BEF Vehicles

Discussion in '1940' started by JCB, Feb 18, 2011.

  1. tommy40

    tommy40 Member

    Hello.
    Where were screwed thoses plates on vehicules ?
    If anyone can show couple of photos showing thoses plates on vehicules, it would ne nice...thank you.
     
  2. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Here is a Morris with a ID plate on the wooden body. most 15Cwt had the ID plate put on the side and a Bedford MW with a ID plate on the side.
     

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  3. Lofty1

    Lofty1 Senior Member

    Hello tommy40
    The ID plate on a k2 ambulance was screwed inside the cab above the drivers head, over the top of the door into the back,
     
  4. Radek-Austin

    Radek-Austin Member

    But only by early production.
     
  5. Radek-Austin

    Radek-Austin Member

    Here is the GS plate on the Austin K30
     

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    CL1 likes this.
  6. tommy40

    tommy40 Member

    Thanks, I believed thoses plates were screwed close to engine.
     
  7. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Tommy, if you look at the Bedford with the bonnet up on this thread, you can see a makers plate on the bulkhead.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/1940/30097-bef-army-troops-vehicle-arm-service-markings-others.html

    Most of those that have been posted on here relate to the GS (General Service) body which was built separately.

    There would have been body plates, chassis plates, perhaps a contract plate in the cab as well as sometimes a lubrication diagram.

    Motorcycles at this time had them on the rear number plate bracket. Have you found any of those ?
     
  8. Radek-Austin

    Radek-Austin Member

    Hello Radek,

    Contract V3729 (Austin Lorry 30cwt 4x2 office G/S):
    - census numbers L4156868 until 4157867
    These are early 1940 numbers.

    Jan


    Hi Jan,
    many thnaks, for interesting and usefull info. It si possible add to thes census numbers chassis numbers?

    Cheers Radek
     
  9. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    Hi Radek,

    Sorry, haven't got this information I'm afraid...

    Jan
     
  10. JCB

    JCB Senior Member

    Morris CD' s Calais 1939 and with a bit of googling a now pic from t'internet (I thought the gate may have been blasted away in May 1940 but it has only lost its Tower).
    Craig
     

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  11. JCB

    JCB Senior Member

    Anyone come across these before ? Guy Lizard 4x4 trucks , some with BEF and it also appears the searchlight trucks were 4x4
    Link-
    Guy Motors
     

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  12. chrisgrove

    chrisgrove Senior Member

    According to Vanderveen, only a few prototypes were produced in 1938/39. I suppose some could have found their way to France.

    And the chassis was used for ACVs (but you knew that!).

    Chris
     
  13. JCB

    JCB Senior Member

    Fat finger syndrome -just added photo and link to Guy 4X4s post 178
     
  14. chrisgrove

    chrisgrove Senior Member

    Like that pic - thanks. I see the Guy Motors thread confirms that some went to France. I've never seen a pic though.

    Chris
     
  15. lesfreathy

    lesfreathy Member

    Guys, these were only prototype and i dont think any went to France, but then again in desperation who knows. Maybe with all these German photos of the French campaign coming out something may appear
    cheers
    Les
     
  16. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Sometimes these mysterious stories about models which disappeared with the BEF gain a life of their own.

    I don't know about this case but publications relating to wartime Nortons stated for years that the full consignment of special lightweight models was either lost in France with the BEF or sunk in the channel on the way. In this way they explained away why Nortons carried on making the same old heavy pre-war sidevalve.

    We now know from the Ordnance records that the batch of lightweights wasn't even delivered until October 1942 and was simply not taken up after trials. It probably wan't that robust and included so much magnesium alloy that it could never have been made for the price (a bit of a fire risk too !).

    It might have been better PR for Guys to say that their prototypes were lost with the BEF and that afterwards they were too busy with production rather than admit that they might not have been successful in the MEE trials.
     
  17. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

    Deleted
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017
  18. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    It sounds a bit daft but he wasn't mixing up the 'Panther' with a 'Lynx', was he ? I'm sure there were late 1930s Lynx type lorries out there.

    'Googling' "Beer is Best" and "1938" gives a lot of info about a brewery industry advertising campaign and also shows an aircraft of that name. Might it have just been the name given to the lorry by the crew ?
     
  19. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

    Deleted
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017
  20. JCB

    JCB Senior Member

    I've got vague memories of seeing a BEF photo where you can make out 'Beer is Best' on a lorry.
    The history page about the Guys is not very detailed and doesn't read well but as the Guy 4x4s FAT were in service and BEF were taking any vehicles they could get hold of , maybe the Guy Lizards did get there.
    In the same Guy history page there is a picture of a nice Guy Searchlight truck , the article infers its 4x4 but it doesn't look it. Were these used by the BEF?
     

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