Doug's 'HEAVY METAL' GALLERY

 

T A N K SC A R R I E R SG U N SA R M O U R E D   C A R S

 

Beltring - The War and Peace Show

My impressions of Beltring are very mixed. As I found some aspects of it to be what I considered far from satisfactory, especially the safety issues: this hobby has become international and with the increasing trend of events and there repercussions spilling over to other countries it is no longer a case of what happens somewhere else is there problem. I wrote my impressions down and emailed their publicity officer a copy of it to give them a " right of reply": where appropriate, their comments are in red. Below is an edited and condensed version of that correspondance.
My major impression was that it had vastly outgrown the original intent of a club event and was now a monster that needed more organisation and control.
After the correspondance you will find the holiday article.

To War and Peace Officials

Since you are part of the Beltring thing, I thought I would run past you first, the article below.

Basically, what it is, is my impressions of what Beltring is/isn't, could be/should be and shouldn't be.

Before I air it for public viewing I would like some feedback from you as to what the inside story is, especially so, about what I regard the negative aspects of the event. Let me know what you think?

======

Beltring 99

My impressions of Beltring 99, whether or not you agree or disagree is purely up to you.

How to describe it? Well, Beltring (more correctly known as "The War and Peace Show") is the world's biggest meeting of MV enthusiasts. It is impressive in size and variety, for how good it is AND for how bad: especially the dust. It is not just an event for male MV enthusiasts, there were lots of women and some children present.

As an overview:

The site consists of The Hop Farm, which is somewhere between a functioning hop farm, a tourist farm and a large amount of unused space which can be rented, much like a show ground. It is divided up into the hop fields, the tourist part, an "arena" and then the unused areas which become the flea market and camping grounds.

The arena:

I can't comment on this as I never got that far. But I am told there is lots of sound and action, with live tanks although they are limited in movement by the size of the arena.
Better buy the video!

The good points:

- This event is huge and really does have something for everyone, be it ammunition and weapon collectors, uniform collectors, modellers, vehicle collectors or just the person interested in seeing the vehicles. - Where else can you see so many ex-military vehicles, mostly on static exhibition. There are a reasonable number that are mobile throughout the event and this does include both wheeled and tracked AFV's.
- Lots of collectors go to the trouble to set up "themes"; as an example, you might see a group who have a "diorama" (a modelling term as I don't know what correct term is) of a signals unit, complete down to the vehicles, uniforms, radios and paraphenalia appropriate to the time line.
- There was even one group who had set up a "Bridge too far" scenario in a treeline, you could walk through and see British troops in shell scrapes and trenches and a machine gun section. Then walk a bit further (30 metres) and come across the German "lines", getting a surprise to discover 2 x Sdkfz 251 halftracks snuggled in under the trees.
BRILLIANT WASN'T IT!.
- If you desired a tank ride, there was a tired, but operational, Chieftain which has been modified so that a dozen or so people can stand in the turret and experience the off-road course. I think that cost about £6 per person.
- The flea market: if what I am told is correct, there were 750 stall spaces this year (do realise that some vendors had as many as 10 or more spaces to make 1 stall due to the quantity of gear). It is a real eye opener, everything from military socks to a Saladin armoured car for sale. Even tracked armour too, but that sold real quick on the first day; the new owners drove off, presumably to the camping area. It took about 7 hours to walk the stalls, only stopping at items of specific interest; there was just too much to get through to daly. If you were to be thorough, then 2 full days may still not be enough.
- I am told that one of the biggest concerns from previous years has been addressed. This was the safety aspect of movement of tracked vehicles through the flea market area on their way to and from the arena. I observed it to be done with a marshall (so marked) on foot, who walked in front of the vehicle (quite a walk at times) from the camp area to the arena (and back) by a route that did not go through the flea market. Just like military orders say it should be done!
This is still an area that we have to improve on, but we cannot be complacent.



The bad points:

- Somebody appears to be making a fortune and putting very little back!
Incorrect!!! if only....the money is going back and a vast amount has already been ploughed into Y2K event., over £10,000 has been spent on an uprated water supply ready for next year....see later on in my reply.
- The whole area is one huge dust bowl, with only the most token of attempts to water down the dust. This consisted of a small tractor towing a (roughly) 400 gallon tank behind it and only on the main track. No-one I spoke to had seen it more than once a day.
We are looking at ways of restricting vehicle movement to keep some of the dust down (must remind you of parts of Oz) but our direct line to God seems to keep the rain away! We also used fire engines and some REO bowsers, but see below re water supply.
Can I suggest that there be a seperate gateway (say at the far end of the camping area) for vehicles with the access stickers? As it seems to me that most of the traffic was in/out the camp area via the main (only?) gate, this would overcome the constant dust in the flea market?
- 18 Port-a-loo's to service an estimated peak crowd of 25,000 people,
There were actually over 60 around the site plus all the permant ones on site, personally I never had a problem with the loos.
- The one and only toilet/shower block, was locked very early on with a sign saying "closed due to the excessive usage of water". None of those who camped onsite that I spoke to had succeeded in having a shower over the 3 day period. They washed themselves from buckets of cold water. I am told there was another shower site set-up on the back of a semi-trailer, but never located it.
OK, the water problem....Mid Kent Water were publicly flogged on 6 o'clock TV news over failing to be able to meet demand in a 10 mile radius of the site that week....they blamed the Met Office for "the wrong weather forecast" a comment which just aggravated people affected. Historically the site has always had a low pressure water supply, this year was affected by the MKW inability to supply. Over £10,000 has been spent on an uprated water supply ready for next year.
The only event that the site hosts each year of a significant size is W&P which puts an incredible strain on the infrastructure. However the site owner is determined to improve facilities....but at the end of the day, there is no other venue we know of that could cope much better with around 12,000 people camping on site.

- The water supply in the camp areas consisted of a stand pipe with one of those infuriating "push the knob every 5 seconds" taps. Wouldn't have been so bad if it didn't take 1/2 an hour to fill a bucket. Later on this system failed and a small tanker (quite possibly the one that watered the road) was provided. I saw 2 men tipping it up as high as they could to try and get some water, as it had emptied pretty quickly. Someone ran over one of the standpipes (but only after the water supply had all but ceased), maybe it was an accident and then maybe it was from sheer frustration.
- The annoying 3-day wrist bands, that were marked "void if removed" one of our party suffers from ecxsma, which was set off by this wrist band. Once on, you had to shower and sleep with the stupid thing.
- Seeing some idiot pick up an AK-47 sniper rifle at a stall then proceed to track people with it, his finger on the trigger the whole time. These guns are all supposedly de-activated,but this sort of conduct is a gift horse for the anti-gun lobby. The gun stalls would be much better off in an enclosure, even if only canvas in such a way that guns cannot be pointed at people outside the stall.
Always you will get a small minority who put the rest at risk. We have recieved a congratulatory letter from Kent Police about our firearms policy and enforcement .They sent "undercover" cops to check out the stalls and site and were very happy with the compliance of the relevant gun laws. But yes I agree, that is the sort of press we strive to avoid.
Personnally, having been around guns for years, and being a certified firearms coach, I have a strong desire to take the gun off this type of idiot and stuff it down their throat!
I'm with you on this one.
- The entrance area: a total bottle neck, for both vehicles and pedestrians, that is topped off by the fact that the pedestrians coming from the car parks have to cross the vehicular traffic flow in order to get past the entrance building. The officious Hop Farm girlies will not let pedestrians walk along that (and only that) section of road if you are headed in, even if you do have a 3 day wrist band. But take no notice if you are headed out. The rest of the time, the pedestrians have no choice but to walk with the vehicle traffic and get covered in dust.
It was never designed for an event this size, again Y2K will be different.
- I was told by more than one unhappy camper that the fees charged would be considered excessive in the best camping ground in England, but are ridiculous given the lack of ammenities at Beltring.
It would pay you to join the IMPS for £25....you would save money as you get free admission to the show, plus our magazine and monthly newsletter.
- Rubbish bins are provided only alongside the food stalls, what few that were around had more rubbish around them than in them as they overflowed early on and did not appear to have been emptied each day. As most people walk and eat (to not do so means you will fail to see some aspect of the event, there is just SO much to see), there is effectively no-where to put your rubbish. So desperate were people (it is quite noticable how little litter was around, other than that surrounding the garbage bins) that they used the vendors trailers as rubbish bins. The vendors probably did not appreciate packing up on Sunday afternoon only to discover their trailer looked like a rubbish truck.
The waste contractors were on site thorughout the weekend and were constantly keeping the rubbish levels down (over 70 tons of canned drinks were consumed...a heck of a lot of empty cans).
- The Hop Farm's rubbish area is situated alongside the gap in the trees that leads from the first camping area into the second (where the "Bridge too far" diorama was located). To get from one area to the next it was necessary to go through this gap and be assaulted by the putrid stench eminating from several, full sized, truck garbage dumpers that had sat far too long in the sun.
Thanks for bringing that problem to our attention
- The off-road course is an accident waiting to happen, it is unsupervised and thus a free-for-all,
AGREE! In Y2K addmission to the off road course will be strictly controlled by specialist marshalls , already booked, supervision will stop a carte blanche free for all on the course.
we arrived there after an Abbot SPG had just left, but only after having been put back on its tracks following a mishap (it fell over!). We were told that earlier on a Saracen had also had to be righted.
Whilst there we were treated to a Ferret Mk2 being driven far too agressively; to the point where the commander was at times travelling with the vehicle but not in physical contact with it, hovering partially out of the turret is the best way I can describe it!

If AFV's are falling over then something is wrong.
We are certainly tightening up our safety policy.

Conclusion:

Beltring is the mecca for MV enthusiasts, I am glad I went as it was a real experience. It is a huge affair that has totally outgrown the current venue and could quite possibly become a victim of its own success. Unless the dust and water problems are addressed I would not be at all surprised if the women and some men, will tire of the conditions and loose interest.

Concluding response from "War and Peace".

I hope that you will come back next year.

Money for a trip half way around the world a second year running makes the chances of that very slight, unfortunately!
All in all, it was a club show, run by volunteers (though some were seduced, co-erced or blackmailed into helping).

However, as we are now committed to running it on a more professional basis, we are very keen to listen to both criticism and praise, and of course to act on problems to prevent them getting to be major issues.

Many thanks for your time taken in writing to me.

 

Beltring the event!

Enough of the politics; the sights and sounds are why we went there. In this photo is "yours truly" getting used to a CVR(T) Scorpion Light Tank just before I had a drive of it. To set the record straight - it is not at all normal to wander around Beltring and expect to be able to get a drive of a vehicle. This had been organised before hand with the owner and took place "after hours" when the public had left.
Richard had organised this little jaunt and rightly expected to have a ride in, if not a drive of, the Scorpion.
Problem: how do you get all of 6'4" of Richard (with a bad back) into the drivers position of a tank where I can only just squeeze my 5'10" body?
Answer: you can't! Richard could not even get into either turret position. So there he stood looking less than happy as the rest of us rattled off.
Big hint: if you are thinking of buying any of the vehicles in the CVR(T) family, including for that matter a Ferret or Saladin, try one on for size first; it is not an exageration to say that you "put on" a Scorpion rather than "get in" one. You may find you don't fit!



10067 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

We had met up with a group (again pre-arranged) who normally camp near or with the German vehicle owners.

As we were all heartily sick of fast food we were only too happy to have a BBQ, especially as Andreas had brought over from Germany a large supply of Bratwurst (which the hungry group made short work of). Here you see Richard trying the "huff and puff" technique as the fire briquettes were not co-operating. Regina is preparing some of the Bratwurst.


10068 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...


10069 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

An Abbott (Self Propelled Gun), an FV-432 Armoured Personnel Carrier and another Abbott.


10070 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

The Abbott (Self Propelled Gun), that fell over.


10086 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

A good comparison of the difference between an early (on the right) and a latter model Ferret (on the left). The early one is a Mk 1 and the latter a Mk 1/2 (pronounced "one two" NOT "half")


10071 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

The previously mentioned "A Bridge Too Far" diorama. Here you see the 2 Sdkfz 251 German armoured halftracks. (Strictly speaking German half tracks are 3/4 tracks, but nobody bothers to use the term. American halftracks are correctly named.)


10072 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

A very nice Saracen that was being very unco-operative. Engine problems by the look of things.


10073 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

What I think is 2 Scammell Heavy Wreckers with a truck I can't identify just visible between them.


10074 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

The vehicle that stole the show. This is Kevin Wheatcroft's SdKfz 9, 18 ton half track. Every time it started moving, all other activity in the area ceased. I was told that it is the only one of its type that is mobile.


10075 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...


10088 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

A Sherman, with an official marshall on foot, returning to its camp site.


10076 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

A Demag halftrack.


10087 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

3 x Mk2 Ferrets


10077 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

What I think is an SdKfz 250 German halftrack. These are a different vehicle to the much better know SdKfz 251.


10078 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

On the left is a Fox Armoured Car and on the right the vehicle it was supposed to replace, a Mk 2 Ferret. One look at a Fox tells you why it was not a successful replacement for the Ferret - they were too top heavy. The military is not known for driving vehicles in a conservative fashion and the inevitable happened, lots of them fell over or rolled over. Operated conservatively, the Fox should be a nice vehicle: its drivetrain is based on the Ferret design, though the motor is a jaguar 6 cylinder as in the Scorpion.


10079 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

A view down one of the many rows of the Flea Market.


10080 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

The traffic snarl on Sunday morning outside the Hop Farm. The entrance is out of view around the corner in the far distance. The Hop Farm buildings are visible to the right of the road. There was an equal snarl coming from the opposite direction. The absence of cars coming from the opposite direction tells you where everyone was headed.


10081 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

One of the German vehicle owners wanted to do a "family" photo shoot. Here are most of the eligible tracked vehicles in one group. The first vehicle is a Raupenschlepper Ost, (which is roughly) a tracked cargo truck specifically made for the eastern front. Being made for over snow use, suspension was not a priority, a ride in this vehicle proved it to be smoother than its reputation suggested. Behind it are 2 Kettenkrads.


10082 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

To Drive a Kettenkrad

Andreas has owned his own Kettenkrad for several years now, but due to the pressures of work and the usual German problem of no home shed space its restoration has been a slow job and must be done many kilometres from where he lives. He is also missing a few crucial parts like a decent engine and front fork assembly: I will also mention that he is a perfectionist and that is not helping to speed the job up. So despite owning one he had never got to drive one, until Richard took control and in short order had organised for Andreas (and me too) to have a ride on a Kettenkrad owned by Graham Pipe (thanks Graham). (You may have noticed a partially restored halftrack in one of the earlier photos, this also belongs to Graham.) Then later on Andreas got his long awaited drive (do you drive or ride a Kettenkrad?). In the photo below you can see Andreas intently concetrating on the task at hand with Graham riding shotgun.
What came off a German production line as a product of the Third Reich's war machine, somehow ended up in England once the war was over to eventually be driven by a German collector, who wasn't even born when the vehicle was built, but had to travel as far as England to get to drive it: all being brought together at the world's biggest historic MV meet.


10083 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...


10084 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

Coincidence?

If you have had a good look through this website or have an interest in collectors vehicles, you will have read Andrew's stories about his Saladin and Saracen. I had hoped to be able to see him whilst in England, but did not have the means or time to get to his place in the midlands.
Whilst wandering around the Flea Market at Beltring I stopped at a stall for the second time as I had noticed some armoured vehicle parts belonging to the Ferret/Saracen/Saladin family. While quite intent on these I heard a voice say "that's not the right one, I need a No17 Mk2". This number rang a bell and I said to the bloke 'A gunsight for a Saladin?', back came the answer "that's right". 'I have one of these, but it is back in Australia'. "Oh, do you know Douglas Greville?". At this point I was standing there flabbergasted; here I am on the other side of the world and a total stranger has just asked for me by name. 'You're talking to him, who the heck are you?' It was Andrew Jeffery and his friend Martin. Neither of us had seen a picture of the other and it would have been very easy to have walked past each other and never known. What are the chances of us meeting by accident in a crowd of 25,000?
That is Beltring!

 

All done

Well, that's it. Time for Fran and I to hand back our campervan (after clocking up 8072km), spend a couple of days in London seeing the sights and then front up for the 13 hour flight to Singapore followed by a 7 hour flight to Adelaide. We both enjoyed the military, tourist and cultural experience of England and Europe. We particularly enjoyed meeting in the flesh our email friends from varied countries. When and if we will do it again I have no idea.

I would particularly like to thank the following people who went out of their way on our account and showered us with hospitality:
Richard and Michelle Notton
Andreas and Regina Melhorn
Hermann and Helga Pelz

Also, for rides/drives in their vehicles:
Dave Ballard (20mm Polsten Blitz)
Graham Pipe (Kettenkrad)
Carl Brown (Scorpion).
Richard Notton for arranging all of the above 3 and for the ride in his "Stolly" (Stalwart Amphibious Truck).


10085 pic
Download the big pic by clicking on the small pic...

 

  sig - logo
 BACK TO INDEX