Stratford upon avon

I stood outside listening to a guide explaining to some Americans that this was "almost certainly" the house that Shakespeare was born in. The house WAS his but they cannot prove he was born there

This is deceptively small on the outside but when you go in, and upstairs it opens up into a very large multi roomed building full of antiques including this 1972 D Sqn 1 RTR mug (below).
I was in the Sqn at the time of its issue. Only 100 or so were ever made made.

The first one man tank - a suit of armour for sale in the antiques shop - slightly rusted too!

A 1944 Russian Maxim Gun in the Military Antique Section of the same shop serial 876. See below also.

The passengers relax whilst the ferry man turns the crank winding us across the river

One of the best Butterfly collections I have been lucky enough to see. Iguanas, birds and spiders live there too as well as other items.

Stratford-upon-Avon Tourist Information Centre
Bridgefoot, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6GW. Tel: 01789 293127

Here is the gun in Henley Street Stratford almost certainly used by the Chinese or North Korean Forces.

"Goodbye to All That"
Roy Briggs on 01789 262906

Sokolov Pulemyot Maxima
*Operation*	Automatic only, recoil operated, water-cooled
*Caliber*	7.62mm
*Ammunition*	Heavy Ball M1930; 185 gr bullet, 50 gr charge
*Muzzle velocity*	2830 fps
*Capacity*	250-round fabric belt
*Weight*	52.8 lbs, unloaded
*Weight*	99.71 lbs, approx, with shield and water
*Overall length*	43.6 in
*Barrel length*	28.4 in, 4 grooves, right hand twist
*Rate of fire*	520-580 rpm
*Effective range*	1000m (1100 yds)

The above weapon, the last version of the PM 1910, was produced in vast numbers and was widely used by the North Koreans and the CCF in the Korean War. Still in use in the 70's, it is probably the longest-lived of the Maxim variants.

Like most Soviet Maxims, the above model has the "Sokolov" mounting, a pair of wheels supporting a large turntable to allow traversing, and a U-shaped trail. The CCF and North Koreans frequently were fitted with a steel shield. (See Photo). It added greatly to the weight, but did give some protection against the ferocious counter-fire of UN forces, and also increased the weapon's already considerable stability. This was the best gun the CCF had in during the 1st year of the Korean War. For winter warfare there was a sled fitting, and all models could be fitted with drag ropes, and anti freeze in the jacket helped give this heavy machine gun great all-weather reliability. I have since seen an image of Zhukov crouched behind this weapon WITH shield in place on the road to Berlin.

Sokolov Pulemyot Maxima