SE&CR Diagram 960 PMV

Cavell Van
The prototype van, preserved on the Kent & East Sussex Railway
In service	1919–1980s
Manufacturer	SECR Ashford Works (25) Bristol Carriage and Wagon Company (20) SR Ashford Works SR Eastleigh Works SR Lancing Carriage Works BR Wolverton Works (50)
Constructed	1919–1951
Entered service	1919-1986
Number built	979
Capacity	10 long tons (10 t)
Operator(s)	South Eastern & Chatham Railway Southern Railway British Railways (Southern Region)
Specifications
Car length	Over body: 32 ft 0 in (9.754 m) Over buffers: 35 ft 10 in (10.922 m)
Width	Over body: 7 ft 10 1⁄4 in (2.394 m) Over stanchions: 8 ft 4 1⁄4 in (2.546 m)
Height	12 ft 0 in (3.658 m)
Wheelbase	21 ft 0 in (6.401 m)
Weight	12 to 13 long tons (12 to 13 t) tare
Braking system(s)	Vacuum
Track gauge	Standard

The Diagram 960 PMVs were a series of Parcels and Miscellaneous Vans built by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR) from 1919. The prototype van was used to carry the bodies of Edith Cavell, Charles Fryatt and The Unknown Warrior from Dover to London. It has been preserved by the Kent and East Sussex Railway. The SE&CR vans were known as the Cavell Vans for this reason.

The Southern Railway constructed a number of similar vehicles to Diagram 3103, and further batches were turned out by British Railways until 1951. Both types saw service into the 1980s.

The first PMV to Diagram 960 was built by the SE&CR at their Ashford Works in 1919, being numbered 132. A further 20 vans were built by the Bristol Carriage and Wagon Company in 1921, and 24 by the SE&CR at their Ashford Works in 1922. These took up vacant numbers between 121 and 182. All passed to the Southern Railway, who assigned them to Diagram 960; all were renumbered between 1925 and 1930, no. 132 becoming 1972, and the remainder became 1973–2016 in order of previous number.

The prototype van, originally SE&CR No.132, has been preserved on the Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR). It was built at Ashford Works in 1919. The van was used to carry the bodies of Edith Cavell and Charles Fryatt in 1919, and that of The Unknown Warrior in 1920. After it had carried Edith Cavell's body, a cast iron plaque was affixed to the body of the van. The van was numbered 1972 by the Southern Railway. In August 1946, it was transferred to Departmental Stock and renumber 374S, being used to transport stores between Brighton Works and Lancing Carriage Works. The van was renumber DS374 by British Railways and was later used as a Staff and Tool Van by the Power Supply Section of BR(S). In October 1967 it was renumber 082757 in the Internal User number series. It was withdrawn from use at Guildford Cable Depot and put into store at Hoo Junction.