Around £500 for a good second hand one in the early 1970’s. The XK Engine great to work on though the tappet shims were a bit fiddly. Cross ply tyres like solid rubber wheels very scary in one of these, some use to put heavy weights in the boot to keep the back end on the road. Radial tyres were just coming in then. Just as well if they were still in use today there would be wrecked cars all over the place.

I remember Quatermass experiment on our Bush tv, 3 spacemen went up and only 1 came down and there was no space walking in them days…I think Brian Donlevy? played Q in the film mid 1950,s…Also there was Quatermass and the pit in 1967.

Loved the 1967 film. I first saw it 1968 Holyhead cinema. “That’s no bomb! What ever is it” The expression’s on their faces, story line, and effects. Brilliant.

£25 was about the going rate for a spit in 1964. Dad was offered one in exchange for a television or £25, he declined the offer not interested in war junk after serving in the Navy.
As a child I lived in Plymouth 1964 there were still many bombed out buildings we use to see many low loaders with wings and fuselage’s going up union street on the way to the scrap yards mainly from Dartmoor. I remember seeing piles of aircraft sections and engines in the scrap yards it was worthless and understandably so at the time there was so much of it no one was interested. Never ever thought it would be worth a fortune later on. Oh well you live and learn.

The article says the original film was riddled with mistakes. Maybe it was, but as the details of the raid were still classified at the time the MOD Would not release any information to the producers of the Dambusters raid so they had to work it all out for themselves bearing in mind of course that some changes had to be made for entertainment purposes to attract large audiences and recoup the production costs. Overall I think they made a Dam good job of it at the time. I still enjoy watching it again.

Cant believe the bickering over Gibson’s dogs name after all it is only a name.

Its fantastic when shear determination kicks in what can be achieved and those very brave guys proved it. The Germans should have congratulated them all and kept them as prisoners. I wonder what Hitler was thinking when he ordered the fifty shot. He never thought that in reprisal we could do the same to fifty Germans. Seems like he couldn’t of cared less anyway. Its unthinkable.

When they rammed the doc gates at St Nazaire with the Cambletown through one of the most heavily defended ports in Europe. According to a most excellent documentary by Jeremy Clarkson the Germans congratulated the Commando’s for a successful attempt at the doc gates. They where amazed at being fooled by the disguise of the ship as it went down the very exposed and heavily defended channel. Some were taken prisoner and survived the war. The dry doc was out of use until 1947. With the winding and pumping houses blown to bits.

All those great escape prisoners did was escape without doing any damage. Doesn’t make sense does it.

I heard that story about the German Sub under the car park in Dartmouth back in the 1970’s. They decided to fill in the inner harbour and turn it into a car park using the sub as in fill. The story goes no one wanted or was interested in it so they buried it in place.

Amazing just because the Burma spits haven’t been found yet according to most they don’t exist. Maybe or maybe not. If however they do get found then all of a sudden all these other so called non existence buried myths will come credible.

This image from the same NZ source would seem to clinch it:

This photo must have been taken sometime after Daniel’s. As the front part of the crank cover is still in place but the rear is exposed looks like its been cut out. Very strange. Excellent quality photos guys. Love the HE111 Cockpit shot. Looking forward to seeing more hopefully on this thread.