[marco]

Thanks Hanno!

It would be very difficult to tell in general what to do to find a vehicle identity and history.
However, there are some possibilities to find a vehicle registration number.

When starting a vehicle restoration, always take the time to look carefully for any markings which might be there under several layers of paint.
My first Dodge WC51 still had the original USA registration number on the bonnet.
Once the sandblaster has done its job, it is too late...

A friend once found a wartime dated “work order” inside a door panel from his Diamond-T.
Although this car had been restored and had been in several different collectors hands, nobody ever found that document.
On this “work order” there were the (matching) chassis number and the original USA registration number.

In Bovington and in the Imperial War Museum they have vehicle “key cards” which might give certain details like chassis numbers and war department census numbers from a particular vehicle.
I do not know exactly which information is on those cards, maybe Adrian can shine a light in this.

Another (theoretical) possibility would be to find the war department shipping document.
I have a copy from such a document for 2 Lend Lease M4A2 Sherman tanks, showing the Ordnance serial numbers, the USA registration numbers and the British T-census numbers as well.
Although there must have been several copies around (sender, transport company, receiver), I do not think many of such documents have survived.

For certain military vehicles, there is a relation between the Ordnance serial number and the USA registration number, the manufacturers serial number and the USA registration number or the chassis number and the USA registration number.
So if you know the ordnance serial or the chassis serial number, you might find the original USA registration number.
On armored vehicles, the ordnance serial number is stamped in the armor and can be found most of the times.
The best thing to do in this case is to contact specialists on that particular vehicle.

When a USA registration number or British census number has been found, the best thing you can hope for is finding a wartime photo with your vehicle on it, showing unit markings.
I do not know of the existence of lists with registration numbers
from “in service” vehicles kept by using units.

In my particular case, it went like this.
When I started restoring the Staghound (ex-Dutch Army) in 1995, I also became a regular visitor at the Cavalry museum in Amersfoort.
Mainly to take measurements from the museums Staghound (all the sheet metal parts and the engine decks on mine were gone), but also to have a chat.
A retired Cavalry officer who was involved in “vehicle matters” directly after WWII, told me that the Dutch army received all Manitoba Dragoon Staghounds (about 72 pieces) and some from other Canadian units, mostly RCD and the 17th Duke of York’s Royal Canadian Hussars.
In total, Dutch army received 108 Staghounds from Canadian stock.

Before sailing to France on 7th and 8th July 1944, all Manitoba Dragoon Staghounds were modified (March 1944) with the “4-Ft wading equipment” according to Chilwell Catalogue 72/533, (first edition January 1944).
This was a major modification which took several days to carry out, and involved work like cutting and welding to the hull.
Because of the work involved, only Staghounds actually assigned to a fighting unit were modified.
The work was done by the 12MD themselves assisted by some specialists
like welders.
My Staghound has all the modifications indicating that this wading equipment has been installed.
I have never seen a RCD Staghound with the same 4 ft wading equipment (please correct me if I am wrong).
So things started to point in the Manitoba Dragoons direction and I started to search for wartime photo’s from this regiment.

Within 12MD, in every fighting troop (2 Staghounds, 2 Ford Lynx Scoutcars) there was one set of the “12ft No9 trackways” .
These were carried by the 2nd car (known as “Sergeants Car”).
The RCD used these trackways also.
To support the trackways sometimes a cross-bar was welded on top of the armor plate above the drivers and co-drivers heads.
I say sometimes because there were also crews who just strapped the trackways on their car with chains and leather straps.
The attached photo’s show the crossbar with and without the trackways.
My car still has the welds once connecting the crossbar to the hull.
Supposed mine was a 12MD vehicle, the search has now been narrowed to about 20 possible vehicles.

Although I knew the direction in which to search, identifying my Staghound remains a piece of (very) good luck when I found the photo from the Dutch National Archives.
The original photo is very detailed and it is possible to compare welding details, casting irregularities and some other details with the details on my car.
I can tell you I nearly went ballistic finding out that it was a 100% match!
You can even see the welds from the crossbar (visible just in front of the siren).

Marco