WW1 Truck Stereoview

[MHillyard]

This has probably been seen before; but was going through some First World War stereo-views and came across this one which may be of interest.

 

Does anyone know any more about it? And are those buses in the background or something else?

 

thanks

 

[Bob Grundy]

Notice the LGOC buses, with troops on the top deck, above the railway wagons.

[Tony B]

The so called B type bus, though many originaly used were the X type.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_General_Omnibus_Company

[Morris C8]

I saw this on the french ebay and they come up for sale.

Keith

[Runflat]

And an LGOC B-type truck in the foreground!

[Tony B]

Some manufactures had interchangable bodies at the time. Bus by day truck by night.

[Richard Peskett]

Confirming the identity of the vehicles in the stereo picture. Its almost certain that the buses in the background are LGOC 'B' types although there could be some MET Daimler CC's about . The lorry is certainly an LGOC 'B' type ,it may have started life as a bus and been rebodied as a lorry but many of the batch in production at August 1914 were bodied as lorries from new. Also most of the last 250 were all requistioned /sold to the WD as these had the slightly larger engine with a bore of 115mm in lieu of 110mm. Although giving excellent service the 'B' type was not as strong in general terms as the ' purpose' built lorries and those bodied as lorries spent most of their time in use as stores lorries at bases or on home front duties. A considerable number of the bus bodies were transfered to US built Riker chassis. Virtually all of the LGOC 'X' type had been taken out of service by 1914 and bodies probably transferred to new B type chassis, I have never found any evidence that the X type served with the WD. A London Gereral Omnibus company record ledger has recently 'surfaced' and this in due course will no doubt provide further information on the subject. I have B 2737 currently in my workshop.

Richard Peskett.

[nz2]

There is also a loco cab in the photo. No sign of a chimney or steam dome so perhaps its powered by an internal combustion engine. I understand the buses were used eariler in the war, so this would help date the photo.

Doug

[ploughman]

By Loco cab do you mean the raised glass sided roofed thing?

That may be a guards lookout on a brake vehicle.

[Tony B]

Richard, there eveidence tucked away in the London Transport Musuem Archive that a number, around 100 if I remember , X types were available and sent over to France with LGOC drivers in September /October 1914 for use with the Royal Marines expeditionary force to Antwerp on the 3rd October 1914. The subsequent withdrawl led to some vehicles being captured by German forces. Most of the paperwork is various letters cablegrams and odd memos. Seems to have been almost a spur of the moment thing. in the book First Men in Tanks, can't remeber the full title, it mentions a couple having boiler plate fitted. Post some pictures of your beast!

[Redherring]

I have B 2737 currently in my workshop.

Richard Peskett.

 

Richard, what state is B 2737 in?

 

Merry Christmas...

 

Robert

[Richard Peskett]

There were only ever 50 'X' types built used for evaluation purposes as a forerunner to the 'B' . I think these are being confused with the MET Daimler CC's of which there were in excess of 200, many being converted to lorries in the LGOC North Road coachworks before departure. These were the first to go overseas, used by the RND and proved useful in the evacuation of Antwerp. Some were captured by German forces, still in their blue and cream MET livery. First ' B' types to be used were single deckers only 8 months old as ambulances working from UK ports in August. The double deck 'B' types started to go in September.

Richard Peskett.

[Tony B]

Thanks for clarity,

[Richard Peskett]

Robert - a totally original vehicle, as with virtually all London buses by course of overhaul all parts become interchanged, one of the great technical points about London vehicles, a policy still with the 'Routemaster' today. Just in excess of 2800 had been built from mid 1910 until August 1914. B 2737 comprises all contemporary parts including the engine and gearbox which has been returned from Australia ( 30 plus were sold there secondhand in 1922/3, ) . We are undertaking the work for London Transport Museum ( TFL) .It will make its debut during the summer of 2014.

Richard Peskett.

[Roy Larkin]

Of the initial 4 ASC companies, 90,91,92,93 Coys only 2 were kept as bus companies.

 

93 Coy arrived at Rouen on 2/11/1914 with 75 buses. There is then a gap in their records until they arrived in St Omer on 7/12/1914 by which time they had become 1 Mobile Repair Unit. There is no record of what happened to their buses, although it is known that French carpenters were cutting off the top decks within 4 hours of them arriving at Rouen. 57 Coy ASC received regularly LGOCs which they commented on as being 'converted buses' and by 6/12/1914 had 52 such lorries on their strength. These were initially rated as 40-cwt but very quickly 57 Coy had persuaded GHQ to downrate them to 30-cwt and they were always referred to as 30-cwt from then on.

 

92 Coy became 4 GHQ Ammunition Park and although their records prior to April 1916 appear to be missing (at least not where they should be, so who knows if they will ever turn up in some unexpected place), the movements of vehicles in and out of the company into workshops, other companies etc, seem to all be lorries of various makes, including Straker-Squire and Berna, despite it still being referred to as 3 Auxiliary Bus Coy. They were also operating, it seems various lorries fitted with seats, but no actual buses. What happened to the 75 buses they originally had on formation? Why were they kept as a bus company but worked as a lorry company, who knows?

 

On 28 January 1917 it was redesignated 50 Auxiliary Bus Coy but I've not looked at that company yet.