Pre-war cars in Allied Military Service

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by Rich Payne, Nov 16, 2007.

  1. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    As threatened in an earlier thread, http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/battle-specifics/12421-bastion-32-dunkirk-2.html

    Here's my first contribution taken from a period magazine. Presumably driven by the Frenchman.

    The picture could have been taken earlier as both the R.Sigs DRs seem to be wearing Service Dress and that doesn't appear very often in photographs as late as April 1940 (maybe because the photographers were told to show 'Britain's Modern Army' to impress the opposition).

    [​IMG]

    The motorcycles are Nortons and still have pre-war civilian Middlesex registrations (WD vehicles were registered and carried tax-discs pre-war). The bikes would be a couple of years old at this point as they have the earlier single bolt fixing for the number plate bracket:rolleyes:

    Rich-the-rivet-counter.
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Can anyone ID this car correctly?
    Caption says Ford Type J but can't find anything to back that up.

    A WAAF sergeant, driver to the Station Commander at Cardington, Bedfordshire, studying a route map on her Ford Type 'J' staffcar.


    [​IMG]
     
  3. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    [​IMG]

    Ford V8 staff car, 9 May 1940.
     
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Austin saloon car pressed into military use, with worn coat of camouflage paint, 9 May 1940.
    [​IMG]
     
  5. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    [​IMG]

    Newsreel filmimg: Cameramen Sydney Bonnett of Gaumont British News (on the left) and Leslie Murray of Universal, with theircar and Newman-Sinclair cameras in front of a farm building in Gangsaas Valley, Finmark, Norway.
     
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    AOC Malta, Air Vice Marshal Keith Park (at the wheel) and AOC Desert Air Force Air Vice Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham in an MG sports car during the latter's visit to Malta.
     
  8. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Can anyone ID this car correctly?
    Caption says Ford Type J but can't find anything to back that up


    [​IMG]

    Can't help with the Ford but as it says it is at Cardington and it is just inside the camp perimeter.The houses in the background are still there which I believe were RAF married quarters when the site was RAF operational and are now private houses.They were originally built to house Short's workers when the site was opened from 1917.The settlement went under the name of Shortstown
     
  9. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    [​IMG]

    Austin 8hp AP two-seater in military use, 9 May 1940.
     
  10. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Any idea on what the cars are in this photo?

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    British troops on the Somme Front: Two Grenadier guardsmen help a wounded German pilot after his capture.
     
  11. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Came across this as Beltring this year:
     

    Attached Files:

  12. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Came across this as Beltring this year:
    I liked that, Kentwell does my head in a bit but I had to admire them hacking about an old Morris to create it. (I believe it's a facsimile anyway, didn't look to closely at the time)

    WWII Battle School & 1940's Fete Re-Creation | Kentwell
     
  13. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Pre-war French (?) car possibly recently liberated from German service (?) into allied.
    From: Galerie photo

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Jim Clay

    Jim Clay Member

    Any idea on what the cars are in this photo?

    [​IMG]

    Owen

    The bonnet on the right looks like a late pre-war Morris 8 to me. See the image here: ViewImages.com for comparison. No idea of the other one, though.

    And the lovely French motor in VP's pic looks to this automotive know-nowt like a typical 30s/40s Citroen Avant. Tres belle, mes amis!

    Jim
     
  15. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    Can anyone ID this car correctly?
    Caption says Ford Type J but can't find anything to back that up.


    [​IMG]



    Could it be the Ford V8 Pilot.
     
  16. ray horne

    ray horne Junior Member

    Hello Owen D, the car which you can just see the front of is a Morris 8 Series E From 1938-9 Era. The other is an Austin,Cannot make out the Model.But very similar to Pic 4.
    Regards Ray.
     
  17. read46

    read46 Junior Member

    This is a link to some period photo's of 30's, 40's and later 'old' classic cars. Amongst them you'll find many pic's of cars pressed into military service.

    Old photographs of cars in the 1920s,1930s,1940s,1950s & 1960s !

    Browsing through them reminded me of an old butchers van that my dad acquired in the early50's. Do you remember the butchers vans and other travelling 'shops' ~ bakers, grocers, fish etc, ~ that used to do a tour of neighbourhoods?
    He'd served in the RAF and could turn his hand to almost anything and converted it into a beautiful 'shooting brake'.
    How I wish we'd had a camera!!
     
  18. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

  19. read46

    read46 Junior Member

    Yes, I like the nonchalant, sideways 'knowing' glance from the dog!!!!:D
     
  20. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

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