A WW 1 Peerless Truck that recently arrived in the UK for the fitment of a period style body to complete the vehicle’s appearance as a 1914 WW 1 truck. The Peerless was one of over 12000 supplied from the USA to the British Government after 1915 for the war effort. All the survivors were sold after WW 1 ended and this example was sent to the City of Grahamstown (now Makhanda) in South Africa where it spent its working life hauling bricks for many projects around the city. The Peerless has been initially stored at Pertwood prior to being transported to the body builder’s factory. However, an attentive staff member at the farm noticed some noises from under the bonnet of the Peerless and pieces of bird nesting material under the engine compartment. A further investigation revealed a nest of four very hungry blackbird chicks on top of the engine block! This has delayed the despatch of the Peerless to the body shop until the chicks have grown enough to be safely moved to another habitat. Our pictures show the nest in situ and an example of a Peerless in WW 1 service as well as the Peerless in its current condition.
