URGENT - MIKE PRIESTNERS 89 KEY MARENGHI STOLEN TODAY!

I have just got back from the monthly meeting of the Bedford Steam Engine Presevation Society and everyone is aware of this theft. The concensus of opinion tho' is bad news. All at the club feel sure it was taken for the Bedford TK parts.The thieves, not being aware of what was in the truck, and being unable to dispose of it once they discovered what was in there , leads everyone to believe that Lady Hamilton will never been seen again. Its all wood and how do you dispose of wood?. Put a match to it

URGENT - MIKE PRIESTNERS 89 KEY MARENGHI STOLEN TODAY!
Hello all As Bob says this is a possibility and there is a large market for TK parts BUT we just do not know anything for sure. I had a very constructive email offering support from my good friend Willem Kelders just a little while ago and he reminded me of the theft of Mr Dunger's Bruder barrel organ in Holland - this organ was gone for almost a year and few people held out any hope of seeing it again BUT then it suddenly resurfaced completely undamaged and is now safely back with its very happy owner - this is why we must not give up hope as if we start to believe it is too late then we will stop being vigilant in our search for it. Best wishes, Trevor.

URGENT - MIKE PRIESTNERS 89 KEY MARENGHI STOLEN TODAY!
Hello all, A quick update - 'Lady Hamilton' remains missing but efforts to recover her are gaining momentum. Today we have had another boost to the search as I have managed to get VOSA's central command to inform all of their regional patrols of the theft and also to get it passed onto their regional intelligence unit. Best wishes, Trevor.

I've posted a note on the MMD as I can't see one there yet. I've said that anyone with information or lead should simply feel free to contact here privately in the stric-*test*-('") confidence as it may be possible to resolve things amicably were the right people to step forward in due course. The main thing is the return of the organ to the family who treasure it and give so many other people so much pleasure every year listening to it. Sadly, with what's going on in the UK at the moment it is fair to assume that the police WON'T be giving this any major effort at all whatever you may get told. From a police priority perspective : the van and organ were insured and nobody came to any personal harm. What else can be done? Anyone got any video clip of the organ? Stick it on YouTube maybe with a brief note to get in contact if...etc etc. Maybe if everyone uploads all the photos they have of the organ on the www.flickr.com site also? If there are enough put in (and also on YouTube) you could actually make this the most easily recognized organ in cyberspace in about 24 hours! Get to it! I'm happy to put a note on my own website about it (though it's predominantly other automatic musical instruments) but FOPS, MOOS, KDV, AMICA and various other private sites might all be able to assist if approached. What about any Bedford and vintage vehicle enthusiast websites? It is they, probably more than others, that need to be approached for assistance. What about Old Glory magazine? World's Fair even - it's weekly for starters though too late for this week. Good luck! Adam

URGENT - MIKE PRIESTNERS 89 KEY MARENGHI STOLEN TODAY!
Hello all, Thank you Adam for some very good suggestions - particuarly the youtube and flick r ideas, perhaps our members with accounts to these sites and suitable images/footage could get the ball rolling?. Also, thanks for placing a piece on the MMD. With regard to Adam's suggestions of other groups to alert, the KDV website now carries a piece thanks to Hans Van Oost, as does the Kunkels foundation site thaks to the superb music arranger Jan Kees De Ruijter. I have contacted Colin Tyson the editor of 'Old Glory' but await a reply and Mike has been in touch with Peter Haywood who is going to put a piece in the FOPS notes of 'The Worlds Fair', also John Reeves has offered to do the same in 'Vintage Spirit'. I have also spoken to many vintage vehicle clubs etc who have also been very supportive. However, there is a lot more still be done and anything iMOD members can do to assist will be very much appreciated. Best wishes, Trevor.

A couple of ideas I’ve had which may raise new lines of enquiry… Does Mike remember how much fuel was left in the lorry’s tank? One could soon work out from this how far the thieves could have driven without re-fuelling which might focus the search if the tank was reasonably empty, if not on possible locations then at least at all the local fuel stations within the region the lorry could have travelled. Being such a distinctive vehicle, staff may well have remembered it, and most filling station forecourts now have number plate recognition systems combined with CCTV. Taking a completely different approach, assume the thieves or their associates still have the organ in their possession and are planning what to do with it now. A quick search of the internet would soon lead them to this very thread or other similar postings on vintage preservation forums. From these they would learn that the news was spreading very quickly and they’d have little chance of selling the organ on without being exposed, much like the cases of famous stolen paintings. That renders no other option but to dispose of the instrument and music etc, but what if the thieves were reading this very post; how might they be able to return the contents of the lorry or indicate its abandoned whereabouts without fear of incriminating themselves?

>how might they be able to return the contents of the lorry or indicate its abandoned whereabouts without fear of incriminating themselves quite simple: as I said in my MMD posting and my earlier one here.... If anyone has any info or otherwise wants to "discuss this matter generally" simply get in contact in the stric-*test*-('") confidence and I'm sure things can be worked out amicably....if you catch my drift.

It's made the papers http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1010/1010530_fairground_organ_stolen.html Lets hope we can all pull together to get a positive result soon. Chris

URGENT - MIKE PRIESTNERS 89 KEY MARENGHI STOLEN TODAY!
Hello all, Just a quick update again - unfortunately we have still not located 'Lady Hamilton' but many lines of enquiry are ongoing and the support offered by everybody has been amazing so we are far from giving up. Also as the previous post shows we have been fortunate to gain media coverage today (there is also a piece on a BBC site). Once again I must thank iMOD members for their concern and suggestions which will be developed as soon as possible, please do keep them coming. Yet again, I ask you to stay positive about this and remember the theft of the Bruder in Holland which eventually had a good outcome despite the odds. With regard to the suggestion of someone possibly seeing this and being in a position to help I would like to clearly state that all we are interested in is the safe return of the organ, should parts be missing from the vehicle then obviously this is dissapointing but in the overall picture it would be of less significance. Best wishes, Trevor.

Here's a link to the BBC article... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6268542.stm Shame the call it a 'showground organ' instead of a fairground organ (typical BBC!), though at least they didn't call it a steam organ. Fingers crossed for some good news in the near future on the recovery of this much loved and enjoyed historic instrument.

The Manchester Evening News wasn't much better in describing the organ as 'being stored in a van'! How do they think you move it around!!! Still, any publicity is better than none, so lets hope there is good news soon. Robert Washington. :org:

URGENT - MIKE PRIESTNERS 89 KEY MARENGHI STOLEN TODAY!
Hello all, Just a quick note to say that efforts are still ongoing in the search for 'Lady Hamilton'. As mentioned in the last two post the press article descriptions where not 100% accurate BUT this was far outweighed by the collosal number of people they were circulated to who are now aware of the search. Best wishes, Trevor.

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