Early in WWII the need for a small utility vehicle became apparent. To expedite the
manufacturing process some civilian car designs were modified. These small utility vehicles were usually referred to as “tilly”, a play on the word utility. There were 4 major producers of these vehicles, Austin, Hillman, Standard and Morris. Manufacturers kept some of their
distinctive physical features such as hoods (bonnets) and grilles. The “tilly” was well suited for the multitude of tasks it was assigned and became an iconic WWII British vehicle.
During 1941 and 1942 the British fought the Italian and German forces in North Africa. There were see-saw battles throughout these years with the British ultimately defeating the Axis forces. Along with dozens of other British vehicles in use was the Tilly. It was used to transport men and materiel from site to site. The Tilly was the little truck that could and was
used in all the British theaters of operation.
Eén uitvoering:
British Light Utility Car "Tilly" - M424696, 8th Army, North Africa.
