Issued in 1944, the Royal Air Force "Ford/Willys, 5 cwt. 4x4, equipped as Aircraft Crash Rescue Tender" was a 1/4-ton jeep converted in the UK to carry rescue, fire and medical equipment. The jeeps were apparently standard olive drab, with the "panel at the base of the windscreen painted in red and the words Aircraft Crash Rescue painted thereon in large letters of a contrasting colour."
Gordon Smith in the UK has provided us with some photos and further details of these jeeps.
An 8-inch diameter Atlantic searchlight was mounted on the off side of the body between the windscreen and engine bonnet. Specifications also describe a hand bell fitted on the off side of the dash, for operation from the front passenger seat; it's visible in a rear view (100K JPEG) of the jeep above. On the tender seen at left, someone has wisely moved the bell to the front grille.
The jeeps had the advantage of fast response across rough terrain, although they could not carry as much equipment as larger wartime fire tenders such as an RAF Weeton conversion (60K JPEG) on a Fordson WOT 1 chassis.
Fire equipment consisted of f o u r 2 -g a l l o n t y p e A f o a m e x t i n g u i s h e r s, quart-sized carbon tetrachloride extinguishers, and t w o 1 2 -pound C O 2 e x t i n g u i s h e r s (missing from the unit at left, which has also had its spotlight moved to an extension pole.) Rescue equipment included a wooden e x t e n s i o n l a d d e r, h a t c h e t , g r a p n e l , c r o w b a r , s h o v e l a n d v a rio u s s m a l l t o o l s, t w o a s b e s t o s b l a n k e t s and a medical first aid kit .
This remarkable photo, courtesy of Peter Haining, shows crash crews standing by during World War II at RAF Tempsford, Bedfordshire. Tempsford was the top secret airfield where Special Duties Squadrons flew operations to deliver and retrieve agents from occupied Europe.
Visible in the photo (see the larger copy, 120K JPEG) is one of the jeeps, with a larger fire tender and ambulance, and a spotlight trailer.
Another photo, courtesy of Gary Bainbridge, shows RAF Fire Service personnel in a lighter moment at Tempsford in 1944-45.
The jeeps remained in service until the early 1950's when they were replaced by the Land Rover Series 1 Aircraft Rescue Tender.
Thanks to Gordon Smith for the photos and details of the jeeps. Also R. Langham for the Fordson illustration, and Gary Bainbridge and Peter Haining for the Tempsford photos. -- Derek Redmond
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