THE BEDFORD
MK/MJ SERIES
4-TONNER
Ever fancied pitching up to an airsoft site in a
military truck? The Bedford MK could be just
what you need – Ratty has the lowdown
I
f you are of a certain age or have ever
lived near a military camp or town
then two British military vehicles will
stand out as familiar sights on the
roads. Firstly Land Rovers, which I
covered a while ago – and the other would
have been the Bedford four-tonne truck.
The Bedford MK and later MJ models
were far from glamorous (they were indeed
rather basic and antiquated), but for nearly
30 years were the heavy workhorse of
042
March 2012
British Forces. Used by all three services
in a manner of roles, from general service
(GS) wagon through to fuel bowsers and
mobile workshops. It’s still in service with
some units today, a testament to its timeless
design and simple engineering.
History
Bedford Vehicles (normally shortened
to Bedford) was a subsidiary of Vauxhall
Motors, itself a British subsidiary of General
Motors (GM). Bedford was established in
1930 and constructed commercial vehicles.
For several years it was GM Europe’s most
profitable branch, becoming a leading truck
manufacturer, exporting its light, medium and
heavy trucks throughout the world.
Bedford had already won the tender in the
early 1950s to supply a medium lorry. The
Bedford RL was based on the Bedford SCL,
a civilian petrol-engined seven-tonne truck.
The military version had all wheel drive and
bigger wheels to increase ground clearance.
It became the British military’s main medium
truck and was built from the mid 1950s until
the late 1960s. Many specialist variants of
the RL were built, including workshops and
radio vans and the ‘Green Goddess’ fire