[David_Hayward (RIP)]

My final page is about a Memorandum dated 27th March 1941 by the Secretary to the Department of the Army. This needs to be made sense of and paraphrased:

8th December 1940: Major-General Milford wrote notes on the vehicle situation in the Middle East and brought them back to Canberra:

The British have ordered 10,000 of the New Canadian Army models, and we want to change to these models also as soon as we possibly can. Government pressure should be brought to bear to obtain them sooner than June 1941, the date adbvised from Melbourne when they will be coming to hand

3rd January 1941: Lt Vol. RM Dollery to Brigadier EJ Milford:

Director of Mechanization will be interested to know that large consignments of the new Canadian Army type vehicles are arriving in M.E. but not for us. They consist mostly of the 30-cwt and 3-ton types, and orders for the Canadian Army types should be pressed to the limit as regards priority of delivery, and I suggest time should be saved by direct shipment to the Middle East.

This means: a) S/M 2002 for Ford 15 cwt Alpha packs had arrived in Alexandria by December 1940 although some we know arrived in January.. now the majority arrived in January from this; plus b) S/M 2003 for Ford F30 and Chevrolet C30 CMPs arrived in Decembewr and then January, which we know were issued to the AIF subsequently; and c) S/M 2005 which was for 3,150 CC60L 3-tonners also arrived in December and then January.

Notes for CGS with relation to MT of the AIF prepared during visit of CGS and Minister to the M.E. and brought back from the M.E. by the CGS:

Early provision of the new Canadian Army type vehicles is vital. They are to War Office Specifications and are ideal for M.E. conditions. Large numbers are alreasy arriving in the M.E. to UK orders. Advice from Australia is to the effect that we cannot expect deliveries for the AIF till June 1941. The strongest representations should be made prior to that date. UK, Canadian, and Indian Governments have ordered them in large numbers, and the problem is to obtain a proportion of the output of the Ford and General Motors factories in Canada for the AIF at the earliest possible date. In this connection the time saved by ordering complete with bodies for shipment direct from Canada might receive consideration.

The Minister for the Army and CGS visited the Middle East and personal representations were made to the Minister regarding the desirability of providing the AIF with Canadian War Department type mechanical vehicles and the CGS brought back to Canberra reports on the performance of AIF vehicles. General Blamey had reported on the MT performance in the M.E. Was he the CGS?