Most people's knowledge of the Bedford 'Green Goddess' is limited to their appearances, driven by military personnel, during the industrial action taken by firemen in 1977 and 2002.

Based on the Bedford RL commercial chassis and powered by a 4.9-litre six-cylinder petrol engine, the RLHZ 'Green Goddess' was commissioned in the early 1950s as part of the UK's 'Cold War' civil defence arrangements, and was operated by the Auxiliary Fire Service until its dissolution in 1968.

Although capable of fighting fires, the 'Green Goddess' was primarily intended to act as a self-propelled water pump, pumping water from rivers, lakes and canals into British cities in the aftermath of a nuclear attack.

Mothballed after 1968, the 'Green Goddess' fleet was kept maintained in readiness for use in emergencies in support of the civil authorities.

In March 2004 the British Government commenced selling off its remaining stock of more than 900 vehicles, most of which were sold to developing countries in...