Ministry Minors Part 2 by Russell Harvey

Military Traveller duties & specifications to help identify them

In part 2 we look at the recognisable features that help identify a military traveller as well as the liveries they carried and some of the duties that they performed.

Contracts for MOD travellers started Jan 1967 and ran to Jan 1971 when production ceased, but there were Military travellers before this date, in fact one was allocated to RAF Gan in Maldives before 1966! Last batches were assembled at Adderley Park some with the steering lock like those fitted to the very late LCVs, some were possibly fitted with the 11AC alternator. Low compression engines were fitted which allowed the used of a lower octane 2-star fuel, the engine numbers changed during from the MAU-L series in 1969 to 10V-189-E-L and the alternator version was 10V-190-E-L.

On the inside of the traveller points to look out for are the there were no carpets fitted, rubber matting was the order of the day. In the front footwell fire extinguishers would have been carried and the brackets or mounting holes may be visible, they were similar to the GPO/PO brass (pyrene) extinguishers, although the later versions would have been the green NATO type. Again in the rear cargo area (boot) no carpets were fitted, no coverings on the wheel arches or on the aluminium panels and no armrests were supplied for the rear seats. Army traveller interiors were either porcelain green or autumn leaf, later versions having black, note that all trim panels are plain vinyl. RAF travellers having light blue, or red and again later versions appear with black trim. Royal Navy versions came with either red interior or black and were thought to be a more ‘standard’ traveller version.

Externally, the colours used came from the British Standard 381c Colour range, but most will have now had a repaint I am sure, but in the awkward places you find traces of the military colours, in fact he Army used the same colour as the PO engineers van, (Mid Bronze Green, BS381c 226) (Berger number 3619), the RAF (Blue Grey, BS 381c 633) (Berger number 3695), the Royal Navy travellers carried a black livery and were possibly standard civilian travellers taken from the production line. White was used on the traveller Tropical version and possibly as a NATO, or UN livery. Wheels on military travellers were the body colour, but the grille would have remained in Old English White. There would also have been some variations depending on the duties that the vehicles were used for, it is a well known fact that the ‘Bomb Disposal’ version came complete with red wings, some RAF travellers used on or around a runways carried a large yellow stripe all around the body to aid visibility.

During repaints it would not have been unusual for some to have had the wood painted as well, not too unlike the GPO that painted over the chrome! There are also rumours travellers had their chrome hubcaps removed and were fitted with doubled ended wheel nuts (again as fitted to the GPO LCVs) that were painted white, as to how accurate this is I am not sure, but if you know different than please let me know. After major engine overhaul it was not unusual for the engine and box to be repainted in a Duck-egg blue and a plate affixed to the block indicating what had work had been carried out, some of these colour motors still exist!

Divisional or ‘Div’ signs were used on the on front & rear of the travellers these included the regiment logos or crests etc, these were either in the form of transfers, or on plates that affixed to vehicle, often holes were drilled into the bumper valance, this is another feature to look for. Also located on the rear doors may well have been fleet number or large letters in white that symbolised where the vehicle was employed, ‘IoR’ for Inspector of Recruiting or ‘M’ the Maintenance Command, there are many different versions and combinations.
The military travellers were usually without over riders although some managed to slip through the net and photographs exist of them in service carrying such items. Oval chrome wing mirrors also seem to have been fitted from the works.

Alan Russell himself an owner of a Military traveller and an ex-Home Office Minor LCV has advised me about a neighbour of his, John Carr who has served all his working life in the army, he remembers the travellers, he actually drove them from Southampton up to Kinloss in Scotland and back again in 3 days. He has served all over including the Rhine, Aidan, Singapore, UK, and Northern Ireland etc…. He also has memories of the Military Police using white travellers in Singapore, as his unit had a bit of a run in with the 'redcaps' one evening. He cannot remember all the details, but does recall them having a Military Police sign on the roof with a blue acorn beacon, but the other markings he just cannot remember.

The Army & RAF found a wide a varied use for the traveller such as senior officer’s transport, the chaplain’s runabout, staff cars, couriers, the bomb disposal unit, driver training, careers/education departments used them, the list goes on. The Royal Navy versions were often taken onboard aircraft carriers and used by officers upon docking at various ports as runabouts! The RN Police also found a use for them, they were also allocated to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC), Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC), RAF Police, Military Police and the Royal Corps of Transport (RCT), British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and I am sure you are going to tell many others! The travellers saw use in various countries including Malta, Gibraltar, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Maldives, Singapore and Germany, these being Left Hand Drive.

The Morris Minor Centre of Bath has sold on a number of these travellers that were purchased at the auction, these included a couple from the RAF’s Mediterranean bases which were white instead of standard blue-grey, many Malta based vehicles, which would have included the travellers were sold on to the Malta government when the bases were vacated. Another dealer recalled by Eddie Farrell was Dragon garage (long gone, knocked down to make way for a new road), in the Old Trafford/Stretford area, he used to sell many ex-military travellers, he literally had dozens for sale at a time, and all were ex-Army.

In part 3 & 4 we will look at the LHD travellers, part 5 some Military men with their Military Minors and in parts 6, 7 & 8 we look at the LCVs used by the various Government departments, such users being the Home Office and the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries. Many thanks are made to the following that have contributed to this series of articles, Alan Russell, Godfrey Crew, Gerry Cambridge, Pete Jarman, David & Lesley Price, Eddie Farrell, John Barrett, David Powell, Ken Painter, Robin Taylor, Ken Porter and the Fleet Data Society.

If you know of any ex-Ministry/Military Minors or LCVs used by any other Government departments please contact me via Minor Monthly, if you require details of the Minor LCV Register they can be obtained by contacting me via e-mail RussLCV@ClubMorris.co.uk or visit the Minor LCV Register’s website on www.minorlcvreg.tk I have also compiled a Military Traveller & ex Government LCV website at www.militaryminors.tk

© Russell Harvey

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