question Anyone any idea what should be stowed here

[Zero-Five-Two]

Got this bracket and strap on the Militant Tanker

 

 

It's on the side panel just behind the drivers seat. Small rectangular bracket at the bottom of the panel, like something should slot into it. And a securing strap and buckle near the top.

 

I don't remember any thing being stowed there when I drove them with the RE, and it's probably something blatently obvious, but...

[ArtistsRifles]

At a guess - something unique to the tanker variant?? It's not on my GS version and I do not remember seeing it on the tippers we had in 215.

[Sean N]

Back when I was frequenting Aston Down and other dispersal sales, it became a running joke that all vehicles seemed to have a mysterious piece of tooling that appeared to have no obvious or even possible function. I suspect your brackets are where the mysterious piece of MoD metal is stowed on a Militant tanker.

[robin craig]

Stowage for "Scratcher for backs, driver and drivers mate, temperate climate use only, one for the use of"

[Zero-Five-Two]

At a guess - something unique to the tanker variant?? It's not on my GS version and I do not remember seeing it on the tippers we had in 215.

 

Not tanker specific, Neil, my timber tractor, which started life as a HAA Gun Tractor had one.

 

 

You can just see it at the top of the picture, in amongst all the mess that was on its way to being ripped out at the time of the picture (Apr 07)

[attleej]

Dear All,

 

Jack handle?

 

John

[ArtistsRifles]

Not tanker specific, Neil, my timber tractor, which started life as a HAA Gun Tractor had one.

<image snipped>

You can just see it at the top of the picture, in amongst all the mess that was on its way to being ripped out at the time of the picture (Apr 07)

 

Now that IS interesting Rob!! From dim and distant memory the jack handle was either a one piece unit that lived in the tool boxes behind the crew seats or a 2 piece unit that lived in the tool locker with the jack itself. What do an Artillery Tractor and a Tanker have in common I wonder? Ideal solution would be if some one, somewhere, had a copy of the CES stowage diagram!!

[monty2]

just a guess. can it be to hold a fuel tank dipstick??

[ploughman]

Not sure about earlier vehicles but MK's with POL pods used to have to be earthed by a stake when in use.

Could this be the stowage point for a Earthing stake?

Is there an odd looking bolt with a bit of wire nearby?

 

Failing that the tip of a GS Spade looks like it would fit nicely in the slot.

[Zero-Five-Two]

Not sure about earlier vehicles but MK's with POL pods used to have to be earthed by a stake when in use.

Could this be the stowage point for a Earthing stake?

Is there an odd looking bolt with a bit of wire nearby?

 

Failing that the tip of a GS Spade looks like it would fit nicely in the slot.

 

Earth spike on the Militant Tanker lives in the off side of the tool locker behind the cab with the cable stowed on a little metal drum mounted onto the locker side wall.

 

Shovel idea sounds quite plausible, Gun tractors would have them too. There is a shovel mounting on the outside of the cab, by the spare wheel. A second shovel inside makes sense, it would give you one for the driver and one for his crewman. I'll have to try one see if it fits.

 

Just had another thought. It might be for something to do with air defence. Both Tanker and Gun Tractor have AAAD pintles on the cupola, whereas Neil's GS Cargo does not and subsequently does not have the little bracket.

 

Neil also states that the Tippers he used to drive didn't have them, but they wouldn't, as the scow on the body covers most of the cupola, making it unusable, so they wouldn't need one.

[marvinthemartian]

Not knowing the distance between the bracket and strap, what about pick axe head?

[ArtistsRifles]

<snipped>

Just had another thought. It might be for something to do with air defence. Both Tanker and Gun Tractor have AAAD pintles on the cupola, whereas Neil's GS Cargo does not and subsequently does not have the little bracket.

 

Neil also states that the Tippers he used to drive didn't have them, but they wouldn't, as the scow on the body covers most of the cupola, making it unusable, so they wouldn't need one.

 

Umm - actually - they did have the 4 ball mounts for the AA installation - the scow just reached to the back of the cab covering the spare wheel.

 

[attleej]

Dear All,

 

I still put my money on a jack handle! My recollection is that the AEC 10 tonner had a hydraulic jack with a long flat jack handle and I can remember using it to change a wheel at the side of the road in BAOR. The Scammell Explorer and Leyland Martian recovery would have the bigger 20 ton Lake and Elliot. The 20 ton jack handle is thicker and I don't think that it would fit in the rectangular hole in the bottom bracket. The four tonners had a screw jack and that did have a two or three piece handle which would all fit in the locker under the load bed. I think that the bins in the back of the cab would not be long enough to take the jack handle but I may be wrong.

 

If memory serves me right the 10 tonners with the Marshall type drop side body had a cage storage box under the load bed at the front and the jack handle could live there so there would be no need to keep it in the cab. I just cannot remember where we used to keep the jack handle! The tankers or HAA tractor might not have had the cage so would need the stowage fitting in the cab.

 

John

[Zero-Five-Two]

Umm - actually - they did have the 4 ball mounts for the AA installation - the scow just reached to the back of the cab covering the spare wheel.

 

 

Hmmm... Blew that theory clean out of the water, Jack Handle sounds the most likely, but I'm going to measure it for a shovel too. As previously stated, oh for a CES list

[ArtistsRifles]

On mine - and from memory on the tippers - the shovel went on the back of the cab on the passenger side - this is the lower bracket for the blade on mine - handle strap is higher up (obviously). Cannot remember now where the pick axe helve and head were stowed.

 

[ArtistsRifles]

Dear All,

 

I still put my money on a jack handle! My recollection is that the AEC 10 tonner had a hydraulic jack with a long flat jack handle and I can remember using it to change a wheel at the side of the road in BAOR. The Scammell Explorer and Leyland Martian recovery would have the bigger 20 ton Lake and Elliot. The 20 ton jack handle is thicker and I don't think that it would fit in the rectangular hole in the bottom bracket. The four tonners had a screw jack and that did have a two or three piece handle which would all fit in the locker under the load bed. I think that the bins in the back of the cab would not be long enough to take the jack handle but I may be wrong.

 

If memory serves me right the 10 tonners with the Marshall type drop side body had a cage storage box under the load bed at the front and the jack handle could live there so there would be no need to keep it in the cab. I just cannot remember where we used to keep the jack handle! The tankers or HAA tractor might not have had the cage so would need the stowage fitting in the cab.

 

John

 

The cage lockers under the front of the load bed on drop side bodies (GS at least) were meant for stowing the canvas sheets/roof sections, roof horizontal bars etc. The actual hoops themselves went into the pockets on the front of the load bed - the passenger side one being hinged to swing away when dropping the spare wheel. Which - come to think of it - is probably why you rarely see them carried there, instead the entire roof assembly was dropped in the stores if not needed.

 

You are right about the jack handle sizes - we used to use the jack handle and the pick axe helve to lift the replacement wheel up onto the hub. As I said - I recall militant ones being either one piece or two - two piece definitely lived in the tool locker with the jack itself and I thought the one piece type lived in the tool boxes behind the crew seats in the cab. The memory is going back to the 1970's though is could bell be FUBAR.

[wally dugan]

For those who have MILITANT MK 1s the attached is the specification for the cab accommodation for the stowage of

equipment

[Zero-Five-Two]

Many thanks for posting that Wally, priceless document, and I think the mystery solved

 

 

Pick axe head fits quite nicely, although this is a civilian one, need to add a proper one to the shopping list to go with the shovel I've yet to get as well

[ArtistsRifles]

Now that IS interesting!! It's got me thinking now....

 

Item 5.1.1 - Rifle racks - were on the rear cab bulkhead behind the engine in the drivers side.

 

Item 5.1.2 - Water jerrycan - no idea where in the cab that could be stowed safely.

 

Item 5.1.3 - Works ticket holder - lives in the pocket on the inside of the drivers door.

 

Item 5.1.4 - Vehicle jack - we always carried that in the tool locker under the load bed on the rear drivers side. same with the 2 part jack handle, wheel brace, tool roll and interstart lead.

 

Item 5.1.6 - Pick axe helve - no idea where that lived now, I always though it was on the head board. Not sure where in the cab that would go

 

Item 5.1.7 - Machete and sheath - not sure where this would be carried unless in with the crews personal kit.

 

Item 5.1.8 - Map case - not sure where this would live as we never ever carried one, One of the upper shelves (Item 5.3) would seem likely.

 

Item 5.1.9 - First aid kit - went in the bin down by the passengers feet.

 

Item 5.2 I guess will be the two storage boxes behind the crew seats and above the batteries (missing from mine)

 

Padlocks were issued as vehicle sets of either 3 or 5 depending on whether GS or Tipper. Each set was keyed alike and marked per individual vehicle because the keys lived on the vehicle set.

[Zero-Five-Two]

Reference my last, cancel!!

 

Working in the workshop this morning, I came across the near side panel from the tanker. Having taken it off ages ago, I didn't make a new panel at the time because so much of it had corroded away I couldn't get any decent measurements from it.

 

I stored it away, pending the removal of the off side, which I intended using to confirm size of the near side. Then I forgot about it!! Anyway having dug it out, it has all sorts of straps etc, that just happen to fit the pick axe head and handle

 

 

Still doesn't answer to question, what goes on the off side. Has to be the jack handle.

[Truck257]

I think my militants got that same bracketry behind the drivers door frame ?