McSpredder

That is really interesting. It is quite common to see ribs engraved with "Made specially for xxxxxx", but usually it is the name of a retailer, who may have been one of the smaller gunmaking or gunsmithing firms, or just a local ironmonger. You have what is in effect a brand new gun, with a name of a relative engraved on it, and knowledge of its provenance. Members of your family will hopefully still be enjoying use of this gun 100 years from now, and every pigeon killed (clay or feathered) will bring added pleasure because the shooter knows the gun's history.

Re the Edwin Walker boxlock, the hinge pin arrangement looks rather different from the W&S 700 series, though it could still have been made by Scott. Gunman may be able to comment, as I have a feeling he was at one time involved in making W&S guns, as well as repairing them. (Apologies if I have got the wrong person). The chequering is perhaps not particularly fine, but a lot of work has gone into engraving the trigger guard, and I suspect this was not a particularly cheap gun when new. People certainly do not like paying big money for a BLNE, but it will kill as well as any sidelock ejector, and can give just as much pleasure to the owner, especially when it is a family heirloom. Also, there is much less to go wrong. Presumably Edwin Walker would have been the retailer. It is not a very old gun, so it is quite likely that somebody in the gun trade around Sheffield will have knowledge of the firm.

Are there some hand guards available made only of leather? I had in mind the modern Bisley type, for which the description mentions "durable spring steel and leather construction": http://www.oliverbrown.org.uk/bisley-barrel-hand-guard Looks very similar to the traditional hand guard, like this one from a 1958 Parker-Hale catalogue:

Lots of tradesmen have started using Fiat Doblo vans in this area in recent years. Also sold as a Vauxhall Combo. Dealer in Hawick is advertising 16 plate Vauxhall Combo L1 H1 2000 1.3 CDTi 90 at £8499+VAT (saving £6700+ VAT against new). Obviously at the wrong end of the country for the OP, but maybe similar deals available elsewhere. I have never driven the van version, but find the Doblo MPV very comfortable and practical. Not suitable if you want to make a fashion statement, and you have to be able to live with all the Postman Pat jokes.

Would that be a clip-on hand guard made of spring steel, with a leather covering? A hand guard that is left in place could potentially trap moisture and lead to corrosion. Removing and re-fitting the hand guard risks damaging the barrel surface finish, and there are lots of old side-by-sides that look a real mess where this has occurred. I prefer to wear a glove on the left hand, but perhaps there are better types of hand guard available nowadays. Maybe one of the barrel blacking specialists can give an opinion?

Worth having a look at these: http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/266541-help-identifying-an-old-bsa-shotgun/ http://www.hallowellco.com/proof_date_codes.htm http://www.gunproof.com/Proof_Memoranda/RULESOFP.PDF http://bilder.kammeret.no/albums/userpics/10110/Notes_on_the_proof_on_shotguns___other_small_arms.pdf The re-proof for 12g - 70mm chambers is quite recent, but you will probably be using fairly gentle cartridges in deference to the age of this gun. Among the earlier markings, 14/1 means it was originally proofed as a 14-bore (but on the wider end of the range for 14-bores). It is quite usual to see older 12g barrels proofed at 13-bore, but I guess something as tightly-bored as 14/1 would be much less common. Proof marks from 1920 onwards often include a date code within the crossed swords, so a clearer photo might help, but a Damascus-barrelled gun is likely to be older than that.

If the light is good and the subject is not moving, you don't need a very expensive camera. This snap was taken near Exford using a Fuji X-S1 bridge camera, hand held, at full zoom (equivalent to 624mm on a 35mm camera), from about 300 yards away. Settings were fully automatic (it was my very first outing with this camera), but the EXIF data shows that shutter speed was 1/250s, aperture f5.66, ISO 100. A bridge camera is fine for this sort of shot, and can give a big zoom range for not much money. But you can see from the shadows that it was a bright day. If you want to take photos in a poor light, or for fast-moving subjects, you cannot beat a DSLR.

We transferred all our old tapes, simply connecting the VHS player to a DVD recorder via a SCART cable. This is very straightforward, if you are transferring stuff recorded from TV broadcasts or captured on your own camcorder. Things get more complicated if you try to transfer commercially-produced VHS, which will usually have copy-protection.

Hiring a motorhome for one or two holidays sounds like a good idea, to find out whether it really suits you. A couple of neighbours have them, but they seem to sit parked on the driveways nearly all the time. I think the reason in both cases is that Mr would like to explore relatively wild parts of UK (where narrow lanes are not ideal for a motorhome, and it is sometimes hard to find anywhere large enough to pull off for a picnic), while Mrs finds the whole experience a bit too primitive for her liking, and would really prefer a hotel room. When they are on holiday and want to visit a town, there is the car park height barrier problem. For the rest of the year, the vehicle hardly moves, because it is too unwieldy to use as a second car, so the cost per mile must be horrendous. About 20 years ago I knew a couple who had a Romahome, based on a little Citroen C15 van. It suited them perfectly, it was big enough to sleep in (just), and a handy and economical little runabout for everyday driving. Until recently Romahome built two-berth camper conversions based on Berlingo/Doblo sized vehicles, but they seem to have moved over to demountable units designed to fit onto a LWB pick-up. Quote: “But remove the body which takes about 15 minutes, reinsert the sides and tailgate and you have a very capable pick-up truck perfect for self-employed people, small builders or even domestic use such as trips to the tip, collecting furniture, and a host of other uses. With the long life expectancy of the GRP body, the base vehicle can be updated more frequently, reducing the cost of change while maintaining long residuals in the overall unit. Used base vehicles can also be utilised initially, which reduces the start-up costs for new motorhomers.” http://www.romahome.com/model-range/romahome-d20/ Would that be a concept worth considering, possibly even a DIY job?

I had an 04 reg Vitara diesel for three years, bought it with 27k on the clock, and at 55k it suddenly started to make a loud humming noise (somewhat like a wheel bearing, but different). The dealer immediately identified it as the front diff, so it is presumably a well-known weakness. After the event, I read somewhere that the front diff oil should have been changed at quite a low mileage, but some dealers did not bother. Not enough space in my garage to work on a Vitara, and I couldn’t find a Suzuki independent specialist nearby, so it cost me the best part of £1000 to have a new diff fitted at the main dealer. Averaged about 37mpg, tax and insurance were on the high side, but I found it a very nice car to drive both on- and-off road. Just listen carefully for any humming noises.

I have been told that the commonest cause of Jimny wheel wobble is using knobbly tyres on tarmac, because the extra vibration leads to rapid wear of the kingpins. This info came from a retired garage mechanic who runs his own Jimny (frequently over fields and tracks, but on normal road tyres), so I guess he ought to know what he is talking about.

Satellite map of UK solar farms on this website. Dont know whether it is complete and up to date. http://www.renewables-map.co.uk/Solar.asp

As far as I can see, the advice issued by BASC is and always has been precisely the same as that published by the Home Office in April 2016: “Initial check of the patient record in response to the standard police letter – there is no expectation of a fee.” The BMA stated clearly on their website (30 June 2016) that “The work involved in responding to the letter is minimal and therefore can be undertaken easily without delay and without a fee.” They revised the website yesterday (28 July 2016) to say “We are now advising GPs to return the letter to the police without delay explaining they are unable to undertake the work due to a lack of funding…..” This emanates from the “Ethics Department” of the BMA, and it seems their ethical standards now involve charging fees for minimal work. The BMA have said “.....the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) are advising their members to refuse payment to GPs for responding to the initial police letter which asks to check and place a marker on the medical record” but have chosen not to mention that this is also the Home Office published guidance. Are the BMA are being economical with words, or economical with the truth? It is perhaps worth remembering that the BMA is a trade union, not a regulatory body for the medical profession. In fact, their website states “BMA as a trade union. We stand up for doctors individually and collectively on a wide variety of employment issues and are recognised for collective bargaining purposes nationally and locally.” As an aside, I assume this standard letter from police to GPs must have been published, but does anybody know where it can be viewed?

If you are a member of BASC or one of the other organisations, it might be a good idea to run it past them first, in case they can suggest improvements to the wording. They have lots of experience in helping members to deal with "difficult" officialdom. Also, try to keep updating David et al about the outcome, because BASC will probably revise their guidance from time to time.

This might be a small risk, but it is certainly a very real risk. In general, I prefer to sort out disagreements in face-to-face discussion rather than through formal correspondence, but in the matter of certificates it probably wise to put things in writing. Simply ignoring the invoice might not be a good idea. You do not want to find out at some future date that a GP has told police “I have proof that this person fails to pay invoices for services provided, therefore I consider him to be dishonest, and not a suitable person to be in possession of firearms.”

Belgian-made folding s/b side-lever hammer gun. That concept suits a .410, but this was a 12 bore, weighing just over 5 lbs. It was in immaculate condition and seemed like a bargain (£4 in 1962) but, as you might guess, it kicked like a mule.

Two questions about these invoices that people have apparently received out of the blue: 1. Is a business entitled to issue an invoice for a service that the customer has never requested, and when was never any prior discussion or agreement about either the work or the fees to be charged? There have been lots of well known scams of this type, but I have never heard of any reputable organisation getting involved in such practices 2. When anyone receives an unexpected invoice from a GP, would it be appropriate to send a letter saying something on the following lines? It seems more diplomatic to enquire whether there has been an error, rather than directly accuse somebody of attempted extortion (even if that is what it feels like). ************************* Dear Dr xxxx With reference to the invoice that has been sent to me, I am wondering whether there may have been some administrative error. I know that police procedure is to send a standard letter to a GP, enquiring whether there is any medical condition that might affect a person’s suitability to possess a firearm or shotgun. The official Home Office Guide on Firearms Licensing Law (published April 2016) states explicitly: “Initial check of the patient record in response to the standard police letter – there is no expectation of a fee.” https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/518193/Guidance_on_Firearms_Licensing_Law_April_2016_v20.pdf I have also seen the guidance on the British Medical Association website (updated 30 June 2016) saying that “The work involved in responding to the letter is minimal and therefore can be undertaken easily without delay and without a fee.” https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/ethics/ethics-a-to-z/firearms To quote again from the Home Office Guide: “Where a medical report is required due to the GP raising concerns or because the police require sight of a medical report for another reason – the police will pay the fee“ The Home Office Guide also states that “Medical information provided by the GP to the police will be copied to the applicant or certificate holder unless there is a strong reason not to do so”. I have not received any such copy, therefore I am assuming that no medical report has been supplied. The invoice sent to me does seem to be in direct conflict with information published by the Home Office and the BMA, and that is the reason why I am enquiring whether it might have been issued in error. Yours etc *************************

I'd hate to go very far without a spare, though I do see the sense in buying just four of the ATs, and keeping one of the OEM tyres as a spare. Those under-sized pram wheels (space saver) are not wonderful, but they do work. Anybody who relies on an aerosol can should pray that they do not suffer a blow-out, a cut sidewall, a badly bent rim, or a failed valve. I'm trying to imagine having a puncture in the less populated areas where I often drive (Cheviots) if you don't carry a spare. Half hour stiff climb to a place where there is a mobile phone signal, wait another hour or two for a garage to come out with a 4x4 (no use sending a Transit van if your vehicle is up a "4x4 only" track). Pray that the garage man can either fix it on the spot, or has brought a spare wheel and tyre that fit your vehicle. Probably wiser not to go shooting anytime later than mid-afternoon (because the garage man might be busy doing something else) and certainly not at weekends.

Geriatrics PW members might remember that, back in the 1960s, Sir John Craster of Craster Tower was a fairly regular contributor to Shooting Times. I think the same family still own the place.

Just had a look at Ancestry.co.uk, which contains some records that are probably the correct person (plus some other people names Cecil Slade) Birth register: Cecil F Slade, Q2 1921, Norwich 4b 242, mother's maiden surname Pone Marriage register: Cecil F Slade, Q2 1942, Wokingham 2c 1351, spouse Elsie M Brookes Death register: Cecil Frederick Slade, Jan 2001, Reading D6B 3201D 263, birth date 6 Jun 1921, age at death 79 POW records: C F Slade, Lieutenant, 228418, Durham Light Infantry, POW Number 2550, Camp Type Oflag, Camp Number V-A, Camp Location Weinsberg, Baden-Württemberg Probate records: SLADE, CECIL FREDERICK, date of probate 08 June 2001, date of death 16 January 2001, Grant and will Oxford https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Wills?Surname=SLADE&SurnameGrants=SLADE&YearOfDeath=2001&YearOfDeathGrants=2001&IsGrantSearch=True&IsCalendarSearch=False#wills

You can start here: http://www.iwm.org.uk/research/tracing-your-family-history/tracing-your-army-history/where-to-find-army-service-records but it is not easy to find much from WW2, access is restricted because some are still living. Try a Google search of the name and you will get some results, which appear to be the right person (same service record number) https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35493/supplement/1268/data.pdf https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/namesearch/?FirstName=ceeil&Surname=slade&RecordType=Ww2&RecordDateStartYear=1939&RecordDateEndYear=1945 Seems to have been in the DLI, so it would definitely be worth taking up the offer of advice from Saddler. You might get something from POW records: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-prisoners-second-world-war-korean-war/#6-british-prisoners-of-war-in-europe-1939-1945 No idea whether either of the following might be the same individual: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YxVgyLzgXpQC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=%22cecil+frederick+slade%22&source=bl&ots=Yfo7W8mvmU&sig=rpvv_3GEfSW977Azgp5j2qHC8Sc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihhrLO2PPNAhWFF8AKHaWTAMMQ6AEIODAG#v=onepage&q=%22cecil%20frederick%20slade%22&f=false http://www.worldcat.org/title/great-roll-of-the-pipe-for-the-twelfth-year-of-the-reign-of-king-john-michaelmas-1210-pipe-roll-56-edited-by-c-f-slade/oclc/753292659/editions?referer=di&editionsView=true

Could probably buy angle grinder + sabre saw + electric nibbler for less than the price of a high-spec smart phone, which every 14 year old seems to be able to afford. And if they were already experienced thieves, they probably didn't even need to pay for the tools of their trade.

Many “experts” are paid enormous amounts for their supposed skill in financial predictions. If we thrive after Brexit, whatever is spouted forth in future by Osborne, Carney, Lagarde, Moody (credit rating agency), etc might appear no more valuable than Old Moore's Almanac. But if we sink, they can present themselves as infallible, and demand worth even more money.

Countryside Alliance chairman ".....has written to the candidates with 10 questions of current interest to people in the countryside. We have published below the response from Andrea Leadsom and will publish Theresa May’s reply in he same format early next week." http://www.countryside-alliance.org/key-questions-answered-to-become-prime-minister/ Andrea Leadsom's response seems to be both reasoned and reasonable. It will be very interesting to see Mrs May's reply, assuming she does find the time to reply.

As it is a legal argument, presumably the review that barristers are demanding would have to be carried out by barristers. A job-creation scheme?