The Wheatcroft Collection.

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by von Poop, Mar 18, 2007.

  1. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

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  2. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

  3. George Blake

    George Blake Member

    There used to be one regularly at War and Peace but some idiot had painted it green and stuck a white star on it to try and WW2 it. Eden Camp is also well on the way to getting theirs restored and running, hopefully they'll ship it around the shows for display, would be a great bit of advertising for them.
     
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  4. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Sort of maddening, isn't it.
    I always wanted to see an OT810 being driven about as... an OT810.
    Think I've only ever seen one static example that hasn't been presented as a 251.
     
  5. George Blake

    George Blake Member

    Same with G13s...after May 1945 people seem to lose interest to the point where they're cutting up Cold war tanks to 'rebuild' as Second World War vehicles. Museums don't help the issue by focusing so much on WW2, out of 100 years of tanks, 70 are post war! I seem to recall Duxford exhibiting an OT810 in Czech markings but the way things are going there it may never be seen again.
     
  6. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    This is also related to the media presence of WW2 - and the related interest of reenactors and museum visitors.
    A museum has to try to generate revenue....
    But this is a widespread basic problem: If we would present our boring Bronze Age museum village as a "Viking settlement", we would have a much larger influx of visitors: Viking reenactors come in any case more often to visit and spend to spend an "authentic" weekend in our longhouses. :blush:
     
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  7. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    The Wheatcroft Collection, never heard of it: Is this where all those WW2 vehicles that I used to take my family to see near Falmouth have ended up?
    I live near to Castle Donnington being on the Eastern outskirts of Tamworth but never seen it advertised.
    I would like to go there if its not too expensive.
    Some of my friends were Regulars in armoured Regts. so might be interested.
    Do they have 25 pounder and a Quad?
    Last time I visited a military vehicle museum was Cosford ten years ago.
    They had a Saracen and a Ferret. both of which they had served in during the withdrawal from Aden.
    That made them feel old so maybe a WW2 collection might make them feel young again.
     
  8. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    It's a very large private collection of vehicles and WW2 stuff, right up to a Schnellboot. Thinking about it, it may well be the largest such collection worldwide.
    They used to attend a lot of shows, but seem currently be throwing themselves at restorations (Have a suspicion the main man has realised just how much he has & how long it'll take, so is cracking on).

    You could sometimes see bits of it at the Donnington GP collection (which his old man set up), but it's not currently on display.
    Everything's been moved to a new location, with the intention of opening a museum. (If public or by appointment, I'm not quite certain).
    We worked out where it is by using Owen's savant location-finding skills, but as it's not been announced it's not our place to say.
    The Schnellboot is to be accessible at another site he's bought in the West Country, an old dry dock that it seems a few other floaty things are bound for.

    Been following them for a long time now, and they've always been quite private/unconcerned with publicity, give or take the odd lightly maintained website, but there's a sense we might see a lot more in the next few years.
     
  9. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    That's sad no point getting excited on that basis.
     
  10. Osborne2

    Osborne2 Well-Known Member

    A little bit of googling and U tube might lead you to an episode of Combat Dealers which features the Schnellboot / E Boat and 'Hitler's' Lav. Other manifestations are a video of one man's private tour of the museum. No one has limitless money, but Mr. Wheatcroft seems to be trying to do things authentically and appears to have spent more than I did in the pub in Keswick a week ago. The FB site is worth a view. Apparently 10 Shermans available in his collection for re-build.
     
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  11. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    The rate of restoration appears immense lately. Good times for the higher-end bods with oily hands.

    Had hoped the museum would be around his East Mids airport site (originally implied by some architect plans), as it's local, but the place they've ended up in looks much more appropriate.
    Hmmm. Might go rummaging in planning applications again. Years since we had a proper nose.
     
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  12. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

  13. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

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