Sean N

This memorial is on the walk up to Swyre Head, above Encombe House

Even better, there's a scene in which the PoWs are loading Austins, there's a close up of the driver sitting in what appears to be a Dodge, then he drives off in an Austin ...

In my experience the situation with drawings is complex as it depends who the design authority is, whether drawings were made available to MoD as part of a contract, whether MoD took that option up, who they end up with in MoD, whether the equipment is still operational or classified (globally, not just UK), how easy to contact or amenable those who hold the drawings are, etc. Another options might be to try to track down other dead Lynxes for replacement parts, or at least to be able to copy parts or take measurements from.

That sounds as though you are looking for design and manufacturing drawings, not APs or the like. I'd have thought it unlikely that most military end users would come across those, and depending on how the contract dealt with IP, MoD may never have had them. Have you thought about contacting Westland (Leonardo)?

Hi Richard, Isn't that 31 January 1998? I had lots of vehicles on and off road in the '80s and '90s and didn't have to SORN them. I would have thought you must get your vehicle insured [for road use] - it is, I think, still a condition of licencing a vehicle, even at zero licence fee, that the vehicle is insured. I haven't registered a new or ex-MoD vehicle for some years, but the process I used to have to follow was to insure the vehicle (and get it tested if necessary) using its chassis number, then licence it using a V55/5 and the registration is generated and provided then. Not sure if that has changed, but it sounds similar from what you're saying. Sean

Bedford 500 (8.2 litre) diesel, looks to have been used in a plant application.

It's really O853 / O854, O for Oil - i.e. diesel engine, which in those days were also known as oil engines, particularly by AEC - in fact the tradition stuck right through to the '70s with the Militant Mk3

It's something meaningless from an inexpert MSN writer who's paid a pittance to re-write information from elsewhere so MSN can sell advertising.

Torsion bars for what? Assume CVRT from your other posts, but might help if you say ...

This was offered at H&H last year, presumably when bought by the current owner: https://www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/33-1943-ford-gpw-jeep/?lot=51181&sd=1 A more coherent 'blurb' but not necessarily any more clarity. I know nothing about Jeeps, but I could see it either way. The only way to really know would be Allison parts or production records. They don't really offer any proof that it's untouched though, and 1945 to 2020 is a long time for things to be changed ... Seems a bit odd that the only online reference I can see to the 'prototype fibre [fiber?] drive engine is in these two listings?

Don't know about DVLA, but I'd imagine the law would regard the additions to the bonnet as dangerous bodywork ...

That's a really incoherent and unclear article, particularly as the original RAC information is very clear. It suggests on the spot fines for driving anywhere without a clean air sticker, yet says the stickers are only required in certain cities. It then goes on to talk about enviromental regulations in other countries, without any clarity over regulation or enforcement at all, and appears to confuse Italian (and other) city access regulations with environmental regulations. In fact it seems this is only for certain citiesThe RAC page on this is very clear and lists the cities where these are required on a permanent or temporary basis: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/law-change-for-uk-drivers-in-french-cities/. It seems temporary controls can be invoked in Normandy, which I guess is where most MV owners are likely to go, at times of high pollution; the full details are on an EU site linked from the RAC page. There is a French government website for this in English, https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/, where you can also make a mock application. A trial application for a 1943 petrol or diesel car, light or heavy goods vehicle with no Euro engine classification returns 'your vehicle is not eligible'; the same application with LPG as a fuel returns a cat. 1 (second best) classification.

Wayne, I'd second that - Richard B is a good chap and has always been very helpful in my experience. I think I have some valves if Richard doesn't have them.

Brian, The wiring is pretty standard, particularly as regards colours, across Vauxhall - Bedford models so you should be able to work it out from a normal TJ or TK wiring diagram. As I recall it's not as heavy duty a chassis as the MK / MJ, closer to an R type, but very similar mechanically. The transfer box is high range in 2WD and low range in 4WD, they don't select independently. We need photos!

Tony, Alan, given the age, all these brake shoes will contain asbestos, and in fact one of the linings in your photos says as much. It's no longer legal to supply, possess for supply, or fit asbestos containing materials to vehicles; so these should really be disposed of as asbestos waste.

I know those tyres ... They're off an M2 bridging rig, and they do - or did - hold air .

To be honest, any photos posted here are likely to be pretty meaningless. The colour in the images themselves is subject to a huge range of variables to start with, and is likely to have changed as the image has aged. Even if the image colour is accurate, the colour fidelity still has to be preserved in the scanning and digitising process, and even if that's OK, the colour you actually see depends on your computer's graphics and display settings. Add to that the variation in original colours batch to batch, maker to maker and so on, the same variation in repro materials, and subjective factors like the light you're viewing the sample in, your eyes, that colours look darker on a small sample than a large area, and so on ...

Richard, I ask because RAL is a European colour matching scheme of German origin. In my experience MoD use BS colours. For example, NATO green is BS361c colour 285, deep bronze green is BS361c colour 224.

Perhaps naive, but if it's old MoD wouldn't it be a BS rather than RAL colour?

And the last bit of the puzzle falls into place. http://www.glesga.ukpals.com/transport/cars1.htm claims it's a Garrett GTZ, built by the steam traction engine builders (bottom of page) And from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Garrett_%26_Sons#Electric_vehicles "In 1926, Garrett won a contract to supply dustcarts to Glasgow Corporation, who were looking for a special design for collecting refuse from the tenements of Govan. Electric vehicles were needed, because much of the refuse was collected during the night. Garrett put a lot of effort into producing a suitable vehicle, which became known as the model GTZ. To make them more manoeuvrable, the front wheels were located behind the cab, and the chassis was redesigned to produce a very low loading line, only 4 feet 8 inches (1.42 m) above the road surface. The batteries were fitted over the front axle, between the cab and the body. Because they were only ever likely to work out of the recycling plant at Govan, tipping gear was not fitted to each vehicle, but was instead built into the Govan plant. The first vehicle of a batch of 36 was completed on 25 February 1927, and proved successful, at Garret eventually supplied 54 GTZ units with solid tyres, and later a smaller batch fitted with pneumatic tyres. They continued to work in Glasgow until the GTZ system was phased out in 1964." Edit - and having watched more of the film, it indeed shows the dustcarts tipping (08:00). It seems the body was hinged not at the rear but at the right hand side, and they simply hooked a chain to the left hand side and tipped the body. The film clearly shows the refuse destructor plant seen in the photo No Signals references, and an earlier style cab again at 07:13. Interestingly though the article above talks about solid wheels, all three types we've found have pneumatic tyres.

Richard, that's the fellows. There is a newer looking version as well: I should recognise that 'T' logo on the front, but I can't bring it to mind. I'm so pleased with my detective work I can't resist bragging about it. It was actually you asking for the location and No Signals posting the BFA image number that set me off - and needing diversion from work! Looking at the photo against online mapping, I found the plot of land is between Craigston Rd and Helen St in Govan (a site now occupied by Govan Asda). National Libraries of Scotland have old Glasgow (and other) maps online at high resolution, and a 1937 Bartholomews told me that the 'factory' in the photos is in fact the Govan Refuse Destructor and Electricity Generating Station: I looked this up and it was Glasgow Corporation owned, and apparently used to burn 640 tons of refuse a day to generate 10.3mW electricity. The idea of a refuse destructor took me to dustcarts, and the rest was easy. With all that electricity on tap, using some to charge electric vehicles must have been a no-brainer. I think the long trucks with the big gap behind the cab - of which there are at least 15 in the photo - are all these electric dustcarts. I think you're right about the mechanical horses, but I think at least some are Karrier Cobs. I think the vehicle top left with a conspicuous radiator surround is a Shelvoke similar to this, but with the dustcart style body: There are a few vehicles with a flat cab roof rounded at the front, not sure what these are but possibly earlier Shelvokes or something electric again? All the very small bonneted vehicles I think are mechanical horses and normal control Lacre style road sweepers, perhaps Karrier based. I think your bonneted tractor is just that but may be Fordson or Karrier rather than American, with a dustcart trailer. There are a few odds and ends which I think are odd trailers and things like this: http://www.mitchelllibrary.org/virtualmitchell/image.php?i=16302&r=2&t=4&x=1 I found an interesting forum post talking about these electric dustcarts here: http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=7263 and some archive film here: https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/0420 - see particularly at 00:40 and 01:40. Unfortunately, the logo in the top photo aside, I haven't been able to identify the make of the electric dustcarts, so there's still some detective work left for someone ...

You are on the right lines ...

Having done some detective work, I am certain these are battery powered municipals from some maker such as Shelvoke, Vulcan or similar and the gap between cab and body is where the batteries are fitted; in fact I'd lay money on it. Ask me why ... I'll post photos in a bit if no-one works it out!

Hello Rob, I don't think this can be a WW2 paint scheme - it looks like a paint scheme someone's come up with while the truck's been in preservation, or for a film. The truck has a lot of non-original and post-war features that are obviously contemporary with or pre-date the desert colour, the Afrika Korps logos don't look authentic, there don't seem to be any German tactical markings, and the desert paint itself looks to be over (post war) deep bronze green which itself looks as though it's over a yellow paint. Sorry!

Dai, I have a 2 ton 4 wheel Rubery Owen office trailer, might be able to get some dimensions if you get stuck.