Jeep Question

[Noel Burgess]

The attached picture comes from a book entitled "Britain at war - unseen archives" a collection of Daily Mail photos from the Home Front. It is amongst others concerning the first US troops to arrive in the UK.
The Jeep carries a "CD" plate and british civilian registration - could it belong to an Ammerican "mission" prior to their entry into the war?
I'm not very good at "Jeep Spotting" is it an unusual version? There seems to be some sort of bracket near the passenger side headlight?
Over to you
Noel

[lynx42]

Thats a very early Jeep. The bracket you see is actually the right mudguard/fender from a strange angle.
Rick.

[Noel Burgess]

It's quite obvious now that you mention it, thanks
Noel

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

The rego is a wartime London County Council one that started in spring 1941 from what i can gather, though that number may have been issued in summer 1943. Note the white front bumper.

The location reminds me of Hyde Park...I think Park Lane was dual carriageway then. The US Embassy and military HQ was at 1 Grosvenor Gardens which was a short distance to the east of where the Jeep was if I am correct.

The bus is I think a roofbox STL on route 25A, heading for Forest Gate Garage but may be wrong!

I can imagine that the Jeep was demobbed and used as an Embassy hack...the CD indicates that it was a diplomatic vehicle of course, and Embassy/High Commission cars were registered in London back then with usual civilian registrations. British Government vehicles however usually used Middlesex County Council regos, often in allocated blocks. I have no idea which service those guys were in but could they have been Marines on Embassy protection duties?

[ted angus]

I have seen this photo published elsewhere. The text stated that it was an Embassy vehicle being used by the military attache's staff, hence the LCC reg and CD plates. It dates the picture as pre- USA stationing operational troops in UK.
David; You say British Government vehicles were usually registered with Middlesex CC - I have the details of thousands of UK government supplied vehicles on my database - NFS CD. etc they are all LCC blocks.
However pre April 1941 Middlesex CC blocks were allocated to the RAF ; pre April 1941 all UK stationed RAF MT had to be CC registered and as most RAF MT was registered via the RAF Depot Uxbridge it was with Middlesex CC. .
Can I also mention a message I posted for you on 18th Sept on the thread Dodge Postwar with photo graphs of war debris service tippers possibly you missed the message
regards TED

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Ted, all I can add is that all the photos I have of military (Army) trucks to 1940 have Middlesex regos as well as the WO Census Numbers. All diplomatic vehicles that I know of have LCC regos. and that prevailed post-war. The Middlesex Guildhall of course was where the registration office was, and very near Whitehall BUT there was a Middlesex office in Uxbridge that did registrations post-war so it misght have existed during and before the war. The large RAOC depot that dealt with vehicles was in Feltham, which of course is also in the county of my birth.

I have it seems never been notified Ted of the posting...and now I can't find it in Forum! Sorry! Can you pont me in the right direction? The 1941 (?) Dodge tippers ordered by the London County Council would have carried LCC regos.

[ted angus]

David we are at cross purposes here Yes of course Army also had mainly Middlesex CC reg I was meaning Civvy eg NFS CD etc were LCC . apologies for misunderstanding. If you stay in this Softskin Forum click the box at the foot of the page to show all threads Dodge Postwar is on 18 sept
TED

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I have bneen in touch with Alan House (retired Deputy Chief Officer of Hamsphire Fire & Rescue). His new book is out WHEELS OF FIRE about the fire services and I sent him copies of Commercial Motor shots of AFS/NFS vehicles that were displayed at the South Bank (LCC County Hall) and also in a disposal yard post-war. Needless to say those I can see have London regos!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

The jeep is a Ford GP, predecessor of the Willys MB / Ford GPW, as supplied to the British Army.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Can someone help me out here please? I have info on an early US contract that may have been under Defence Aid:
L 4648832 to 4648883 QM 11421 Car 5 cwt 4x4

Note the L prefixes not M. Were these trials cars?

I also have a note of an early British contract:
M 4678508 to 4678657 SM 2324 Not 2824 Car 5 cwt 4x4
which I have down as 'GP' and not the later GPW.

Could the Embassy car be in either of these batches?

[ted angus]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

I have bneen in touch with Alan House (retired Deputy Chief Officer of Hamsphire Fire & Rescue). His new book is out WHEELS OF FIRE about the fire services and I sent him copies of Commercial Motor shots of AFS/NFS vehicles that were displayed at the South Bank (LCC County Hall) and also in a disposal yard post-war. Needless to say those I can see have London regos!

David I presume you have HOME FRONT TRANSPORT by Alan there are 3 pages of photos showing the disposal site at Crystal Palace, they are cerdited to Michael Kernan QFSM. although the main content in each are former CD resue service vehicles and ambulances.

Hopefully pension and Xmas bills willing I should be able to get his new book in the spring.
regards TED

[Eric B]

Hello

Canada ordered 14 GP's and had seven shipped over to the UK. One initially for testing prior to the main order.

The Ford GP’s had been part of the US Government order contract No. DA-W-398-QM-27 placed on 30 June 1941. Out of this order of 1,150 vehicles, 150 were delivered to the British Military with six eventually being turned over to the Canadian Military. None of these six are known to have survived.
The others remained in Canada, initially for testing and then issued to units for home defence.

The seven CDN GP's were shipped overseas before July 1942. These Canadian ordered GP’s were a paid contract ($924.00 each) it is not known if this order was ever completed. I am unable to account for all of the GP's delivered in Canada.

thanks

Eric

[Eric B]

Here are some CDN GP Photos. Taken at CFB Borden.

Eric