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Bedford QL in US Army service


B series

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2 hours ago, B series said:

Unusual combination of vehicle and markings. And the building in the background is an uneasy style of house / factory.

 

Admit it is unusual to see one in US Army service. Think this photo was taken post war as there is no blackout on headlamp. Body does not look like an original cargo type, appears to have wood planked sides.

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That QL looks strange as if it is on steroids, with the wrong type spare wheel.Vehicle in civvy hands possibly, on 12.00 x 20s tyres, I would hazard a guess location west mid maybe Stoke area

Edited by john1950
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Good comment John1950 about the larger tyres, I had not noticed they look larger diameter than standard.

Richard, I think you are correct, it is a wooden body with hinged tailboard. See photo below.

Looking at the vehicles parked down the the street, I think the location is UK somewhere, late 1950's / early 1960's.  Also in the photo below it looks like the rear end of a Willys or Ford Jeep hood frame and hood parked behind the QL.

Regarding possible civvy ownership comment, there is no UK rear registration plate visible, which does not prove anything but could point towards a non UK operated vehicle.

image.png.0985aaecdab80da0fadb3a84d4f7df79.png

Regards,

 

B series

 

 

 

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The body sits higher than a normal QLD as it has a flat floor with no wheel boxes, looks like an Austin body.  This gives the illusion of the lorry being higher. Having owned a QL for a good many years I know there is space to get head and shoulders over the front wheel and under the mudguard, I would say the tyres are 11.00-20 as mine.

Is this photo from Pearsons of Liverpool?

Just had a thought, seeing the cars in background, looking like early 60's, I wonder if this is not actually for the US Army but has been made up for a film? Accuracy was not adhered to by film makes then.

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When I started with the MV hobby back in the early 1970's I sometimes found photographs of military vehicles for sale in junk shops, or at some of the early MV shows. I purchased these Bedford photos in the 1970's maybe at a junk / book shop or possibly at one of the early Duxford shows.  I did not know at the time of purchase how unusual a Bedford QL with US army markings was, but I have since educated myself and this is the only Bedford QL with US marking I have seen. But I have no information about the photos date or location, and there are no notes on the reverse of the photos.

B series.

p.s How do I edit /change the signature detail on the bottom of my posts?

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OK, got my anorak on now...

The Morris Minor in the photo has the larger rear windscreen, which definitely dates the photo to 1956 or later. Also, although it is difficult to be 100% certain, IMHO the car under the cover is probably a Farina-bodied Austin Cambridge or Morris Oxford, which would date the photo to 1959 or later.

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Is it possible that the letters "AFK" visible in the rear view are the last three characters of a "123ABC" format civvy registration painted on the tailboard?  It looks to me possible that the same marking appears on the FOS wing.

Edited by utt61
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In response to utt61's comment about markings on FOS wing, here is a better picture of that marking. I do not think the 2AFK is a UK registration number, because the vehicle is fitted with a registration plate on the front grille, but it has no number.

Also no UK tax disc in the windscreen.

I am under the impression that photo development back in the early 1960's was  expensive which makes me wonder why maybe half a dozen photos where taken of this particular vehicle.

Did the british army ever use this style of GS body on the QL chassis? Just thinking why would someone remove the original steel body and replace with a wooden one, unless the vehicle was disposed of without a body or it had a house body or was a tanker originally.

 

 

image.png.310e07b279afe739e0dc2cb0316484cb.png

Anyway it is keeping a few people occupied just thinking about it.

I must post some of my other pictures.

 

B series

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23 minutes ago, B series said:

In response to utt61's comment about markings on FOS wing, here is a better picture of that marking. I do not think the 2AFK is a UK registration number, because the vehicle is fitted with a registration plate on the front grille, but it has no number.

Also no UK tax disc in the windscreen.

I am under the impression that photo development back in the early 1960's was  expensive which makes me wonder why maybe half a dozen photos where taken of this particular vehicle.

Did the british army ever use this style of GS body on the QL chassis? Just thinking why would someone remove the original steel body and replace with a wooden one, unless the vehicle was disposed of without a body or it had a house body or was a tanker originally.

 

 

image.png.310e07b279afe739e0dc2cb0316484cb.png

Anyway it is keeping a few people occupied just thinking about it.

I must post some of my other pictures.

 

B series

This body is not one fitted to QL’s originally. Check out Bart Vanderveen’s book on Bedford military vehicles, inside the back cover are reproductions of adverts and the one for A. B. Fletcher, a surplus dealer and the body in the adverts phot is identical and would be more practical for haulage as the floor is flat, no wheel boxes. A lot of surplus vehicles were rebodied and a wireless/ command QL would have little value with that body at that point of time.

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