AECs and Albions

A lot of those big old Pommie cabovers had the handbrake lever between the driver's seat and the door, so that was another obstacle to clamber over, especially when the lever was sticking up in the on position.

Another photo of the MK.II MM6.

AEC O854 6x6 ex Air Force Fuel Tanker, would have A187 7.7 litre 105 horsepower diesel.

The AEC s would be mkll for which the spec was the 7.7 litre motor. The Monarch was the light weight 4x2 while the mammoth major would have a joey behind the 4 speed and some might have had an interim 8.6 litre motor.
Was the cab Hastings Deering at that date? (most likely1949 but could be earlier)
Fantastic pictures

Mammoth, the pictures date from 1947, and it doesn't say if the cab was built by Hastings Deering, so I was wrong to say they built the cab, just that the truck was supplied by them, so I don't know who built the cab. According to Graham Edge's book, "AEC Lorries in the Postwar Years 1945-1979, prewar Mark II Mammoth Majors had the A173 7.7 litre diesel with 4 speed box and 2 speed splitter box. Post war Mark II Mammoth Major-types O366/20 and O386/20 had the A206 9.6 litre diesel with either 4 speed/2 speed or 5 speed gearbox.

One more photo of Peters' Ice Cream AEC MM6.

These are indeed wonderful pictures, and not just one, a whole set.
Our 1950 (51?) Fiat was VLxxx, so that UTxxx numberplate should be 1950.
Somewhere else in this forum should be photos and details of M&MTB's heavy-duty breakdown truck, also an AEC.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

The Graham Edge book mentioned was one of his earlier works. What I have found is that, even tho he worked at AEC at one time, he doesn't have the depth of knowledge that might be expected. He isn't strong on researching from original material and for this reason his knowledge of export models is surprisingly weak. On the other hand Brian Thackery's books can be regarded as the definitive history, but he has yet to cover the post war period. In a more recent book ("Mandator")Graham has done more research and untangles the confusion over the Matador/Mandator/Monarch naming of similar models and in so doing puts more light on the subject of the MM specification. As far as exports to Australia go the 4sp/joey behind a 7.7 was standard until the arrival of the mklll, as evidenced by some surviving examples. But - as I said before there is an outside chance of there being a mkll with a 9.6 (not 8.6 which was a typo)

AEC Mammoth Major 8 Mk.III model 3871 of the Vacuum Oil Company-Plume Petrol in New Zealand. I think it's got an English Park Royal Vehicles cab.

AEC Mandator Mk.V model G4RA of the Mobil Oil Company in New Zealand. Would probably be powered by the 192 horsepower 2AV690 motor. Looks like a Duramin cab.

Great photos Hamish, Old Vic might know that Mandator. I am going to Geelong at the weekend and will try and work out where that milk tanker one was taken.