Thompson P505 Mobile Refuelling Unit Mk V Strasbourg
English Translation
Merci à Alain pour les photographies
 

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Thompson Bros Mobile Refuelling Units

Julian C Temple

The following note has been compiled by Julian C Temple, Curator of Aviation, Brooklands Museum.  It represents the results of his researches so far (August 2003) and we are very grateful to him for allowing us to publish it here.  We are also obliged to Keith Timmins for supplying the photos. The photo captions have been added by Frank Sharman and are very much subject to correction.

Type history:  Designed and built from c1935 until at least the end of World War Two by Thompson Bros. Ltd,  for both civil and military use. Powered by a standard Ford 10 car engine, a rather novel feature was its three-wheeled chassis. Early models featured two separate compartments or "saddle" tanks for fuel and oil. Later variants had capacity for 350, 450 or 500 gallons of fuel using the two compartments for one or two grades of fuel. 50 gallons of oil was also carried in a separate central tank. Pumping was achieved at an average rate of 20 gallons a minute with an auxiliary pump designed and manufactured by Thompson Bros.

The earliest reference yet found appears in 'Aeroplane' and 'Flight' reports on the September 1935 King's Cup Air Race when  'The T-B Refuelling Unit' (possibly the prototype) refuelled participating light aeroplanes at Hatfield. 'Flight' also published a photo of this rather crude-looking vehicle. By at least 1942, the makers, now named "Thompson Brothers (Bilston) Ltd", were advertised as "specialists in petrol refuelling equipment".  

The bowser on the left is probably the Mark I and that on the right is probably the Mark III.  The photos were probably taken at or near the works.

This may be the Mark V and the last of the three wheelers.  Presumably the three wheel design was intended to increase maneuverability.

Pre-war examples of the Mk I, II & III refuellers - apparently initially named 'The T-B Refuelling Unit' - were used at the following civil aerodromes and airports (and probably at many others too):- Brooklands, Surrey (Brooklands Aviation Ltd); Croydon, Surrey ('Shell Aviation Service'); Desford. Leics. (Reid & Sigrist Ltd); Fairoaks, Surrey (General Aircraft Ltd?); Perth (Airwork Ltd's Reserve Training School); and Reading/Woodley, Berks,  (Phillips & Powis Aircraft Ltd).

During WW2 improved and slightly larger versions - notably the Mark V - were ordered in quantity by the Air Ministry for military use and became a common sight at flying training schools such as that at Fairoaks, Surrey.

This advertisement, from The Aeroplane, 2nd February 1940, is for the "new T. B. Streamlined Tender".  The advert refers to the need to supply several grades of spirit but the photos seem to suggest that this version of the refueller could cope with only two grades.

Postwar, many of these mobile tenders also proved very useful at civil aerodromes and airports ? including Heathrow and Luton Airports. Smaller civil airfields, such as Biggin Hill, Elstree and Leicester East (Stoughton) continued to use Thompson refuellers for light aircraft even up to the 1990s. Other known postwar civil operators included Brooklands Aviation Ltd (at Little Staughton and Sywell) and the British Aircraft Corporation Ltd (at Brooklands/Weybridge and Wisley).

Apparently post war versions.  But note that the photo on the left appears to have been taken in very much the same place as that of the Shell 3 wheeler above.