billh35

I have received this image which shows Royal Navy AEC aircraft refueller 32 RN 54 at the County Donegal border somewhere during the 1960's. The vehicle is stopped at Irish Customs at Killylea, Co. Donegal. The only reason for an "active" RN fueller to enter the Irish Republic would possibly to position to allow refuelling of search and rescue helicopters operating off the Donegal coast - this is certainly before the Troubles so no issues of escort or anything. Can anyone shed any light on this and the history of this particular vehicle? I am assuming it would have been based on the other side of Lough Foyle at RAF Ballykelly. The vehicle to the left is a civilian Leyland Royal Tiger of the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway (which was actually a bus company!)

Does anyone have access to this document? Is it worth the cost? I am researching impressed vehicles but am wondering if the access is worth the cost? I am trying to ascertain what happened to vehicles impressed from the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board in 1940.

Now I can see the listings but I am not sure why! Great to see these documents. I am still hunting buses & coaches sold off after the end of WWII since impressed vehicles were not returned to their original operators but appear to have been sold off presumably via the auctions. Finding information on this seems almost impossible.

20 is now "preserved" I believe - Was this the same Foden 6x4 chassis that was used as the basis for the "armoured coach" prototype which some prat has been trying to sell as "Maggie Thatcher's Battle Bus" which it never was. Thanks for your response Bill

Posts here keep referring to pages shown but I can't see any? Do I need to change settings?

Were coaches sold via this means as well?

Pictured here in Short Strand, Belfast in 1971, can anyone tell me what make this vehicle is etc. I believe that sister 00 ET 20 is "preserved". Thanks In Advance Bill

I am trying to identify its' history before it was impressed as it was obviously a civilian vehicle. I have been researching the rather obscure field of what happened to vehicles which were impressed and then what happened to them. At the start of the War a number of buses were impressed from the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and shipped off. Around the same time the Royal Army Service Corps created a Motor Coach Company at Gosford Castle, Co. Armagh with an extensive fleet of vehicles to move troops urgently in the event of a feared German invasion of the Irish Republic to open a second front. Once U.S. troops were deployed to Northern Ireland the threat receded and the MCC vehicles were sold off to the NIRTB who were very short of vehicles for transporting war workers. They acquired 129 vehicles - all of these are well documented thanks to me having access to official records of the NIRTB. The Americans, brought in even more vehicles and I am keen to establish (a) the history of this and buses which were impressed (b) whether this vehicle was used in the Londonderry area where the Americans had a large presence. I would be grateful if anyone can point me in the right direction for researching buses and coaches used during WWII. Thanks for your help in advance.

It is an AEC Regal bus but not the normal ones which were impressed from London Transport. I will see if I can post a photo of it. I would like to know what it's pre-U.S. identity was.

Can anyone tell me the history of this impressed vehicle please?

I've changed the settings - try again? Also: I believe the front vehicle in each picture is the same vehicle and I think these may have been taken in Northern Ireland.

Can anyone tell me anything about this vehicle? I think it may have been an ex East Kent Leyland Tiger?

In Northern Ireland 63 buses were "requistioned" by military authorities at the start of the war and were shipped to England very quickly - none ever returned as far as I know. The RASC established a Motor Coach Company at Gosford Castle, Markethill, Co. Armagh to be ready to move troops in the event of an impending invasion. When this threat disappeared 129 vehicles which had been requistioned on the mainland were sold to the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board who embarked on a refurbishment and re-registration programme with most receiving new bodywork and identities. These are well documented. Is there any website or group where I can research the original 63 which disappeared to the mainland?

Is there a definitive list our source material for buses/coaches which were requistioned by "The Admiralty" during WWII?

You are crossing over terminology and vehicles - piglets were army operated whilst Hotspurs & Tangis were designed, built, developed and constantly modified and retro updated by the Police Authority Workshops at Lislea Drive, Belfast. David Dunne's excellent book will give up a good view of the development of these armoured vehicles (including the reuse of Hotspur bodies in Tangis). The basic reason for the continuous development was that more and more sophisticated weaponry and techniques were used against them and up until the switchover to Tangi the concept had been to keep them looking as much like conventional Land Rovers as possible. The archetypal view of a Hotspur was the "skirted" last variant with rounded roof before they switched over to angled roofs.

A Pig would not have been used in sand colours in South Armagh as it would have stood out too much. Similarly any vehicle involved in a fatality is not normally disposed of but is broken up and scrapped internally - this rule still applies.

With regard to item 4 - the front fender kit which extends to the ground (as worn by some privately owned piglets) these were not authentic to military use. RUC Hotspurs had something similar to prevent devices becoming stuck underneath them but piglets did not have that kit fitted.

The RASC was formed to provide transport for troops as a prelude to a perceived threat of German invasion from 1939-1941. They were apparently based at Gosford Castle in Co. Armagh and the unit was disbanded in 1943 and the vehicles transferred to the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board to meet their increased vehicle requirement for moving troops around N.I. The Ministry of Home Security operated across the whole of the UK so the photo could have been taken anywhere I guess.

I have found a photograph showing 4 semi-derelict AEC buses which I believed were RASC vehicles during WWII in which the rear end of vehicle fleet number L5197115 appears. It looks like some sort of flat bed truck (I can only see the nearside rear corner and fleet number). I am trying to ascertain if these 4 buses were used by RASC in Northern Ireland and were subsequently transferred to the NIRTB in 1943. I am therefore wondering if L5197115 was used in Northern Ireland? (I can't upload the image as I don't have copyright approval and the original image is held by a commerical photo library.)

JXI 7163 was based at Newry and used to transport staff between bases in the local area. The Shorlands were primarily used for moving staff around although one was based at Carrickfergus to act as an explosives escort. (I am not disclosing any confidential information here - this information is in the public domain)

The whole OSG incident is one of potential embarrassment to the French government since the German soldiers involved included those recruited from the German occupied French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine so you had the potential that this massacre was carried out by some who were French by birth. It will be interesting to see what happens but not sure how this thread fits this forum?

A friend has asked me if I can identify what this vehicle is - I thought I could ask some people who may know. Any ideas?

The producers of this movie used "Armoured & Heavy Vehicles of the RUC" as a reference point for the RUC vehicles used in the film and I even spoke with them about the use of appropriate buses to depict Belfast in 1971. However, the company sourced with providing the vehicle used a 1980's Leyland Olympian (as seen in photos) as a burnt out vehicle. I'm not sure what they did about Army vehicle references but the Humber Pig shown - which was supposed to be an RUC one should have had a Belfast registration plate and not a Londonderry one and was in a wrong shade of grey.

Back floor on disco is fine - cos someone else already did it! just done inner front wings and now fitting 120x60 steel box sections as new sills! much much cheaper than pre-made parts and absolute perfect fit! Get these done a couple of minor electrical jobs and a new MoT should be waiting. Then comes a complete repaint - my background is tempted to go for RUC Admiralty grey(!) but not sure the wife would like it so it may be a different shade of grey methinks!