les freathy

This one that should not have been allowed to slip away not only was it a good bit of kit it would have kept a British company afloat at the time, I have no gripe with the Oskosh but as one that has grown up from a kid with a major interest in military equipment i always felt proud of the equipment that we as a nation produced and the british forces for sticking as much as possible to home grown products. Unfortunatly over the past few years the MOD purchasing department seems to be employing morons with a bent to buy as much foreign stuff as possible, no problem with the kit but it should have been home produced, christ even Pinzgauer are deserting us and going to South Africa dont know if you guys agree but all the while these clowns are in the seat its Britain ever forwards and downwards regarding military gear they cant even get it right for the lads in Irag and Afghanistan can they. Right thats of my chest enjoy the photos

Can anyone tell me something about this, i took the photo on a visit to Watford during the month the Commander was entering service and after a tour of the works went a little way down the road to a storage holding area and saw this S26. It was summer time and trees and bushes were at there best but not much use to me whilst trying to take photos from out side,from what i can remember the truck is a S26 drops without the multilift equipment fitted and a large GS body bolted to the chassis. It is the only time i have seen this set up and guess it was a trial vehicle although i seen no test or trial photos of the same it appears to have had a small fire in the rear of the body

To add to Adams input here are a few more, the first i believe was taken in Berlin the second is a early model with the canvas tilt and towing i think a Green Archer morter locating radar third a very early trials model still with un painted wheels and last a photo from the mid 1970s of one just demobbed and purchased by a enthusiast near Ashford in Kent

A photo of one of Pickfords Pioneer tractors taken in the north London area in the 1950s

A few years back whilst at work i was informed that a tracked vehiclehad broken down in Shornecliffe road in Folkestone so at lunch break i shot down to get some pics and arrived at the same time as the REME recovery unit from ashford with there Explorer and 18 ton trailer. I knew these vehicles, a rareity in our area were around as they had thundered past my door the night before, two convoys of them what a racket. I am not sure if this Explorer was part of the REME workshops or the REME TA based at the same location, Richard Farrent will i am sure recognise the vehicle and can give us the answer

Thanks for the engine details Mike i will update the photo details, this is one of the trials civvy bumpered tractors you mentioned

Another of the Vass refurbs for the Road Transport Industry Training Board, looks like TFL crane in the back. I presume recovery training was part of the boards programme

Hi Andy (got it right this time) No connection at all with Scammell i only paid one visit to the factory in the month the first Commanders were ready for delivery so i can say i saw them come and now of course ive seen them go Jordon i believe for £1.00 each. My collection has amassed form nearly 40 years of collecting material mainly on wheeled vehicles and having a habit of leaving no stone unturned ie i hound any one i find has served in the forces to borrow snapshots, chasing manufacturers though not much left in the UK to follow up and countless establishment visits and of course rallies. There is plenty more to come including other nations heavies now thats a point i observe the Britsh items are split in to type threads is it best do this with other nations or say German, Dutch, Swedish HETS and group that country under one thread to save space on the site cheers :Les

Back in the early 1970s the army began to issue contracts for vehicle servicing to civilian concerns, for the life of me i cannot remember who ran this commercial set up at Cobbs Wood in Ashford at the time but think it was Caffyns. it is now operated by Channel Commercials, i,ll bet Richard knows who it was, this construtor was in for repair and also it seems some bodywork

Andy,Mike,Mike,Andy sorry guys prehaps i am waitng for a date with Edna Clouds all this results in trying to get to many items on the computer in one go. My other half always says men cannot multi task and as the years go by i think she may be right

A pic of the tractor unit taken at a military show in the late 1960s, i am not up much on signs so can anyone confirm the 171 and the X11 in the diamond

S26 tractor seen in both semi tractor and ballast configurations powered by a Cummins NTE350 engine coupled to Fuller 15 speed manual gearbox, this photo is also by mistake in the Constructor thread

You know sometimes ithink i,m away with the fairies at times the second photo should have been this one. i will put the S26 in its proper place

The RAF constructor POPEYE and a transporter which looks very much to be a export item

Your right there Andy afraid i have a job to see the lettering that small attached is a better photo showing the Scammell badge and a shot taken by Laurie Wright of the Australian Leyland and typical Aus transporter with Leopard load operated by 9 tpt regt in 1986

I would rather title this Scammell as to me these were Scammell through and through with just a leyland badge placed on the front, most went for export with a few trialed by the British during the 1970/80s

A number of ARV were produced on the Sherman, heres a MK2 complete with a tube for the false main gun. Photo source IWM

Thanks for that Richard, those first two i was aware are coles chassis and crane but its interesting you mentioned the 0854 chasiss i think this model was introduced in the mid 1950s for army and RAF use and to give its full description crane 7 ton fully slewing bridging 6x6 FV11003 AEC/Coles L96404-7 is it possible that new old stock parts were used. Meantime back to the Explorers heres one used by one of our local recovery garages in the 1960/70 period last i knew it was heading to the Thanet area for restoration

A shot of the Tucker recovery crane conversion

This should really be in the militant page but as the yards are under discussion here suppose its OK Militant/coles cranes in vass yard, sorry re the quality of the photo

Another early Morris from WW2 the Y type makeshift ambulance

and this is a refurb for Denniss Garage from Long Sutton by Vass in the late 1960s

I took this shot back in 1973 at the REME wing at bovinton camp

Heres a Diamond T from the past a Vass conversion with TFL lifting equipment

Here is a rare unusual one for you Morris lovers its the deluxe ambulance, dont know if it was a military spec or a impressed civvy model