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Think of Duxford and not unnaturally the first thing that comes to mind will be the marvellous sound of a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine as a Spitfire passes gracefully overhead. The Imperial War Museum at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire houses a legendary collection of aircraft and armour, but the Musuem is also home to some very interesting and rare AECs!
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| AEC Type 850 R6T |
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This rare military 6x6 tractor on loan to the IWM and on display in the Land Warfare Hall has its origins in the three-way relationship forged in late 1929 between AEC, the Four Wheel Drive Lorry Co Ltd and Hardy Rail Motors Ltd. The original R6T was built at the FWD factory in Slough, and had a Dorman 6-cylinder engine. The IWM exhibit, which has Middlesex registration AMP 80, is one of 33 AEC Type 850s with AEC A136 engines that were built at Southall between 1932 and 1936. |
| AEC Armoured Command Vehicle |
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The hugely successful Matador Medium Artillery Tractor formed the basis of AEC's Armoured Command Vehicle, an armour-plated mobile control room that saw plenty of active service during World War II. Nicknamed 'Dorchester', four hundred & sixteen of these ACVs were built. The Duxford machine (on chassis number 0853 1560) is on display in The Normandy Experience within the Land Warfare Hall. |
| AEC Matador |
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This display in the Land Warfare Hall depicts the archetypal army Matador towing a 4.5 inch Medium Field Gun. The Matador has chassis number 0853 7307 and it was repatriated to Britain from Malta. |
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| AEC Mammoth Major TG6RB |
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| Resident and visiting aircraft are refuelled by this ex-RAF Mammoth Major Six/Gloster-Saro 3,000 gallon bowser and two or three Bedfords. The AEC is seen in the fuel depot at the western end of the airfield. |
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| AEC Militant |
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A chance-sighting round the back of the Land Warfare Hall was this Militant Mk III heavy recovery, parked between a fork lift and some rather more menacing hardware. |
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Acknowledgement
| Thanks to all the helpful Museum staff in the Land Warfare Hall |
| vangastow@aecsouthall.co.uk |
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![AEC's Blue Triangle symbol [© AEC Ltd] is reproduced by kind permission of The British Commercial Vehicle Museum Trust.](120.jpg)