I suggest taking some pics of the Abbeye d'Ardenne taken during the war, and then compare the very quiet beautiful place it is today. Quite a contrast.

We did two days with Battlebus Tours on their Canadian Battlefields and Juno beach tours. They really know their stuff and have lots of info and pics of the places they show you. Check out Battlebus - Tours of the D-Day beaches and battlefields of Normandy . They seem to be really busy though!

Walking the battlefield with 'Jagdpanther44' recently, I told him how I reckoned I had accidentally lost or thrown away my very first 'relic from Moissy ford'

But hunting around the attic back at home last week - I unearthed it for the first time in years ! When I first visited Moissy 11 years ago, the old man who then lived in the little cottage next to the Ford was working in his garden. He threw an object aside from under a bush - and on hearing my exclamation, gave it to me, obviously amused that I was interested in a piece of old tin.

It was a readily-recognizable fragment of a German rifle-cleaning kit.....



...shown here next to an unissued one. The brass hinges still work. Yes, it's an old beaten-up piece of junk, but it was found just five paces from Moissy Ford.

It was THERE...........

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

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Members of the Dutch Resistance with 101st AB, Eindhoven. Operation Market Garden.

Scott

I remember our conversation well Martin.
I also remember setting my eyes to 'scan mode' after you had pointed out the spot where you found the cleaning kit case...to no avail...

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Regards
John

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see" - Winston Churchill

still a nice find anyway .. what do you fellows do with them clean them up
or leave them the war they are for the collection ??
best krieg

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for thow . will be ours someday.we shall have it all
... und mear.......

If 'bits' are made from non-ferrous metals I clean them up. But mostly they are made of ferrous material and are so badly rusted by now that vigorous cleaning, wire-brushing etc would simply leave you with a handful of red dust....

So I usually just clean them gently with a light brush and maybe some wire-wool, and then treat with a penetrating oil such as 'WD-40' which inhibits further corrosion.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

warm soap water and a tooth brush are the finest for small and fragile ferous items. I hesitate to use wire-wool because of the scratches and the fact that they can remove paint and text (if left)

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Hi guys, I use stuff called deox c
its made in England and avalible via post from bilt hamber laboratories in Essex, if you want there phone number pm me
you just mix it with warm water and drop in your ferrous metal treasures, follow the instructions and it disolves the oxidisation, its also good on none ferrous metals

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What manner of men are these who wear the Red Beret ?Their duty lies in the van of battle.They are in fact men apart Every man an Emperor.
Field Marshal Montgomery

Neil

thanks for the tip Pegasus. I will meet a specialist this week, he is a real magician: give him a piece of torn and twisted iron , he'll get it fixed . Articulations are saved with intense heating, they burn the rust and the earth but save the metal. It's incredible how he seperates two pieces, that were melted together by fire and rust ,look almost like they were made yesterday.

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Thanks for the tip, Pegasus !

I've checked out their website which looks interesting, & I've gone ahead and ordered some. I look forward to giving it a try.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson