It's funny the things you learn from your parents isn't it? There was I sitting next to my 88-year old mother (who still as fit as the Butcher's Dog) in the outpatients' department of the William Harvey Hospital - she was there to have her eyes checked out. And the conversation turned to AEC Matadors! And if you don't believe me click through here...
Why Matadors? Well as is her want she asked me what I'd been up to lately and I mentioned I'd driven the 700hp Volvo. She then replied that during the war, as a Sergeant radar operator in an Anti-Aircraft unit of the Royal Artillery, she'd been in the cab of a truck that towed a 3.7in AA gun from Bristol to Hull. "It began with an M... Mat something or other..." said my Mother. "Do you mean an AEC Matador?" I replied (quick as a thunder-flash). "Yes, that's it dear... What sort of horsepower would that have had in it?" Well I thought a bit longer and said: "I dunno, it must been about 100hp... And petrol engine mind you... And anyway how long did it take to drive from Bristol to Hull in an AEC Matador towing a 3.7in gun?! I shouldn't have thought it went very fast. It must have taken you at least a week."
"Oh no dear," came back the patient response. "I don't think it took that long. It couldn't have been more than a day, don't forget there was hardly any traffic on the roads then." Anyway to cut a long story short we returned back to Chez Biglorryblog for lunch whereupon I did a quick google image search and lo... I found these images. "Is this it?" I asked her, "Yes that's it dear... I do remember that during the journey we stopped at some traffic lights and a whole host of little boys rushed up and shouted up to me: 'Miss!' 'Miss!' Do you fire that gun?' I leaned out and answered 'Well naturally...' And the boys replied 'Cor!'" Apparently that exchange prompted the (male) driver to say: "Blimey Sarge, you've got your own fan club there!" And above is a shot of a Matador towing a 3.7 AA gun.
And here's another shot of a 3.7 in Hyde Park in 1939. Anyway she's going to use all this stuff as part of a talk she's been asked to give by the local Vicar. And I seem to recall I wasn't far off with the Matador's power and top speed of 30mph... Though hopefully someone will post up the full details for a pie. Imagine, my 88-year old Mum, the Military Matador driver's mate...! And acknowledgements to whoever owns these pictures on Google, I trust they won't object to my using them to tell this story... And at 30mph how long WOULD it have taken to drive an AEC Matador and 3.7in gun from Bristol to Hull? Answers for a Woolton Pie!
Well BLB, I think it must have a slow trip in the Matador because, as we all know, lorries were limited to 20 mph during WWII, n'est-ce pas?