Hi Alex,
Well, I thought it looked like RAF on upper line, no sign of postwar rear lights. I wonder why there is no photo taken from the front?

Same here; would love to see picture from the front of the truck. Are the front wheels original? They do seem different from the picture Hanno posted from Bart's book.

The rear wheels look correct - not your normal WD pattern wheel - but a different type appear to have been fitted on the front axle.

Interesting to see a square-arched 15cwt body on a British vehicle - looks almost like a F15!

That Q15 is back on the market:

http://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_a...43.htm?ca=11_s

Another variant of the Q2, this one was used by the RAF to pre-heat aircraft engines.

Attachment 65594

Source: http://flipacars.com/cars/commer/com...otos.html#gp/1

Wwii original commer for sale
 

Hello

Seen in the "BON COIN" web site, this teuck was for sale for the price of 5000 euros. The truck is in BRETAGNE (FRANCE).
The cab is in a good state and the body seems to be original

Although not a 15-cwt truck, it is a Q2 so I thought it appropriate to point out this 30-cwt Commer for sale in the UK:

Commer
 

Were they used exclusively by the RAF or did the Army get any as suggested by the markings on the example for sale in the UK?

Today, 75 years ago, 322 Dutch Squadron RAF was established. One of the officers bought a parrot as their mascot. It was named Polly Grey, and colour footage published by the Netherlands Institute of Military History (NIMH) on FB shows it arriving in a Commer Q2 15-cwt Van:

Attachment 100248 Attachment 100249 Attachment 100250

Source: https://www.facebook.com/nimh.geschi...9415584322702/

An here's another picture of one in use with the RAF:

"Winston Churchill inspects RAF personnel following a tour of a cave complex in North Africa in August 1942."

Attachment 100375

Source: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205196643

Courtesy of an HMVF member, here is a scan from "the Q2 workshop manual although it quotes it as 15 cwt".

Attachment 100415

Wheels & Tracks magazine issue no.75 featured a reprint from from the British magazine Autocar published on 13 April 1945. The article records the travelling exhibition mounted by the Rootes Group, then one of Britian's leading motor manufacturers, of a series of 1:10 scale models of the military vehicles produced by Rootes during the war. When reading the magazine, I wondered where the models would have ended up?

Now, 18 years later, looking for something else on the https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/ website, I came across three entries for Commer 1:10 scale models. Attached are pictures from W&T magazine of the Q15 and Q2 Van. They also have a model of the "Commer Q.4 GS Wagon". Maybe the other models depicting RAF vehicles were donated to the IWM as well?

Commer Q2 GS Wagon - RAF 7263
Dimensions: whole: L: 19.5in W: 8in H: 9.5in Weight: 10kg incl case Scale: 1/10

Attachment 104947 Attachment 104949

Commer Q15 GS Wagon - RAF 96261

Attachment 104948

The Rootes models were on permanent display at IWM Lambeth up to about 40 years ago. That part of the building was re-arranged at about that time and by coincidence I never visited again so I have no idea if they re- appeared. They were superb models, absolute works of art. Dunlop even made scale Trakgrip tires for them which were also offered for sale by the old British model making company Basset Lowerk (I think that is spelled correctly). I have their catalogue somewhere showing the tires.

David

Antiques Road Show
 

Hi David

Couple of years ago some very similar models showed up on the PBS Antiques Road Show, they talked about them being industrial display model's from the Second World War. have some screen shots that I'll try and find and post.

Cheers Phil


Found the photos, looking back at displays we have seen in museums over the year some really interesting displays come and go. If not on display hope they find homes that appreciate them. Now as to are any of these models the subject of this thread?

I found this similar commer Q2 but its a Bus here in india (Commer Q2 1938). It belonged to Maharaja of Dhar(Princely State)......He is saying its a only survivor left hope it will help :)

link: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vinta...thread-60.html

Davistine,

Thanks, a nice example of the many variants Commer built. I think this bus is based on a Forward Control Q chassis.

See http://tardis.dl.ac.uk/ARCC/catalogue.html#commer for a full list of types built by Commer (part of the Rootes Archive Center).

The site lists the following wartime Superpoises:
Other than that, they have very little information on military Commers on their site, though, and only one picture captioned "Commer Q4, Ministry of Supply, Archive Centre Luton Collection."

Attachment 104966

David, Phil,

Thanks for the background on the models!

Phil, you may want to check W&T #75 to see if these are the same models as displayed by Rootes after WW2.

No, none of them are Commers.

Some pics from Commer Lorries WW2:

Caption: "Commer Q15 RAF".

In reality it is a one-off prototype Commer Q2 with RAF Van type Radio Body,
the Type "E" Insulated Wireless Shell, also known as the Type "E" Signals Body.
Attachment 104964

Caption: "RASC Commer Q4 lorry middle east WW2"
Attachment 104965

Screenshots from one of the episodes of Worker and War-Front, 1942-1946.

Attachment 104967 Attachment 104968 Attachment 104969 Attachment 104970 Attachment 104971

Hi Phil,
The photos that you posted in post #44 are all models of Austin trucks of WW2. I would guess that they were made by Austin to fill the same role as the Rootes Group ones but they are nothing like the quality.

For the benefit of anyone who doesn't know, the Rootes Group was Humber, Commer, Hillman, Karrier, and Sunbeam. Post war it acquired Tilling Stevens and Vulcan but was gradually taken over by Chrysler who got full control in 1967.

David

Here i found some information

Rootes Vehicle Production

https://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/production_rootes

Davistine,

Thanks for that link. I’ve seen it before and I am somewhat confused about the total number of Q2 Vans built?

H.

Commer pre heating van
 

Les Freathy found this on the net: Commer pre heating van

Attachment 105888

Commer Q2 mobile wireless van
 

More finds from the IWM archives:

Surviving Q15 in Holland
 

This Q15 has since been repainted in an attractive, but incorrect RAF blue colour:

Attachment 108346

Mr. Anderson's Commer Q2 30-cwt truck
 

Mr. Anderson's Commer Q2 30-cwt truck was sold to a Mr. Steve Williams:

Attachment 108347

Also found a picture of this truck dating back to 1994:

Attachment 108348

Commer Q2 spare parts lists
 

Some spare parts lists in the IWM cataloque of items:

15 cwt. (6 cylinder) 'Superpoise' ... : spare parts list
Spare parts list for 15 cwt. (6 cylinder) Superpoise vehicles type Q2
Plus an instruction book for the Q2 Tractor with 10' WB, this is the Superpoise cabbed-one:

Instruction book for tractor 4x2 light 10.0 W.B. type 'Q2'

Commer pre-heating van
 

From the IWM archives, another pre-heating van sporting a RAF roundel on the side:

Truck, 30-cwt, 4x2, GS (Commer Q2)
 

Another variation of the Q2: Truck, 30-cwt, 4x2, GS (Commer Q2)

Basically a commercial type, but with military features such as towing eyes, override bumper and GS body.

The Commer Q2 15-cwt RAF van has the same 10' (120") wheelbase, so this must have been basically the same chassis.

Attachment 108351

Commer 15-cwt Load Carrier cumulative delivery total
 

With all the variations of the Q2 - Load Carrier; Utilities; 8' and 10' w.b. Tractors; Fixed side lorry, Chassis (and Cab) - I redid the calculations for the "Commer 15-cwt Load Carrier" to get a total of 1,755 delivered. But the last entry states a cumulative delivery total of 634. I checked this with Bill Kreiner, and he said:
Attachment 108364