Duck season
Our approach to the shoreline is uneventful, apart from the swaying, quite unbecoming a pensioner. There are no snipers, machine guns or artillery to shatter the peace today, but in Beatrice's youth on the beaches of Normandy, things were different. Today, Beatrice and her fellow retired second world war amphibious vehicles lead far more sedate lives, carrying passengers on London Duck Tours.
Countless tourists choose an open-top bus or a river cruise if they want to see Britain's capital. London Duck Tours combines the two. Its 75-minute trips waddle and wade past all the major London landmarks, with tour guides recounting tales of intrigue and folklore concerning the
sights, accompanied by groan-inducing jokes. You travel through centuries of history while you sit
in a piece of it.
More than 21,000 DUKWs, known as ducks, were built during the second world war. The prototype was designed and built by General Motors and given its name based on the General Motors code of D for 1942, the year of manufacture; U for utility; K for front-wheel drive and W for dual rear-driving axles.
General George S. Patton recognised the vehicle's worth and demanded it be used in the invasion of Sicily in 1943. Employed mainly for ferrying supplies from ship to beachhead, it was also used in the Pacific war as an assault craft. But its hour of glory came with the Normandy D-Day landings in 1944, in which 2,000 DUKWs took part.
London Duck Tours operates five converted ducks, including Beatrice, although the vehicles bear little resemblance to their original form. Painted rubber-duck yellow, they have been given roofs and seats and comply with safety standards. A four-litre diesel engine has replaced the original petrol plant.
From near the London Eye (above), Beatrice's route passes the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, operating via Green Park.
The big splash happens at Vauxhall from the ramp next to the MI6 spy headquarters, but I suspect James Bond would turn up his nose at a craft that manages only 80km/h on land and 8km/h on water. The duck chugs its way up river and turns back after Westminster Bridge, emerging from the water with much aplomb, if little grace.
On my trip, the passengers are mainly British and, surprisingly, many are from London. One couple says: 'We've often seen them and thought it looked fun. We've just been waiting for an opportunity with good weather to take the tour.'
