Olive the Austin Seven

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Olive the Austin Seven

Olive the Austin Seven Olive is a 1935 British Army Reconnaissance Vehicle from WW2 An interesting historical note is the role these cars played in the development of the jeep.
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Olive is a converted 1935 Austin 7 Ruby adapted to resemble one of the vehicles possibly
used by the British military in early 1944. It is believed that several of these little cars were also converted, modified and transported by glider across the English channel by either Halifax, Sterling or Albemarle aircraft from an airfield near the south coast and released over occupied northern France with

possibly soldiers from the Royal Signals or SOE, Winston Churchills 'Special Operations Executive'. Their sole aim to gather last minute but valuable intelligence prior to the Normandy landings in June of that year

We are proud of our achievement boasts Olives owner Kim Leachman from Holdenhurst Village near Bournemouth and together with good friend Stuart Hiscock from Queens Park, the two self-confessed petrol heads and Austin Seven enthusiasts have spent many hours of their spare time on her reconstruction. There is no known photographic or historical evidence to confirm the existence of such vehicles says Kim other than that told to me by my late father and grandfather whom themselves worked for Vickers Aviation and Harland and Wolff respectively during the 40's and 50's. Both companies being heavily involved with the war effort and especially Operation Overlord the codename for the D-Day invasion. Stuarts father was an Aircraft Armament Technician in the Royal Air Force

The seventy nine year old Austin has undergone a total bodywork and mechanical restoration using original and reconditioned parts to the specifications of the drawings, sketches and verbal information given to me many years ago by my father. Both he and my grandfather told me convincingly that the vehicles had been obtained and modified locally at Hurn Aerodrome and Airspeed Limited in Christchurch where the Horsa Gliders were manufactured. Horsa gliders were most famously used for the capture of the Pegasus bridge which spans the river Orne in France during the early hours of D-Day. Hurn, once a main staging area for bombers and fighters during WW2 is now better known as Bournemouth International Airport. Airspeed, adjacent to Christchurch airfield, was replaced in the 70's by an Industrial complex and housing estate, but the road still bears the name of Airspeed Way and other surrounding roads have aircraft names. The two seater 750cc 7hp car features a .303 caliber Bren machine gun mounted on a wooden platform in place of the rear seats. A period radio transmitter, morse code unit and field telephone are stored underneath, alongside Walter the Carrier Pigeon in his basket! The American Bantam Company was formed from the American Austin company, which was set up to produce Austin 7's in the USA under license in the 1930's. Bantam used them to develop military cross country scout cars, which led to the jeep prototypes. The Austin 7 Military Tourer can honestly claim to be the original jeep prototype! It is hoped that by building such a mythical vehicle and photographing and videoing its progress it may assist with any historical research of either the vehicles or their mission with military historians. Three years ago, Kim invited the secretary of the Dorset Austin Seven club, Phil Whitter, who carries the authority of the DVLA to officially inspect, date and authenticate the motor car - he was very impressed with Olive says Kim and soon she will be able to display her very own registration number SEZ 1935. Affectionately named 'Olive' after her shade of olive drab green paint, the 1935 Reconnaissance war machine now features a cartoon of Olive Oyl painted on each side of her bonnet with the slogan 'Olive sez 1935!' A short 'step by step' compilation of video clips of the project is to be made available and sent out to any interested TV stations and film makers to review. We would love to be given the opportunity to build another Olive and share the experience with the public added Stuart.

24/01/2020

12/06/2019

Private Partz will drive with Celebrity Nigel Hopcroft, to the C**k & Bottle at Morden, near Wareham, for a Classic Car Show on July 1st at 5.30pm and meet with another Celebrity, Powerboat Racer Michael Mantle, so brmm on down and say hello 👍 and before that, Olive will appear at Victoria School, for a Charity Event with Stuart Hiscock (Sgt.Major C**kup) & famous PlayGirl Front Cover Model Toni Bernard on June 28th😋

12/06/2019

I had the pleasure of driving distinguished war reporter Martin Bell, to open the Southwick D-Day Revival, at Southwick Village near Farham in Hampshire, in my 1935 Austin Seven, the smallest vehicle in the show, where there were many WW2 vehicles on display and the whole village was open to Wartime rememberance and history. Martin will kindly write a foreward in my new book about Olive, that he thought was an absolutely amazing machine. And it was good to see good friends and Vilagers Russ Field and Sue Crook too xx Stuart Hiscock and Hooligan Julian Hiscock www.army7.co.uk

03/09/2018

Olive made an appearance at the Austin 750 Club Bash at Beaulieu in July Photographs by Nick Salmon 2018 and there's Heinrich Himmlers SS Helmet hanging on the Bren's Muzzle courtesy of Herr Geoffrey Gardner.
www.army7.co.uk

01/07/2018

Off to Beaulieu for the largest meeting in the UK of Austin Sevens at the 750cc Club meeting with Olive The Austin Seven. Aboard will be Slim fast team mates Stuart Hiscock Julian Hiscock The Hooligan and Mrs Hooligan Sue Moody There won't be any Chicken/Mushroom Slices as you boys will be drinking gallons of water and taking a strange supplement of keep fit diet gunge as you watch Sue and I eat and enjoy our Foot Longs and other Meaty propper fodder and maybe cake for afters . . . Yummmmm!

24/06/2018

Olive will be at Victoria School in Branksome in support of the Steve Bernard Foundation with Tony Bernard on Friday June 29th and then onto the Austin Seven 750 club meeting on Sunday 1st July at Beaulieu with Yours Truly, plus Stuart Hiscock Hooligan Julian Hiscock and Dutchess Sue Moody.

24/11/2017

I am currently writing a book about Olive and once published I am to donate any royalties any sales may bring, to three charities, that mean a lot to me, namely, The Royal British Legion, Help for Hero's
and the Steve Bernard Foundation, a local Registered Charity, that
helps to provides financial help for Under Priviledged Children. The book, with some illustrations by myself, is about her one off Top Secret
WW2 mission to Northern France, which involved her two man crew, the French Resistance, lead by a
stunning young local woman Madame Monique Denby and a 45 ton German Panzer
Tank, with a vindictive and vengeful crew of four, commanded by German
Waffen-Commander Herr Klaus Dieter Rouch, insistent on hunting Olive down! It
is hoped that from the book, a movie may be undertaken, with a proportion of the
Box Office takings, being awarded to the charities too! The quiet
Dorset village where Olives owner resides and which resembles a small French
hamlet with vintage buildings and old cottages with rolling Farmland and Farm
would be a suitable location and is available for any film production throughout
the year. I await to hear from any wealthy business people, willing to help my cause and to help others too and I Thank You All, Yours, Kim Leachman: 0759 454 7845
www.army7.co.uk

12/11/2017

My eighty year old Austin Seven, who I call Olive and yours truly, both made the final cut, to briefly appear in the new 200 Million Dollar, star studded Movie ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ produced by Sir Kenneth Branagh, who plays Detective Priout, who I have to drive away in the snow, under British Army motorcycle es**rt!

I went along with Jenny Moon and good mate Stuart, who spent many hours, 🙂 helping me rebuild Olive over ten years, one of his brothers, Hooligan Julian Hiscock, who also helped out with Olives paintwork, is looking forward to seeing the film himself on Sunday and I thought it was a brilliant film!

03/11/2016

Olive my '35 Austin Seven, minus Machine Gun (coz the cops get jumpy), returns to Holdenhurst, after a complete brake and steering refit by Glyn Llewellyn and Gary Munn of Munwellyns, Austin Seven Specialist of New Milton - Thanks chaps, propper job! www.army7.co.uk

25/06/2016

Wow, what an honour for my Olive The Austin Seven and myself to be shown in a new hard backed publication 'Union Jack and Jerrycan' written by four German Military Historians and featuring our current Monarch, HRH Queen Elizabeth, Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Viscount 'Monty' Montgomery and HRH King George 6th, let alone me old mate Stuart Hiscock and some fabulous wartime machinery . . what a result . . I feel a proud tear coming on . . . WAHHHHHHHHHHH!

22/06/2016

Private Partz (aka yours truly), took Olive along to Victoria Schools open day in Branksome Park for underprivileged kids with Stuart Hiscock (Major C**kup), to support them and Tony Bernard of the Steve Bernard Foundation, as they had donated twenty grand for a revamped gym and new sports equipment. Good on ya Tone and it's a pleasure to support you your cause! All the kids just loved Olive and having their photo's taken in her seats, wearing her heavy tin helmets, sounding her klaxon and pulling out the pin from the original hand gr***de and passing it to me! I'll bring a spare 6 volt battery next year, so they can sound the klaxon longer too, ha ha! x

19/06/2016

Olive now carries the British Army Reconnaissance Corps insignia

17/06/2016

Olive features in a new WW2 Reconnaissance book by a few German authors including Herr Hagan Seehase - He's kindly sending me a copy, so i'll put some pages up, as soon as i've learned German!

25/04/2016

Olive and her crew of Private Partz Kim Leachman & Sgt. Major C**kup Stuart Hiscock , will be joining Brigadier Tony Bernard at the Victoria School in Branksome on June 22nd for a bit of a recon with the special kids and supporting The Steve Bernard Foundation !

15/03/2016

Olive now has her own webpage!

28/10/2015

Olive the Austin Seven's presence at the Sea View Centre in Parkstone, a busy centre providing leisure and learning opportunities for adults with disabilities and supporting Help for Heroes, helped raise just under £1,000! Here is one of the staff in the driving seat and 'Hero' the bear - ye har!

20/10/2015

Hi Kim,
We met at Claire Light’s Blitz Bash at West Parley last week.
Just a line as promised, to touch base with you about our event next year, and to ask if you would still be interested in bringing Olive along.
Provisional date(s) are Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 of August 2016, at Moyles Court School, Ringwood. It will probably just be the Saturday, but it would be great to have you there.
The theme is of a wartime RAF Fighter Station (as Ibsley was) having an ‘Open Day’ for the families and friends of Personnel stationed there. With music, stalls, dancing, war-ops, and flypasts, our first one, back in 2012, was a very popular event for local people for whom the airfield Control Tower (which our organisation is dedicated to restore and conserve, eventually turning it into a museum) is a treasured landmark.
Please click on the link for a little film a local person made of the event, and have a look around our page by typing RAF Ibsley AIRFIELD HERITAGE TRUST.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_OWGZA86zU
I’ve added your details to our database, and will be in touch a little nearer the time.
With kind regards,
Emma
Emma Blake
Director and Social Media Coordinator
RAF Ibsley AIRFIELD HERITAGE TRUST
A charitable company limited

2012 RAF Ibsley Revival Day at Moyles Court in Hampshire. Opened by and featuring an interview with racing commentator Murray Walker OBE.

30/09/2015

Behind Olives seats you will find Walter the Carrier Pigeon, a 1941 Shortband Radio, 1944 Field Telephone and Morse Code Set, which was being rewired, plus one of three brass Fire Extinguishers!

27/08/2015

Private Partz Had an awesome time with Stuart Hiscock (Sgt. Major C**kup) and Olive the Austin Seven at the Sea View Centre in Parkstone, a busy centre providing leisure and learning opportunities for adults with disabilities and supporting Help for Heroes. Here is 'Hero the Bear', along with some of the centres staff enjoying Olives presence!

20/08/2015

15/08/2015

Olive spent the day with Royal British Legion - Bovington Poppy Dorset Rbl and we had a great time! Kim Leachman (Private Partz) & Stuart Hiscock (Major C**kup).

01/08/2015

Available to support the Royal British Legion www.britishlegion.org.uk & Help for Heroes www.helpforheroes.org Official charities with their fund raising! Kim Leachman's Austin 7.

10/05/2015

A link to her webpage, which contains more in depth info and history!

http://www.austin7.plus.com/recon.htm

09/05/2015

Remembering all the fallen and injured souls from WW2.

29/11/2014

We took Olive along to The Moose Hall Christmas Fayre in Charminster, where she was enjoyed by one and all!

09/11/2014

Olive sez "Wear yours with Pride"!

Address

Bournemouth
BH80EE

Website

http://www.army7.co.uk/

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