FIRE SERVICE RELATED
Don’t
Panic!
Corporal Jones’s Van is Back
in Service after Repairs at
its Dagenham Birthplace
The 1935 Ford BB van, which features in the legendary sitcom “Dad’s Army” as Corporal Jones’s van, has been
given a new lease of life as the new Dad’s Army film is launched.
A platoon of Dagenham-based Ford apprentices, under the command of Ford’s heritage vehicle technicians,
have helped repair the running gear of Jack Jones’s famous van - in the same building at Dagenham that it would
have left the plant, more than 80 years ago.
The original Dad’s Army television
series ran from 1968 to 1977, and
“BUC 852”, the van’s registration,
made its screen debut on 11th
September 1969 in the first colour
episode. Now it appears in the bigscreen version of Dad’s Army with
stars including Sir Tom Courtenay,
Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Catherine
Zeta-Jones and Sir Michael
Gambon.
The van, belonging to local butcher
and home guardsman, Jack Jones,
is known for its role as a support
vehicle for the Walmington on Sea
branch of the Home Guard. It is
now owned by the Dad’s Army
Museum in Thetford, Norfolk.
Although it has undertaken
extensive cosmetic restoration,
Ford, together with a team of
its apprentices, was tasked with
returning it to operational duty.
This included a full engine rebuild,
replacement clutch, and new
wiring looms.
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The Ford BB truck was among the first commercial vehicles produced at the
Ford Dagenham site, which started production in 1931. The mechanical
repairs were carried out in one of Dagenham’s original buildings, which
remains in use today as Ford’s heritage workshop.
Stuart Wright, from the Dad’s Army Museum in Thetford, said: “This vehicle has
a special place in British entertainment history, and is enjoyed by the many
visitors to the Dad’s Army museum. It’s fantastic to see the van operational
again and we hope it will capture the imagination of the younger visitors less
familiar with Dad’s Army, as well as triggering happy memories for the older
generations.”
Red Fire Engines
Green Values for new fleet
Fully committed to reducing its carbon footprint,
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has taken delivery
of twelve new electric vehicles to be deployed across
Cheshire for support staff.
The all-electric Nissan LEAF cars, distinctly liveried
with the message Red Fire Engines, Green Values,
underpin the Service’s environmental credentials and
replace some of the existing fleet of petrol cars used
to go from station to station and home visits in local
communities.
Multi-charge posts have been install ed at nine fire
stations across Cheshire, ensuring a network of fleet
charging points in each of the four unitary areas.
Four LEAFs will be based at Warrington Fire Station, two
at Chester, four at Crewe and two at Headquarters in
Winsford.
Environment, Energy and Engineering Officer Ella
Schubmehl managed the project. She said: “Some
of the vehicles used by our support staff, whether by
advocates visiting households in the community or
station to station or headquarter to station visits, were
nearing the end of their contracts and would need
replacing.
“The Energy Saving Trust carried out an in-depth survey
of precisely how and where the support vehicles were
used and were able to see that, with the incorporation
of strategically placed charging posts, a large
proportion of the fleet could comprise electric vehicles,
thereby supporting our low carbon aspiration of 40%
carbon reduction by 2020.”
75% of the total value of the vehicles is being grant
funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV)
and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service the remaining
amount over a two year period.
Similarly, charging posts have been 75% grant funded
with OLEV paying £26,593.00 against the Service’s
outlay of £6,648.25.
Cllr Tony Sherlock, Cheshire Fire Authority Environmental
Champion, said: “We launched our Environment and
Sustainability Strategy in 2014 to ensure we achieve
40% carbon reduction by 2020 and have been very
fortunate to be included on the OLEV readiness
project for the procurement of electric vehicles and
the implementation of a charging infrastructure. With
their help we have been able to reduce our carbon
footprint and work towards being an increasingly
environmentally friendly Authority.”
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