Austin Tilley / Austin 10

At the outbreak of the war, the British Army was still in the final stages of mechanisation. All but two of the 22 regular cavalry regiments had been mechanised (giving up horses for armoured cars or tanks) by 1940. Trucks in the 0.75- to 3-ton payload range had been brought into service during the late 1930s, being used for both transport of motorised infantry and more general transport and logistical work. However, there was still a widespread shortage of vehicles of all sizes which became more acute when the Army was mobilised for war. In particular, there was a lack of light vehicles for local liaison, communication, transport, casualty evacuation and general utility work at the smaller unit level (that of the company or battalion). While senior officers may have a staff car, junior officers and other ranks found motorised transport indispensable in an increasingly mechanised army where movements could be made of dozens of miles on graded roads.

• Manufacturer: Bergman