Mighty Holbrook H20

[Laurie Tedcastle]

Both are Herbert engineered which is a good thing as Herbert’s pedigree is impeccable making indestructible turret lathes to the super accurate iron fist in a velvet glove Devlieg

Clive,
I'm not so sure. After Herbert's took over Holbrook, I was involved in putting all the parts lists and manufacturing processes onto our computer system. This was never completed before Holbrook manufacture ceased. Also, at that time our designers were up to their ears in new cnc designs and I'm sure we didn't have anyone spare to send down to Harlow. However, if you have evidence to contradict my memory of the time I would be very interested.
Laurie

 

[pressbrake1]

Clive,
I'm not so sure. After Herbert's took over Holbrook, I was involved in putting all the parts lists and manufacturing processes onto our computer system. This was never completed before Holbrook manufacture ceased. Also, at that time our designers were up to their ears in new cnc designs and I'm sure we didn't have anyone spare to send down to Harlow. However, if you have evidence to contradict my memory of the time I would be very interested.
Laurie

I have vague memories of a Herbert engineer in charge . Obviously this was all over before I was born

 

[Laurie Tedcastle]

I have vague memories of a Herbert engineer in charge . Obviously this was all over before I was born

Yes Clive, I keep forgetting just how long ago (about 49 years!) this all was. So you may well be correct.
Laurie

 

[Wedg1e]

I really lusted after the H17/H20, but being poor had to have a C13 instead...

While I was cleaning it up preparing to refurb, I discovered an asset tag from the ARDE (Armaments Research and Development Establishment) - Fort Halstead, where my grandad worked as senior toolmaker in the early 1950s when it was delivered, and would have been using it, so it's likely it's come back into the family... I confess that made me shiver a bit.

The Fort has recently closed and is being redeveloped as swanky living quarters for IT types, former PMs' wives and oligarchs (nobody else will have enough money ).
'Allegedly', as they say, various buildings and installations of special scientific interest were quietly scrapped and demolished before preservation societies got involved and bu993red the plans... including the building where the detonator for Britain's first atom bomb was assembled, and a massive wind tunnel relieved from Germany at the end of WW2 - an overhead crane still had the Nazi emblem, albeit painted over.
There was also a slab of steel cut from the belt armour of Tirpitz which mysteriously disappeared, nobody's sure how as it was about a yard square and 2 feet thick, used to reside in the entrance lobby of a particular building. When I saw it, I thought it was a chunk of rock. And no, it didn't end up in my van
I bet someone had fun removing the x-ray bay door though... it weighed 40T (it's replacement, elsewhere, weighs 130T).

 

[minimutly]

Where I was an apprentice had a steel floor "rescued" from the Germans after Ww2, whilst the cameras that were used to track missile tests were Kinetheodelites, apparently also Ww2 German rescued...