Let Me Introduce Myself

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Hello Matthew,

Thanks for joining us. You have an interest in one of those many unknown units and services which helped to win the war. Would be great if you could documents their efforts. If I come across information, I will certainly post it here.

Hanno

[jack neville]

Welcome Matt.

You may have seen the Ford Wot 8 Jake and I have recently acquired. It will be restored as Australian Comfort Fund truck as evidenced by the sign writing on the doors. Still hoping to find a picture of it in service somewhere overseas.
What is the Australian book you refer to?

[Ken Smith]

Good day Matt,
Welcome to the forum.
I have a Salvation Army Ford jeep, it has both Salvation Army and Australian Comforts Fund logos painted under the windscreen. The jeep was sold to Ford Motor company in Australia after the war.
I contacted the Salvation Army and they did a really good article in their War Cry magazine about the history of the vehicle.
I have taken it to a couple of shows in its very unrestored condition, I have a story board titled Christian Soldier that gives the known history of the jeep.
I have searched the Australian War Memorial photos and the book Salvos With The Forces, but there is no photo of my jeep. I have only found 1 jeep with the exact same painting under the windscreen as my jeep, but it isn't the same registration number as mine.
Looking forward to see what you turn up on the British side of the Salvos.
Ken

[Matthew P]

Jack,

I have indeed seen that thread on your Ford WOT 8 and will be following it. The book I refer to was actually mentioned in the next post by Ken! "Salvos With the Forces". Written or I should say compiled by Salvation Army historians most of the information in the book is pulled from the Salvation Army periodical "The War Cry" and from some radio transcripts.

Ken,

That is fascinating! Can you point me to the issue date of your article? The different national commands of The Salvation Army have their own War Cry publishing. But I'm in regular contact with some of the Australian staff and could get an archived copy through them. I don't have my copy in front of me right now, but doesn't Salvos With the Forces actually give a count of how many Jeeps, mobile canteens etc were in use?

Hanno,

Before this gets out of hand is there a single best place in the forum to make a repository for all of this? Use this thread or set up shop in a different section of the forum?

Thanks all!
Matt

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Matthew P

Hanno,

Before this gets out of hand is there a single best place in the forum to make a repository for all of this? Use this thread or set up shop in a different section of the forum?

Matt,

You can continue in this thread, or start a new one in the Softskin Forum or WW2 Military History & Equipment. It is up to you and I can always split or merge threads later.

If you want to do a series of short articles, take a look at Bruce's "wireless of the week" threads in The Wireless Forum.

HTH,
Hanno

[Matthew P]

Well it seems Lang has kicked off a thread in the Softskin forum for Welfare vehicles. Seems like a good place to put the photos I've dug up.

Thanks
Matt

[Ken Smith]

Matthew,
The War Cry issue is Volume 126 # 37, 22nd September 2007.
When Deb Bennett wrote the article she finished it off with, that I had sold the jeep to a dealer. That was incorrect, I still have the jeep.
I have wondered if she wrote that to stop people annoying me, trying to buy it.
Looking at the article again, I noticed that the logos and stencil under the windscreen are the same on my jeep, as on the picture of the jeep, that Deb put in.
Deb's War Cry picture is of a 1944 Willys Jeep ARN 160290 delivered to the Australian Army in Queensland.
The Australian Army registration number on my Ford Jeep is 142831 delivered to the Australian Army in New South Wales, but the Jeep was originally delivered to the U.S. Army on March 1st 1944.
Ken