In a Former Life

[unclealec]

An anecdote on the MMOC FB page reminded me of a strange shift pattern I once worked.
I was sent to Newquay Police Station as a Cadet back in the mid-1960s. I was even then known to be an avid tinkerer on anything mechanical. My main purpose in life was to keep my BSA Sunbeam scooter running; the fact that I usually managed to branded me as a mechanical genius (if you had seen the scooter you would have understood).
I quickly became the only member of Cornwall Constabulary to have worked a 5-2 morning shift. Everyone else was 6-2, 2-10, or the dreaded 10-6 nights. Or even dreadeder, split shifts. Bear with me, it is relevant.
My peculiar shift involved the small fleet of Morris Minor 1000 Panda cars. They were kept in a block of cast-concrete tin-roofed garages perched on top of Great Western beach, damp and sweaty.
They never started.
My shift started at 5am by putting on the gas cooker in the canteen. Nicely warming, I then had to remove the distributor caps c/w leads from the Minors, warm them in the oven, then when devoid of moisture, refit them and start the cars ready for the day shift. Worked a treat. I don't recall WD40 or the like in those days. And I had most of the day left to go fishing or resume battle with the BSA.

[simmitc]

A lovely anecdote. It reminds me of the printed manual for an old seagull outboard motor that I had. In cold weather, the owner was advised that starting would be made easier by warming the spark plug in an oven.

[unclealec]

I have just noticed that I claimed to have worked a 5-2 mornings shift.
It wasn't that bad; I actually worked 5-1 mornings.
I would have edited my first post but can't for the life of me find an edit facility.

[geoberni]

I have just noticed that I claimed to have worked a 5-2 mornings shift.
It wasn't that bad; I actually worked 5-1 mornings.
I would have edited my first post but can't for the life of me find an edit facility.

It depends on how long the Edit function is active for.
When it's there, it the Top Right of the Post, next to the 3 boxes containing [X], [!] and ["]

There is an anecdote connected to that. Apparently, long before my time, it used to be available permanently, but back in the distant past, an argument or two between certain members got so bad that one or more individuals went back and falsified their past post to gain advantage.
So the facility was time limited after that.

[geoberni]

it's also at the moment, not been set up consistently as it's not available here in this Forum at all, but is available on a earlier post I made in General Discussion.
I'll report it to Simon.

[simmitc]

It's a coincidence that it's been spotted after the migration. As Berni says, it's not consistent across all forums; and it was like that on the old board for this forum - I can still see the old board to check issues like this. It's a permissions thing, and I'll have to look at them all individually, so it may take a day or two to get them all correct - there are some strange historical settings and I don't want to upset anything else!

[unclealec]

Thread revival; I have just paid a MMOC stalwart; thus I become the new owner of TTA 786H, an ex-Devon & Cornwall Panda car.
Sadly the date of registration puts it just out of possibility that it was one of my flock back in the day; however the proximate history of me and this car makes it feel right for me to have it.
There are one or two things missing I believe (like the front wings) and I expect that I will have to replicate most of the police gear, though the zip headlining is still extant.
It will be coming from Exmoor to Manchester, so if anyone has a reverse travel requirement let me know and we may be able to share costs.

[rocco]

Great to hear that you got yourself a nostalgia car, they must have good memories for you. Does your new acquisition have a brake servo?

[unclealec]

Don't know too much about it to be honest, Rocco.
All I have is one photo on the MMOC Facebook group and an honest warts and all description from a trustworthy MMOC stalwart.

When it arrives in Manchester I will issue a report.

I have dilemmas to solve. My present car is a lovely low-mileage 1970 2-door saloon. It is far too good to be stood outside as a back-up vehicle and a 5-mile-each-way commuter car. Someone should be cherishing it. Hence my thinking that a worse one, scruffy but sound, would be a better car for me.

I have been confined to the house since Christmas for health reasons, but soon I will be making the daily 5 mile trip to my workshop and putting the finishing touches to a Riley RM that will be my "toy" car. Once that is out and about, the Panda will take its place. So the vehicle queue outside my house lengthens.....

Sound familiar to anyone?