When the Humbers came onto the second-hand market in 1964/65, they were advertised as ‘virtually new’ vehicles with four-wheel drive, independent suspension all round, a pick-up body equipped with a winch and yet there wasn’t a queue of farmers, land developers or utilities beating a path to the dealer’s door. At £250, they were the bargain of the century, but aside from the independent garages buying-in to the small car recovery crane market, there wasn’t a lot of takers.
L. W. Vass of Ampthill in Bedfordshire was the main supplier for off-the-shelf breakdown trucks. They offered the 30-cwt, twin-lift crane fitted onto the back of the Humber pick-up body at only £660 all-in, which gave instant access to the breakdown business. We found a few images of Humbers bought by British Rail for lineside railway maintenance work; we understand that 36 BK 50, now preserved, was one such vehicle. The Midland Red Bus Company (BMMO) bought a couple for the recovery workshop crews and we know about a fascinating one, tucked away somewhere in Southern England, sympathetically converted to a fire appliance; BBM 130 C was rebuilt in 1965 and was still active on the rally field in 1980. We think it was an ex-Cranfield Airport or its aeronautical college appliance, but we have only seen the odd glimpse of it since then.
However, pursuingwireless house-type but was converted into an Emergency Tender for potential use on the newly opened M1 motorway.
