Oxford Diecast - NAEC008 - Truck, AEC Matador - British Army - H4489335

Specific Item Information: This WWII vehicle is a replica of the vehicle operated by the British and Commonwealth forces in France during WWII, where it was used mainly for towing medium sized guns. The Matador was a typical AEC vehicle of the period, with flat fronted cab to accommodate the crew of one, a curved roof and a canvas backed rear load area. It was a 4 x 4 vehicle with an AEC 7.6 litre engine and a speed of around 30 mph.
Our model, as used by the British Army Royal Artillery, is decorated in drab olive with a grey canvas back and features the name ‘Gazala' above the split windscreen. The Battle of Gazala, named after a small town about 40 miles from Tobruk in Libya, was an important WWII battle in the Western Desert Campaign, which took place in the middle of 1942.
After WWII, the Matador continued in a useful role as a recovery truck and general-purpose contractor vehicle. As a 4 x 4, its versatility saw it also used for off-road jobs and even saw service as a showmans vehicle.

Road Name History: The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of British Armed Forces. As of 2019, the British Army comprises just over 79,300 trained regular (full-time) personnel and just over 27,200 trained reserve (part-time) personnel.

The modern British Army traces back to 1707, with an antecedent in the English Army that was created during the Restoration in 1660. The term British Army was adopted in 1707 after the Acts of Union between England and Scotland. Members of the British Army swear allegiance to the monarch as their commander-in-chief, but the Bill of Rights of 1689 requires parliamentary consent for the Crown to maintain a peacetime standing army. Therefore, Parliament approves the army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years. The army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and commanded by the Chief of the General Staff.

The British Army has seen action in major wars between the world's great powers, including the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War and the First and Second World Wars. Britain's victories in these decisive wars allowed it to influence world events and establish itself as one of the world's leading military and economic powers. Since the end of the Cold War, the British Army has been deployed to a number of conflict zones, often as part of an expeditionary force, a coalition force or part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation.

Manufacturer Information: Established in 1993, Oxford Diecast is a British Company that specializes in high-quality die-cast metal vehicles. Produced in various scales, the firm's models are marketed as collector items, gifts, and promotional products. Their largest production goes to OO scale (1:76) and in 2015 they introduced railway products under 'Oxford Rail' brand.
Their N-scale collection is using the 1:148 scale ratio as most British manufacturers.