trouble at these get togethers as most of those involved are ex military. The Romas partied well into the night drinking from their long hollow horns. I asked them what they were drinking and they told me it was wine. There was a free barbecue for us all later on in the Fort which is really spooky.I tried to take some picturtes but they were obscured with white orbs. If you like I will post one in the morning of an American enactor crossing the bridge late at night smoking a cigartrete with these orbs things. I have lots of the photos at night but the feckin' orbs obscures them. The fort is hundreds of years old and last weekend they had a paranormal team in with their wequipment and got nothing. They were a week out maybe?. We were camped in the field outside the fort and the main square was dominated by the Yanks and the RUR re-enactors. The billets on each side was occupied by guys selling militaria of various sorts including two seperate one selling bb guns. They were not allowed to bring or sell CO2 gas just the guns and BBs. I picked up a p08 luger and a 1911 colt bb for display. They strip, feel and weigh the same as the originals. There were two different tyoes of Steyr for sale on was the cheap ( Black plastic)one and cost 70 euro and was battery operated. The other one was better quality and green and correctly weighted and field strippable for 280 euro, not sure it that one was CO2 or Battery though.The BBs were 3 euro for 2000. I picked up a lot of 1980s and 1990 Irish Army uniforms, shirts (with the insignia still attached), Combats jacket and pants. I also got a Mills bomb cut-away type but it did not have the plunger, spring, base plug, striker or pin. Easy enough to pick up on emay. I also got an energa for 20 smackers. The BB guys who are from Cork are trying to locate a supplier for the FN but can only source the SLR at the moment. (bb guns that is). Other dealers that were there you might see at the fair in Dublin next week in the Teachers Club.
They say the law is going to be changed very shortly that will stop the sale of these bb guns that are impossible to tell from the originals. It is a very comfortable and safe weekend and there is never any hassle. One last thing the mannequin i posted in the post about the Curragh was for sale there, you could have everything on it including the Gustav mockup for 400 smackers.
More in the morning when I recouperate a bit. If you want to ask anything now is the time.
'Nite all.

zzzzzzzzzzzz