PIONEER
The Scammell R100, SV1 & SV2, TRMU20 & TRMU30
in British Army Service
PAT WARE
Warehouse Publications, Croydon 1998
101 Pages, 65 Colour & BW Photos
First
UK Paperback Printing
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SYNOPSIS
In the
same way as the Thornycroft Mighty Antar which was to follow it, the Scammell
Pioneer was originally produced for hauling lengths of steel pipeline across
the desert wastes of the Middle East oilfields. Scammell had always considered
the vehicle to have military application and for close on a decade tried to
interest the War Office in its potential as a tank transporter and heavy
artillery tractor, albeit with very limited success. It is ironic then that
when the Pioneer's day finally arrived, the factory could not turn them out
fast enough and the Ministry of Supply was forced to turn to the USA to
supplement the inadequate supplies.
It is a
commonly-held belief that the trusty Pioneer was a superb piece of machinery,
more than capable of performing any required task in an efficient and reliable
manner. In 1930 this may have been the case but by the outbreak of WW2 the Pioneer
was old-fashioned and slow, and certainly in the case of the tank-transporter
variant, was simply not up to the job. On the plus side, and unlike so many of
the trucks that were rushed into production scarcely in time for the outbreak
of war, it did at least have some advantages. The superb Gardner 6LW engine
ensured that it possessed prodigious pulling power and reliability, while
Scammell's innovative suspension system enabled it to go where its British
contemporaries could not.
But it
seems to have been the usual British story of 'too little, too late', and the
fact that it soldiered on for so many years must be put down to the simple fact
that it was available and reliable. While, undeniably the Pioneer possesses a
ponderous majesty which today is almost irresistible, in say 1942, it must have
been an enormously frustrating vehicle to drive. And yet, with its massive but
somehow unthreatening appearance, combined with the demeanour of an over-large
but friendly dog, it's hard to dismiss the Pioneer out-of-hand...
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Condition
BOOK: VERY
GOOD/NEAR FINE printed covers, square binding, uncracked spine, clean pages, straightened
crease to the lower corner of the back cover, minor uneven fading to the covers
front and back, no inscriptions.
Key to Condition
* AS NEW – Book and dustwrapper as new: unread with no faults
* FINE – Second-hand with little or no wear and no faults
* VERY GOOD – Book/dustwrapper has signs of wear, but no tears or major faults
* GOOD – Average wear, some small tears or other defects but generally good
condition
* FAIR – Book is fairly well worn and may have stamps and endpapers
missing. All text pages are intact.
Dustwrapper
(if present) best described as tatty
* POOR – Book has all text pages but appears very worn with serious
soiling, scuffing or marking.
Dustwrapper best described as
very tatty
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