Things the FSSF UK get up to

Some of the things we are up to:

Glenn Miller Fest
http://www.alliedforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1931
Trip to France, me and Phil meeting with French and Italian re-enactors
http://www.alliedforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=732
Waltham Abbey, the little girl in the green dress, Elmara my daughter, I am the one in the glasses (like ye know that anyway )
http://www.alliedforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1506
TRip to Italy
http://www.alliedforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1429
And one of my favourite pastimes, G.I. Rations of WWII
http://www.alliedforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=138&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Great Pictures!!!

You guys are busy. I saw Sam up top there with you on Difensa.

Sam made up there alrite!!...Amazing guy, and wot determination!

He insisted on carrying himself a 1942 dated mountain ruck, dressed in M43 jacket, mountain pants and cocoran jumpboots and beanie cap (as he said, like us), he made the first few hundred yards then we got a tractor to take him up the rest of the track till the clearing just a hundred and fifity yards or so from the saucer...Again, walking with stick in hand made it, though at one point he thought he had taken on too much, but with a helping hand he made it over the top...

Camping out with us and eating reproduction 10in1 rations, we made it back down the next day, not before having a go of Angelo's K98 he found up there, renovated and firing bullets he found up there also...beleive it!! We have it on film...

An amazing trip, hope one day some of you guys can come with us...

As you know, Sam was with us for the Glenn miller festival last weekend...

This weekend he is with us for the Victory show: http://www.victoryshow.co.uk/index.html

Where we will again represent FSSF Service Company, providing the food for 15 guys....Cooking using our M1937 Field Range, we will be using suggested menus from the US Army manuals of the 1940's, serving up the likes of burgers and "spaghetti Italian Style" in keeping with our Anzio theme...

Another guest (and kitted out in FSSF unifomr etc) is our friend Angelo Andreoli who lives at the base of La Difensa...

Photos to follow...

Me (in glasses) and Phil in Southern France March 2008:

Paul, it is great to see your face again. Thanks for letting my use your pictures of la Difensa for the reunion programs. One of these days, I would love to come to the Glenn Miller Festival. I loved your description of it in Ottawa. Hope to see you this year.
Tricia Hofeld

Hi Tricia

You would be more than welcome, I would love for more of you guys to come here and experience "the scene" here in the UK...Truly a 1940's experience!

Ok, latest, the Vic show was cancelled, it rained, poured, and rained some more....A big disapointment to us all, including our friend Angelo Andreoli who came over from Italy for this event...

Nothing much else has been happenning except our monthly open days at Bushy and the ongoing work on the clubhouse....Also, our charity work there....

Here is a few of photos of the museum as it stands just now...Our FSSF display:

An overview of the whole museum...Our display is in the right hand corner...

We started off from the village of Camino, just at the base of the mountain that takes that name...And because of the diferent ages and conditions of us who took part, we decided on taking the "back route" to the top....

After about hundred yards or so, the first leg of our climb, there where a herd of long horned cows blocking our way, so we had to detour, you can see the look on Sams face, he was finding it hard, and btw, that pack is full...His sleeping bag, jumper, socks, parka, etc...All dated, original gear...He insisted on carrying..."

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kzErSvyiNE4&feature=channel_page

Next, a view of us marching up the trail, we took a break here....This where Phil got the name "WunLung Phil"....At this point he was in real pain (only managing to carry on after taking some serious pain killers that Chris uses for his back), later, when we got home, his doctor freaked as his lung had apparently collapsed sometime between the plane and the base of La Difensa (I think it had something to do with that junt into that tree in Southern France in March?)...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhjjZI7KPs&feature=channel

This German K98 Sam is firing, was found on the Camino Massive by our friend Angelo, an ex Italian Special Forces veteran who lives at the base of La Difensa and is our guide and host when we visit, we all got a "shot" and the most interesting part for us is the unusual fact that the bullets where also found there, crazy eh?...firing a restored battle find with bullets also found at the site....60 years old and still working!!"

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuSuENq7nhw&feature=channel

Opening up some repro 10in1 rations I prepared, they weren't bad, just a wee bit bashing from the baggage attendants, the menu was changed a bit as I couldn't get hold of the canned bacon, for one instance...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4DpGTPbQkRA&feature=channel
Next we have Sam giving a dedication to the U.S 36th Div at San Pietro....
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hla0MHCa4UY&feature=channel

jumpwings wrote:Sam made up there alrite!!...Amazing guy, and wot determination!

He insisted on carrying himself a 1942 dated mountain ruck, dressed in M43 jacket, mountain pants and cocoran jumpboots and beanie cap (as he said, like us), he made the first few hundred yards then we got a tractor to take him up the rest of the track till the clearing just a hundred and fifity yards or so from the saucer...Again, walking with stick in hand made it, though at one point he thought he had taken on too much, but with a helping hand he made it over the top...

Camping out with us and eating reproduction 10in1 rations, we made it back down the next day, not before having a go of Angelo's K98 he found up there, renovated and firing bullets he found up there also...beleive it!! We have it on film...

An amazing trip, hope one day some of you guys can come with us...

Just to touch on that, Sam grabed me before we start climbing and showed me where his Nitro was. He said to me to use it if he start to go down (on him of course!). I turned to him and told him that he would make it on top and wouldn't need it. He replied to me "I know" and winked. what a caracter. If you need to see what this trip ment to him, look at those pic:








Verry emotional moment.. especially for a canuck like me!