Supplied new to Cornwall County Fire Brigade in May 1964 by HTP Motors Ltd. of Truro at a cost of £1493/14/6, it was allocated to Polruan fire station (number B5A later B16), where it served from new until August 1980. It was given fleet number 513, and replaced a short wheel base Gipsy, registration number 265 BAF. 52 VRL was then transferred to Saltash fire station (B12) until sold out of service in January 1986 having covered just over 9000 road miles, and was bought for preservation in Bransgore, Dorset. It was replaced at Saltash by B132CAF, a Landrover 110 L4T, In December 1992, it returned to one of its former 'homes' when I (Kevin Hale) purchased it. In July 2005, the Saltash Fire Cadets took over ownership, keeping it on home territory.

Cornwall County Fire Brigade ran a large fleet of both short wheel base and long wheel base Gipsys from the 1950's onwards, normally running alongside Austin K4 Pump Escape and Water Tender fire appliances, but this appliance was the only appliance then based at Polruan fire station. It ran as a pump, and was allocated the radio callsign 466.

52 VRL, which is based on an Austin Gipsy series IV long wheel base chassis, with fitting out done at Cornwall County Fire Brigade's workshops at Camborne, is powered by a BMC 2.2 litre petrol engine, which also powers the front mounted Coventry Climax ACP pump. This pump, which is driven from a constantly turning drive shaft off the front of the engine, through a gearbox on the rear of the pump, is capable of delivering 500 gallons of water per minute at 100 psi at 3000 rpm. It can pump from open water, or it can be supplied from a hydrant or the appliance's internal 40 gallon fibre glass water tank. The pump can feed two lines of hose, or the hosereel drum mounted on top of the water tank, which has 60m of tubing. This hosereel is used for 'first-aid' firefighting of small fires etc., which would then be supplemented by a hydrant, or pumping from open water if required.

Amongst the equipment carried on this appliance when in service were: the alloy extension ladder; 4 beaters for grass & heath fires; 9 lengths of 2³/4in delivery hose; 2 hand controlled branches; one dividing and one collecting breeching for splitting one hose line into two, and joining two hose lines into one respectively; various hose adaptors; standpipe, key and bar for use with a hydrant; 2 lengths of hard suction (carried in the racks on the roof below the ladder) with strainer and basket, for pumping from streams, pools etc.; 1 dry powder extinguisher and 1 carbon dioxide extinguisher; 1 shovel; various small tools, hose washers etc.

Originally fitted to carry a crew of four, it is believed to have been modified in May 1983 to carry up to a crew of six. The blue flashing beacon was fitted when new, with the now familiar two-tone horns not being fitted until May 1974.

Now housed at Mount Edgcumbe House, Torpoint, Cornwall.

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