On the 7th July it will be exactly 100 years ago that our 1926 Willys-Overland Crossley one ton truck was first registered. We don’t know the day it was actually assembled so we will treat that date as its 100th birthday. According to Shropshire records it was sold new for £185 to Reginald Thomas, Hill Top Farm, Emstrey , Shrewsbury and remained in everyday used until 1958. It was a well known sight in Shrewsbury market and was reported as being used as a rescue vehicle in the 1950s floods. It was acquired in 1961 by Tom Redburn on behalf of the EDVVS. It is thought that about 1000 of these trucks were manufactured by Crossley in Manchester but this is one of only two known survivors, the other one being in Australia. To assemble these trucks Crossley imported Canadian components from Willys-Overland to complete with Ford for sales of light trucks.
The vehicle is still in regular use by us both locally and on the HCVVS London-Brightin run to promote the Museum and is maintained by our in-house experts.
Published: June 23rd, 2026