Canadian Dodge, 3 ton 4x2

[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

[lynx42]

I had a few minutes with nothing to do so I had a look at the ARN books, (AWM2016.38.206.pdf - you can Google it), which has most if not all the Australian delivered Dodge 3 ton trucks mentioned with their ARN's. This truck I have posted the photos of in posts 4 & 5, is ARN. 121064 in the book with the numbers from 114438 to 122646.

It is interesting as in that book there are more modern vehicles like the LARC 5's, motorcycles and some impressed vehicles from the Northern Territory and Papua/New Guinea. So the numbers are all over the place.

regards Rick.

[Kevin Goodwin]

Hi all, Lynn has mentioned that one of the data plates could relate to 'body type' can anyone shed any light on this? On other British vehicles there seems to have been a relatively 'standard' wooden body pattern produced by various manufacturers, having seen the few available pictures of the Dodge rear body some have an aperture at the front and some don't, did the Canadian built bodies have a 'standard' wooden body pattern, for example mine has hinged sides, is that a modification or original?
Kevin

[Ian McCallum]

Hi Keith, living in East Anglia you should have realised the body extensions relate to its post war life of hauling sugar beet, I believe called 'cheater boards'. This was a common modification to ex military vehicles to increase the capacity they could carry and goes along with the mod to install twin wheels/tipping gear. Have known of this vehicle for a number of years and glad its found an appropriate good home.

[Lang]

Some scans from parts manual.

[motto]

Referred to in Australia by a previous generation as 'hungry boards'.
I haven't heard the term for years.

David