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Fonds

The Alistair 'Ecky' Taylor Legacy

Catalogue reference: AT

What’s it about?

This record is about the The Alistair 'Ecky' Taylor Legacy dating from 1900-1970.

Is it available online?

Maybe, but not on The National Archives website. This record is held at Vickers MG Collection & Research Association.

Can I see it in person?

Not at The National Archives, but you may be able to view it in person at Vickers MG Collection & Research Association.

Full description and record details

Reference

AT

Title

The Alistair 'Ecky' Taylor Legacy

Date

1900-1970

Description

Alistair 'Ecky' Taylor passed away in March 2024. The Vickers MG Collection & Research Association is very pleased and honoured to announce that we have received the Alistair Taylor Archive to digitise and share. Ecky was a great friend to many in the Association and had shared much of his machine gun related material with us in the past.
His focus was the AB64 – the British soldier’s service record and pay book in the Second World War. He had accumulated over 2,400 of them in his many years of collecting, representing nearly 1% of the entire British Army of the Second World War. This is an unparalleled set of documents and enriched further by the extra documents, items and even medals that support them. It was not just the AB64 though, and he included the AB439 (the officer’s equivalent), the Soldier’s Small Book from the First World War and before and even the logbooks of pilots and aircrew.
As well as these, he collected the manuals and documentation that tell us how the navies, armies and air forces operated around the world.

Held by
Vickers MG Collection & Research Association
Creator(s)
VMGCRA on behalf of Alistair Taylor
Access conditions

Over time, these will be digitised and made available through the VMGCRA Patreon (subscriptions from £3 per month). Physical access by appointment. Restrictions and redactions for GDPR purposes. The Vickers MG Collection & Research Association is Registered Charity 1210266 (England & Wales).

Immediate source of acquisition

This archive has been donated to the Vickers MG Collection & Research Association to digitise and promote Alistair's legacy.

Unpublished finding aids
Once digitised, a direct link will be available here. If VMGCRA Patreon subscribers wish to request priority scanning, go to: https://www.patreon.com/posts/119621969
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/83e4372d-a4fc-424b-9352-ce9a42c27d7b/

Catalogue hierarchy

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The Alistair 'Ecky' Taylor Legacy