Wessex Historic Military Vehicles held its annual gathering at Haselbury Mill, Crewkerne, in Somerset on June 27th, as Joseph Lewis reports.
There were around 50 military vehicles ranging from motorcycles, half-tracks, recovery trucks and troop carriers attending this Wessex Historic Military Vehicles event. One of the stars was a 1972 ex-Army Bedford MK owned by Malcolm Redston from Taunton. Malcolm acquired the MK in serviceable condition with a good cab, which is unusual, as the cabs are known to rust. This gave a good base to refinish the bodywork in deep bronze-green gloss, which would have been typical of the period in the London District.
In military terms, this model is classed as a four-tonne 4×4 general service (GS) truck, which is powered by a Bedford 330 multi-fuel, six-cylinder engine with four-speed synchromesh gearbox and two-speed transfer box providing four-wheel-drive. The military specification includes a Turner five-tonne ‘belly-mounted’ winch which is capable of pulling from the back or the front end of the truck.
Gratitude to all the vehicle owners.
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