A lifetime of army trucks

[archiewa]

Hello everybody,
An old friend of mine has asked me to join your group and I am happy to do so.
I started buying ex army vehicles in England in the 1950,s and exported many Bedford and Austin trucks to Nigeria and Ghana. I also bought a Mercedes 24/100 supercharged car from the British Army sales for 50 pounds in the mid 50,s and in 1959 I sold all my property in England including the car and went to Africa where I started a business importing trucks from UK and converting them to passenger vehicles.
Whilst there I bought a scammel tractor from the British army in Lagos, at the time of Nigerian independance.
I also imported a Leyland 10 ton truck to Nigeria which I sold to a tin mine in Jos, N.Nigeria.
In 1963 I had severe family problems and had to pack up and leave Africa.
I Came to Western Australia in 1965 and imported some hundreds of Austin Champs and Austin K9 trucks. Also a Leyland Fighter 6X6, an AEC Matador, an Albion gun tractor and various other vehicles.
In 1967 the Australian government stopped me from importing any more 4X4 vehicles to protect local manufacturers. After that I just had to struggle as best I could.
I have written 68 articles for a local car club, which have been published in two local magazines. I have had a few copies bound, 247 pages and may write a full book covering my boyhood in South of England during the war and teenage years following.
Any help I might be able to give I am happy to do so.
Archiewa

[phoenix]

Welcome to MLU.

Sounds like you've had a lifetimes experience and then some when it comes to military trucks!!!

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Yes, welcome Archie
most of the readers who follow "post War vehicles' will have heard of some of your exploits, and would look forward to hearing more
Regards
Rich

[Stuart Kirkham]

G'day Archie M

I would be most interested if you could dig out any photos you may have from your years of Wheelin' an' Dealin'. If so, could you post them on this forum for all to see.

Last time I was at your yard in Maddington, you still had the old Albion GunTractor and a Staghound sitting out front. Oh, those were the days.

By the way, would you have imported this old girl?

[archiewa]

Hello Tommy and thanks your interest.

You remember my maddington yard well I see !

Yes i do have many old pictures but am not very computer literate and would not know how to do it !

I have written 247 pages of my autobiography which have been published in the Veteran Car Club magazine, "Early Auto" also the Rover car Club have published them in their magazine.

I am hoping to write a section dealing with the WW2 period when i was a schoolboy on the Sussex coast and saw much of the action, also the period 1945- 1950 when i was a teenager.

If i do write those sections, i will probably put the whole lot together into a book, it depends on whether i think there would be a Demand for it.?


If i do that then many of the pictures will be included in it.

Sorry to say the old leyland you pictured was not one of mine.

Nice to see you have a number of land rovers, i also have three but now wish to sell them as i also have a 1936 Humber Cabriolet which was originally exhibited in Olympia Motor show in oct 1936 as the Sunbeam Thirty. See my website www.iinet.net.au/~awep1208/humber/ I have been restoring that car for about seven years and now wish to concentrate on finishing it.

Best regards,
Archie M.