ted angus

The answer to this is on Electrokinetca web site gallery : Firstly lets recap: We identified the trailer by it WD (ARMY) number and Richard from the WD number identified its original form and its contract; It was an Army cargo trailer. We have identified the Gen set and we know they were to support Type 14 Radar in RAF service. WE know from photos on the Electrokinetca web that the switchboard was modified to allow its use to power an X ray facility Also in the gallery is a photo of it in the livery of the NHS mass X ray unit they toured the country in the late 1940s early 1950s in an attempt to erradicate TB . So My conclusion is your gen set is as previously stated ex RAF Radar Convoy, the Trailer is an Ex Army cargo trailer. With modifications to both trailer and gen set they have been married together to provide a power trailer for an NHS mobile mass X ray unit Richard over to you TED ps that Electrokinetca site is difficult to enter !

You have left me totally confused If it was supplied to the War Dept it was for the Army The Air Ministry via MoS supplied the RAF ?? Type 14 was an RAF radar first introduced 44/45. The Leyland Hippo used in Radar Convoys would normally have been early 1950s. War Dept is not like the all incompassing MoD of today War Dept was ARMY Air Ministry was RAF I don't think you have answered your own question your quote starts "most Lister Sets supplied to the WD but there were exceptions For example ( i.e. an example of the exceptions) the AM MK2 ----- so the writer of the quote is citing an exception which is for AM, with final assembly at Metro Vickers' to support Type 14 radar (RAF) carried in a Leyland Hippo . You requote 42x which is an RAF stores ref if it was supplied to the WD it would not be 42x . TED

JP 4 was the model used in the RAF types I mentioned earlier, Picture attached. Just had a good look at your album , The more pictures I see the more I am convinced this is a 2nd or even 3rd life marriage. An ex Army trailer with an ex RAF gen set. The area under the engine is a trap for oil and debris, the ironwork onto which it is mounted is showing signs of unused holes. Most gen set of that size and age had a high mounted fuel tank to gravity feed the engine. the high tank would be manually replened from drums using a hand pump . My thought is ; this is a marriage that has seen a lot of hard work to provide a moblie generator, with additional/replacement electrical items to keep it running in its civillian role ?????????? TED

Of course the alternate original use for the gene set could have been as part of a comms /radar convoy mounted in a Matador, Austin K6, FWD HAR 1 , FWD SU-COE or Fordson WOT1 Is there a KVA rating on the panel anywhere. I can tell you 42X 150 was a Lister 20KVA set, TED

Morning gents, Les, the gene is definately RAF as it has an RAF stores ref number 42X 156 & 160 one number could be the gene the other the control panel ??? The trailer has an WD i.e. Army reg number X5867156. ???? I wouldn't be as bold as to say this is NOT what you have been told; but I feel this is 2 totally unrelated items married together. Runway lighting standy sets were normally not to far from the ATC tower or watch office in a shed or hut. It certainly looks the size of set for a back up as often on standby power not all lamps were illuminated. Tony you mention a W S 10 trailer sorry I don't have a clue what on is. Its certainly a very interesting bit of kit. I would be looking for evidence that they started out as one item. Is there evidence of floor reinforcment for the skids, was the body built with ventilation louvres in the correct place fuel tank ! exhaust out let that sort of thing. Les I am currently trying to get access to the 1944 site record plan of a certain airfield that may reveal the standard building type used to house standby sets. TED Very interesting indeed TED

Not a lot of effort on that handle Nigel and reposition the guide onto the Rcy to give the carrier driver a better view ! listening out.

Gary I was there 98 to I think 2001, Nigel Watson John Webster the late Bill Ireland to name just a few. I keep in touch with a fair number of SMVG people but don't pay my subs anymore I joined when it was a preservation group not a dressing up brigade who don't know a grease nipple from a milk nipple but I will shut up on that subject now. --Incoming !! Hopefully we will meet at a show up here one day. TTFN TED ps who was the TA Officer at Dunfermline with the Matador ?

Tony , the last show I went to in England was Bletchley Park 1998, I am pretty sure there was a WOT1a/1 with an RVT signals body. I will try and find the box of photos I took that weekend. Attached is a shot of the 1945 Monitor type which is in preservation, I was at RAF Locking 64-66 and we shared the airfield at Weston S Mare with a helicopter firm either Bristol or Westland. We had our own crash trucks on the drome but the civvies had this 45 monitor LYN 48 and an Austin K2 ambulance. Somewhere in UK there is at least 1 restored WOT3, I saw a photo recently on another group of it; before it was restored I tried to buy it but couldn't secure storage up here, I was going to rebuild it into an RAF fire tender. Finally there are currently 5 WOT1-WOT1A/1 examples here at Balmullo, 1942 crash tender, 1942 Weeton type crash tender 1944 monitor conversion 1945 Monitor 1942 RAF heavy ambulance which unfortunately is squeezed out of the photo. TTFN TED

This piccy is in the book on the history of 51 MT co RAF, the officer in the CMP is convoy commander Pilot Officer Carter, They are leaving Libya for Tunisia. The book is called Desert Wheels published by Woodfield Publishing, a great little book which I think will interest you and Mike and the others who are into the old RAF stuff. TED

Mike this is IWM CH 8326 taken during a photo session at the MT school 9-10 dec 1942. according to the IWM site.. This is a really clean copy did you spend money ?? TED

See you don't want to upset the Blue Jobs, Gary !!!! We have met I believe Dunfermline transport sqn open days TED

Thats taken at RAF Cardington note the truck is still running on its Middlesex reg and shows no RAF serial. It is now apparent that many batches of these Fordsons including the balloon Winches ran on their civvy reg through out their service. I have found a Kings regulation dated 1941 which states one a vehicle is issued with a identification number it will not and must not be changed or replaced. TED

Mike, that looks like the fixed square platform, we would normally put a layer of sand bags accross the top. the one with the turntable is almost identical, the trackjack has a L shaped jack head; The ones in service today are in the main from WW2 and shortly after. TED

Mike never saw the thread but I am a relative newbie, however we used and the RAF & RN still use tracked trailers. Which dolly would be an appropriate name. they come in several variaties some have a hydraulic jack built in , others have a platform, some have a platform on a turntable arrangement. All referred to as track jacks but in reality only the ones with jacks should have been given the name tow bars about 6 to 10 ft long platforms about 6ft by 6ft I will look for some picies TED

Mike even in recent years the wrong bowsers have been hooked up to aircraft, and wrong bowsers have been used refuelling both vehicles and GSE its so bad I have been involved in investigations where even the wrong oils have been put in vehicles and aircraft from 5 litre cans. Currently there are standard markings which incorporate colour codes both for bowsers, both vehicle type and trailers ; But it still happens . When those 450 gal jobs came into service they were adequate fuel bowsers along with a few slightly larger trucks for the majority of aircraft then in service. a 5 gallon drum of oil with a hand pump was enough to replen an aircraft, the same went for glycol. The big bowsers came in with the larger bombers and oil drums were often mounted on trailer with a hand pump. I am willing to bet that even with the big OIL on the side there were more than one instance of it being put in the Hi Octane tank. In recent times I have noted piston aircraft filled with Avtur aviation turbine fuel , hydraulic oil put into tornado engines, unbelievable. Its compounded at night and /or working with sodium bulb lighting which gives false colour indications. Later in the thread Howard asks about colour, I would suggest any passed to lease lend would change hands in its current RAF finish and could later be repainted by its new users. The picture posted by Mike of the MT needed to support one squadron contains a truck I have being trying for ages to get info on. In the centre is a truck loaded with cylinders, that will be the oxygen replenishment lorry, when I joined up Bedford S types undertook that role. The truck looks like a Dodge, the RAF used the Dodge in many roles crewbus crash fire water tender to name 2 more but the oxygen truck is one I would like to find other views of so if anyone should come accross any thank you ! TED

So before the TA you were obviously a SNCO or WO PTI in the RAF ?? who of course are the only qualified PJIs in the UK armed forces . Edward B Angus B.E.M. WO RAF retired

Mr MHVT of Malta I know fine well the photo I posted of the fire trucks is RAF Luqa in Malta I was there !! please read again what I said """"""I have a photo of vehicles in Khartoum in the early 1950 with complete white cabs """ a totally different photo that you have not seen I was making the point that in addition to white cab tops the RAF had in certain places at certain times painted whole vehicle cabs white to reflect heat. I hope you understand now what I mean. TED

Gents prior to the UN peacekeeping force forming in 1964, A large number of British units from the RAF Regt and the Army were rushed to the Island to basically protect the turkish enclaves from armed incursions by the Greek cypriots including former EOKA freedom fighters and elements of the Greek Cypriot national guard. amonst the Army units were elements of 16 para brig including 1 para. This force was officially known as TRUCE FORCE, its role was taken over by a UN mandated force in march 1964. I believe all these scenes predate that the airborne marking is clear to see. The scene beyond the picture of 25BK54 is a typical Turkish cypriot village, the Pig and its attendant crew would be there protecting that village. Many Turkish villages were wiped off the map. Hence the draped Union Flag shown as a sign of neutality. I would suggest the other scenes are Greek Cypriot road blocks after some incident or other. In these scenes are a Greek Cypriot police sgt , a member of the greek cyp national guard in battle dress and and numbers of irregulars. The scout car is almost certainly national guard with the bulldozer being the Eoka irregulars. For those who would like to find out more about this fatastic island that has had far more than its share of bloodshed I have posted a link below. TED http://www.britains-smallwars.com/cyprus/Davidcarter/UNFICYP.html

ITS IWM E 2733 Lorries carrying RAF personnel …more↓ during the retreat from Greece, 3 May 1941. less↑ I was a few days out but I knew I had seen it before

Greece april 1940 the aircrew must have run ouit of tiffin !! TED

The RAF one is a quick evacuation from somewhere possibly Greece I have seen that picture in the last couple of days on a site TED

Mine was the Dinky Bedford Army lorry as a former Driver/Mech in 279 field Co RE my Dad gave me every encouragement !! I later learnt to drive on an RL TED I

Mike you got the roundel right but not the truck Its a Bedford OY water bowser I think the reg is 19AG43, It is in fact a truck fire water 500gal, but in these theatres a water bowser was a water bowser. In the post 1949 reg system; block AG there were about 560 OYs as fire trucks, with approx 80 more in the AM block as general water bowsers. If you look at the rear compartment doors they follow the eliptical contour of the tank, plus the external hinges. On the K9 the pump compartment had parralel sides from the mid point downwards and concealed hinges. Finally there is rear towing facilty on the OY, few if any RAF K9 tanker had the rear hitch fitted. TED

I wonder if the vehicles were in the process of going on loan or sold to Shell or an other ??

Mike that is a real mystery all I can offer is ; in the years immediately after WW2 The Air ministry were instructed that they, through the RAF were to provide assistance in the form of vehicles, ground equipment and P.O.L. to BOAC around the world as they were re-establishing routes etc. This may be an extension of that ??? my only other thought is that in the early days many vehicles operating on aerodromes were not registered with the relevant local authorities as long as public traffic had no access to the operating areas. May be this truck had passed to shell and the RAF serial was left on merely as an identifying mark ??? The tank is probally the standard SHELL yellow the cab could be ShELL red but it could be as you say RAF Blue Grey ?? A Mystery but a great period shot TED