Diamond T 980/981

[Les Freathy]

Cant recall a thread specifically on this vehicle so thought i would kick it off with a few restored DTs in the UK
Les

First up a nice restoration at Terry Martins workshop at High Halden a few years back, the T was owned by Andrew Honeychurch who also had a rogers 40 ton trailer. At the time i was informed that the combo was up for sale but do not know the out come

[Les Freathy]

This DT is owned by a enthusiast based near the village of Ninfield in East Sussex but i cant recall his name ( sack cloth and ashes time again) i caught it on camara at the MOT station at Hastings whilst visiting a job. He also owns a Mack NO

[Les Freathy]

Long time Diamond T owner Peter Stanier from North Kent displays his truck at a War and Piece show a few years back

[Les Freathy]

The last photo i took of Tony Graves CSU 578 at Beltring she has now been sold on as Tony moved to France but the civilian Pickfords DT is still with him over there

[Les Freathy]

And who owns this outfit now
cheers
Les

[Les Freathy]

Whilst sitting here twiddling, thumbs that is thought i would add these two DTs in the desert
Les

[Les Freathy]

convoy halt

[Richard Farrant]

Originally posted by Les Freathy
And who owns this outfit now

Les,

This outfit still belongs to Pip Biddlecombe, used to haul his M5A1 Stuart.

[Richard Farrant]

Originally posted by Les Freathy
the T was owned by Andrew Honeychurch who also had a rogers 40 ton trailer. At the time i was informed that the combo was up for sale but do not know the out come

Les,

It was sold to the Dutch Army tank museum.

[sapper740]

Originally posted by Les Freathy
Cant recall a thread specifically on this vehicle so thought i would kick it off with a few restored DTs in the UK
Les

First up a nice restoration at Terry Martins workshop at High Halden a few years back, the T was owned by Andrew Honeychurch who also had a rogers 40 ton trailer. At the time i was informed that the combo was up for sale but do not know the out come

Les, you're a man after my own heart! I was just researching prime movers on the internet when I saw your thread. I love heavy equipment hauling/lifting/pushing large objects around. I found this pic on the internet, but unfortunately no info as to location. There is an interesting mix of tyres on the truck and one of my favourite tanks on the trailer.

[Noel Burgess]

I dont know why they were doing it - but heres a Diamond T pulling a boat through the desert!
Found this on the Queen's Dragoons site at http://www.qdg.org.uk/pages/WW2-Part-3-109.php but I think the picture was only intended to ilustrate the AEC in the forground
Noel

[Noel Burgess]

Posting pictures doesn't seem to work right now - I'm told my picture must be no bigger than 700 X 0 ! will try tomorrow
Noel

[zemsi]

Originally posted by Noel Burgess
Posting pictures doesn't seem to work right now - I'm told my picture must be no bigger than 700 X 0 ! will try tomorrow
Noel

... here's the pic from the Queen's Dragoons site:

[Les Freathy]

Nice find Noel, i would guess from the web site that the AEC was the focus point of the photo, There has to be a connection with the attached photo most likely from the same unit

[Les Freathy]

A couple more , first with rear canvas tilt and Buffalo on board the second is hard work for the recovery team
Les

[Les Freathy]

next

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

There are some nice 980 and 981 photos (two Canadian as well) plus DT Wreckers (Canadian included) in the new book out shortly. You have seen one or two already in Les's excellent tome, but I hope you'll enjoy and buy a copy.

[Les Freathy]

A few more Diamond T shots these are the soft top 3 seater cab versions

[Les Freathy]

2nd

[Les Freathy]

3rd

[Les Freathy]

whoops i think its ready for launching, nice photo this i commisioned a painting of this a few years back and it hangs with pride in the entrance hall

Last one

[Steve Guthrie]

Hello Les

I've heard that crew shelter built onto the rear body of DT Transporters was called a 'Wendy House'.

Any ideas why?

Steve

PS Are photos of the Shelvoke and Drewry semi-trailers hard to find, or is it just me?

[kevinT]

I'll have a go at this one Steve.

A Wendy House is a small model house that children play in.
Named after a house built for Wendy, the girl in J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan.

Les,
Great picture of the LVT "Snipe" on the back of the trailer. You don't have anymore like that with names on by any chance?

Cheers
Kevin

[Les Freathy]

Hi Steve

Agreed not so many photos around of the Shelvoke conversion but this shot should satisfy you, around 200 were thus converted to semi but i have yet to find pictorial evidence of one in actual combat use for instance in use in NW Europe. All the photos i have are either factory or posed, so were they just used to ferry tanks in the uk. A very small number were purchased after the war, two by Crook and Willington heavy haulage in the UK but what about the rest they were surely to good to all be scrapped following service, at the moment it remains one of those DT mysterys unless of course, unless Davids records can reveal something
cheers
Les

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I have now realised that I have not seen anything about post-war disposals other than of GS lorries. What did happen to them all...sent back to North America for heavy haul?

[cliff]

If they were supplied under lend-lease they were probably scrapped.

The deal between the US government and the auto manufacturers was that the vast amount of vehicles sent overseas would not be returned to the US as it would destroy the new vehicle markets after the war.

Some US Army units did return to the US with all their equipment but if the Allied Armies like Britain did not purchase the lend-lease vehicles and aircraft they had to be scrapped.

[Les Freathy]

I dont think the tractors were returned to the States as many were refurbed for the British army and also supplied to other countries with no military equipment, but dont forget these semi trailers were built in the UK and not by any means would they have sailed across the Atlantic. Going back to the tractor units some would have been rebodied to produce prime movers, but we still cannot get to the bottom of why no photo evidence of the combo in a war zone photo, the only evidence i have is in civvy use post war hauling Centurian tanks

[Les Freathy]

whilst still flying with the Shelvoke mystery this image shows one of the Crook and Willington combos, aside from a few legal changes it remains as built, now i cannot for the life of me see vehicles of this calibre being scrapped in the 1945/6 period. If only we could step back in time for a week many open questions could be solved
Les

[Richard Farrant]

Les,

I believe Lend Lease equipment supplied to UK which was surplus to requirements, was able to be auctioned off to the civilian market, due to the shortage of available transport. The USA would not take any vehicles back home as their own manufacturers feared it would effect their production. Seem to remember there was a stipulation about export restrictions on them, though.

In Australia, after the war, I know for a fact, a great number of Diamond T, Mack, Federal, etc were disposed of by the US in local auctions. A number of outback hauliers using them to form roadtrains.

[George McKenzie]

There is some great pictures in a book ALLIED_AXIS 36 of the 980 .It;s hard to believe it could haul a big tank by draging the trailer from a hitch and not putting the trailer on a fifth wheel .There is also great pictures of the 969's too . I gave my friend a cab to go on his 980 as it has a crane on it that knock the cab off . George