12/07/2026
Every now and then I , like most people I guess, come across something that causes them to think “ what a shame “!
This post is a fairly good example of that feeling.
As I have previously mentioned, there seems to be a tendency for people in this industry to surround themselves with unusual, often aged pieces of machinery that represent the equipment used for the same purpose many years ago.
Crouch recovery are probably at the top of the list with enough to form their own museum. Phil Nash, southern recovery, Dave Cosby, Andy long, Charlie Welborne, Neil Yates and so many others have got little ( and not so little), gems squirrelled away in sheds etc.
I find these pieces fascinating, probably totally useless nowadays, but extremely interesting nonetheless.
Several months ago, my eldest son Barney unearthed an old Belarus crawler, overgrown with brambles etc, on a piece of land just off the great north road in Peterborough.
It’s actually very close to Ratcliffe recovery, a well established operator that we share a good business relationship with. I have mentioned this vehicle and situation to Dan ( Ratcliffe), and he recalls the Oshkosh moving around under its own steam, but also suffering from an engine failure around 20/25 years ago. It was parked up and there it remained until now.
Whilst Barney was there, he noticed several other relics in similar stages of decomposition, nature slowly returning them to brown dust!
He returned with images of various machinery. I glanced through them, stopping to take particular notice of the one shown in these images.
It’s a 1949 ( believed?), Oshkosh 4x4 recovery vehicle.
A quick search through various books resulted in the discovery of an image, along with some narrative of the very same vehicle when it was in its heyday.
It states that it was rare in the UK back then, that it was originally operated by the US air force and ultimately converted into a recovery vehicle by another long gone name in the UK , Dial Holmes Ltd.
It is shown with trade plates, not a dedicated registration number, this was the way for recovery vehicles up until 1988. There was a change of policy in which they had to gain their own identity from that point onwards.
Barney secured his deal over the crawler and I asked him to enquire about the Oshkosh.
It transpired that It was earmarked for scrapping in the near future.
Although I could clearly see that it was in a terrible state, I couldn’t simply stand by and watch it go for iron without a second thought.
A price was agreed and all that left was the task of extricating it from where it had laid for the past 20-30 years.
I had to transport a damaged lorry to Ely during the week with the low loader. It was an ideal opportunity so we decided to take the bobcat along too, and then attempt loading both relics on the return journey.
Getting them out of where they had been for so long was challenging to say the least. The bobcat bucked and reared at the weight, the Rydam winch attachment proved its worth though. The Oshkosh was particularly obstinate , no wheels turned, trees had grown through chassis and so forth.
Much swearing ( and sweating!) took place until we had them both loaded.
A steady journey home and they were unloaded next day.
The Oshkosh is a really sad case as I already knew, but despite its dilapidated condition, it still continued to tell a story.
Stuffed into a pocket in its corroded cab were a group of business cards. They displayed the name “powers brothers “. They must have been a recovery company that operated possibly 40/ 50 plus years ago in the Hayes/m4 area? The short telephone number indicates a period of time now long gone, as does day / night numbers… it was customary for company’s back then to provide a number ( generally the bosses home number) , that could be called when the office was unmanned. Transferring of calls and mobile phones were unheard of.
I cannot find any information about powers brothers, even though they were a limited company?
Also hidden under the seats were a pair of the old style trade plates. The were of pressed alloy, carrying the company details ( Galaxy motors, Peterborough), and also the remains of the then customary sliced up inner tubes that would make perfect straps to keep the plates in place! History within itself.
Trade plates are renewed annually and did at that time, show the date. These are 1988.
It was powered by a Hercules Diesel, a long gone American manufacturer who was prevalent throughout the Second World War and afterwards. They were known for cracking cylinder heads.. oddly enough, the heads are missing.
An engine of unusual design, its pre combustion chambers being situated in the block face, injectors poking in at the side… I can only imagine how unwilling they must have been to start on a cold morning!
Having a twin winch Holmes w45 and a drag winch mounted beneath, along with 4 wheel drive must have made this little machine particularly functional and effective back in the day. I noticed it also had two pto drives coming from the transmission, allowing simultaneous use of the winches… a great advantage that not many vehicles had back then.
An interesting point is the similarity between the rear hub cap on this machine and Scania axles. Mack were similar too, in that the cap is divorced from the actual shaft.
Anything is restorable, with time, money and enthusiasm, I’m sure that this one would be no exception.
Despite its appeal, I don’t think that I have the time or inclination to consider this prospect.
I will not let it simply go for scrap, but its future really does cause me some head scratching!
Perhaps someone reading this is looking for a new project… second hand cabs still exist in the states… 😊🤔🤔😊🥰