Princess Elizabeth in Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform, 1945

Photograph, World War Two, Home Front (1939-1945), 1945.

Princess Elizabeth, a dog at her feet, stands in front of an Austin 10 'Tilly' light utility truck with an Austin ambulance to the right. The photograph was taken on the day Princess Elizabeth's mother and father, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, visited her unit.

Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in February 1945 as a subaltern. By the end of the war she had reached the rank of junior commander, having completed her course at No 1 Mechanical Training Centre of the ATS, and passed out as a fully qualified driver.

'Tillys', the nickname derived from the word 'utility', were military conversions of civilian vehicles such as the Austin 10 saloon and similar vehicles manufactured by Morris and Hillman. These utility or pick-up vehicles were widely used by British forces for various logistical, liaison and supply tasks during World War Two and they continued to be used even when American made models such as the Jeep became available.

From a collection of photographs relating to the Auxiliary Territorial Service, 1939-1949.