Commer Q2: Truck, 15-cwt, 4x2, Van

[Hanno Spoelstra]

The Nevington War Museum lists it as "Commer Q2 Type 105 Radio Van"

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[Hanno Spoelstra]

The Type 105 Radio Vehicle's purpose was a mobile VHF direction finder station:

Ref. https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/7705-light-...comment=106646

I have been lent a manual called Concise Details of Radio Vehicles, an Air Ministry publication, but dated 1950.

It covers many types of radio trucks, but there are two that are simular to my Light Warning Truck,

One refurs to a Type 105 Radio Vehicle, the other a Type 267 mk.1 although this is on a Bedford cab/chassis, the back body is very simular to mine, the body is refured to as a 'type E' stores ref 16a/1672.

The discription states:-

This is a mobile Monitoring unit used for centimetric pulsed transmissions. Three aerial systems are provided, one to cover the upper end, one set in the horizontal plane and the other in the vertical plane.

the equipment consists of a pair of waveguid aerials mounted on a suitable turning gear...............it goes on for pages!

The Equipment listed is :-

• Two recievers Type R.1392D
• Two power units Type 234A
• Control Unit Type 7a
• Transmitter-Reciever Type TR.5043
• Power unit type 15
• Petrol Generating set, 1260w, 35V
• Control unit Type 714
• Control unit Type 715
• Indicator CRT Type4
• Power unit type 820
• Amplifying unit type A.3269
• Test set Type 219

The purpose of this installation is a mobile VHF direction finder station.

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[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

The Nevington War Museum lists it as "Commer Q2 Type 105 Radio Van"

This one was pictured in Greece in 1947, reportedly. Photo courtesy of Dimis Parousis.

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[Keith Brooker]

RAF Commer and captured Commer.
Photos from my collection.

[KevinHann]

So, I have a dilema.

We have removed the body from our Q2 and we are still left wondering about what body would have been fitted.

The chassis rails are very short and have a heavy duty fitted wartime towbar arrangement. We have rubbed the chassis down and can confirm it has not been cut down or welded at any position.

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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ffa7de03ba.jpg

So, the options.

1. The GS truck chassis rails should extend at least 1 foot past the rear cross member, ours clearly does not do this. I notice in photos of Tomas truck his do extend much further than ours.
2. The Pre-heater truck does have the shortened chassis but this would also mean the truck has a PTO which ours definitely does not have.
3. What about an aircraft towing tug? That would require the hefty towbar and a shortened body as to not cause any obstructions? I have seen photos of both normal control Fordsons and Bedfords being used in this capacity?
4. Are there any special bodies made in much smaller or one off situations for towing? Most RAF contracts are simply supplied as 'Cab and Chassis' so other bodies could be a possibility?

Any thoughts?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Hello Kevin!

Originally Posted by KevinHann

We have removed the body from our Q2 and we are still left wondering about what body would have been fitted. The chassis rails are very short and have a heavy duty fitted wartime towbar arrangement. We have rubbed the chassis down and can confirm it has not been cut down or welded at any position.

The towbar looks like a standard WD pintle hook as fitted to many British and Canadian W.D. trucks. The Tructor - see below - has a beefed up version compared to the one on your Commer.

So, the options.

1. The GS truck chassis rails should extend at least 1 foot past the rear cross member, ours clearly does not do this. I notice in photos of Tomas truck his do extend much further than ours.

IIRC Thomas' truck was repurposed as a fire truck after the war, it could well be its chassis was lengthened.

The 30-cwt truck side view above shows the chassis is considerably shorter than the body.

3. What about an aircraft towing tug? That would require the hefty towbar and a shortened body as to not cause any obstructions? I have seen photos of both normal control Fordsons and Bedfords being used in this capacity?

You mean like a Tructor? I don't think I have ever seen Commer trucks in that role.

4. Are there any special bodies made in much smaller or one off situations for towing? Most RAF contracts are simply supplied as 'Cab and Chassis' so other bodies could be a possibility?

I am not aware of any other body types than listed in this thread.

[KevinHann]

Hi Hanno,

Thanks for replying and giving your thoughts.

Mine definitely has the Pintle Hook and its good to see photos of the Tructor towbar that is a lot more substantial.

I have compared the photos I have for the GS bodied truck with mine and the chassis is a lot shorter. Agreed, the body has quite an overhang on the GS truck but the rails do extend quite far behind the rear wing. If you look at mine from the side the chassis stops roughly in line with the back edge of the rear wing.

It simply doesn't look right, and also the GS body made for mine is considerably shorter than the original but this was made postwar as far as I know so is not original.

Thanks, Kevin.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Hi Kevin,

It could be that your chassis was a GS truck which was shortened, or a Pre-heater truck which was rebuilt for another role, including the replacement of the gearbox with PTO. I think the former is more likely than the latter.
I have seen other ex-MVs which had their chassis bobbed when they were converted to garage break down trucks, for example.