Fire Force Commander G. Drury of the number 19 area covering Plymouth and Cornwall and parts of South Devon has been experimenting with a "Duck" loaned by the army in firefighting at Torpoint, Saltash and villages in the Maker Peninsula. The amphibious vehicle has obvious advantages when used to bypass miles of road which have been traversed when ferries are closed. It travels at 45 mph on land does 8 kn on water and carries a load of 2 1/2 t. The Duck has a crew of 10 compared to a normal fire engines five and carries two pumps, one fixed and one detachable, with complete ancillary equipment. Photo shows the converted "Duck" crossing the water during firefighting experiments in the Torpoint Saltash area. 10 April 1946