A recent addition to YouTube about the Alvis collection of Chris Prince will fascinate those who have never ventured into Shropshire to source parts for their Three Litre or Fourteen.
Martin Wickham writes “A fascinating film that I recall seeing in the Apprentice School back in the dark ages demonstrates the effective performance of Stalwart, on land, and in the water, and especially important, getting in and out of the water (the weak point of most amphibious vehicles) in Sweden.
I am reasonably sure that the success of that particular trial led to excessive celebration in the mess and the decision to have an unscheduled play with the vehicle after that. When it started to sink it was realised that the hull drain plugs had not been refitted. The Chief Engineer was recalled to Coventry and sacked. That led to Mike Dunn’s appointment soon thereafter. “
This photo of PV1 is “the Beastie”. PV stands for Private Venture – if you would like to know more click on Sweden and the Stalwart to view the film.
The Stalwart also featured in this Bulletin from 1999
Alvis Archive 
Fascinating stuff! We car nuts tend to forget it was military vehicles which really kept the old Firm going. I owned various Dinky, Corgi and Airfix Stalwarts back in the day, and have vague memories of seeing the real thing demonstrated at an Alvis day, about 55 years ago….
“When it started to sink it was realised that the hull drain plugs had not been refitted. The Chief Engineer was recalled to Coventry and sacked. That led to Mike Dunn’s appointment soon thereafter. “
Is this true and is it the full story?
I believe it to be true. It was before my time at Alvis, but I heard it from several sources that I considered to be reliable, and repeated over the years. Is it the full story? No. I don’t have all the details and have not even named the person concerned.