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Military Odyssey-Kent UK August Bank Holiday Weekend

roller63

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Just wondering how many members went to the Military Odyssey in Kent last weekend ? as I have not seen it mentioned on here,
could not go myself and wondered if anyone managed to pick up anything interesting ? Tony.
 
Went up there on Thursday as i only live 5 mins away to buy my arm band as i have done ever since it started and was told a arm band would now cost me 75 for the 3 days, walked out and went on holiday.

i will never go to that fair again.

Dave
 
I went for a look round. I found a nice 12 Pounder 12 Cwt case made in 1898 which still had it's primer. Also a nice 6 Pounder made in 1903.
 
Went on the Saturday. Picked up some good stuff, mainly swaps and had a great day.

Dave.
 
I was there with John, found nothing special, but was good to meet some good friends, Ben
 
Went on Sunday and purchased a Royal Navy 4.7" cartridge case with intact primer. salvaged from the wreak of H.M. destroyer Grafton. We will be firing this one in the 4.7" Mk IX gun at Explosion museum in Gosport.
This fair is expensive for it's content and is the poor relation of the War & peace show.
 
The price for a pitch is 220 pounds, even more than the War and Peace show, most sellers will not go anymore, make the price for a Pitch 75 and you will have plenty of sellers with intresting items, will not go there anymore, Ben
 
I went for the first time this year and took my son along too, he absolutely loved it (so did I), it was his first decent sized arms fair. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Bens tables full of goodies!! That's the sort of thing that keeps our hobby alive and in true style he managed to wipe out his bank account too!

Its such a shame that its so expensive for the stall holders, surely the organisers can see its better to charge less and get more people there. Perhaps there's someone out there on BOCN who can have a word with them.......

Dave.
 
I went for the first time this year and took my son along too, he absolutely loved it (so did I), it was his first decent sized arms fair. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Bens tables full of goodies!! That's the sort of thing that keeps our hobby alive and in true style he managed to wipe out his bank account too!

Its such a shame that its so expensive for the stall holders, surely the organisers can see its better to charge less and get more people there. Perhaps there's someone out there on BOCN who can have a word with them.......

Dave.

No chance Dave i bet...Greed is good is what they think. It is a shame that prices are whacked up so high. Glad i havnt bothered with Detling now.

best

waff
 
I was there for Saturday and came back with some nice stuff, two 15s, two 38s, a 35 and a 25B - thanks to Ben - and a few other bits and pieces. Also met briefly Spotter & Skippy. However the day was spoilt by a stomach-ache from eating some overpriced, undigestable crap that passed for a hot-dog. It's a bloody shame that traders are likely to get priced out. And another hazard for dealers I noticed this year was a couple of HM Customs officials touring the site siezing items on the basis of some obscure legal technicality.
 
Yes they have tried to take items from me too, but after some talking and showing the UK law i had no problems anymore.
 
Thanks for an interesting mix of comments, I have never been to this show and it looks like I may have left it too late to attend in the future, mind you it is supposed to be more for the re-inactors and I am sure it is a great event for them. To be honest, Beltring is somewhere I have been attending for many years and I usually come home from there empty handed ! Tony.
 
And another hazard for dealers I noticed this year was a couple of HM Customs officials touring the site siezing items on the basis of some obscure legal technicality.

I wonder how much of that stuff ended up on display in those officials' houses?

Was it ordnance in particular hat they were siezing?
 
I wonder how much of that stuff ended up on display in those officials' houses?

Was it ordnance in particular hat they were siezing?

All I can say that whilst visiting a dealer (whose privacy I will respect by not naming him) I saw two Customs gentlemen helping themselves to inert, relic German WW2 S-mines and parts thereof. Apparently it is illegal to deal in anti-personnel mines and parts thereof. Obviously law must be referring to modern weapons, and one is reminded of the cleaning-up problems associated with these devices after recent conflicts. I can't believe it was ever intended to apply to inert rusty relics from WW2. However I am largely ignorant here. I did mention this episode to someone more knowlegeable than me; his reply suggested strongly that the Customs men were acting outside their remit.

T.
 
Yes they have tried to take items from me too, but after some talking and showing the UK law i had no problems anymore.

Do you mind if I ask what items they were interested in Ben?

How did they they try to take action? For example did they show identification and state under what legislation they were acting.

PC
 
All I can say that whilst visiting a dealer (whose privacy I will respect by not naming him) I saw two Customs gentlemen helping themselves to inert, relic German WW2 S-mines and parts thereof. Apparently it is illegal to deal in anti-personnel mines and parts thereof. Obviously law must be referring to modern weapons, and one is reminded of the cleaning-up problems associated with these devices after recent conflicts. I can't believe it was ever intended to apply to inert rusty relics from WW2. However I am largely ignorant here. I did mention this episode to someone more knowlegeable than me; his reply suggested strongly that the Customs men were acting outside their remit.

T.

I have come to the conclusion that those that make (and enforce) the rules are probably just as corrupt, if not more so, than the likes of us who they claim to be keeping in line. This is right from the bottom level to the top. A look at the MPs and their expenses claims (and the rules they make for themselves of course) should confirm this.
 
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The legislation that the HMRC officers were enforcing was the 1998 Landmines Act which was the UK's method of implementing the international ban on landmines. The legislation basically prohibits the possession of anti-personnel mines ( not a/tank or a/vehicle). It also makes it an offence to acquire or possess any part of an a/pers mine. The legislation did not include any reference to historical munitions nor did it create a start point from which all items would be captured.
So in basic terms the possession of an empty inert body of a a/pers mine from whatever era would be prohibited under the 1998 Act as would possession of an arming spring or inert fuze mechanism for an a/pers mine.

HMRC are the enforcing authority for the Act and they routinely visit arms fairs and militaria auctions etc.

To play devils advocate - The Act has been in force since 1998 - it is every persons duty to comply with the law - its not like this is something new.
 
I have just had a look through the 1998 Landmines act and if the customs guys were just going around lifting items then I can't see how they were acting within their powers of enforcement.

It would appear that if they were removing items under section 2 then they should have served a notice under section 7.

PC
 
StielGr,

Basically the owner has the option i) surrender the item - and that's the end of it. or ii) Be prosecuted for it and the HMRC will invoke some of their lovely arsenal of legislation such as Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 - its a prohibited item that's been imported into the UK so they can seize the vehicle/vessel used to import/transport it if they so wish, etc., etc.

Regards

TimG
 
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