Ferret CFR List

[Robin Craig]

Oh and the other thing about the Canadian Ferret List, is I have never seen the original, will anyone scan it and upload it please? So many people quote it but wont show it around.

R

[Robin Craig]

Just to add fuel to the fire, I was today reliaby informed by an "informant" that there is documentation floating around that substantiates a rumour that Canada never actually paid for their Ferrets nor their Centurions.

I understand that they were part of war reparations.

"How do you like them apples?"

Robin

[Ed Storey]

I believe the monies owed by the UK to Canada for WWII expenses had been 'written off' by the time those AFVs were obtained. What would be handy is if someone could actually produce a document of sale or the paper trail leading to the purchase of the Cent and Ferret.

[Robin Craig]

Well, for this forum it seems that the fuel has worked to stoke the fire!

Mr Storey, yes, I agree, I will be getting my sweaty palms on a copy of that document as soon as I can and making it public.

Robin

[45jim]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6215847.stm

There is a document in the LdSH(RC) archives showing UK vehicles transferred from British to Canadian stocks and lists Tanks (Centurion), Scout Cars (Ferret) and Motorcycles (Triumph TRW).

This may mean that the vehicles were not produced specifically for Canada (or Australia) but just run through regular UK production and then allotted to fill these needs. This would explain the hatch variation in Robin's Ferret (as it is appears a genuine Canadian). Vehicles were just batched together and sent.

This is the best kind of aid as it kept UK industry working not just handing out cash.

[Ed Storey]

If you look, the money being paid back is for a 1946 loan and not monies owed from 1939-1945. I am pretty sure that monies owed by the UK to Canada resulting from WWII were cleared in either the late 1940s or early 1950s.

I can see the Cents, Ferrets and MCs being transferred over from UK stocks to Canada, but there still has to be a paper trail outlining the agreement. It is the paper trail that will answer any questions.

[Mike Baker]

Originally Posted by Ed Storey

If you look, the money being paid back is for a 1946 loan and not monies owed from 1939-1945. I am pretty sure that monies owed by the UK to Canada resulting from WWII were cleared in either the late 1940s or early 1950s.

I can see the Cents, Ferrets and MCs being transferred over from UK stocks to Canada, but there still has to be a paper trail outlining the agreement. It is the paper trail that will answer any questions.

I don't believe there was ever an expectation that the UK would pay us back - they did, after all, defend our few acres of snow free of charge long after confederation (remained in B.C., at least, as late as 1905). Besides, war production set us up to be as prosperous as we were, post-war, so we really didn't need the money.

I also know that we paid for the aircraft carrier HMCS BONAVENTURE with good Quebec cheese (still shortages in the UK long after the war ended), so maybe a similar deal was reached for the MVs?

Mike