(first posted 8/6/2015) This may seem, to those not fortunate enough to live in Great Britain, a most unusual solution to perhaps the most extreme problem a country could have: how to prepare for the effects of nuclear war?
Ahead of the Second World War, the UK government established an Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS), outside the regular county-based fire services. The reasoning was that the AFS would be able to supplement the local fire brigades in the event of major fires and civil emergencies, including those arising from bombing raids.
After the war, the AFS was maintained in a slightly changed form. In principle, a column of up to 144 vehicles could be deployed as required to assist a local service. Initially, wartime vehicles were used, but from the mid-1950s purpose-built vehicles were being procured.
The main one of these, and the only one anyone can remember, was the Bedford RL Type, officially known as the RLHZ Self Propelled Pump. Bedford was GM’s UK based truck builder, part of Vauxhall, and named after the county town of Bedfordshire, Vauxhall’s home since 1908. In total, over 3000 were built between 1953 and 1958, with bodywork from one of 10 or more UK bodybuilders. Around 1300 were two wheel drive; 1800 were four wheel drive.
The Bedford RL type also had a distinguished military history as a regular truck for the 101 uses the military have for such vehicles, and was offered to the civilian market as well.
The RL was built as a military version of the SCL truck, which shared all the visual elements of the chassis and cab, but lacked the big wheels for good ground clearance. Many RL, though not all the fire pumps, were built with four wheel drive also. Power came from a petrol 4.9 litre straight six, though some were also built with diesel engines. The fire pump was always petrol powered.
In the special language of professions such as police officers, the fire service and the like, there is no space for the term “fire engine”. This was an “appliance”, technically a “self propelled pump”, and its main role was to provide additional water, from a river or lake for example, for other teams to use. Some RLHZ were equipped with the necessary hoses and nozzles to provide the necessary varying flow patterns needed for specific situations.
The main pump was capable of moving something like 1000 gallons (full size Imperial ones, of course) a minute using a Coventry Climax engine, not unrelated to the one in the Hillman Imp. The appliance itself carried up to 400 gallons of water, although the lack of baffles in the tank led to some unfortunate side effects when answering the emergency call.
The Green Goddess carried a crew of six – a driver, a vehicle commander and four crew members in what looks now to be a very spartan and basic cab.
The AFS and the associated Civil Defence Force were stood down in 1968: either the likelihood of nuclear war had faded or the regular fire services were judged as able to cope. Many of the vehicles were sold off and some broken for spares, but a large number were mothballed, though, just in case.
In 1977, the staff in the local fire brigades went on strike (that wonderful euphemism “industrial action”), and the Green Goddesses were called upon, staffed by the Army, to provide the necessary fire and rescue service. This happened again in 2003.
On both occasions, possibly as a short hand, the media identified the Green Goddess appliances as having been retained by the government for use in the event of nuclear attack. Such shorthand often sticks, even if it is potentially inaccurate or incomplete.
The appliances were also used in other civil emergencies, noticeably flooding where their pumping capability was vital, again operated by military personnel.
Over the years, various modification processes had been completed, ranging from such basics as flashing indicators and more modern taillights to current standard flashing beacons and sirens, to replace the hand rung bell.
Over 1000 were still in service in 2005, and many had just a few thousand miles on the clock, when the appliances were finally retired, and a sell off process was undertaken. Many, such as this well cared for example, went into private hands and collections; many were sold into the third world countries as fire appliances and as water pumps. Some were also passed through charitable organisations into the third world.
Even now, many people will recognise the affectionate nickname of the Green Goddess. And that they were Britain’s last line of defence to nuclear attack.
It is great that Britain kept them so long at least in reserve. Starting the auxiliary forces in the thirties was a good move. The Blitz and later the buzz bombs would have started many fires, all at once.
This one seems in great shape, thanks for bringing it to us Roger. As these continue to serve in the third world, I wonder how many the Bedford name has confused. As a child I had a Matchbox of a similar fire truck and as American always thought the Bedford name meant Ford of England.
Its actually Chevrolet & GMC of England. smaller Bedford truck engines are a 214 cube clone of the old blueflame 6 but with full pressure oiling and are a bolt in replacement in Chev 6 cars with an extra 1,000 rpm available as a bonus.
The British never seem satisfied with American engine power curves. When Rover bought the 3.5 former Buick V8, they set out to make it breathe better at high rpm and eventually even ditch the auto choke. It is American guys, just enjoy the understessed easy torque.
It wasnt so much the power curve on the old Chev 6s that was the issue it was the splash fed bigend bearings Bedfords had full pressure lubrication and were reliable at higher RPMs, The Buick 215 ran out of breath too early the Brits expected power right thru the rev range and making it breathe properly achieved that.
Bryce ;
A direct bolt in for _which_ old Chevy i6 ? .
There’s 216/235/261 then the 194/230/250/292 , both ranges have different bell housing patterns and front mounts .
Are these Bedford full oilers still in junkyards etc. ? .
-Nate
Splash feed Chev Blueflame 37 till when they dropped the 216, the engines are around though nowdays those old Bedfords are being collected this 71 J1 model was at the Isuzu dealer where my recent boss hires trucks, these A & J trucks are a bolt in 283 engine swap popular for towtrucks back in the day minor mods required but just like the Cubans Kiwis kept cars and trucks on the road with local ingenuity.
Looks pretty ! .
-Nate
Ironically in the ’50s Ford UK commercials were sold under the ‘Thames’ name, probably because the Ford factory at Dagenham was on the banks of the Thames.
I enjoy your stories about the typical UK trucks and the pictures. All these “UK-only” brands you had, often with big and tall cabs, and their timeless designs. With Perkins, Rolls Royce, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Caterpillar, Leyland and Ford diesels. Did I forget any ? The number of UK-truckmakers was almost endless.
The ones that sold really well here, for many years in a row, were the Bedford TK and the Ford D-series. Both cabovers, and built for a long time, nearly unchanged. Timeless designs indeed ! The successor of the D-series, the Ford Cargo, also did well.
As a young boy I seriously thought that a Bedford was a Ford with a sleeper cab, a Ford with a bed…
Below a 1970 Bedford TK, the model was introduced in 1959. It still doesn’t look like some completely out-of-date relic from the past. (Photo courtesy of http://www.melkbussentransport.nl)
I saw several TKs still hard at work during our last harvest season many small growers still use em I’d like a dollar for every km Ive driven one in total discomfort
Nice. It has been a while since I saw a working Bedford TK or Ford D. But many years after the production was stopped, they were still driven by mainly fruit and vegetable growers, to haul their crops. The simple 4×2 flatbed trucks with sideboards. Great and durable all-rounders these were.
The red TK above is a restored one. It hauls milk churns, empty I hope…But I remember that it was done like that, more than 40 years ago. Heavy work.
Wiki says TKs were also built in New Zealand. It says they all had 6-cyl Diesels, which makes me wonder if they were 2-stroke Detroits.
The big TM-model had two-stroke Detroit Diesels. Smaller four-stroke 4 and 6 cylinder diesels were also in-house GM-Bedford engines.
Thanks, I thought Detroits were on the large side; the 6-71 was even used in some Valentine & Sherman tank models.
FTF (trucks, the Netherlands), Astra (trucks, Italy) and Werklust (construction equipment and machinery, the Netherlands) also used Detroit Diesel two-stroke engines. Those are the ones I know for sure.
Here’s a Werklust wheel loader with a DD two-stroke. Werklust is the Dutch word for vigour, vitality, the desire to work (hard). Good name !
Straight 6 330 cube diesel or 300 cube petrol for NZ assembly mostly though many were repowered with almost anything from smallblock chev which is a bolt in swap to any diesel you care to name
Do remember having seen Foden en something like Seddon Atkinson about 10 years ago. And then there were the ‘Dennis’ fire engines. Never seen them on the European mainland.
Was it an ERF?
Like this NZ built ERF
Foden is a division of PACCAR (Kenworth, Peterbilt, DAF, Leyland, Foden) since 1980. The one below clearly has a DAF cab, and according to the mud flaps a Caterpillar engine.
Just like (most) American truckmakers the UK manufacturers of big diesel trucks didn’t build their own powertrain components.
I remember the ERF cabover trucks. In the seventies and eighties a popular brand among UK long distance haulers, who crossed the Northsea. IIRC they had Cummins engines.
The one above had a big cam 500 Cummins 15sp RR.
Right. Years ago, it must have been in the eighties, I read a story about a Dutch logging company who bought a brand new ERF 6×4 tractor unit. They bought one because it was powerful, yet very light. A plastic cab on a strong steel frame (ERF’s specialty), and lots of aluminium parts, like the diesel tanks.
There must have been other companies who had them, but an ERF with Dutch plates was extremely rare.
PACCAR bought out Foden around 1980, and later bought out Leyland-DAF trucks, and amalgamated Foden with the UK arm of Leyland-DAF.
All the trucks are now badged as DAF, though some are still built in Leyland in Lancashire.
ERF went into MAN of Germany; production in the UK has stopped
The shiny happy PACCAR family !
DAF got into a horrible mess after buying Leyland in 1987. But in the end, it worked out very well. They’re selling more trucks than ever since the PACCAR take-over in 1996.
Fodens in a fleet I was recently in are CAT powered DAFs not the current models 10 – 12 years old RR boxes but DAF chassis and cabs.
That seems to be a member of the semi-immortal class of medium-duty cabovers from the 60’s. A transatlantic brother to the Ford C-series and this type of International Cargostar (image found via google image search):
Good God ~ I hope to never have to work on one of these again .
They were great when new but had lots of weird details that made them miserable when old and beat up work trucks .
-Nate
Here’s a Ford D-series, introduced in 1965. Ford and Cummins diesels, like the Cummins 504 V8. Another clean and timeless UK design, very good all-rounders. Ford’s answer to the Bedford TK.
And a nice Ford D-series ad.
Forgot all about these,thanks Roger for a splendid read.
On the subject of long service – I was amazed to see for sale on ebay UK, a 1969 Land Rover, supposedly direct from the ambulance service.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Series-2A-109-Hardtop-Direct-From-Ambulance-Service-/121697314522?hash=item1c55b9a6da
Reminds me of the 1965 BBC “reality” film “The War Game,” which authorities deemed too horrifying for general viewing. I saw it in college, & it was later aired in Britain in 1985. It ●was● horrifying, the more so as much of it was based on German & British WW2 experience. “This … is thermonuclear war!”
And “Threads” the docudrama from 1983. There was a scene where the fire brigades were moved out of strike zones under cover of darkness, quietly, with the lights flashing. Still chills me. I wonder if they were Green Goddess engines?
Great read Roger about a very familiar truck, the NZ army ran RL Bedfords for decades finally selling them off in favour of Unimogs somewhere in the 70s the cab is standard S model Bedford spartan to be sure but these were big gear here in the 50s in rigid and tractor unit form, collectors items now, My first assigned truck was a Bedford, a TK like the one mentioned by Johannes above 300 cube petrol engine 5 forward speeds great old trucks they were the backbone of the shorthaul fleet in this country, I for one have never confused Ford and Bedford my dads firm sold Bedford trucks and vans and my Grandfather was born in Bedfordshire.
Nice to see this one is good shape .
I fondly remember Bedford Diesels from when I lived in Guatemala City , C.A. in ’76 & ’77 , studry and well built .
Spartan but still beautiful design , form follows function as does all good designs .
-Nate
A terrific article about a truck I knew of in an assignment of which I wasn’t aware. Thank you!
+1
As a teenager in the mid 1960’s I remember seeing ‘The War Game’, a BBC pseudo-documentary about a fictitious nuclear attack on Britain. It was judged too terrifying to be broadcast on TV until the 1980’s, but was shown in cinemas at the time.
It won ‘Best Documentary’ at the 1967 Oscars. It’s dated now, but still sobering to watch.
https://www.docsonline.tv/the-war-game/
Seeing one of these still gives me butterflies – during the fire service strikes, motorists were warned that since the Green Goddess crews didn’t carry the ‘jaws of life’ for getting trapped people put of vehicles involved in accidents, it would be parts of one’s anatomy that they’d be removing instead. I’ve never driven more carefully.
I also recall their ability to put fires out is on a par with a leaky garden hose. Isn’t their top speed something like 45 mph?
Here’s one in ‘action’ (I use the word advisedly). Additional comedy points for the police car (Vauxhall Astra) zooming off in the wrong direction, initially.
Nope hope with these” Keystone Cops” ?. The idea was local cops knew the routes so the radio less pumps just followed them.
To be fair, I think the police avoided going over the kerb and had to go up the road and turn around to do so.
Saw a stripped out out one with the cab turned in to a sort of play room in a village not far from Santo Pod Raceway. The owner just drove it once a year to a local car meet as the gasoline engine only gave 6 mpg.!.