OK, here is the Sales Order (11940 - 5) for the 4 vehicles originally ordered by M.O.S. in November 1954.
You will see that the registration numbers allocated were PGK887 to PGK890, with 2 vehicles promised by June 1955, the other 2 in July 1955.
Note how this was ammended from 4 to 2 vehicles, the 2 built (to sales orders 11940/1) were chassis nos 9111 and 9112.
At some stage the order for the other 2 was reinstated (see Sales Order 11942/3 alteration note, requesting fitment of 14.00 x 20 tyres).
Now, it was known from Scammell records that the second 2 went to Australia, but that was all. Then some guy called AndyFowler posts a picture of his Dad's RAF Constructor on Christmas Island and I noticed the registration number PGK89something.
It suddenly dawned on me what I was looking at, and then I realised that the photographs in Pat Ware's 'Tugs of War' page 124 showed not an Experimental Constructor-based tow/recovery vehicle as described, but the 2 vehicles which went to Australia and on to Christmas Island, complete with barrage balloon winches!
Back to PGK887/8. Museum of Army Transport Beverley discovered that PGK888 was definitely at Chertsey 1956/7 for experimental work. Steve Guest believed that PGK887 was at MEXE.
Note the slight differences between PGK887/8 and the M.O.S. tank haulers - these two have a 20T military style tow hook fitted, the tank haulers had civilian heavy hauler style jaws.
PGK887/8 also had civilian cabs, in that both driver's and mate's windscreens hinged open - military 20T/30T cabs had only the driver's window hinged. Also civilian instruments. I imagine the tank haulers had a civilian cab too??
So what of the vehicles? Well PGK887 is certainly still alive, albeit with some surgery - PGK888 is "resting pending return to service" - and I'll let Andy tell you what happened to PGK889/890........
So, another mystery solved thanks to HMVF :n00b:
And to think, if Andy had not put the picture up, we would almost certainly never been able to solve the mystery surrounding these vehicles, I would probably never have got to meet his dad (great guy, and he can still handle a Scammell gearbox ater a 50 year tea-break), and I would probably not have clunked my head (yet again) on the roof of my old Constructor cab changing batteries - still got a stiff neck :argh: Wouldn't have missed it for the world though!
Lets have some more military Constructors then :yay: