The Sunshine Cab was developed as an Australian requirement for artillery units in the first instance, for fitting to 'Trucks, 15cwt, Battery Staff (Aust)' of which there were several variants. It followed the earlier requirement for a sunshine 'roadster' cab on Battery Staff and Artillery tractors built on MC type vehicles, eg the O1Y and 11Y 1 ton Fords, and Tractors, Artillery, LP, No.s 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and 4A.
The CMP sunshine cab was developed by engineers at GMH Woodville at Army request, and subsequently manufactured by both Ford and GMH.
The cab type was, however, not wholly restricted to BS vehicles, having been noted on small numbers of several other types as original build standard, including Truck, 3 ton, Ambulance (Aust) No.1.
When the CMP BS vehicles were returned to Ordnance vehicle parks in 1943, they were stripped of artillery fittings and re-issued as 15cwt GS, so it is therefore common to see the sunshine cab on GS 15 cwts.
Mike C
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