Ian43

Ted, Thank you once again for your contribution on this subject. Just out of interest do you know what colour the toned down bridge plate may have been? Bit of a strange question this next one but please bear with me! The tyres fitted to the Commer in Ted's photo, does anyone know what they are? I have seen this style on other RAF vehicles,many of the AEC Matador fuel bowsers had a similar chevron style tread instead of the usual bar type fitted to a lot of other military vehicles.

On the issue of the Bridge Plate, i was told the same thing by the RAF Museum that they came about during 1944 so I questioned the source of the photo and he said that it had been given to him by someone who served with 49MU but only between 1940-41.He also suggested that the tunics gave away the date but i'm no expert so I can't really comment on that. On the question of the load, I have a published copy of this photo which lists the aircraft as a Spitfire and from my own observations the fuselage does appear to be rounded but I think that this is due to the angle the photo was taken at and that the wings have been removed showing a profile that we don't usually see. A Spitfire's fuselage did appear to flatten off on the sides but this was mainly down to the fillets covering the wing roots. Also looking at the shape of the wing along side it on the trailer it certainly appears to have that lovely elliptical shape about it.

Thanks for your comments. The load on the Queen Mary is a Spitfire. Ted, I think that you might be on the right track with your explanation. It could well be that this was how 49MU chose to display their fleet numbers and as they were responsible for Aircraft Salvage across the South of England during this period of hostilities they would've had a large fleet to be able to cope with the demand. Ian.

Sorry Guys,the picture wasn't that clear but there is a bridge Plate below this marking which displays 9 over 2 which is correct for a Commer Q2 and a Queen Mary trailer. Hopefully this picture is better!

Hello Chaps, I have been trying to find out what the 49-41 markings are on this RAF Commer. As I understand it the RAF vehicle markings usually consist of the Command letter followed by the Group number. I have been told that the photo is of 49 MU taken around 1940-41 and I would have expected the marking for them to be M/43(Maintenance Command/43Group). I have been in contact with the RAF Museum but they are unable to identify it. Hopefully someone out there can explain what these markings represent. Over to you guys!

Thanks for the welcome guys.

Hello Everyone, My name is Ian and i'm a new member to HMVF. Like alot of people i've had an interest in the historical side of WW2 for many years. Although my main interest has typically been with aircraft of the period i do have a soft spot for vehicles also but they do tend to be a bit bias towards the RAF! Old habits die hard!! My main passion these days is for the AEC Matador which includes the 0854 6X6 used by the RAF.(Yes i know it's technically not a Matador but humour me!) I hope to be making some post in the near future. I'm looking forward to being part of the forum . Ian.