The Bart Vanderveen Challenge Shield 2010

The Bart Vanderveen Award was set up in memory of Bart whose life was devoted to military vehicles of all kinds, and was editor of Wheels & Tracks magazine until his death in 2001. The award is made to acknowledge those who have contributed most to the military vehicle preservation movement.

This year's recipient has been known as the 'Grandfather of military vehicle collecting'. He bought his first vehicle, a Loyd carrier, for £15 in 1947 and since then has owned a great many Second World War military vehicles. However he is probably best known for his abiding love of Canadian Military Pattern vehicles. He is John Marchant.

John's first CMP was a Ford F60S bought for £17 10s -- that's 17 pounds 50 pence to you youngsters -- in 1948, a vehicle he owned for many years, and probably still does. He collected armoured vehicles when such treasures were virtually unknown in private hands. John has been a mine of information to owners of CMP vehicles, and during the late 'seventies he started compiling the CMP Register, to try to record the surviving CMP vehicles.

In regular correspondence with Bart Vanderveen and hundreds of other enthusiasts, John is known to collectors worldwide, not just as a collector but as a man who enthusiastically and generously shares his knowledge and spares, and it is certainly true that without his help and encouragement there would be far less Chevrolets and Fords in preservation. John is an acknowledged expert in his field but is also renowned for actually using his preserved military vehicles at work and play . . . which is the title of his most interesting book Work and Play with Ex-Military Vehicles.

His contribution to the hobby both in the UK and aboard is immense, and I know that Bart would hugely support my giving him this award today.

Winston Ramsey - 24th July 2010

Please send your nomination for the 2011 award to either organisation, including your name and address, to:
Jim Baxter for the IMPS or Preston Issac for the MVT.

It isn’t necessary to be a member of IMPS or MVT to be nominated, nor indeed to make a nomination.