Army truck in flames: The bedford’s road to restoration

On September 20, 2019, things went terribly wrong during a ride in the liberation convoy of the Liberation Task Force in Groesbeek (the Netherlands).

An old military truck owned by Ernest Donders from Helmond suddenly caught fire. The Bedford QLD from 1942 burned down to the chassis. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The sleeping bag, bed, and all the gear in the back caught fire in an instant. Donders and his fellow passengers escaped unharmed, apart from a few minor burns.

A unique wartime vehicle

Donders is the fifth owner of the truck, which the British army used over 80 years ago during the liberation of the Netherlands. After World War II, the Bedford ended up in Denmark, and was later brought back to the Netherlands by a collector.

The truck had been fully restored, and the damage amounted to around €15,000. Unfortunately, it was not insured for fire damage. Donders: “Normally, nothing ever goes wrong with these kinds of vehicles.”

Perseverance in restoration

Now, almost five years later, he is still working on rebuilding his beloved 3-tonner. Finding the right parts alone took years. Donders estimates that only about ten of these trucks remain in the Netherlands today, with perhaps half of them still operational. “This Bedford was the second-oldest fully restored one before things went so terribly wrong.”

For fastening the steel plates, Donders needed specific English bolts and nuts. Through Frencken Group from Eindhoven, Fabory supplied him with steel hexagon M8x15 bolts with washers and spring washers. Ernest can now continue working on the old truck, to which he has devoted his heart for many years.

Are you, like Ernest Donders, working on a project that requires specific fasteners? Then take a look at Fabory.com for a wide range of products, including steel bolts