I took these whilst in Malta, September 2007. If anyone is going to Malta call in to see the Museum at the old RAF site at Ta Quali, it is known as the Craft Village and most buses from Valleta to Rabat go past there.
Here is a photo of our new Aircraft Tug, if you could post it on the site so everyone can see what nice kit you get for your tax payers money these days!!
Sean Pollack sent in this Queen Mary trailer from 2MT along with a couple of the Station Band (In the Mugshots section)
Bill Blanchett sent this picture of a couple of MRD's taken at
Bruggen.
Hello Ian,
I don't really qualify for your site as I'm an ex MT Fitter, never the less have attached some images that could be of interest to ex MTD's of El Adem /Tobruk, circa 1969/70 during our strategic withdrawal from those parts.
The first four are from Gutersloh between 1982 -85 I'm sure that some of those that worked with me in the Deployment compound can remember doing daily inspections every day on vehicles that never moved.
First picture is of a u/s A Frame trailer on the back of an EDT Seddon Atkinson combination
Second picture is of a MFV (Major Foam Vehicle) at Fairford for RIAT 2004
Third picture is an old 401 ready for transportation
Fourth picture is of 2 MT Display at RAF Waddington 2004
Not one of my bumps (Honest !) but I suppose it might be similar to some that I might have been capable of. I expect all of us from LAC up to MTO will have stories, memories and pictures (If we are totally honest) of such burdens to the taxpayer, and it occurred to me that an FMT 3 section would make an interesting and amusing addition to the site. Obviously not if people have been actually hurt or injured, just those times where your pride took the biggest dent and no REAL harm was done. Let's face it, we have trashed a lot of wagons over the years, and put them in some strange places, and some funny shapes.
Ford Escort
The first of the diesel cars for the military, before the
trend really took off to what it is today. A vast
improvement over those awful Chevettes some of us learnt to drive in.
55 Seater
When RAF buses were painted to actually look like
RAF buses, instead of all those ghastly ''Humbrol''
colour schemes that started appearing in the
late ' 80's as a security measure.
A selection of Civvy spec military (White fleet) Landies, which have come to grief at the hands of the Army/ Air Force/ Navy.
Something a bit different. Saw this whilst on a family holiday to Spain and Gibraltar. It is so obviously an ex RAF version of the good old Transit, and was a common site on many an airfield, trundling here and there and from memory, usually as a stores wagon and things like GEF etc.
Got me thinking though, how many more old sheds on their second life in Civvy street, do we spot on our hols in places like Cyprus, Gibraltar, Malta etc ?
Steve Pearson sent in these pictures from his archives.
Did a 2 week detachement to Machrahanish in 1987 and was on 'Crash' for most of it..
Here I grabbed a quick snap with the medic keeping watch while we were standing by for a 'STATE 2'.
I visited my mate at Odiham recently, he's the M.T Sgt. on one of the Chinook squadrons.. He took me for a look round and I spotted this Foden wrecker, same as the Army have, but apparently the only one in the RAF, due to Odiham probably having the biggest 'green' fleet in the Air Force..
You can just make out the RAF markings over the camo paint job.
............... and these from his ASU collection.
As promised some more photos from my time with RAF Abingdon MT.
Canberra fuselage on it's way to RAF Hendon museum. There was another truck with some other gear on it and was driven by Des McNichol.
A mothballed Buccaneer being taken to RAF Shawbury for storage. Good job we did, they were needed in the first Gulf War.
Same Buccaneer after coming off at junction 12 on the M6. This was taken on the A5 through Weston under Lizard. The police escort asked me how fast I could go, in them days we had no limiter on the truck so I said as fast as you like. He said just to keep up with him which we did. we even made the Terry Wogan show traffic news.
Phantom wings being transported to RAF Carlisle from the then RAF Catterick. Under the wing is Cpl Ian Williams. We all stayed at the Truck Inn Carlisle (Rate one's), what a night that was. The chief of the ASTF crew was leaving that week and we got him drunk, which was quite easy really as I remember cos' he was tea total, well until that night. He he
