Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow
When I attended the Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow, one particular moment stayed with me. Amongst the roar of the planes and the excitement in the air, my attention was caught by the charisma and sparkle of a gentleman named Tony. It was the kind of encounter that reminds you photography is not only about capturing the machines, the light, or the spectacle — it’s about people, character, and those fleeting sparks of connection that make an image come alive.
When I attended the Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow, one particular moment stayed with me. Amongst the roar of the planes and the excitement in the air, my attention was caught by the charisma and sparkle of a gentleman named Tony.
Tony on Cusham Model 39 Package Car
It was the kind of encounter that reminds you photography is not only about capturing the machines, the light, or the spectacle — it’s about people, character, and those fleeting sparks of connection that make an image come alive.
One of Tony’s Vehicles
The words that follow have been written by Tony, accompanied by photographs from his personal archive. All text and images in this piece belong to Tony and are shared here with his kind permission.
19414 Federal C-2 Wrecker
THE STORY
1944 Federal C-2 Wrecker, supplied to the USAAF primarily for recovery of crashed aircraft.
In practice also used for any maintenance tasks around airfields requiring a lift, e.g. changing engines, wings, and even as a work platform for painting markings high up on bomber tail fins (and as a grandstand for concerts!).
Changing engines
It was as a grandstand for concerts!
As a youngster my playground was a quarry using ex-WW2 American army trucks as dump trucks and agricultural lime spreaders.
I became captivated by the combination of 1930s art deco auto styling and the utilitarian form of heavy trucks, but had no interest in the war.
35 years ago when we moved to a quiet Suffolk village I acquired a 6x6 GMC cargo truck and promptly discovered a newly-opened museum nearby dedicated to a USAAF 8th AF Heavy Bombardment Group, flying B-17s from an airfield just a mile away.
I put that group’s markings on the truck and would display it at museum open days and transport returning veterans and their families around the airfield and surrounding area where they lived during their time over here.
It was through meeting these men - so modest about their accomplishments - that I developed an interest in the activities and impact of the USAAF in the region during the war, how the aircraft were maintained, and how relationships between the Americans and local communities grew.
(I also undertook to manage on behalf of the U.S. based Veterans Association the local Memorial, and led a small team in a project to extend it in the form of two wing stones listing by name all those who lost their lives in service, but that is really another story and not for here).
My ever-expanding collection of trucks both undergoing and awaiting restoration (the collector’s rule being one has to fill the space available - in this case not a spare room but a quarry) grew to include large, rare and often very dilapidated examples of airfield vehicles - amongst which the Federal wrecker must rate as one of the most iconic.
At air shows and museum events the vintage aircraft and trucks are the stars of the show, and populating them with a few appropriately attired re-enactors portraying ground crew and airmen is often enough to bring them to life.
But the real heroes of course are the those who served both in the sky and on the airfields, but who are now almost all no longer with us.
Even though some of us should ideally be 45 years younger, using and displaying these old vehicles is the least we can do to help respectfully maintain the legacy left by these men and women..