Well, being serious for a moment, I can concur that it would be nice if something can be worked out, but with lawyers at dawn and parties back to back I don't have high hopes.

You could argue that IMPS made the first mistake in letting it go but did their best to protect their interests and limit the timescale; of course 20/20 hindsight now is a wondrous thing. Their chairman, who was not involved in the original deal, is doing the only thing possible in the best interests of IMPS. I expect the show paperwork was done some time ago and perhaps there is some damage limitation going on too, but I have no real idea.

Its also a salutary lesson in illustrating the differences between a for profit venture and the rest of the events genuinely done for philanthropic reasons.

I can tell you that toilets are the single biggest overhead and have more impact than rows of unique MVs; we have 30 laid on this year plus disabled and urinals for the beer tent; at this level we also decided to have permanent on-site attendants too. Its well over 3000 pounds at one hit. I'll let the attendees rate the facility after the event.

In terms of Overlord pictures there is some good news. Apart from despatching the inestimable and esteemed Binnington-Swall, found herein, to compile a montage for the MLU; we have a professional film crew (Flying Films) who are using the show material to complete a commissioned documentary for a TV company, they are going to separately compile the show material into an edited video for us specifically.

As GWB knows, we have a pre-show event which I may as well share with you all now. Close by the show site is a Canadian Memorial, placed by private donation, to commemorate the salute and inspection of troops by KG VI on May 22nd 1944.

This was a big, non-public parade with thousands of RN ratings lining the route as is befitting and to keep the public out; the records we have found say it was the 21st Army Group and so a huge contingent of Canadian 2nd Army would have been there.

The area is within the ambit of Canadian "occupation" and we know from local records that most of the open space here was Canadian encampments; indeed the pre-embarkation movements would have been in motion so possibly the far distant Canadian units may well have been close to hand at this time.

Before every Overlord Show we do a small drive-past of this little known memorial on the anniversary date both out of respect and to gain some publicity, we have the Royal British Legion attend and man the stone with their standards.

The convoy usually consists of whatever we can trawl up from the SMVT members, with Ballard and the DTB F15 at the head, plus Mr. FV623 acts as the tail guard since I can stop impatient cars trying to break into the line with ease.

This special year I decided to ask the Canadian High Commissioner to attend fully expecting a polite refusal, however, he has commanded his rep, a serving Canadian officer on detachment at Blandford Sigs Camp, to attend and take the salute.

I'm also determined that we will have WWII vehicles only and if at all possible a majority of CMPs. We already have the police on-board for a short duration road closure too.

In the last week we find the local authority has started work on a re-dedication of the stone after its vandalisation last year which I find nationally and privately shameful; it is a sad indication of the society we now find ourselves in but perhaps perversely because of the supreme efforts of the people these memorials celebrate, then these ignorant and mindless vandal types are indeed free to do such things and stay alive; it would have been very different under another regime.

So, we are combining the re-dedication and salute event under the auspices of the Solent Area MVT and making a much bigger show out of it, certainly the media will be there and again our documentary sponsor, Flying Films, will be on hand to do an in-depth record.

There is no chance of Ball-Spinny taking pictures for you as I have him firmly planted in a CMP replete in correct WWII Canadian uniform, neither can I do it since it would seem to be one of those rare occasions when I'm going to be obliged to find the jacket and tie in the back of the wardrobe.

We expect Flying Films to make this celebration the opening piece to their Overlord video and I hope it is a reasonably priced affair.

Now, further to this I have made contact with all the CMP suspects I know and am pleading for their attendance with an expenses carrot too, but any I have missed that could be here for the day on May 22nd I'd like to hear from.

All the best,

R.