WAR AND PEACE SHOW WAS AMONG THE BEST EVER

WITH official figures yet to come in, indications are that this year's War and Peace Show was one of the best ever.

Organiser Rex Cadman said: "Certainly people enjoyed the Show, judging from all the positive feedback on Facebook and on Twitter.

"And the guys who run the car parks, always good judges of these things, said they thought this year's Show was one of the best attended."

The number of military vehicles exhibited was a record for the Show with some rare and interesting examples on display. These ranged from the three Model-T First World War vehicles of Tony George, from Dagenham, to the Panzer IV restored by Steve Lamonby of Hampshire, on behalf of the Royal Jordanian Tank Museum, which took Best in Show.

There were a number of new faces at this year's event. For the first time the Second Royal Tank Regiment sent a team and are promising to return next year with one of their massive Challenger 2 battle tanks.

Sgt Chris Parsons, who was an undertaker before he joined up, said: "We see Kent and the South East as our principal recruiting ground so we wanted to be here to thank local people for all the support they've given us during our tour of duty in Afghanistan over the winter."

The granddaughter of Second World War hero General George Patton visited the Show for the first time and said she was very impressed. "It's good to see the respect living history groups here show towards our war veterans," she said.

One of the most exciting battle re-enactments was put on by the 502 MP Company Kelly's Heroes, who brought in four snow machines to turn their display area white, for a re-working of the Battle of Foy, which took place during the Battle of the Bulge. Malcolm Dunlop's team created a deafening performance with tanks, machine guns, false blood and stunts that would have satisfied any film director. And sometimes the Germans were allowed to win!

On the lighter side the team of ‘Allo ‘Allo cast members that squeezed into their costumes to be photographed with fans, did a brisk trade, raising money for the Not Forgotten Association. "It's been really busy," said Sue Hodge, alias killer tart Mimi Labonq. "Even after 10 years huge numbers of people remember the show with great affection."

After the traditional prize giving, Rex Cadman reminded visitors: "Next year will see our 30^th anniversary Show. We are planning big things for this milestone event."
~End~

War and Peace Show 2011 Trophy Winners

2011 Jeep Winner

The 2011 Jeep Raffle was won by Ernest Cooper of Margate, Kent, winning ticket number: 34643

Ernie Cooper, winner of The War and Peace Show 2011 Jeep Raffle, collects his prize from Rex Cadman.

Ernie, from Broadstairs, bought the winning ticket at his local Tesco at Westwood Cross.

Congratulations Ernie from us all!

AN OFF-ROAD SURPRISE FOR ERNIE

THERE was a big surprise in store for Ernie Cooper on Sunday afternoon. He received a phone call to tell him he had won a Jeep in a raffle organised by the War and Peace Show.

The raffle was drawn during the Show's prize giving ceremony and organiser Rex Cadman called Ernie, who lives at Northdown Park Road, Cliftonville, from the main arena, to give him the good news.

"I was thrilled," said Mr Cooper, 73, who bought a book of five tickets when the Jeep was displayed at the Broadstairs Tescos store earlier this year. "I had forgotten all about it and had to hunt to find the ticket stubs.

"This brings things full circle for me. I was evacuated to Cricklade in Wiltshire during the War and American airman would arrive in Jeeps to the house where I was staying, to take my sisters to dances."

Military vehicles are nothing new to Ernest, who did National Service with the Royal Horse Guards from 1958. During that period he drove Ferret scout cars, Saracens, Saladins and many others.

Now retired, he previously worked as a ventilation engineer.

"I will make good use of the Jeep," he said. "My hobby is pigeon shooting so I will be able to get over the rough ground more easily now."

Congratulating Ernie, Rex Cadman, from Ash, near Sandwich, said: "This is a significant year for the Jeep. It was first put into service 70 years ago. Between 1941 and the end of the war more than 600,000 were produced."

The Jeep Ernie has won is a Hotchkiss version built in the 1950s.

The annual Jeep raffle raises money for both the Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society and for Help for Heroes.

Runners-up in the Jeep Raffle received signed copies of books very kindly donated by the authors who attended the Show.  Their runners-up, their prizes and ticket numbers were:

Hitler’s British Slaves, Allied POWs in Germany 1939-45 by Sean Longden

A Kennett, Kent (63105)

A Whitcombe, Somerset (37814)

N Gunn, Kent (56308)

P J Tubb, Sussex (32916)

J Ray, Sussex (56271)

Dunkirk, the Men they Left Behind by Sean Longden

E Hughes, Kent (56803)

D Moore, Essex (35069)

S Allan, Guernsey (62290)

P Tozeland, Sussex (38646)

S Lopez, Surrey (57415)

T-Force, the Forgotten Heroes of 1945 by Sean Longden

J Gilbert, Suffolk (36468)

D Sandercock, Kent (61566)

D Watts, Wiltshire (33580)

D Wilbie, The Netherlands (62849)

M Heath, Hertfordshire (20666)

The Pegasus and Orme Bridges, their Capture, Defence and Relief on D-Day by Neil Barber

M Potter, Bedfordshire (63152)

P Steer, Devon (57905)

M Boughton, Kent (63186)

J Wilson, London (63454)

C Leaver, Kent (60362)

Pirate by Duncan Falconer

P Langman, Leicestershire (34188)

D Wallis, Birmingham (34416)

M Mee, Leicestershire (34509)

A Warman, Berkshire (32463)

A Reed, Kent (57829)

Glider Pilots at Arnhem by Mike Peters and Luke Buist

J Kent, Sussex (64732)

L Wakeman, Kent (39563)

K Fryer, Kent (57043)

K Glenn, Middlesex (33935)

Universal Carriers – Volume III by Nigel Watson

G Gittins, Sussex  (36205)

M Waghorn, Kent (62522)

M Reader, Kent (36205)

Army Wheels in Detail – US Army 5-Ton Truck M939 Series by Petr Brojo and Jan Mostek

M Topping, Surrey (32593)

J Stevens, Kent (35711)

Army Wheels in Detail – Hillman 10HP Light Utility by Petr Brojo and Michael Shackleton

B Herron, Kent (06382)

Army Wheels in Detail – Studebaker US6 by Petr Brojo

D Rowland, Kent (55761)

GPW Jeeps in Detail – WWII Jeeps from The Ford Factories by David Doyle, Frantisek Koran and Jan Mostek

M Phillips, Devon (37695)

B Brazier, Hampshire (60111)

P Rand, Buckinghamshire (08640)

M38 Jeeps in Detail – Korean War M38 Willys Jeepsm by David Doyle and Frantisek Koran

M O’Keefe, Hampshire (63208)

P Tipping, Liverpool (25222)

MB Jeeps in Detail – WWII Wilys MB and Composite Jeeps by Frantisek Koran and Jan Mostek

Arabella, Kent (38685)

Bantam Jeeps in Detail – First Jeep of Robin Burfoot Collection

by Frantisek Koran and Jan Mostek

K Reynolds, Kent (61809)

M Featherstone, Kent (62623)

D Taylor, Kent (65000)

A Blunn, Kent (63421)

Destination Western Front, London’s Omnibuses Go to War by Roy Larkin

L Whealley, Essex (25955)

G Perks, Sussex  (35291)

A Hall, Surrey (27242)

W Owen, Kent (62201)

M Brucciani, Cumbria (11374)

BART VANDERVEEN AWARD 2011

 Nigel Hay (left) is congratulated on his award by Rex Cadman, Show Organiser

"It is always a great pleasure for me to present this award in the name of Bart Vanderveen who is no longer with us. His name is synonymous with military vehicles and most of us were nurtured on his books and writings. Certainly I purchased my first Jeep in the 1970s with the ‘bible’ - his Fighting Vehicles Directory in one hand - and £325 in the other. Those were the days!

This year’s recipient, Nigel Hay, also had a copy of the same book with him during a spell in hospital while living in Belgium in the 1970s. He like me was immediately hooked and got himself a Jeep although his came in bits and pieces. It was only later that he realised he had bought a pup - a post-war M38A1! Nevertheless he got it finished and went on to bigger things with vehicles like a Dodge and GMC.

In 1980 Nigel was a founder member of the embryo Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society - the IMPS - who host this show. In the early days, it was held at Tenterden where he was press-ganged into doing the commentary. When it moved to the Hop Farm in 1987, Nigel became the resident commentator and helped evolve the arena display into the spectacle that it is today. Nigel worked with Rex Cadman, the show organiser, to rebrand it as the War & Peace show in 1996 when it was re-launched with major press coverage and a three-hour live broadcast on Channel Four.

Nigel carried on commentating at what is now the largest event of its kind in the world and says how proud he was to have interviewed Bart in the arena before his death in 2001.

And I would also like to mention that in 1995 he put together that wonderful parade of military vehicles on The Mall for the 60th anniversary of the end of the war.

In 1999, Nigel was co-founder of the MILWEB website which has since become a huge driving force in the hobby of collecting and restoring military hardware. Although he tells me that the website now takes up all his time – one of the reasons why he could not be with us on Saturday when we usually present this award – it gives me great pleasure to be able to say ‘Thank you’ to Nigel today for his huge contribution to vehicle preservation over the past 30 years."

WINSTON RAMSEY - 21 July 2011