BuckbyLocks

When I first took Victoria to London I was told it was Henry that was a gunnite boat. Henry is the one Royalty motor that seems to have vanished and I always wondered if it had been cut down to do that job. Remember Jay rebuilding Prince in Gas St.

I haven't got my Engine Manual to hand, but I think the JS was a stationary engine, the JP was the 22 Hp Marine version and the JK was an uprated version giving more power and having a dry sump. JKs were certainly more powerful. There was one fitted in the modern boat Dove in the early 70s and it motored extremely well.

Hardy is what it says on the label on the cabin.

Hilmorton I think Paul. I remember Doug fretting because working hours were very restricted there.

Doug is the one in the hat, and Kate is in the black skirt doing the polishing. It was probably the year that the signwriting was done. All I know is that that pile of stone by the boats was a B****** to unload.

Photos were taken in May 1944.

Thanks Pete. These films were often put together from several bits of original filming and Betty and Mary certainly had Vela for quite some time. Often what are quoted as 'New Trainees' were old hands who happened to be available when the film crew turned up.

Well, not in my copy of that film Ray. but looks like Serpens and as I identified the crew in the first place I agree with you. Betty had Deimos and Vela mush of the time before she broke an ankle or leg and returned to the Bank. Kit Gayford and Monica Martin, (otherwise known as Frankie) also appear so the unidentified motor may be Battersea. Having looked again though it probably is Uttoxeter. Back to square one. I can see rivets.

It is difficult to come up with a complete list of boats worked by the Canal Boatwomen Trainees as pairings and crews changed quite a lot during the 3 years they were in operation. In addition to those noted by Peter Harrison above, I can add BAINTON and SALTLEY, HYPERION and NEBULAE, HERCULES and CETUS, later HYPERION and CETUS, but note CETUS also worked with CERES with a different crew of Women. COROLLA and ASTRA(E)A PAVO replaced UTTOXETER after the V2 attack on City Road damaged Uttoxeter. I also have a film showing Trainees on SERPENS with an unidentified Motor, but have no other reference to that. The Captions in 'Troubled Waters' are notoriously inaccurate - ALCOR was a Fireboat so is unlikely to have been used for carrying and an author who is writing about Olga advises me not to put too much trust in anything she is supposed to have said. I knew Olga and tend to agree with him. None of the other Trainees I have spoken to have ever mentioned Cassiopeia as being one of theirs. It would help tremendously if someone could come up with more 'Manning Lists' from the quarterly reports kept by GUCCC!

No idea about Arteries of Commerce - I only have the softback reprint, but the GU Canal is one of a number published by Canal Companies. I do not know how many, but I have the Leeds and Liverpool and the Aire and Calder as well as the GU. I am in the middle of a shelf rearrange at the moment so cannot lay my hands on the Aire and Calder, but I have that catalogued as 1937. One of the adverts in the GU one shows the Butty Tiverton, which was not built until early 37 according to the lists so the earliest date for that one has to be post February 37.

It spent quite a long time at Keays Yard before the Foulkes' bought it. It certainly had an AS3 in it at that time because I helped change the oil on it before the sale was completed.

In Northants it was Will's Mother, not Bill. but I had never heard of the Nen, only the Nene.

Stover Canal Graving Dock appears to look very similar., although only on one side.

There are dry docks built like this in mainland Europe, which actually operate above the working lock by raising the area temporarily, but I think this is really just a means of creating a reservoir for the next locks. Don't believe it is a passing place at all.

The Bottom Road was specific to the Garrison, Minworth, Curdworth, Glascote and Atherstone route to the Coventry Coalfields. I have never encountered the term being used for the Oxford route. Knowle Locks are the Middle Road and the North Stratford the Top Road, rarely used because of the state of the cut during the latter years of carrying.

At one time the Canal Museum were in negotiations with the Ragdoll organisation over the boat/series, but nothing came out of this. however, Stoke Bruerne does have an Anderson Shelter on display, or certainly did recently.

I am probably biased, having seen the show develop over a couple of years but I think it improves with every performance and look forward to the next one I can attend.

This is neither cheap or easy to repair.

Yes Derek, it is Peacock. John kept a lot of his 'stuff' in the shed under the corner of the bridge. Last time I saw the metal bits of the bridge they were in Portsmouth but have no idea as to their current location(s).

Someone on here will be able to confirm this is Water Rambler - it has been discussed in this forum before but I am not familiar with the search facility. Plenty of images exist of Rambler and I believe that this is indeed it.

Leaving a windlass on a paddle is another! I too remember Vulpes many moons ago.

No padlock keys needed for this example in Norwich over the river. Same idea though.

Yes indeed Derek. Post 90's the towpaths around Spon Lane were cleaned up and new access gates were fitted, only to be very firmly padlocked again because of the drug problems et al around there. We took a small coach load to explore the canals there last year and had to walk rather longer than we wanted because of the restricted access. (Even I can't climb over fences now.) CRT's map still showed access where it was padlocked off - I pointed the error out but haven't checked to see if it has been changed.

There were several fire doors in Gas Street as well as the access door. One was alongside said door and I think the framework for it may still be visible. The derelict arms there still had the doors in place until they were filled in. Most of the access doors around the Thirteen were very firmly locked in the early 70s, Gas St. being the exception, and you had to find a broken fence to escape the towpath. Keys to the firedoors were of limited use as the doors were always over the water. The river bridges through Norwich also show a way of getting fire hoses from the roads to water, including one by the Castle Shopping Centre which now crosses a road!