question Bedford RL passengers in rear?

Definitely NOT a good idea, its one thing if want to carry your own children in the back thats your decision, or even carry sensible adults...but to carry Other peoples unrestrained Children! on unsafe side facing bench seats in the back of an unsuitable open RL cargo truck on the road! NOT a good idea!

Check with your insurance company, I doubt if they would extend insurance cover for any passengers riding in the truck open back in the event of an accident, I suppose if you got all the other Parents to sign disclaimers... I don't think so.

Due to the RL's weight, which is over 3.5tons gvw, its a heavy commercial goods vehicle regardless even if historic, you are restricted to a Driver and a Maximum of 8 passengers Only, to carry more you need a PSV (Bus/coach) licence, yes even for private non commercial use, it may seem a lovely innocent idea, ...what can possibly go wrong..lots

There were many times when side seats were fitted to RLs, MKs etc.

However after a few injuries caused by the vehicle getting to close to something that ripped the canvas and the body inside it Centre seats were introduced.

I knew personally one lad who was not seated on a side seat but was on the Side wall with feet on seat as many used to do.

The driver got to close to a gate post on an RAF camp in Germany and the curved spike on the gate post top ripped into his back.

He survived but with horrific injuries.

Gosh all those years I spent riding around in the back of a Bedford RL on exercise in Germany or Salisbury Plain, and I never thought it was risky at all. However I do remember going down a narrow lane in one where we had to fold up the side of the tilt so that the occupants in the back, circa 20 men, could push on a fence that was leaning into the lane, and therefore allow the RL to pass this obstruction.

BTW - regarding the subject of kids in the back of vehicles, there are now rules governing the age and height of young kids that must be restrained in proper seats regardless of whether the vehicle was manufactured without any seat belts. Also if there are seats with belts in the cab all of these have to be used before anyone else can come aboard. In the old days my kids could 'hang out' in the back of my Lwt while I drove, but even though they are now grown up they have to ride in the front as I have three seatbelts, while 'er in doors' can ride as cargo in the back!

A good number of years ago, when troops were still carried in 4 tonners (before the army coaches carried them), the Workshops had to go out to recover a Bedford MK, it was loaded with troops on exercise, the transmission brake drum burst and there was so much force that both rear tyres burst and shrapnel past through the floor and there were holes in the top of the canopy ........ and the only injury? One guy had a bit of debris up his nose. Incidents like this and others already mentioned make you think.

There were many times when side seats were fitted to RLs, MKs etc.

However after a few injuries caused by the vehicle getting to close to something that ripped the canvas and the body inside it Centre seats were introduced.

I knew personally one lad who was not seated on a side seat but was on the Side wall with feet on seat as many used to do.

The driver got to close to a gate post on an RAF camp in Germany and the curved spike on the gate post top ripped into his back.

He survived but with horrific injuries.

Am I right in thinking that happened at RAF Gutersloh, seem to remember signals going round the rest of BAOR warning of the danger

In the latter days of the Bedford MKs (I think around the time of the deep refurbishment programme), they did introduce a new centre mounted seating system with individual seat with built in roll cage and multi-point harness in order to carry troops, and these were the only seats that you could use carrying troops. The new MANs have a similar system; the Bedford seating systems did come up for sale from time to time at WSV but I haven't seen them for a while.

Just found this weblink to the manufacturer where they say they have made seats for the MANs as well as the older Bedford / Leyland DAF 4t fleet:

http://www.revolve.co.uk/Products/Enhanced-Seating-Systems

Duncan.

When there is that new contraption with men facing outwards, where can you put all the kit ? In olden days all the hay boxes, radios, cam nets, Sgt's mess stuff, stretchers and so on could be piled in the middle, plus you could put your feet up on it all. It was very sociable facing each other as well, good for moral, jokes and singing.

Looks like something from Alton Towers, or for battery hens...!

I went on an employers day up at catterick about 3 years back where they carted us around in the back of a rattly old MJ with centre seats so these must be fairly recent...

Shame those seats pictured above are incorrectly fitted! If you zoom into the rear of the seats you can see a yellow sticker, this indicates the location of wherea ratchet strap should be, they are secured with two orange (as issued) ratchet straps and I think it's 3/4 pins depending on the seat version as there is two types with a different amount of seats, 6 & 8 springs to mind.

Security seating system on Withams online auction

http://www.mod-sales.com/auction/vehicle/related/70557/14_Man_Security_Seat.htm

This is what happens to an MK on a mountain track at night in Cyprus.

I was in the back with about 15 others.

The only serious injury was to the one man who jumped out.

He slid down the slope and the canopy came down on his legs breaking both.

Back wheels had cut the corner in an old wash out and that took us over.

Centre folding seats fitted, as we rolled I grabbed for the canopy frame and ended up sitting on the underside of the bench seat arms round the pole. Each time I relaxed my grip and sagged slightly the lad next to me screamed as he was trapped between the Seat and the seat back.

We wee meant to be at Akamas ranges but the coach driver took us to the north side of the hills and dumped us in a hill top village. The boss managed to contact base and this Bedford picked us up and we followed the mountain track to Akamas. I think we were about a mile short of getting there.

All we could see in the back was a Grey shape towering on one side and a black hole on the other side.

Not sure of the rules and regulations for non-military vehicles or historic vehicles but all miltary personnel travelling in a Troop Carrying Vehicle must be sat in the new seating system and strapped in. Its a real pain but safe.

Each time the seats are fitted they have to be inspected and the veh docs annotated as such. The days of carrying SQMS stuff as well as troops are long gone, it's one or the other. Can't even tow a trailer if you are carrying troops now.

Tiffy I presume this does'nt apply in theatre as well, otherwise what a pain in the ar#e.

On tour ie Herrick no troops would travel in the back of a truck like that, as there is no protection from the IED threat, troops are moved around in armourd vehicles such as mastiff.

Elves and Save tea took all the fun out of the kit-kat arse seat rides with all the kit and caboodal in the back !!!!!!!!!!!

I remember two demolition contractors vans driving opposite directions on the road near Rosythe collided head on with both carrying tools and passengers in mid 90's !!!! The scene was apparently carnage and was a big player in the isolation of load and passengers !!!!

I suppose we all forget those times when the driver of the MK was lead footed on the break with a pile up on the head board the obvious consequence !!!!! OH HOW WE ALL LAUGHED !!!!!!

Nige

My last excercise around Iserlohn in 83 I was the HQ troop HGV driver.

So contents of the back of the Bedford was from the top down.

Stretchers x 2 hung from the roof. My bed was one.

Ropes and lashings on the front headboard.

Various Office boxes around the sides.At least 2 of them full of Mars bars etc

Floor 3 deep in slabs of 24 can packs.

2 x Campbeds and some Tentage.

1 Centre bench seat.

Trailer Water Bowser hooked on the back.

On one occasion I had to take 6 men and the Troop Commander into an ammo compound to load up with explosives for a session of demolitions.

No problem with that, got to the compound and they had doubled the quantity issued as getting rid of old stock. Gave us 808 instead of PE4

Also gave us the Detonators. NO NO as we only had the one vehicle. (Dets and Explosives never in the same vehicle.)

Sorted in the end put the Dets in the water bowser and drove carefully.

Great stories from HMVF pals. What about travelling with 20+ in a RL with no seats at all, so standing all the way, 1971.

That sounds like the Camp Taxi from Chattenden down to the Plant Yard in 1978.

That sounds like the Camp Taxi from Chattenden down to the Plant Yard in 1978.

Taxi? (LOL!) You were lucky, I can only remember marching up and down that hill and getting bawled at from whoever was resident in the Ponderosa at the time we went past