introduction 1959 prototype Mini Mokes evaluated by the Army, RAF and RM

[59Prototype]

Hi Wally

 

From what you are saying I think I understand now about 2 digits followed by 2 letters followed by 2 more digits making up the registration. I was making the mistake of thinking that the first 2 numbers represented something special but obviously they don't. So am I right to look at it as just a 4 digit number split down the middle by 2 letters? e.g. 1416, 1417 and 1418 had the 2 letters BT stuck in the middle to make 14 BT 16, 14 BT 17 and 14 BT 18. It's as simple as that...... I hope!

 

Regards

 

 

Graham

Edited August 10, 2013 by 59Prototype

[wally dugan]

HI GRAHAM

 

Bye george you have got it that simple l will look for the issue vouchers that will tell us when they came into CHERTSEY

AND TAKEN ON CHARGE as we know when they left as to 07 RN 49 this number would have been allocated when it went

on user trials with the ROYAL MARINES IF it returned to CHERTSEY its BT number would be re fitted

 

 

 

RECARDS WALLY

[GoranWC51]

I remember the Moke when vacationing in Spain, Portugal and Italy in the late 1960's when there were Mini Moke's all over the place. I even rented one on Costa del Sol in 1968 or 69.

 

They were made in several places,Setúbal, Portugal, Longbridge plant, Birmingham, England, Zetland, New South Wales, Australia, Umtali, Rhodesia, by BMC, Leyland Australia, British Leyland Portugal, Cagiva, from 1964-1993.

 

I am presently on vacation in Fuengirola and took my son to a go kart place at the horse race track here and three Moke's (of sorts) together with three regular Mini's (convertibles) showed up and drove around the go kart track for fifteen minutes or so. I took some photo's of them and I'm sure the experts here can pin point exactly what they are:

 

 

Goran N

[59Prototype]

Wally

 

Forgive me for throwing all these questions at you but I wonder if you are able to work out/find out what the original Army registration number was of SPL 468? It's the only one of the 1959 prototypes that as yet I have been unable to put a military registration number to. Thanks to your earlier post I know that it had the Establishment Number of 6012.

 

This particular Moke for some strange reason now has the civilian number of TAJ 919H which is a 1969 number. How it found its way onto a 1959 vehicle I have no idea! For many years it resided in Tony Oliver's private military museum at Eton Wick, near Windsor but must have been sold about 15 years ago. It's had 2 owners since but neither know much about the Moke's history. As I understand it it is now being restored. Here are 4 small photos of it that might help in identifying it further. (Sorry that they are not any larger)

 

 

From the last photo I am curious as to what the two small holes were for to lower left and right of the headlights. Presumably for sidelights or indicators although I am pretty certain that they would not have been there originally.

 

Graham

Edited August 11, 2013 by 59Prototype

[wally dugan]

HI GRAHAM

 

GOT your email this morning as to the matter in hand if l can find the issuse vouchers for the MOKES this will do the following 1 give the date of arrival at CHERTSEY and in what order by chassis number 2 confirm there establishment

number though we already know this

[wally dugan]

HI GRAHAM

got your e mail To the matter in hand 1 if l can locate the issue vouchers for the MOKES it should tell us when they

came to CHERTSEY AND in what order by chassis number 2 confirm the establishment number which we already know

this then may also give us the link to the reg numbers as to the moke TAJ 919 H it does look like the holes in the wings

are for sidelights this a requirement for civillian vehices As to moke 20 BT 30 ITS easy to date that number as the number BEFORE 20 bt 29 was a Bedford RLW and 20 BT 31 was a HUMBER STAFF CAR ALSO 20 BT 30 IS out of sequence

may be it was delivered late

 

REGARDS WALLY

[59Prototype]

Hello Wally

 

Even on a Sunday you don't get any peace!

 

With reference 20 BT 30 you say that the number before was 20 BT 29 which was a Bedford RLW and the one after, 20 BT 31 was a Humber Staff Car. However are you able to actually put a date or approximate date on either of those two vehicles? If you can then we have an idea when SPL 453 aquired 20 BT 30. I'm now starting to think that it might have been in 1963 just before it was dispatched to Bordon. Would that tie in? If it helps I've found out that 20 BT 91 was issued around 1966/67 to a Lightweight Land Rover prototype so they certainly didn't run through the 20 BT xx numbers quickly did they?!!

 

It's father's day here in Brazil and we are currently 4 hours behind the UK so we're just off out to lunch!

 

With regards

 

 

Graham

[wally dugan]

HI GRAHAM

 

Hope you enjoyed your lunch what i am hoping is that l can date 20 BT 29/30/31 or at least come up with a aproxamate

date my old boss spent a long time at CHERTSEY first going there in 1957 he is still a live and has a very good memory

we talk and meet often like me he has still some records from his time there so l will pick his brain about the MOKE

PROJECT from what l know l think we have accounted for all the ARMY prototypes but how many where made where all

the prototypes for the military because thats who BMC saw them as the only customer and military contracts where

rewarding

 

REGARDS WALLY

[wally dugan]

HI GRAHAM

 

THE copy is the information from the CHERTSEY file on MOKES AS POSTED on here on the 8 of the 8 th and the 9 of the 8 th

 

REGARDS WALLY

[volvoc303]

they were not all at chertsey i can remeber one out side the tank museum at bovington and getting a ride up to gallows hill and back to the d m wing as a kid and letting me have a drive dad was a staff sgt at dm wing

[wally dugan]

THE one at Bovington was sent from CHERTSEY in 1963 details on here

[59Prototype]

Presumably if it went from Chertsey to Bovington in 1963 it would have gone to the museum rather than to the army camp itself.

 

One other thought. It's a bit of a mystery as to why a lightweight vehicle such as a Moke should have gone to a tank museum? Maybe there is a bit of logic that I've missed.

 

Graham

[wally dugan]

THE moke went to the school of tank technology not the tank museum this is not unusual it may have gone as a instruction

piece to show basic engineering

[Shamouti Ben Yafo]

Very interesting thread. They also saw service with the Police in Merthyr Tydfil as a means to chase motorcyclists who had left the road. This was in the 1960s, obviously, before dirt bikes with a decent power output were popular (available, even?)

[robin craig]

Graham,

 

i came across these few photos the other day and was about to pass them by when I recalled your thread here.

 

I am not a Mini Moke kind of guy so please let me know if these are of anything significant. They were shoyt in the late 1990s, 1997 I think, at Tobyhana MVPA event, I thunk.

 

If you want the original slide email me and I will send them to you, I dont need to keep these any more.

 

R

[robin craig]

forgot to add the photos!

 

Doh!

[59Prototype]

Robin

 

Many thanks for posting the photos. I had my thoughts on what the Moke was but then had someone else check it out for me. We both believe it to be a standard production Moke made at Longbridge, Birmingham, England between 1964 and 1968. Obviously being LHD it was one exported to the States. I know that the photos were taken a few years ago but at the time it looked to be in first class condition.

 

It's a complete aside from this but in 1967 together with two other 'Limies'(!) I worked at the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel in Atlantic City for about 3 months. We were on student exchange visas. After finishing at the hotel we went down to Washington and in being shown round the Capitol Building by a hotel guest and his wife who had befriended us, we got to meet and shake hands with Robert Kennedy. Sadly a year later he was assassinated.

 

Graham