Tax discs on MV's WW2?

[Matt Rimmer]

Hi,

 

I have seen several WW2 photos taken in the UK showing RAF airfield vehicles with tax discs displayed. Did British military vehicles still have to have a tax disc during the war?

 

Thanks,

 

Matt.

[Marmite!!]

You might find some info here http://www.britishtaxdiscs.co.uk/History.htm

[Matt Rimmer]

Thanks Lee that's an interesting link,but it doesn't mention anything about tax discs on MV's. What I'm trying to find out is if the discs used on military vehicles were the same design as those on civvy vehicles. I'm thinking of getting one of the repro discs for one of my vehicles and just wanted to get it right before parting with cash!.

 

Matt.

[Richard Farrant]

This is true, British Army vehicles did carry "tax discs" during WW2. I think it may not have been carried though to the end of the war. As pre-war military vehicles, inc RAF, carried civilian reg. numbers especially allocated, I think these discs were a form of exemption. The disc holder was a rather nice diecast item, which was screwed to the bodywork, the back of it had a screwed disc, which removed to access tax disc. They had W/l\D cast on them and were at one time still found at militaria sales.

[Marmite!!]

The disc holder was a rather nice diecast item, which was screwed to the bodywork, the back of it had a screwed disc, which removed to access tax disc. They had W/l\D cast on them and were at one time still found at militaria sales.

 

 

I just remembered I have one of these it has the Fox tax disc in it :-D

[Jack]

This is true, British Army vehicles did carry "tax discs" during WW2. I think it may not have been carried though to the end of the war. As pre-war military vehicles, inc RAF, carried civilian reg. numbers especially allocated, I think these discs were a form of exemption. The disc holder was a rather nice diecast item, which was screwed to the bodywork, the back of it had a screwed disc, which removed to access tax disc. They had W/l\D cast on them and were at one time still found at militaria sales.

 

 

HMVF really is a place full of answer. Great work!

[Matt Rimmer]

Great info guys,many thanks :-D. The photo I'm referring to is of an RAF airfield tractor taken in July 1945,the holder for the disc is visable but I can't see if there is actually a disc in it :dunno:

 

The Registration number on the tractor is RAF 83572,not sure if that helps in any way though!

 

Matt.

[AlienFTM]

Reminds me of (Brickhill's?) Reach For The Sky, the seminal book looking at the career of Douglas Bader.

 

Having lost his legs and learned to walk again, he set about learning to drive again (well depicted in the film). Two points of note.

 

1. (Not relevant but included for interest). He lost his right leg above the knee and his left below the knee. This meant that the extra control in his left leg was better suited to working an accelerator while the right was capable of smacking a clutch. He therefore had his local garage swap accelerator and clutch on his MG (IIRC). By the time the mechanic had delivered it back to him converted, his hair was practically white after the drive.

 

2. Having observed that a tax disc showed a more than passing likeness to the then current label on a bottle of Guinness (AFAIK this label remained in use until the mid-70s when I was working behind the bar of a working-men's club), he replaced his tax disc with said Guinness label and it was never picked up on, even though (as also portrayed in the film) he was not popular with any local constabulary and was forever being stopped by them.

[Morris C8]

Captured Morris with a tax disk holder, I do have other photos in my collection with them on. just above the xxx