Found this in WO 167/850 2 East Yorkshire Regiments War Diary whilst searching for something else. Hope its of interest?
Thanks Andy, these unofficial markings are not often documented. They don't seem to have made any great attempt to confuse the enemy. 12" square is quite large too. It seems to have been a system of identifying the 8cwt and 15cwt trucks during movements.
Don't know Mal, best person to ask would be Andrew (May 1940), he's the 1940 Vehicle Markings chap....He pulled this file today at Kew after I tipped him (thanks to Owen). I heard him shout Eureka from the other side of the reading room so I guess he was pleased
We have seen some of these markings from time to time and there have been references to battalions trying to identify their own vehicles more precisely (probably a case of making sure that the Officer's Mess plate didn't get diverted - "O/M" for the Officer's Mess will have ensured priority from Traffic Control). I fear that these are probably not standardised but they will provide clues to general procedure. Another part of the jigsaw. I'm glad to hear that Andrew still has his nose to the grindstone in Kew and is being rewarded by Eureka ! moments.
Is this some thing that is exclusive to the 2 East Yorks. or is it a BEF wide sort of thing? I was lucky enough to bump into Drew at Kew and was able to look at the war diary containing this list. Another great find. It was issued on 29 September 1939 and refers to tactical markings being used on vehicles in addition to unit and formation signs. The BEF markings list published on 13 March and updated on 11 April 1940 says these would be carried on the front of vehicles and, if desired, on the rear. The War Office letter published on 12 April, giving a standard marking system, didn't add much on tactical markings other than to say they were at the discretion of 'regimental etc commanders' and it was preferable if such markings appeared on the sides of vehicles. (It also gave some guidance on tactical markings for AFVs which had not been addressed in the BEF list.) Photos of BEF vehicles show tactical signs appeared in different locations depending on the unit. They appeared on most types of vehicle but not on all. Some were just numbers, others included different geometric shapes. There is very little documented on this and trying to form a view using photos is like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle with most of the pieces missing. Every time I visit Kew I hope to find something new so thanks Drew for a late Christmas present. Andrew
