General Bill Slims Truck / Caravan CMP

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

It seems that there were at least four F.60H Demands for India:

S/M 2140
S/M 2141
S/M 2253
S/M 2254

As you know the Canadian Government (DND) cancelled F.60H orders so that there were no # 13 Cab chassis ordered and none were ordered by the British either so that makes it an Indian-only model!

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

It seems that there were at least four F.60H Demands for India:

S/M 2140
S/M 2141
S/M 2253
S/M 2254

As you know the Canadian Government (DND) cancelled F.60H orders so that there were no # 13 Cab chassis ordered and none were ordered by the British either so that makes it an Indian-only model!

David , I don't understand your statement that the #13 F60H chassis were cancelled and that it is therefore an "Indian-only model". Do you mean that no cab #13 F60H chassis were supplied outside of India?

Whilst not common, there are a few here in Australia. I know of 3.

Regards Rick.

[Keith Brooker]

Photo of the cab, i have put it in B&W. Army No /|\ 145151
Keith

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Rick is of course correct! There were some ordered by the Ministry of Supply for Australia but I cannot see any known Demand numbers. The '1942' deliveries file does not mention any so I can only surmise that the orders had been cancelled by then. The earliest known C.60X Demand for Australia was S/M 2510 so this seems to be the first-known replacement order. 60 were delivered by end 1942.

A little history:

On 14 August 1941, Ford F.60H 6 x 4 production to Canadian orders ended. A heavier truck was required and London was notified by telegram on 25 August. The Master General of the Ordnance sent a Telegram on 25 August 1941 from Ottawa to London stating that the situation with regard to the 6 x 4 chassis had been thoroughly reviewed. 1,058 chassis had been ordered to cover home and overseas requirements but in view of the results to date it had been decided to cancel 55 and divert 362 to India leaving a balance of 641 available of which approximately 534 had been or were to be shipped to the U.K. The ‘Summary of Establishments and Requirements of Vehicles in the U.K.’ as at Midnight 24 July 1941 showed total establishment 6 x 4 of 754. Some of these establishments were still provisional and no purchases had been made against them however using those figures as a basis it was suggested that London allocate the 524 to best advantage and purchase other requirements from the R.A.O.C.. If required Ottawa could ship most of the 117 remaining in Canada. It was believed that the 6 x 4 chassis was suitable for stores, workshop, S.B.G. special bodies, machinery except R.E., X-Ray, and bus if G.V.W. was scaled down to a maximum of 16,000 lbs. It was unsuitable for breakdown, derrick, F.B.E. machinery, R.E. photo, mechanical printing, recorders, plotters, pontoon, pontoon trestle, half pontoon bay.

The F.60H does not appear to have been acquired for U.K. forces, and thus are not mentioned in the 1944 Census Number listing. However, they were evidently used in the Middle East, and thus would have acquired Mid-East allocated numbers. In addition, Australia and India received numbers to Ministry of Supply contracts from at least 1942, and there is evidence that Australia purchased quantities direct from Canada, and were very successful as wreckers. Although the Canadian lorries did not continue in production, overseas orders maintained production long enough for the # 13 Cab to be used, with the forward-sloping front screen. In total 4,123 F60H lorries were produced. This included a quantity of open-cabbed versions, with either the # 42 or # 43 Cabs depending on whether #12 or #13 closed Cabs were used at the time.

Thus I should have said 'India and Australia-only' and appreciate being corrected.

[warren brown]

Very interesting Rick - are there any F60H goers in Australia?

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by warren brown

Very interesting Rick - are there any F60H goers in Australia?

Goers Warren? I don't know. None of the three I have come across over many, many years was any more than a restoration project. One has a badly bent chassis and none the original body.
Regards Rick.

[Mike Cecil]

David,

Interested in your comment that 'The earliest known C.60X Demand for Australia was S/M 2510 so this seems to be the first-known replacement order. 60 were delivered by end 1942.'.

Information from Australian records shows that the C60X orders were not to replace vehicles, but for a specific project (and I'll paste from my C60X article):

'The Australian Army first placed an order for 120 of these chassis in CKD form during 1942 under Contract Demand (CD) E5298, as well as a single pilot model chassis. These were for use as the basis for the Australian heavy armoured car. The pilot model chassis was despatched from Canada in June 1942 to enable work on the hull for the armoured car to proceed while awaiting the despatch of the 120 chassis much later in the year. The correspondence and the original order refer to these 121 chassis as being for ‘armoured cars’, as do the weekly reports from General Motors-Holdens...'

and

'The Army order for 120 chassis was still pending in January 1943, with the first 48 chassis said to be en route from Canada. These were landed in Australia during February 1943. While the bulk of these were allocated to the Army order for breakdown trucks, the first allocation was actually to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), who received chassis numbers 8660M00001 to 8660M00011. The first breakdown trucks for the Army commenced at chassis number 8660M000013, and continued through to chassis number 8660M000120. The remainder of the Army’s order for 120 vehicles was made up of chassis in the 8660M68000 series. In total, the Army received 120 ‘Trucks Breakdown (Aust) No.4’, apparently delivered in small batches of 12 vehicles, except for two batches of 23 and 24 vehicles respectively, and the single pilot model vehicle. They were mostly delivered during 1943, and remained in service with Army workshop units during the post-war period. The last examples were disposed of in the mid-1960s.'

I am yet to locate any reference to F60H trucks in any configuration within the Australian Army's vehicle registers. I don't doubt Rick's post that some existed in Australia (he's found 3 over the years), but I'm yet to locate anything official relating to their importation and use (but still looking!!)

Mike C