Canadian Dodge, 3 ton 4x2

[Lang]

Here is a photo taken at Ryde.

Only a few Dodges in green, all the rest in desert colours. All have the roof hatch.

Lang

[Mike K]

The Ryde vehicle park would have been a sight to behold.

Maybe the cargo bodies on those T110L's pictured at Ryde give a clue to their origins ? Are they wooden GS bodies ? I can see the Aust. gallows type Bren AA mount just behind the pass. door. Is that a spare wheel cubby in front end of the GS body ?

One of these T110L turned up at Corowa around 1994 , a shed find , it had a quick paint job in a light blue livery. It was eventually sold to Peter Hebard. They are fair numbers of them surviving which would indicate that a fair number of them were imported .

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

One of these T110L turned up at Corowa around 1994 , a shed find , it had a quick paint job in a light blue livery. It was eventually sold to Peter Hebard.

Mike,
I remember that truck on Back To The Track in'95, very nice looking one. Peter was taken into hospital at Alice Springs and the late Dave Brown took the Dodge to a trucking yard for freighting back south. Recollect this well as Dave and I were late leaving Alice, the others were halfway to Barrow Creek!
Sadly I cannot find a photo of it.

regards, Richard

[Rob Abbott]

Kevin
No problem. I don't actually have one of these trucks but I rescued these parts from being binned. Hopefully someone will want them at some stage !
I'm down in Wiltshire.
All the best
Rob

[Mike Cecil]

The Dodge's in the image at Ryde are almost certainly Aust-assembled: Aust LAA gallows mount, roof hatch, Aust cammo. Some are green overall while the others are camouflaged/disruptive pattern Light Stone/KG3 as per the end 1941/early 1942 Aust requirements.

Like Mike K, I can't say I have seen any records indicating, or images confirming, Dodge 3 tonners being operated in the Middle East by Aust forces. The only Dodges of any size were ones in RAAF service, and they were provided by the Brits. Can't say I have ever found any shipping records of Dodge trucks being brought to Australia from the Middle East during 1942 or 1943, either: the vehicles that dominate are CMP trucks, followed by orphans like the WOTs.

I expect the annotation 'and Australian Forces' on the SMs means the BPC allocated them to Aust in the usual break-up of allocations from each SM and they were shipped direct to Aust and assembled locally. Hence, they were not allocated WD numbers either.

Mike

[Lang]

Mike

The annotation read "Mid East and THEN Australian Forces"

Throws the delivery destination in doubt in my mind.

The Ryde vehicles (I think photo is Feb 44) all look new or completely refurbished and do not bear the signs of used vehicles as all the bits and pieces are in order and identical.

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Lang,

Not to me, given all the other indicators: the 'then' might just as well refer to delivery sequence, ie satisfy the Mid East order first, THEN export the Aust allocation to Aust.

There are a number of factors that I think support that view:
(1) no Dodge trucks listed in the AIF vehicle register, which is where they would have been if delivered to ME & taken on charge there.
(2) no Dodge trucks listed on any of the surviving manifests from ME to Aust
(3) no transfers of Dodge trucks between the AIF register and the AMF register

I'm yet to check through the Aust purchase and assembly contract list (cannot do that until early next week) but I'm reasonably certain I have Dodge truck purchases and assembly contracts listed, ie assembly in Australia, not the ME.

I can revisit this when I can get to the data next week. I agree the Ryde vehicles do look pristine: just as I'd expect of vehs delivered direct and assembled locally with the local mods.

Mike