The Overloon museum recently acquired this Morris C8, as was advertised on Milweb a while ago. The problem is that we are not to sure about the water-tank body being a genuine WW2 combination. We haven't been able to find any data plates on the rear body yet, so it might well be that this is a postwar conversion based on a C8 GS......What's your idea?

The museum wants to display this water-tank Morris alongside their B25 Mitchell. Missing items so far is a correct drivers seat (and the other one looks a lot like a CMP seat) and the engine block is cracked.

Alex

Alex among my photo collection and during my continued search for photos of softskin photos I have never seen a British or Commonwealth water tanker with that type of rear body setup.

I would tend to believe it is a post war modification rather then a genuine WW2 item.

Cheers
Cliff :)

Alex,

I would say that the water tank is not original for that vehicle, never seen a C8 4x4 with a tank on, normally seen on Bedford MW or Morris Comm. CS8, then they have a locker built in to the rear end of the tank with double doors. My guess is that this has been converted for fire fighting in its postwar life.

Morris Commercial water tank, 200 gallon, 1941
 

http://www.gwim2.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/C15AT2.jpg
this C15A has a Morris Commercial tank - identified by plates inside the rear door saying so.

Yes, it's sitting on a C15A, and it was bought from a chap who broke up a Bedford MW tanker with this same tank on, but I'd suggest the plates in the back of it are correct.

Gordon

Re: Morris Commercial water tank, 200 gallon, 1941
 

Gordon,

I would agree that your photo of a Chev C15A has a British Army water tank from a Morris Commercial on it, probably of a CS8, but the one in question is of circular profile, where as those used on Brit vehicles, including the later Austin K9 and Morris Comm. MRA1 from the 1950's, all had oval tanks.

Thompson Bros
 

Did Morris Commecial Cars sub-contract with Thompson Bros (BIlston) Ltd?

Re: Thompson Bros
 

Don't know, David.

Thinking about it all the Thompson Brothers stuff I've ever seen and worked on has been fuel tank rather than water tank stuff.

I did work on a 3 wheel refueller ex-grangemough Airfield some time back, and the paperwork we gathered included an image or two courtesy of Weir Pumps - who presumably made the transfer pumps. They seemed to come either with or without Zwicky booms too.

Zwicky
 

.if that's the same company were on the Slough Trading Estate pre-war.

Hi Alex
Have to agree withthe others on this Morris i would say almost certainly this was a 4x4 general service converted for fire use. I do not know of any purpose built 4x4 models as water tankers and if any do or did exsist they would have been field conversions, the attatched photo shows the Morris water tank 200galls as fitted to the 4x2 15cwt

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your thoughts. I had the same idea.....never seen this combination before. If I remember correctly the C8 was only produced as a GS and a Wireless version originally(?)

I haven't been able to pin down the origins of the tank yet. Like Richard said, most tanks were of the oval type...and not round like this one. It could even have come from a trailer, but no match yet...

thanks, Alex

Round tank
 

Hi Alex
Went through all my US stuff and only found one round tank...trailer mounter 220Gallons ..used for refueling aircraft..
But this looks bigger than 220 Gallons..
The fittings are in the wrong place too but who knows..
Alex:remember :support :drunk: :support :remember

Tanker
 

I thought that this photo might be of interest here.

that is a 15CWT morris GS8 only made in 1944. the versions were GS, light warning, and compressor versions. it was not listed in any parts book, workshop book, or any other refrence book as having a water or fuel tank on it. also i have never seen any 1944 morris trucks on a allied flight line like you would find with CMPs and bedfords, but i could be wrong :drunk:

Thanks again, guys.

@ Alex. Indeed the tanks looks bigger than 220 gallons, but I would be very interested to know more about the trailer you mention, nonetheless.

@ David. Nice shot. And another oval shaped tank. Is this a post-war rebuild?

@ Dave. Thanks. Could you take some shots of the seats in your Morris? One of the seats in the Overloon Morris is not original and the other one looks very similar to a CMP seat(?) So, what should they looks like?


Alex

Here are two pictures of the subject C8 after restoration:

http://www.military-vehicle-photos.c...number1496.asp
http://www.military-vehicle-photos.c...number1497.asp

Personally I think it is a pity they left it in it's non-original configuration, museum visitors are now lead to believe these type of trucks were driving around in WW2.

H.

rat rod
 

Yes Hanno, it does have a rat rod look to it . These 1944 produced C8 GS trucks have survived in relatively large numbers . But only one or two contracts were built . They seem to turn up for sale regularly, unless the same trucks change owners often ! Maybe they were not disposed of until the 1950's , hence more survived . Mike

PS there are two or three over here ,in QLD , maybe late WW2 when they arrived here .

Qld c8
 

This is the Queensland C8 ..it was for sale years ago .. the front wings are home made things and the water tank is off a CS8 or Beford I think . The asking price years ago was around 20K - for that money back then , you could fly to the UK and import something much better .MIKE

The 1944 Morris 4x4 were not built until late 44 and most did not enter the war until the very end, most photos of them are of them in Korea and after, my 1944 Morris came out of service in 1957.

Couldn't agree more. It would have been easy enough to build a GS body for it, but I understand that the museum staff at the time bought this truck in particular because of it's water tank....and probably didn't realise the body is post-war. The truck now has "FUEL" painted in yellow on the side of the tank :ergh:

Alex

They can loan my copy of Vanderveen's Historic Military Vehicles Directory anytime. Help is just a forum message, e-mail or phone call away . . . :doh:

And it is back up for sale as "very rare and very collectable":

https://www.milweb.net/webvert/a4355/97343

Well a PU 8/4 is very rare......and some of the advert is about a PU 8/4:blink:.....text probably borrowed from somewhere else and is not related to the C8.