Milly Tant – AEC Militant Recovery Vehicle
A brief history leading to Brooklands via The Army and London Transport
Meet Miss Milly Tant—one of a kind. Along with her sister vehicle, Milly was one of only two of her type ever built. Her story spans decades of remarkable work: she first served with the Army, then was bought by London Transport and extensively modified, before going on to join the National Rescue fleet. Milly retired in 2025—but not before taking on some unforgettable jobs, from transporting a Barnes Wallis bomb for a TV documentary. to putting the nose section onto a Concorde.
A brief history of the last seventy-plus years
Army, London Transport & National Rescue
Meet Miss Milly Tant, one of Britain's best-known surviving AEC Militant recovery vehicles.
Built by AEC in 1954 for the British Army, Milly began life as military vehicle 36BM73 before being purchased by London Transport in 1966. Together with just one sister vehicle, she was rebuilt by Boughtons Engineering as a highly specialised Master Breakdown Tender, complete with a powerful full-slewing crane.
Renumbered 1456MR, Milly spent fourteen years helping London Transport keep London's buses moving. When withdrawn from service in 1980 and sold into private ownership, her future appeared uncertain.
In 1983 she was discovered by Andy Lambert, founder and Managing Director of National Rescue, and returned to active service from the company's Brooklands depot.
During the following years she attended major incidents on the A3 and M25 and quickly became one of the most recognisable recovery vehicles in the region.
Today Milly is recognised not only as an important part of recovery industry history but also as a rare survivor linking the British Army, London Transport, Brooklands Museum and the commercial recovery industry.
NOTE Links to more Images of Milly over the years - at the top of this page
From Army Truck to Recovery Legend
Constructed between December 1953 and February 1954, Milly was built around AEC's famous Militant chassis and powered by the rugged AEC A223 11.3 litre diesel engine.
When London Transport acquired her, Boughtons Engineering transformed the vehicle into one of the most advanced breakdown tenders of its era. Equipped with a full-power slewing crane, stabilising legs and a heavy-duty recovery winch, she was designed to recover London's largest buses and commercial vehicles.
Although not renowned for speed, Milly became respected for strength, reliability and versatility.
Over the decades she has undertaken countless lifting and recovery tasks ranging from heavy vehicle incidents to aircraft movements and engineering projects.
One of her most famous assignments involved dismantling, transporting and reassembling the historic Vickers Viscount Stephen Piercey, helping secure its future as a museum exhibit.
In September 2021 Milly's contribution to the industry was recognised when she won the prestigious People's Choice Award at the Professional Recovery Tow Show's first-ever Historic Tow Truck Display. Voted for by recovery operators and enthusiasts from across the UK, the award reflected the affection and respect she had earned during a remarkable working life.
Brooklands Museum and a New Future
Following Andy Lambert's retirement from National Rescue, he moved her to become a permanent part of life at Brooklands Museum.
For more than three decades she played a vital role behind the scenes, helping to build up, preserve and maintain one of Britain's most important transport museums. Her work included assembling aircraft, moving exhibits, transporting the Barnes Wallis bomb collection, assisting with restoration projects and even helping position sections of Concorde during conservation work.
She even took part in a TV documentary that filmed the moving of a prototype Second World War bomb.
By the time she retired in 2025, Milly had served the British Army, London Transport, National Rescue and Brooklands Museum over a working life spanning more than seventy years.
To ensure her preservation for future generations, Andy Lambert transferred ownership to the London Bus Museum, where she has been restored to her original London Transport colours and now forms part of the museum's permanent collection.
Although officially retired, Milly still appears at selected events and continues to delight enthusiasts, proving that some legends never really stop working.