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Series 3 Lightweight Land Rover RAF


webley455

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I recently purchased this LR, it’s been camo painted and I am leaving it that way for a year or so.

Originally being ex RAF it would have been plain green with a yellow stripe, does anyone know when the yellow stripe was discontinued or is it still in use?

54A5B88F-6687-4F4C-B24B-514916217034.jpeg

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Not all were plain green with a yellow stripe. Many when used by field squadrons such as helicopters, Harriers, Regiment and TSW would use black/green camouflage. Non flying bases and large bases like Brize Norton and Lyneham would use shiny landys... Not all blue jobs wore blue ! 🚕

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If it was in use by the RAF Rgt it might well have been in disruptive camo although not quite as it appears in the picture.

On an airfield with public access then it would be marked as below from JSP 341. I had an Aircraft Armament Support Vehicle & that was plain green as it would not be in role at a civil airport.

1146651059_RAFmarking.thumb.jpg.000c53f11e859738894040311eccd513.jpg

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I was on 33sqn and 240 OCU at Odiham for quite a few years and I cannot remember any vehicle on a squadron at Odiham with yellow stripes. Those used by base units such as MT and ground equipment flight did have them but not the squadrons as they were used in the field.

We Had at the time lightweight heli-start, 109 GS, 109 1t GS, 101 Radio and of course Bedfords.With some fitted for artic use alongside our BV's.

I had loads of pics of them in various places from the artic to jungle and just about everywhere in between but they got destroyed at Leconfield by a winchweight...

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Do a history search request with RAF Museum , will state Solihull Ex- Works colour . You must have looked for trace of  Blue/Grey ?   this is a possibility as it seems a  --AJ--   (at latest) due to early features extant , possibly a  --AM-     :-

Rear wing toolbox.

Early door bottoms

Some glass lens

Badge seems metal & is at metal location on grille

Possibly a oil-cooler fitted  ?

AJ's went as far back as 1976 and IIRC , prior AM's were Blue/Grey

I don't recall seeing a brush paint job in service, RAF ones in straight NATO Green - RAF always sprayed and the finish was always a little posh as if a bit of varnish added to matt, also they weathered better with less colour fade / loss - I still have 92KA58  (tri-service but always RAF Germany) , also 90"  57KG59 Tornado Falklands full service.    92KA58  -  IMHO  nil IRR content & may be a Fleet enamel or some aircraft refinish  ??   Similar sus. with  57KG59.

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It’s RAF registration was 88AM49. I have contacted the RAF museum but apart from a we will get back to you reply I haven’t heard any more so far.

The main question, however, was when did the yellow stripe stop being used or do they still use it.🙂

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Just a thought but Land Rovers used on airfields would not be fitted with Clansman (A picture will pop up now but it will be rare), more likely Pye radios or Storno and the like.

It would be good to hear where it lived during its service it makes ownership much more interesting. And if you can find it in period photos all the better.  You never know..

 

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4 hours ago, Mk3iain said:

Just a thought but Land Rovers used on airfields would not be fitted with Clansman (A picture will pop up now but it will be rare), more likely Pye radios or Storno and the like.

It would be good to hear where it lived during its service it makes ownership much more interesting. And if you can find it in period photos all the better.  You never know..

 

Like you - I thought Clansman doubtful , age of vehicle - a Larkspur box would be better.  I have two Pye Westminster both with RNAS station Dymo call.

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5 hours ago, webley455 said:

It’s RAF registration was 88AM49. I have contacted the RAF museum but apart from a we will get back to you reply I haven’t heard any more so far.

The main question, however, was when did the yellow stripe stop being used or do they still use it.🙂

More to point - when approx. did yellow paint stop being used & what was the colour code.  The reflex decal strip that came later ISTR I did research to identify make/type for 92KA58 but never obtained.

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14 minutes ago, ruxy said:

Like you - I thought Clansman doubtful , age of vehicle - a Larkspur box would be better.  I have two Pye Westminster both with RNAS station Dymo call.

If I come across a Larkspur box I’ll fit it, the Clansman can stay for now as it help to know where the wing ends. We have some very narrow roads over here 🙂

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20 minutes ago, ruxy said:

--AM--   was from 1972 to1978

Chassis number fits into sequence for 88AM13 to 88AM60. B card confirms registration number as 88AM49 entered service 1978 and sold off 1983.

Im hoping RAF museum records will fill in the gap 

508B8E2F-5484-40CC-B3D5-97AB3C40B06A.jpeg

E559FC43-EB96-4F1E-9D28-5E8C892AE7B5.jpeg

Edited by webley455
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5 hours ago, webley455 said:

If I come across a Larkspur box I’ll fit it, the Clansman can stay for now as it help to know where the wing ends. We have some very narrow roads over here 🙂

If you are going to paint it with a yellow stripe as an airfield vehicle it would not have had Larkspur or Clansman radios. I've never seen an airfield vehicle fitted with either, there is no requirement.  Only regiment or specialist field units would have those radios, field helicopter squadrons had Sigs personnel  attached (244 sigs with 33Sqn).

 

Pye (Olympic or Westminster) or Storno would be more likely.

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4 hours ago, webley455 said:

Chassis number fits into sequence for 88AM13 to 88AM60. B card confirms registration number as 88AM49 entered service 1978 and sold off 1983.

Im hoping RAF museum records will fill in the gap 

508B8E2F-5484-40CC-B3D5-97AB3C40B06A.jpeg

E559FC43-EB96-4F1E-9D28-5E8C892AE7B5.jpeg

Not so many in quantity for RAF Contracts.  Your  95104647A  in the scheme of things is not so far away from my  95104109A   (43GF07)   GF was Army  1975 to 1976 ,  if yours was originally  Ex-Solihull  in Green  (and I think not) then I would say DBG ,  however ISTR  RAF  Blue/Grey went just beyond 1976.

The Solihull Dispatch OUT records recorded colour , but they would just write Green or Blue.

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Is the date it entered service close to the date of manufacture as 5 ish years in service seems very short. It may have had an interesting history ! The airforce did not release vehicles early without reason. I remember delivering the wreckage of a burned out Pembroke that had been used in a crash excersise to to the disposal site near Muchengladback. I was in an RL and the site was full of MK's that the Army were releasing.

Some will have had an easy life with lots of care and few miles others will have been run into the ground as workhorses. The fact that it is still around looking good perhaps it was the former. I used to have a 1984 FFR and loved it, I won't say what happened to it though...

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Hi All,

in a previous life I was a staff cadet at 637 Sqn VGS (Volunteer Gliding School), based at RAF Little Rissington.

We had two RAF lightweights, which I think was standard for all VGS. I seem to remember the serials were 20AM56 and 20AM58, or 'Crash 1' and 'Crash 2', with Crash 2 mounting a large foam extinguisher in the back.

This would be about 1983. We carried out several week long gliding courses for Combined Cadet Force cadets, and to keep us busy we were tasked with refreshing the paint on the landrovers.

They were all over yellow. We contacted MT at RAF Brize Norton for more paint, only to be told that they didn't hold it, and we would have to buy it from Texas Homecare, shade 'Sweetcorn Yellow' and charge it back.

Both were repainted all over yellow. A bit of mooching over at the Home Office Fire Research and Development hanger on the same site provided enough fluorescent orange stickyback vinyl for us to put stripes down both vehicles, and the word 'Fire' on the door of 'Crash 2'.

A quick look on the VGS websites shows they are still using all yellow landrovers.

Best Regards,

Adrian

 

Edited by Le Prof
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10 hours ago, Le Prof said:

Hi All,

in a previous life I was a staff cadet at 637 Sqn VGS (Volunteer Gliding School), based at RAF Little Rissington.

We had two RAF lightweights, which I think was standard for all VGS. I seem to remember the serials were 20AM56 and 20AM58, or 'Crash 1' and 'Crash 2', with Crash 2 mounting a large foam extinguisher in the back.

This would be about 1983. We carried out several week long gliding courses for Combined Cadet Force cadets, and to keep us busy we were tasked with refreshing the paint on the landrovers.

They were all over yellow. We contacted MT at RAF Brize Norton for more paint, only to be told that they didn't hold it, and we would have to buy it from Texas Homecare, shade 'Sweetcorn Yellow' and charge it back.

Both were repainted all over yellow. A bit of mooching over at the Home Office Fire Research and Development hanger on the same site provided enough fluorescent orange stickyback vinyl for us to put stripes down both vehicles, and the word 'Fire' on the door of 'Crash 2'.

A quick look on the VGS websites shows they are still using all yellow landrovers.

Best Regards,

Adrian

---------------

Sweetcorn Yellow - that is a colour to remember.  I have seen a few yellow LWT glider tugs - they would just be used for recovery  ?

The ones I have seen were just plain yellow, however if you look at the back cover of The Half-Ton Military Land Rover by Mark Cook , you will see  612 VGS  , unfortunately the vehicle  ERM  plate is removed.   It has red/white/red candy rock stripes - each abt. 1" wide also a large red square on door with FIRE in white. It is a early model - possibly  --AM--  Inside are two pics of  93KA31  +  05KD21  (one of the final non-FFR 24 volt).    Mark Cook had a plain yellow 90"  until recent years,,

 

 

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Hi ruxy

Thanks for the further information.

The rovers were used both for recovery and running out the winch cables for winch launch gliders (Sedbergs, Kirby Cadet Mk III's). Also for putting out 'Gliding in Progress' signs etc.

My first gliding was in Kirby Cadets, but by the time I did my first solo course, we were on Venture Self Launch Gliders (which had a motor, so were taxiable), so the rovers spent most of the time on watch in case of accidents., and collecting 'Civgas' from the petrol station, or towing the fuel bowser.

Really these yellow lightweights were my introduction to military vehicles. Also, the FMT600A I gained to drive them came in very useful at later points in my life.

I had a quick look around the internet for other examples, and came across this one:

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1969-genuine-series-2a-land-rover-482933349

I certainly drove this one at RAF Sealand on courses there. Anyone here buy/restore it?

Best Regards,

Adrian

Edited by Le Prof
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Abt.  1990 - I took the kids to watch the gliders at Sutton Bank on a good day, they were using a large static winch but obviously unable to get close up .  I was amazed at the quantity  in time frame  launched , most soaring along the edge - to me from the ground they seemed in very close proximity to each other - not what I expected !

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Its a shame there aren't more of these about in RAF Blue, which I guess is a Series IIA (?) in RAF service before NATO Green came in to use. I think the photo needs to be in a caption competition!

It has no external door locks, domed indicators, and wing mirrors rather than door mirrors.

Note the interesting tire tread pattern I cannot identify.

RAF Lwt.jpg

Edited by LarryH57
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9 minutes ago, LarryH57 said:

Its a shame there aren't more of these about in RAF Blue, which I guess is a Series IIA (?) in RAF service before NATO Green came in to use. I think the photo needs to be in a caption competition!

It has no external door locks, domed indicators, and wing mirrors rather than door mirrors.

Note the interesting tire tread pattern I cannot identify.

RAF Lwt.jpg

And a tech in best blue ? 

Possibly with a GSM.

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7 hours ago, matchlesswdg3 said:

Here is a photo of mine after having it restored by Father Ted on Craggy Island.  Actually, its currently for sale at £1800 - in France.

107104365_3359037054130826_2569154171229821676_n.jpg

That Land Rover was an anti-spark diesel version LHD, served its life with RAF in Germany, disposed of 27 years ago.  Has not had a lot of care by look of it.

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