My HUW

[Nick Coaker]

Hi all, moving the Chev around today to work on the half-shaft, thought I might get some snaps in while I was outside...

[Nick Coaker]

other shot

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

1946 Salop (Shropshire) registration! I did look to see if I had original but I don't although the original registration cards may be available at Shrewsbury.

[Nick Coaker]

I have some tax discs from the 50s marked Shropshire, and I bought her from Stefan Slomcynzki, who is in Shrewsbury. 60 years in one place - not bad.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Nick

Nice to see another HUW HUP family vehicle joining the running around CMPs. Any information on year, history etc?

Cheers Phil

[Nick Coaker]

Hi Phil, thanks and kudos on your rare "Beast", too. Unfortunately there are no plates or anything that suggests a build date, but the square hatch/lack of spare wheel suggests 42-43, I guess.

The markings on it are for the 2nd Canadian Light Anti-Aircraft Reg, 1st Div, and are my version of what was already on there, same goes for the number. I even put a roundel on the roof, which was easier to do than I thought. I did it in a week, to get it ready for our local show.

I chose the colour scheme from a 13 cab Chev in Cornwall, in those colours, with the original number still on the door. That and it looked more attractive than Mickey Mouse. It must have done the trick, as I got plenty of compliments, and most importantly, a phone number out it .

Having looked at your site, and my general interest in the subject as a whole, have you got any closer to finding a recording unit? I know that most of the equipment stayed in Italy, but there must be something somewhere. Phonographic recorders seem to have vanished off the face of the earth. I would love to find some of that sort of kit...Incidently, browsing issue 4 of Wheels & Tracks, I spotted your HUP. Darn magazine is almost as old as I am
Thanks again,
Nick

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Nick


“…..Having looked at your site, and my general interest in the subject as a whole, have you got any closer to finding a recording unit? I know that most of the equipment stayed in Italy, but there must be something somewhere. Phonographic recorders seem to have vanished off the face of the earth. I would love to find some of that sort of kit...Incidently, browsing issue 4 of Wheels & Tracks, I spotted your HUP. Darn magazine is almost as old as I am
Thanks again,….”

Yes, I have tracked down most of the recording gear, recorder unit, mixer amp, and mic cable/amp set, so I’m much closer to having all the gear to put in the truck but once it is mounted in the truck it will cut into my off roading. I’d have to remove the recording and mixer if I want to keep them in working condition. Have to get the Pattern 12 done so I’ll still have something to drive off road.

It looks like at least some of the CBC recording units that were in Italy were pulled out and ship around to Northern Europe because the same truck show up in pictures both in Italy and Holland moving into Endem. Several of the recording units have come up in the last few years on E-Bay some times they sell sometimes they don’t and prices vary widely from around $200 to well over a $1000. One turned up here in New Hampshire a few months ago that I was bidding on and it looked like I was going to get it for about $150 when at the very end some collects got bidding and in the end it went to Korea to some collector for about $1200. In talking with the guy here in New Hampshire he was amazed I helped him figure out how to rap and box the thing to ship.

Yes, I can remember when Wheels and Tracks first came out with the articles on HUPs great stuff. Bart Vanderveen was a really interesting guy and a true gentlemen in the old school sense of the word. Yup I’ve had my HUP for a lot of years now a real part of the family you would not believe how many family photographs it turns up in. Below is one I took this morning.

Glad you enjoy my website, thanks for the comments

[Nick Coaker]

Hi Phil,
Its good to know that the equipment is out there - would love to make that set up one day. But then it seems like a catch 22, that going off road would mean dismounting the unit, as it is delicate stuff, when that was the whole purpose. Thinking about it, in 'Broadcast...', the photos of the reporters on dodgy looking terrain don't have the HUPs in the background. That must have come as a welcome surprise.

I'm into the whole correspondant side of things, its massively underestimated in my opinion. Although the photos of the CBC in Bill Greggs book caught my eye, the other side has too - the CFPU. I have Shooters, have acquired a lot of the photographs available on the net, and even the colour one in the back of the aforementioned W&T, issue number escapes me now. Filming equipment appears relatively frequently, its the price that can fluctuate. I have one of the still cameras, the Graphlex, but the Bell & Howell Eyemo is quite the slippery number. That and tripods and the leather cases for them.

Incidently, its snowing? I only ask because Dartmoor has a reputation for being of a miserable nature most of the year round, but at the moment its like summer!

This is one of my favourite pictures:

[Nick Coaker]

This ranks pretty highly, too, from canadiansoldiers.com, another in the series is the one in W&T. Whereabouts of any more would be very well received.

[cmperry4]

Now that is a nice looking vehicle.

I notice this HUW has the same rear door (sliding window, door handle) as my '45 "PERS-3, but am interested to note the hinges are on the left side, whereas mine are on the right. I am looking at pics of another HUW (Rob Fast's) and the hinges are also on the right hand side. From whence comes this variation? The vehicle markings assure me the picture hasn't been flopped!

By the way, if anyone convenient to Canada has one, I could use a new rear door (the one with the door handle, sliding glass window - and right hand hinges!)

[Nick Bullock]

Hi Nick
I have only the one picture of your truck, it was originally restored by Terry Spinks in the Walsall area in the early 80s. This picture was taken at the 1984 D Day show in Portsmouth..

kind regards

nick
east yorks

[Nick Coaker]

Hi CMP,
The rear 3/4s of the truck have been reskinned, ie from the side doors back.

The hinges, from what I can gather (from this site, actually), are not the right ones, and meant to be more like the front ones. If I had not rifled around on here, I wouldn't know.

The doors themselves appear to have been reskinned at some point also, as it seems that they are meant to have the pressed in design similar to the front, also.

The rear door is a mystery, whether it was done deliberately in its former life, or accidently in its more recent life, I don't know. If there is any proof at all that the hinge side was switched, it can stay that way.

The right hand side door no longer functions as a door, it is now the side of the truck. I'm almost 100% certain that this DID happen, but if someone is willing to contest Mr Vanderveen, something will happen eventually.

All of the windows had sliding glass in at some point, as there were a lot of appropriately sized glass in the back when I bought her, albeit all broken. The front frames are designed to take sliding glass, not canvas/perspex. A trip to my local Land Rover and auto glass specialists will remedy this in time.

Without wanting to go on, the inside was lined with thin plywood, which damp had all but destroyed. This was lined in places with roofing insulation. It's hot enough in the back without it, lord knows what fibre glass did to help/hinder. the lining thing seems odd, as the entire framework was covered. It seems that someone read W&T number 2 when restoring it.

Nice pic, Nick B, always good to see them in previous guises.
To any moderators reading this, I was wondering, having now started this thread, whether it may be better placed in Restorations? I'm happy, either way, but it seems to be pointing in the resto direction more...

Nick C, long-winded, and more than a little mad (need a mad smilie)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Nick Coaker
Nice pic, Nick B, always good to see them in previous guises.
To any moderators reading this, I was wondering, having now started this thread, whether it may be better placed in Restorations? I'm happy, either way, but it seems to be pointing in the resto direction more...

Here's a pic of how it looked when advertised on Milweb.

Thread has been moved to restorations.

H.