Victor is my hero.

by eddie Thu Feb 04, 2021 11:31 pm

Sadly taken from us on 2nd February 2021.
Never to be forgotten.

Sleep well my loyal friend.

by eddie Thu Feb 04, 2021 11:56 pm

When he arrived at our house in his vintage Range Rover...and the smile on his face when he saw us.
Ben took this photo.

We ate sea bass at a local restaurant and chatted about his family and his love of hunting - which I hotly debated! He told Ben and I how he’d watched our romance blossoming simply because he watched our language.

He was a wise old bastard.

by Ben Reilly Thu Feb 04, 2021 11:59 pm

He was a cantankerous old weirdo who we're all privileged to have gotten the chance to know. I wish I could still talk to him, and I only met him in person that one day. I can only imagine the pain of those who lived with him and loved him.

by gelico Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:16 am

eddie wrote:When he arrived at our house in his vintage Range Rover...and the smile on his face when he saw us.
Ben took this photo.

We ate sea bass at a local restaurant and chatted about his family and his love of hunting - which I hotly debated! He told Ben and I how he’d watched our romance blossoming simply because he watched our language.

He was a wise old bastard.

OMG he looks like Santa

what a lovely face, full of joy and kindness

thank you eddie

you and ben just bless the fact that you got to spend some quality time with a good bloke and his wife

by Maddog Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:15 am

I'll use this be a reminder to take the effort to go see people I care about. Life is fleeting.

by Fred Moletrousers Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:58 pm

eddie wrote:When he arrived at our house in his vintage Range Rover...and the smile on his face when he saw us.
Ben took this photo.

We ate sea bass at a local restaurant and chatted about his family and his love of hunting - which I hotly debated! He told Ben and I how he’d watched our romance blossoming simply because he watched our language.

He was a wise old bastard.

That photograph is just as I had imagined Vic to have been, and I am just so sorry that we, too, could not have met for a good old East Anglian mardle ( for which read waffle!) about our shared loves of countryside and old vehicles.

And having said that, Eddie, I know that the old boy is up there just willing me to take you gently to task over one little thing: That “vintage Range Rover” is a LAND Rover!!! Purists of the marque like he and I would get quite upset over that. My profile pic is a true vintage Landie - and even older than Vic’s.

Mind you, you didn’t commit the ultimate sin of calling that beautiful old beast (the vehicle, not Vic of course!) a jeep!!!!!!!!!!!

by Original Quill Fri Feb 05, 2021 6:24 pm

Priceless! Laughing

But the Bantam/Willy's/Ford Jeep (actually, GP, for "General Personnel" vehicle) started it all. https://www.jeep.com/history/1940s.html

Victor is my hero. 2018-Jeep-History-1940s-Pillar-Willys-Quad.jpg.image.1000

Victor is my hero. 2018-Jeep-History-1940s-Pillar-Willys-Quad.jpg.image.1000

by Didgee Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:10 pm

Best tribute thread

Thank you Eddie

Still in shock we have lost another forum family member

That is two well respected people we have know who are now gone

Irn and Vic

Both giants of men

I will never forget both of them, but my heart is in pain that no longer either of them will be here to tell me to shut the fuck up, when I was being a pain in the arse Sad

The memories of you both will never fade

I like to think Vic is now with his ancestors looking down on all of us wishing us well and wanting us all to be happy

A tribute to Vic, he loved "war of the worlds"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmKqk2y_wwg

by HoratioTarr Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:37 pm

eddie wrote:When he arrived at our house in his vintage Range Rover...and the smile on his face when he saw us.
Ben took this photo.

We ate sea bass at a local restaurant and chatted about his family and his love of hunting - which I hotly debated! He told Ben and I how he’d watched our romance blossoming simply because he watched our language.

He was a wise old bastard.

It's always nice to see the faces of people you post with on forums. I bet he crammed a lot into his life too.

by Syl Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:23 am

HoratioTarr wrote:
eddie wrote:When he arrived at our house in his vintage Range Rover...and the smile on his face when he saw us.
Ben took this photo.

We ate sea bass at a local restaurant and chatted about his family and his love of hunting - which I hotly debated! He told Ben and I how he’d watched our romance blossoming simply because he watched our language.

He was a wise old bastard.

It's always nice to see the faces of people you post with on forums. I bet he crammed a lot into his life too.

I agree....and Vic had a lovely face.

He reminds me of a character John Thaw played on a TV film called Goodnight Mr Tom.

by Cass Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:47 am

What smashing pictures of him. I remember the first time I saw him and I thought yup, that’s our Vic.

I keep taking out his pen and looking at getting all teary, fool that I am. I haven’t written much with it since he made it for me because I was afraid I would lose it. Now it’s even more precious.

by Fred Moletrousers Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:10 pm

Original Quill wrote:Priceless! But the Bantam/Willy's/Ford Jeep (actually, GP, for "General Personnel" vehicle) started it all. https://www.jeep.com/history/1940s.html

Quite right, Quill. Rover Motor Company technical director Maurice Wilks bought an old WW2 US Army Overland Willys Jeep (general purpose vehicle) for his family farm just after the end of the war and realised that its rough terrain capabilities would make it ideal as a farmer’s vehicle.

So he designed a similar car with a more reliable Rover engine and, because of strict rationing of steel but abundant supplies of aircraft grade aluminium, rust resistant aluminium bodywork. He also added power take off points to operate various agricultural machines and special gearing so that it could crawl at low speed and in all wheel drive through ground conditions that would see everything but a tractor hopelessly bogged down.

Land Rover folklore is that he drew the prototype design in the sand on a Welsh beach near his home, and within little more than a year the first true Land Rover was revealed to Rover Company directors in late 1947. Weirdly, the steering wheel was in the middle of the car in front of the bench seat!

The iconic Series 1 was introduced in 1947/8 and I learned to drive on a 1951 model! I’m on my fourth Landie, a fully restored 1971 Series 2a. I think Vic’s Land Rover in that picture is a much more recent Defender and from the paint job seems to be ex-military.

But refer to one as a Jeep at my local Land Rover club and you’re fined a fiver on the spot. Do it a second time and it’s drinks all round!

And I’ll bet dear old Vic would have heartily approved of that.

by gelico Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:11 pm

Syl wrote:
HoratioTarr wrote:

It's always nice to see the faces of people you post with on forums. I bet he crammed a lot into his life too.
I agree....and Vic had a lovely face.

He reminds me of a character John Thaw played on a TV film called Goodnight Mr Tom.

I've just been trawling back through some of vic's posts.

opinionated, forthright, sometimes a bit brutal, very fair, level headed, down to earth, passionate with a huge heart and a great sense of humour

i get the Mr Tom reference

Goodnight Mr Tom was one of the sweetest most heart rending films i've seen.

even hubby cried at that one

lol!

by Syl Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:20 pm

Snap....I have been reading some old threads too.
It was a nice distraction from doing what I should be doing. Laughing

Laters. x

by Original Quill Sat Feb 06, 2021 5:15 pm

You are correct, Fred, in that the term Jeep was linked to "General Purpose" once it became a land vehicle. But it originally the term 'Jeep' referred to personnel:

Wiki wrote:Prior to 1940 the term "jeep" had been used as U.S. Army slang for new recruits or vehicles, but the World War II "jeep" that went into production in 1941 specifically tied the name to this light military 4x4, arguably making them the oldest four-wheel drive mass-production vehicles now known as SUVs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep

The idea of the term 'Jeep' as applied to military personnel was that they were new and raw, and therefore capable of being molded. When the term came to be applied to the vehicle, the reference evolved from General Personnel to General Purpose. Recruits, who were capable of being molded, when applied to mechanical vehicles, became multi-purpose or General Purpose…hence, the change. As I understand it, that is the evolution of the term 'Jeep'…but it’s all only folklore. Today, the term is utility, as in Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV’s).

The first one was built in 1939 by the American Bantam Company, and was designated the Bantam Reconnaissance Car (BRC). The Willy's-Overland and Ford Companies became involved at the insistence of the US Government, over fears that the Bantam Company was too small to deliver in wartime. The government gave the Bantam design to the Willy's and Ford companies, and it turned out that the Willy's "Go-Devil" engine was superior, and won the competition. Forever after, it became the Willy's Jeep.

Fascinating to read the Rover part of the story.

by eddie Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:55 pm

I’m finding it difficult to post on threads at the moment because I feel like I’m doing him some sort of disservice.

I’ve been in contact with his stepdaughter, lovely woman, I’ve told her that I’ll send her the tributes.

She’s heartbroken. She said he was her best friend...which shows how much of an impact he made upon her life.
I also know he used to take his grandkids to school and pick them up a few times a week. Those poor kids will miss him terribly.

by gelico Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:00 am

eddie wrote:I’m finding it difficult to post on threads at the moment because I feel like I’m doing him some sort of disservice.

I’ve been in contact with his stepdaughter, lovely woman, I’ve to,s her that I’ll send her the tributes.

She’s heartbroken. She said he was her best friend...which shows how much of an impact he made upon her life.
I also know he used to take his grandkids to school and pick them up a few times a week. Those poor kids will miss him terribly.

i feel that way about my dad eddie. nothing i say could be good enough for him.

please let them know vic made an impact here too and how much he is missed already

truly such a sad loss and just doesn't seem real that he won't ever post again

hard to get my head around but much harder on you.

you got close behind the scenes and knew him far better and far longer than me

i feel for you edds xx

by gelico Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:01 am

eddie wrote:I’m finding it difficult to post on threads at the moment because I feel like I’m doing him some sort of disservice.

I’ve been in contact with his stepdaughter, lovely woman, I’ve to,s her that I’ll send her the tributes.

She’s heartbroken. She said he was her best friend...which shows how much of an impact he made upon her life.
I also know he used to take his grandkids to school and pick them up a few times a week. Those poor kids will miss him terribly.

re: funeral/wake

i know it's early days but at some point maybe you could ask if vic had a favourite charity that he supported at all

i would be happy to make a donation in his honour

by eddie Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:04 am

gelico wrote:
eddie wrote:I’m finding it difficult to post on threads at the moment because I feel like I’m doing him some sort of disservice.

I’ve been in contact with his stepdaughter, lovely woman, I’ve to,s her that I’ll send her the tributes.

She’s heartbroken. She said he was her best friend...which shows how much of an impact he made upon her life.
I also know he used to take his grandkids to school and pick them up a few times a week. Those poor kids will miss him terribly.

re: funeral/wake

i know it's early days but at some point maybe you could ask if vic had a favourite charity that he supported at all

i would be happy to make a donation in his honour

I will ask his wife or stepdaughter. That’s a lovely idea Gels x

by gelico Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:11 am

eddie wrote:
gelico wrote:

re: funeral/wake

i know it's early days but at some point maybe you could ask if vic had a favourite charity that he supported at all

i would be happy to make a donation in his honour

I will ask his wife or stepdaughter. That’s a lovely idea Gels x

before covid my dad always said that when he died he would insist that no one wasted money on poncey flowers that would be dead within days. he said ''i would rather they put the money behind the bar and had a bloody good piss up''

obviously, there was no bar or piss up when he died funeral numbers were limited but he did support charities so we got folk to donate to RNLI and National Trust in his name.

It makes more sense on a rational basis and what with vic being a lover of natural woodland mayhap he would rather the flowers stay where they are and instead of that we could do someone a bit of good in his name

by eddie Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:22 am

I agree with your wise father, Gels. I have messaged his stepdaughter about his favourite charity.
I’ll let you know when I hear back. It was a great idea of yours, thank you x

by Cass Sun Feb 07, 2021 1:05 am

eddie wrote:I’m finding it difficult to post on threads at the moment because I feel like I’m doing him some sort of disservice.

I’ve been in contact with his stepdaughter, lovely woman, I’ve told her that I’ll send her the tributes.

She’s heartbroken. She said he was her best friend...which shows how much of an impact he made upon her life.
I also know he used to take his grandkids to school and pick them up a few times a week. Those poor kids will miss him terribly.

Now I’m bawling again!

by eddie Sun Feb 07, 2021 1:13 am

Cass wrote:
eddie wrote:I’m finding it difficult to post on threads at the moment because I feel like I’m doing him some sort of disservice.

I’ve been in contact with his stepdaughter, lovely woman, I’ve told her that I’ll send her the tributes.

She’s heartbroken. She said he was her best friend...which shows how much of an impact he made upon her life.
I also know he used to take his grandkids to school and pick them up a few times a week. Those poor kids will miss him terribly.

Now I’m bawling again!

Cass, I’ve been just feeling deeply sad, I can’t imagine not speaking to him again. His silly little messages to me on messenger, his little jokes in the mod section, his fatherly protection towards me...

I wish I’d told him how much I really cared.

by Cass Sun Feb 07, 2021 1:42 am

eddie wrote:
Cass wrote:

Now I’m bawling again!

Cass, I’ve been just feeling deeply sad, I can’t imagine not speaking to him again. His silly little messages to me on messenger, his little jokes in the mod section, his fatherly protection towards me...

I wish I’d told him how much I really cared.

Me too. I told another online friend how sad I was about him, and bless her heart she sent me a selection of tea as a present to cheer me up. Which just made me cry again!

It’s so weird having this feeling about someone I have never met in person. I suppose I would feel that way about you since I’ve known you for what, 12 years?? (That has just made me feel so old!)

He knew. He really did know.

If anything can come of this, it’s a reminder to hug, touch and hold your loved ones because we can and should do so more often.

I’m so glad Gels mentioned the charity. I had been thinking about contacting his wife to ask the same thing.

by eddie Sun Feb 07, 2021 2:02 am

Cass wrote:
eddie wrote:
Cass wrote:

Now I’m bawling again!

Cass, I’ve been just feeling deeply sad, I can’t imagine not speaking to him again. His silly little messages to me on messenger, his little jokes in the mod section, his fatherly protection towards me...

I wish I’d told him how much I really cared.

Me too. I told another online friend how sad I was about him, and bless her heart she sent me a selection of tea as a present to cheer me up. Which just made me cry again!

It’s so weird having this feeling about someone I have never met in person. I suppose I would feel that way about you since I’ve known you for what, 12 years?? (That has just made me feel so old!)

He knew. He really did know.

If anything can come of this, it’s a reminder to hug, touch and hold your loved ones because we can and should do so more often.

I’m so glad Gels mentioned the charity. I had been thinking about contacting his wife to ask the same thing.

If you go to the section “secure news” I’ve posted up the link his wife gave me.

We’ve know each other online about 13 years now. X

by eddie Sun Feb 07, 2021 2:08 am

Please see thread in “Secure news” for donation thread.

Thank you.

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