[Lang]

Kevin

Your truck comes from Contract Number 2677. Starting Serial 91063001 ending 91067000. The WD bonnet serial numbers are from L5405350 to L5407859. If you do a cross reference count you should get your original bonnet number for that truck (assuming they numbered them in order). The engine number you put up does not seem right - misread or replaced at some time?


Tony

This sheet indicates the 110 Dodges were shipped "Direct Overseas" for Mid-East and then Australian Forces. The manual has Contract SM 2458 on it because this was the first contract to those specifications. I bet the trucks coming 28 contracts later still had Contract SM 2458 on the cover of their manuals.

Mike

The Dodge vehicles on a W.D. Central Census to 23 November 1944 listing the Dodges delivered to that date all have WD numbers and WD Cat reference for each order eg

WD No From Z4613111 to WD No Z4613593 Cat Reference 8 Contract SM2029
Truck 8-CWT 4X4 Personnel (including shipped to Egypt) Model D8A

The 110 Dodges are shown in a total of 28 contracts including one annotated as AID-CHI 25 - I presume aid to China (Burma Road?)

All have WD number ranges and Cat references beside them EXCEPT for the Australian orders as attached. This coincides with my theory that they were direct Australian orders as they were not allocated a British WD number. You can see they were a mix of single and dual wheel (100 thereof).They of course would have been processed through the British ordering and shipping system alongside the British trucks but there seems to be pretty clear distinction they were not one group.

The very first 110 truck contract was SM2458 which was the Australian vehicles. The first British 110 were not until SM2666. Unfortunately the sheet does not show dates and they could well have been days apart.

Lang