RAF Staff Car drawings.
Jane dropped me an email in Feb 2006 with a copy of two drawings, drawn by her mother back in 1944, whilst serving as a driver for RAF officers. Jane had been wondering if anyone could suggest what car was being represented here. Fortunately the serial number appears quite clearly - M 1134051 - so perhaps there are wartime records around that could identify where the car was used.
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Click here for more motoring related images.
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Wartime cartoons
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Before seeing the drawings, I was thinking of large Humbers, but these cartoons suggest a much smaller, open top, car. I've seen Austin 8 tourers decked out in military colours, so the Austin idea seemed like the most likely. I've suggested contacting the IWM to see if they have records of this serial no.
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[Update: Keith (in Western Australia) and Graham have separately been in touch, suggesting that the car depicted in these drawings could indeed be an Austin 8 tourer, as both 2 and 4 door versions were used. Keith goes on to say .. " I believe the wartime cartoons are depicting a 1940
Austin Eight. The British Army had hundreds of them during the war. The bonnet is of the alligator type with a "rocket" emblem that twists to release the bonnet catch and allow it to be opened. The view of the grille in the first cartoon from the side has indications of the Austin Grille.". Thanks for the extra information chaps!!]
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The drawings are great I think. Cartoon 1 shows a portly officer with his trusty canine friend, wedged into the diminutive motorcar, and the second image shows Jane's mother 'walking the car', another hint at how small these Austins were!!
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Thanks for sending the drawings in Jane!
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There is a photograph showing an RAF Austin 8 staff car, elsewhere in the period photographs section, click here to see it. Photographs of a civilian Austin 8 tourer can also be found here, while this page features an Austin 8 staff car in use with the Portuguese Army.
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