Back to Vintage homepage

This page contains pictures from the archives of Les Freathy, although not an ex MTD he is a military transport historian.

Please contact him if you can add any information to the following.

A couple of photos of those ugly but powerful Fauns issued to the RAF in Germany
Ford Sussex Balloon Winch

Line drawing of the Austin K6 crew bus	Dodge VK62 crew bus	TACR2 at Manston about 1999
German buses in RAF Service in Germany		Humber staff car and Thornycroft Nubian lorries in Germany	Ford WOT6 3 Ton RAF workshop
AEC Mercury low profile refueller
Austin 30cwt electrical repair trucks		AEC 6x6 fuel tankers

Bedford SB3 coach, 31 seater also adaptable to a 16 stretcher ambulance

2 AEC 0854s and a Karrier Bantam, something to do with 51 MT I am told

2 ex RAF vehicles, the Thornycroft / Coles crane and behind the Standard Vanguard pick up

A Taskers demo Queen Mary attached to an Austin Loadstar

Late type Crossley Q tractor with Taskers Queen Mary note the extending frames are raised in this photo

Line of early Crossley Q's the end one is a photo reproduction unit, various other R.A.F vehicles in the background including Bedford MW 15cwt and Commer Q2 15cwt

The Taskers Queen Mary coupled to the early model Crossley

A pre/early wartime Hillman HAWK, yes Hillman not Humber Tender. That cab must have been designed for tall drivers.

Chassis and scuttle of the later model 3 ton Crossley Q tractor.

I need some I.D here on this Bedford 15cwt, its the only photo I have seen with this extra large box body is it signals or maintenance any serving guys ever seen one during your time?

Post war Bedford RL 3 ton mountain rescue truck has typical R.A.F style rear tilt

Ford WOT1 signals, WW2 truck that carried on in service until the late 1950s

PW Fordson Thames ET6 balloon winch

Austin K9 1 ton Ambulance in preservation. Not many of these have survived and I took this photo over 20 years ago so I do hope it's still around, it was immaculate.

David Brown tow tractor at Lydd airport in the 1950s.

This one is from my neighbour Docker Williams and on the back it gives the unit details. He is sitting in the front centre on the right, the unit is M.T section 5.cmu SEAAF, I presume this to mean South East Asia Air Force or have I missed something in there.

The light fire and crash tender based on the 2 ton Karrier Bantam, as can be seen it is basically a flatbed adapted for the role.

Interesting conversion by RAF workshops of a German SDkfz7 8 ton semitrack to a fire crash foam tender, whilst the cross country performance would have been suitable its turn of speed would not.

A E C 0854 6x6 refueller at a military sale in the early 1960s, note the power generating truck on the right probably a Ford ET6 6x4.

Wartime shot of an early cabbed 0854 refueller, the cab roof on these was flatter as opposed to the later deep curve.

Nice restored early tanker, not sure if this ever had the booms fitted.

Rear view of another restored example this time the late model complete with booms.

Two Bedford S type aircraft servicing hoists seen here at a military surplus sale in the late 1960s.

Brand new Bedford S type tender with typical R.A.F steel body.

Crew with one of the Crossley Q types. It would be nice if one of the older members could pick out someone they knew.

CMP from the transport pool, I am not sure what the frame is in the back.

Bedford-Lacre runway sweeper from the 1960s.

Wartime Crossley Q 4x4 workshop.

Karrier Bantam flat, this photo is late 1940s and the Bantam was also issued as a light crash and fire tender and a box van. These MK1 were superseded by the later MK2 featuring a adapted Commer cab.

Ford WOA2 heavy utility looks to be desert Air Force and looking at the terrain in Tunisia, hopefully some further details will emerge on the unit.

15cwt utility in Burma, body was built over there and it was used as the runabout.