Fire Engines Photos

Is that the museum at Scampton?

Added by Dave Price on 24 December 2013.

yes the museum is based at RAF Scampton , although I am based in leics

Added by Tim Webster on 24 December 2013.

TIM say hi to my old mate steve shirley. For 30+years I have searched for a picture of one of the ex Army Bedford RLs that were transferred to the RAF on Malta. My research and speaking to guys who were there at the time, they were on charge to LUQA but actually served at an outstation- possibly a stores unit- which had been transferred to the RAF complete with its small fleet of vehicles. it looks like you are doing a great job
regards TED Angus

Added by Ted Angus on 24 December 2013.

This surely is ex Home Office NOT army.

Added by Neal Glover on 25 December 2013.

Yes Neal...its a 'lookalike' Its at Scampton now

Added by Barrie Green on 26 December 2013.

Hello Ted, I will pass on your kind regards to Steve. Bob Ewing is my main source of info as he served there. I believe they were at ta-kali. Info is rare as is was in the middle of the infamous mintoff era I think. glad you like the picture.Tim.

Added by Tim Webster on 26 December 2013.

All,
The following may be of interest to you:
In the mid 1980's a few RAF registered Bedford RL's fire appliances were held as reserve stock in the Vehicle Depot at Hilton, Derbyshire, England and were painted NATO green with yellow strips.
They were unlikely to be ex Army as they would have retained their Army VRM's (Vehicle Registration Marks).
As you are probably aware RAF VRM's were issued in the series 00AA01 to 99AZ99.
I am pretty certain that they were built specifically for the RAF and not converted from Green Goddess's.
I do not recall who built the bodies but they were fitted with petrol engines that had twin carbs, neither do I know the quantity originally procured by the MOD.
Regards,
Steve

Added by Steve Prosser on 27 December 2013.

Steve, They would have been the MK8 crash tender, Bedford RL with fire engineering etc by Pyrene.
48 were built plus a non operational prototype

Added by Ted Angus on 27 December 2013.

I remember when I went to Hilton to collect a Mk11 for the RAF Fire Service Fire School at RAF Catterick, I passed a building with a row of Mk8 fire trucks, these were built on a Bedford RL chassis, could these have been the ones mentioned above

Added by Gordon Smith on 27 December 2013.

An AFDFS senior officer once told me the MK8 was built to budget from whatever bits were on hand. Luckily I did not have to use one except at Catterick on a Tac course. Frankly it was a dog of a machine in every respect.
The only machine I have ever known requiring a locker door to be opened to cool the pump engine. Horrendous.

Added by John Stott on 28 December 2013.

Ted,
Many thanks you for the information on the Mark 8's.
Gordon,
The row of vehicles you saw were definitely the ones I refer to above, I'm not sure were they went when the depot closed in late 1990.
Regards to you both,
Steve
PS
I understand that there are few Mark 8's in preservation, one is picture 22836 (27AG81) on this site.

Added by Steve Prosser on 28 December 2013.

Ted, the prototype Mk 8 looked very different to the production vehicles, after it was redesigned it became one of the 48

Added by Roger Mason on 28 December 2013.

As a Driver of the MK 8, yes it was built on the chassis of the Bedford RL. Underneath its shell it had a V6 Jaguar engine. We asked to swap the engines but were told to E off!!

Added by Jock on 25 April 2014.

this is now mine.

Added by Tom Mytton on 01 August 2024.

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