How dare you!
How dare you suggest that any Canadian or Australian would stoop so low as to do such a fiddle?
Seriously, I thought about that myself as the second plate looks as though it might have been lifted off in the past, and they are of course screwed down and not riveted. I noticed that all three plates or remnants of them are exactly set out in both cases, and very neatly done. I would have thought that skulduggery would not extend as far as being so neat but who knows? A favourite tale is of a guy who worked for GM ltd from 1947 in the CMP refurb shop. He used to flame-cut open the fuel tanks after syphoning out and selling any fuel, and then derust/paint the interiors before re-welding. He apparently had a marvellous collection of lighters of all shapes and sizes which he used to exhibit to callers. These were found in the fuel tanks, dropped in by squaddies who were dipping their lighters in tanks to top them up, but losing them when the string broke or the Sergeant came along!
The question is: was there a theoretical claim and shipback of Canadian trucks by the Canadian Government in other Commonwealth countries? If there was, then official/unofficial transfer of build plates would make more sense. I have only been hinted to at the sort of money-making scams that went on from about 1948 in the UK as regards exporting WD-surplus vehicles. Circumventing the £=C$/US$ exchange must have been one factor.
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