Dad’s Army van back in service

The butcher’s van that starred in the legendary BBC sitcom Dad’s Army has been given a new lease of life.

Lance-Corporal Jones’s 1935 Ford BB has been restored in the same building at Dagenham that it would have left the plant.

Just as the new Dad’s Army film is released, a platoon of Ford apprentices, under the command of Ford’s heritage vehicle technicians, have helped repair the running gear of Jack Jones’s famous van.

The original Dad’s Army TV series ran from 1968 to 1977, and “BUC 852” made its screen debut on September 11, 1969 in the first colour episode.

This month it appears in the big-screen version of Dad’s Army with stars including Sir Tom Courtenay, Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sir Michael Gambon.

The van, belonging to local butcher and member of the Home Guard Jack Jones, is now owned by the Dad’s Army Museum in Thetford, Norfolk, where much of the original series was filmed.

The Ford BB truck was among the first commercial vehicles made at the Ford Dagenham site, which started production in 1931.

“This vehicle has a special place in British entertainment history, and is enjoyed by the many visitors to the Dad’s Army museum,” said Stuart Wright, from the Dad’s Army Museum in Thetford.

“It’s fantastic to see the van operational again and we hope it will capture the imagination of the younger visitors less familiar with Dad’s Army, as well as triggering happy memories for the older generations.”