Top Ten Collections – Overlord
Overlord was one of twenty locomotives ordered by the Ministry of Defence in 1941 but she was not named Overlord until 1992. She is a small diesel locomotive that was designed and built by Andrew Barclay, Sons & Co.
With other locomotives, Overlord was used in the invasion of Europe and shipped from Southampton to Cherbourg in September 1944. She returned to the UK in June 1946 and a few years later went to the Middle East returning to the UK in 1955.
Between May 1961 and October 1992, WD859 was allocated to the following locations;
- Bicester Workshops, Arncott.
15th May 1961-14th June 1961. - Royal Ordnance Factory, Featherstone, Wolverhampton.
14th June 1961-1st April 1964. - Royal Ordnance Factory, Ruddington, Nottingham.
1st April 1964-3rd August 1967. - Technical Store, Sinfin Lane, Derby.
3rd August 1967-15th January 1971.
Renumbered to ARMY 202 in 1968. - Bicester Workshops, Arncott.
15th January 1971-25th May 1972. - Ordnance Storage and Disposal Depot, Branston, near Burton-on-Trent.
25th May 1972-12th March 1975. - Command Engineer Park, Hessay, York.
12th March 1975-15th August 1988. - Central Ammunition Depot, Longtown, Cumbria.
15th August 1988-October 1992.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the D-Day landings, the locomotive was named Overlord in 1992.
After a long service in multiple countries, Overlord now lives on display with us at the Historic Dockyard and can often be seen hauling wagons through the site.
In memory of Dave Lovering
With thanks to Sharon Lockyer and Andy Veitch for copy and photography.
