MILITANT PART ONE

Ask any soldier of ‘a certain age’ about the ‘Knocker’ and their memories will recall their conscription days of National Service and the sound of a big diesel engine coming towards them, bringing supplies and material for their day-to-day requirements. The Knocker, was the moniker given to the Mark One AEC Militant, a nickname built around the thudding of its Southall-factory-built, A223 diesel of 11.3 litres which powered this six-wheel truck around Europe’s potential battlefields during the Cold War.

Built in two configurations, it was designated an O859 if it was a 6 x 4 arrangement and an O860 if it had the added facility of all-wheel drive with a powered front axle. The O was a letter O, not a zero, as one may have thought; as many of you know, it was the generic term for an oil-burning diesel.

This is a big vehicle and to our mind, it is a good-looking truck with its angular cab and proportionate, 14.00.20 wheels all round. At this stage, we were about to give you all the listings for the contracts and the Army Registrations with their date into service, but there are so many different contracts that the list would become boring for the readers who are peripherally interested in this lorry, however we know from correspondence that many of you are interested in registrations and dates, so we will mix