War veteran reunited with a ‘Dingo’ after nearly 80 years
A RETIRED soldier was impressed and happy to see three replicas of vehicles that he had learned to drive 80 years ago while on a visit to Guernsey for this year’s Liberation celebrations.
Max Embury was about six months short of 18 years old when he was drafted into the Army and ended up spending two weeks training at Windsor Great Park in London.
That was where he learned to drive a ‘Dingo’ – a scout car made by Daimler.
Small and capable of up to 55mph in forward or reverse, the vehicles were in use throughout the Second World War.
He said that in order to qualify he had to drive at 30mph backwards along a course.
This was made more difficult by those early models being four-wheel drive with steering on both sets simultaneously.
There are now three restored Dingos, Mark IIs, in Guernsey and all were taken to the Occupation Museum by members of the Guernsey Military and Motorcycle Club.
They also had three BSA WM20 motorcycles from the same period.
But it was the Dingos that most impressed Mr Embury. ‘I’m absolutely flabbergasted to see them in this condition,’ he said.
‘I’ve never seen one in this condition before. Every one I drove was battle-worn.’
After a two-week course he was despatched to North Africa: ‘I ended up in Algiers, picking up German prisoners along the coast and then on to Tunisia.’
He ended the war as a Corporal of Horse in the First Household Cavalry Life Guards and served as commander of an armoured car – a larger version of the Dingo – for a lot of the time.
He brought with him a book he had compiled of photos of his time in the war and memories of events, which included being in the first British armoured car to enter Rome during its liberation in June 1944.
While happy to see the Dingos again, he said he would not try to get into one. ‘If I did, I don’t think I’d get out again.’
He was looking forward to seeing all the military vehicles taking part in this year’s cavalcade.
