ww2 British Vehicle Markings

Discussion in 'Vehicle Names and Census Numbers' started by morrisc8, Jan 9, 2021.

  1. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Does any one have any original ww2 manuals/booklets on ww2 Vehicle Markings, they can add to these ones i own.

    Vehicle Markings India 1945.
    Vehicle Markings 1941
    Vehicle Markings 1943
    veh markings cover india.jpg veh markings india.jpg veh markings.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
    Waddell, AB64 and Chris C like this.
  2. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Do you mean originals or scans thereof ? The best one of all is in the National Archives. :)

    1.JPG
     
    Waddell and Drew5233 like this.
  3. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    The 1943 Vehicle Markings booklet has No 4 Supply Reserve Depot HQ on the cover.
    Keith
    veh markings.stamp.jpg
     
  4. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Scans as well .
     
  5. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

  6. Gary Kennedy

    Gary Kennedy Member

    These are the tittles that I've seen documented;

    Vehicle Marking (Jan 1941) - 57/Overseas/273 - Amendments 1 to 4 Inclusive

    Vehicle Marking (Feb 1942) - 57/Overseas/273 - Amendments 1 to 5 Inclusive (?)

    Vehicle Marking 1943 - Amendments 1 & 2 (1944)

    Vehicle Markings, India, 1945

    It looks as though you have three of those four. The February 1942 entry is from a list compiled by John Armatys and it may well be a reprint of the 1941 edition incorporating amendments to that point.

    The Imperial War Museum has these entries;

    Vehicle Marking 1941 -

    Vehicle marking 1941

    Vehicle Marking 1942 (and possibly 1943?)

    Vehicle marking : 1942, amendments 1-4 : 1943, amendments 1-2 : supplements A and B

    I can't tell whether the second catalogue entry includes the 1942 and the 1943 editions, or just the 1942 one with amendments from 1942 (Nos. 1-4) and 1943 (Nos. 1 & 2), plus supplements.

    Can I ask what the page count is on the 1943 edition? I acquired some very good info via the forum a while back (WO32/11617) but have not seen a complete booklet. There may be a copy in the Canadian archives as well and it's always good to know how much a copy might cost.

    Gary
     
    Aixman and Chris C like this.
  7. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Thank you Gary for the list.I don`t have the 1943 book but someone who has seen a copy sent this. [ I examined it a few years ago and it contains c 92 vehicle signs. These are mainly RASC Company signs, but there are some RASC Columns and Artillery Platoons. Also three Canadian and five Belgian transport units. ] The book was published in 1945 by 21 Army Group in Germany not in 1943 was told.
    Keith
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2021
  8. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Here are some Vehicle Markings from my photo collection. i can add more if wanted.
    Keith
    veh markings 1.jpg veh markings 2.jpg veh markings 3.jpg veh markings 4.jpg
     
    4jonboy and Chris C like this.
  9. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    A few more from my collection.
    Keith
    veh markings 5.jpg veh markings 6.jpg veh markings 7.jpg veh markings 10.jpg veh markings 11.jpg
     
    Chris C likes this.
  10. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    A few more from my collection.
    Keith
    veh markings 14.jpg veh markings 13.jpg veh markings 12.jpg veh markings 9.jpg veh markings 8.jpg
     
    Chris C likes this.
  11. Gary Kennedy

    Gary Kennedy Member

    It was the October 1943 booklet in post no.3 that I was wondering about the page count of. It looks like something to put on the wish list for future searches. If the IWM does have a copy they charge per page so it would be useful to know the length.

    I saw the other thread on the break-up of the 21 Army Group document which was a very great shame.

    Gary
     
  12. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Hi Gary, it has 8 pages same as the 1941 one.
    I can scan it for you if you wish.
    Keith
     
    Gary Kennedy likes this.
  13. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Here are the covers to the October 1941 Amendment and to Vehicle Marking 1942. I don't have a full copy of them but I believe that they are in the NA within WO199/1052 (Markings of Vehicles, Corps and Divisions, Etc. June 1941 - Feb 1942). It seems to have been used by Movement Control, Home Forces.

    IMG_6449A.jpg

    IMG_6456A.jpg
     
    morrisc8 likes this.
  14. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    There was a Markings Middle East publication in March 1944...I have some scans of the contents, but again no serial numbers. Maybe they were not included ? I'm not sure where I got the scans from.

    Cover1.jpg
     
    morrisc8 likes this.
  15. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    A few more from my collection.
    Keith
    veh markings 23.jpg veh markings 22.jpg veh markings 21.jpg veh markings 20.jpg veh markings 19.jpg
     
  16. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Great photos, Keith!

    I had to pull out my copy of Warpaint Vol 3 to identify some of the embelms. AFHQ and GHQ Middle East amongst them by the looks of things.

    What is the marking between "GB" and "53" on the one vehicle?
     
    morrisc8 likes this.
  17. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    it just looks like a blob to me. It says near Homes Syria on the back 1943
    veh markings 1 GB 53.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2021
  18. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    It's not a poorly executed tiger's head of 6th Indian Division, is it ?

    'GB' is the Gun Position Officer of 'B' Troop....'53' denotes a Field Regt., RA in the 1942 MEF schedules.
     
    Chris C likes this.
  19. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Yes it says B Troop on the back of one of the other photo i have, with Gilan Vally at CP with there Humber PU. Officer cap badge not RA. I have a few other photos of this unit.
    humber GB 53.kb.jpg humber cp kb.jpg humber GB 53. cp cap badge.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2021
    Chris C likes this.
  20. Gary Kennedy

    Gary Kennedy Member

    Keith,

    That would be very good of you if you could. I honestly thought the booklet ran to a few dozen pages at least. I've often seen the subject discussed at length on forums and assumed there must have been numerous documents issued. Having looked again at what I found via the forum it does include Supplements A and B to the October 1943 pamphlet. It does appear that the IWM hold the Feb 1942 publication that Rich has posted the cover of, and the Oct 1943 issue. If they are short documents then the 27 pages quoted on the IWM page does sound about right. They are still accepting orders but acknowledge delivery being at least 25 weeks behind normal!

    Gary
     

Share This Page