Ian43

I'm learning as I go along here but correct me if I'm wrong, it appears as if the FV16 locks are an Austin Champ fitting and not common across the range of British Military vehicles of that era? Ian.

Thanks for your comments Clive. Yes, I agree that the commercial FV series is not equivalent to the FV16 series. Luckily you were able to get a spare key cut using your original as a pattern but what if you had no key to begin with? If there was a way to get the FV16 series keys cut to code would there be a demand for it? The reason I ask is because I could be in a position to offer this service should there be a need for it. Ian. p.s. The photo of the FV7 lock is not my vehicle but I was curious to know how many different Key series were used on the FV vehicles.

Hello All, I'm looking for some replacement Willy's Jeep rear panel reinforcement brackets as mine have been cut through when the rear panel was cut out. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has some available or has a scrap Jeep rear body section that I could scavenge the parts from. Ian.

Here are some miscellaneous Bedford M series items that my Brother has for sale, Including various manuals and parts catalogues. For further info and contact details please see the ads on Milweb if you are interested in any of the items. Thanks, Ian.

Hello All, Can anyone suggest the best shade of Yellow paint to use for a WW2 British Bridge Plate? A paint from the BS381c range would be preferred If possible. Thanks in advance. Ian.

Hello, The AEC 0854 chassis number is on the nearside chassis rail like the Matador but is usually located higher up. Although in my experience it tends to be partially obscured by one of the crane bed mounting brackets. Ian.

Hello, The Census number suggests that this was an Army vehicle and to find out more about it's service life you could contact The Royal Logistics Corps Museum in Deepcut as they hold a lot of Army records in their archives. I did a quick vehicle search online and they do hold a key Card for this vehicle. Ian.

Hello Jon, One of the guys at work is a Mini enthusiast and he suggested getting in touch with the London and Surrey Mini Owners' Club. Apparently they are one of the biggest clubs in the country and they often get approached by the Film and TV industry for help and advise from their members. Good Luck with the project. Ian.

Hello All, Please don't shoot the messenger!! I was the one that gave the chassis details to Doug. All the information came from the Contract cards and Key cards held in the Tank Museum archives. I have attached a copy of the contract card & the vehicle's entry on the Key card for reference (copyright The Tank Museum) There is no evidence of this vehicle being converted from a Deacon, although there is evidence of Deacons being converted to ammunition carriers. I have looked at other reference material and it all suggests that this vehicle was an ACV and not a Deacon. Wally's source is the only one that contradicts this, which is unusual when you consider where the information has come from. The main difference contained in that source is that the WD numbers carry an 'S' prefix denoting Deacons and not an 'F' prefix but all the other details are correct. (Chassis contract numbers ,quantity, etc). Simon is right that both 'F' and 'L' prefixes were used on different batches of Dorchesters, from what I can see at a glance the earlier batch quoted by Wally had the 'L' prefix with the latter having the 'F'. Hopefully we can put a lid on this large can of worms that I opened! Ian.

Hello Doug, When we met last year I gave you some information regarding your Matador chassis 08534385. The details were from The Tank Museum Key Cards so there's no reason for you to contact them yourself. It's good to see the restoration moving along. Ian.

I spotted the Land Rover myself which is why I described it as a post war photo. It certainly appears to be a formal event of some description. Ian.

Hello All, I was given a copy of this interesting post war photo a few years ago from a fellow Matador enthusiast and having recently re-discovered it I thought that it would be nice to know more about it, hence the When, Where & Why? Hopefully someone knows the answers. Thanks in advance, Ian.

Hello All, Apologies if details of this auction have already been posted. There is an auction taking place on Wednesday 1st July which includes an AEC Matador Timber Tractor and what appears to be an ex AFS Commer Q4. I was going to post these under the new "Heads-up:For Sale!" prefix but I couldn't find it anywhere, has anyone else had this problem? More details can be found on the auctioneers website. www.mstauctioneers.co.uk

Hello All, I would like to know more about this type of Matador shown in the photo. Pat Ware's book 'Tugs of War' describes this as a 'Matador prototype with flat bed body, 1937/38. Steve Richards' description in his book 'Taking the rough with the smooth' is 'A post-war platform Matador. Until their acceptance by the RAF, vehicles carried their FVRDE registration, in this case RGX 309.' My feeling is that the latter is more accurate but can anyone give any more details? Thanks in advance. Ian.

Nice to see someone taking on this kind of project, I'm a big fan of these vehicles and it's good to know another one is going to be saved. Is this the vehicle that was for sale in East Sussex by any chance? The only scrap vehicles I know of that might be of use for spares are the two 0854 Coles cranes at Rush Green Motors scrap yard. Is your 0854 Bowser restored? Ian.

Hello All, I went to a show recently where there were two Bren Gun Carriers to be seen on site, one had been restored while the other looked like it had only just be released from some natural camouflage! For some reason I didn't get any photos of the restored vehicle but I have attached some pictures of the latter, hopefully they are of interest.

Hello Niels, I've just been on ebay and there is a Bedford QL head for sale on there. eBay item number:221457518341 Hope this is of interest. Ian.

Yes, that's the one! I did wonder if it was the same vehicle or not.

Thanks for listing the picture, much better quality than mine! Yes I believe that it could be an 0857 chassis as I have seen pictures of a similar vehicle which was said to be based on the 0857 chassis. Ian.

Hello all, I came across this poor quality but interesting image in an old piece of literature by The Garage Equipment Company probably dating from the 1960's. It shows a rather sorry looking AEC 0854 Bowser being towed by what looks like a re-bodied 0854 chassis. The recovery vehicle could be a conversion by Mann Egerton of Norwich. I hope it's of interest!

Hello All, I've posted some pictures of an Ammunition box that was found while clearing out my late Grandfather's shed. The box is dated 1946 and originally held 3" Mortar smoke bombs. I hope they are of interest. Ian.

Thank You wally, PM sent. Ian.

Hello Wally, Yes that's what I am really looking for as I want to obtain a broad reference as opposed to an individual vehicle. Is this information that you could supply me with? Ian.

Hello All, Being a fan of the AEC 0854 model, also known as the six wheeled 'Matador' I have been trying to find out if the contract cards for these vehicles still exist and if so who has them. I have tried the RAF Museum, RLC Museum, The Tank Museum and the British Commercial Vehicle Museum but no luck so far. Does anyone out there have any other ideas about where they may be located? If the cards no longer exist is there another way to trace chassis numbers to find out what they were originally built as? e.g.Coles Crane, Fuel Bowser etc. Ian.