Long time lurker now joined.

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

Hi all, just joined this forum, I’ve been regularly reading this forum for a few years, so I thought it about time I joined.

Apprentice fitter/turner/ machine builder 1960’s. TI company.

Machine maintenance in a factory – then chief engineer.

Service inspector with a major marine and industrial diesel engine manufacturer for 12 years, then own business with a business partner in the same trade, retired from that then a driving instructor for 8 years before escaping the UK.

Now living in Brittany France since 2009 with my wife and assorted cats who adopted us.

Have a small machine shop with a Myford S7B power cross feed, Warco WM 16 B mill/drill, bench drill, metal and wood bandsaws, planer thicknesser, various welders, all the usual grinders, tools, tooling etc with reasonable metal stock.

I haven’t been interested in model making, its more keeping 2x motorcycles and 2x cars going, plus mowers, tractor mower, tracked dumper, strimmers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, generator, two wood burners, etc up and running – we have quite a bit of land and woodland – about an acre and a quarter.

So, hallo from a very cold Brittany !!

 

 

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Welcome aboard, Howard

MichaelG.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Welcome Howard from another TI ex. Which branch of the group and where ? I was at Kandux Matrix (Coventry Gauge ) in Gt Yarmouth, till it closed and moved to Telford. Bit like you I keep things running, mechanical, electrical and Hydraulic Etc. Brought a DUKW over in June to Arromanche for the 80th of D Day. Noel.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Welcome!

Good to have lifetime Engineers on here, so that they can share their experiences for the benefit of others.

Howard

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Welcome to the forum Howard

H

[Howard Lewis]

On Howard Lewis Said:

Welcome!

Good to have lifetime Engineers on here, so that they can share their experiences for the benefit of others.

Howard

On noel shelley Said:

Welcome Howard from another TI ex. Which branch of the group and where ? I was at Kandux Matrix (Coventry Gauge ) in Gt Yarmouth, till it closed and moved to Telford. Bit like you I keep things running, mechanical, electrical and Hydraulic Etc. Brought a DUKW over in June to Arromanche for the 80th of D Day. Noel.

The TI company was Fords (Finsbury) Ltd at Bedford whose main business was machines to make and apply foil closures for food containers, mainly the bottled milk and yogurt industry. Nothing to do with Ford cars.

The company exists nowadays as Fords Packaging Systems

We were living a few miles from GY for 19 years at Blofield before we escaped 15 years ago.

I went for a trip around the bay with one of our dealers in his DUKW when I was with the diesel manufacturer.

You’re a brave lad making a passage from the UK to Arrowmanches in a DUKW, the one I went out on, leaked like the proverbial sieve and was extremely corroded, he used it to take paying passengers from the beach to his trip boat on it’s mooring off the beach, and it then was returned to the beach before it sank!

He used to run trips to Skokholm island off the SW Wales coast from Dale in Pembrokeshire.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Hi Howard, I would have been more fool than brave man to have taken said DUKW from the UK to Arromanche, this one also leaked, when I packed a large tin of P40 resin it was because I thought I might need it – we did ! It was taken over by low loader, otherwise it would not have made it out of Southampton water. Never the less it was the experience of a lifetime . Noel.

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

Does this video star you and your happy crew off Arromanches?

[Author]

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