[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Thanks to Shane, and his very courteous copying of papers from the Australian Archives, we have some idea now about the very first Australian CMP orders.

I am working on the papers now, but at this stage it appears that the very first CMPs, namely 30-cwt, and 3-ton MCPs arrived to UK order in December 1940 in the Mid-East. This would be to Demand [contract] S/M 2003 for C30/F30 and 2004/2005 for 4 x 2 Fords and Chevrolets. That said we know that S/M 2002, for F15/C15 trucks were assembled in Alexandria in early January 1941 at the latest. On a quick reading of the papers, the AIF top echelons seemed very anxious that these Canadian War Department trucks were being delivered to the Brits, and not 'us'. The clamour went out for supplies to Australian forces and June 1941 was the earliest stated delivery of such vehicles I believe at this stage. By then the UK, Canada and INDIA had received trucks. It was apparently autumn 1941 before series production could commence based on discussions in March 1941.

I am conjecting again at this stage that the AIF were 'lent' British War Office vehicles in the Mid-East, as were the NZEF and Indian Army and then in due course they were 'sold' by London. There is no indication, in fact it is to the opposite, that the AIF were issued and sold vehicles from British supply immediately. This dsproves my thought that the AIF that left England by December 1940 had British vehicles given to them to take with them. All shipments to the Mid-East were to British account at British expense. On that basis the troops and equipment were sent by ship seperately from any vehicles and that allocation of vehicles in-theatre was handled by representatives in the area. Then eventually the paperwork chased the vehicles and then payments were made in London. I query why vehicles carried WD census numbers even after allocation of Dominion census numbers? The only suggestion that I have is that the census number indicated the original contract demand to which the vehicle was supplied. As some parts lists referred to vehicles supplied to certain S/M contracts, it made ordering parts for what were British spec trucks easier. Otherwise the numbers would have been of no use and could in fact have been misleading.