Buses, coaches, & lorries

Valkyrie’s picture of an Army Leyland Retreiver in the first picture has reminded me of passages in John Dutton’s ‘The Forgotten Punch in the Army’s Fist’. This recalls the amazement of the US troops in Korea when they encountered some of the vehicles REME still had in use. The Scammell Pioneer created amusement but the second hazy picture shows the Divisional Commonwealth Telecommunications Workshop Mobile Inspection Team’s Z Wagon.

…" built onto a Dennis chassis, which carried a brass label engraved ‘renovated in 1927’, [it] dated from the pre-windscreen era, probably of WW1 vintage, with a top speed of of 15mph via two gearboxes. At that speed in a normal European climate, windscreens were not necessary, but here they most definitelt were! On one occasion as an American convoy passed them on the road, the whole lot ground to a halt, open mouthed, as the Yanks took in the vehicle’s unique features."

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