Welfare Vehicles

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Matthew P

This mobile canteen looks to be British and most likely . The building behind it still stands today in Brussels. It was a canteen/club/leave centre late in WW2. I zoomed and cropped on the markings on the truck because it is so unusual to see that on these vehicles. Can anyone help me to identify those?

Thanks
Matt

A British built Fordson 7V

[Matthew P]

Richard,

Thanks. Even I can at this point figure out a Fordson 7V. Or at least I think I can... Always good to get confirmation. I should have been more clear. I was interested in what appear to be unit markings on the cowl.

Edit: I asked this question on Facebook and apparently it's many units. It seems this canteen was "zapped" to use one gentleman's parlance with the various units it was associated with or supported, presumably from Normandy to Brussels.

Matt

[Alex van de Wetering]

Great pictures again, Matt.

I asked this question on Facebook and apparently it's many units.

It does indeed seem to show several small markings....what looks to me like the bull from the 79th Armoured division, but also the Polar bear from the 49th Infantry division.
The poor Fordson did get a nose job sadly....

[Matthew P]

Here's another photo. The canteen in question is a left hand drive Vanette, probably built on a Ford Chassis exported to Britain from the United States, a gift of the British War Relief Society, USA. Couple of military trucks to the left, one appears to be an ambulance? Looks like a cross painted on the canvas. Interesting hood cover blankets. Also two of the soldiers have M-1938 US leggings. Looks to be US uniforms?

Matt

[Ed Storey]

This is an interesting photograph, thanks for posting. The vehicles to the left are British Bedfords and most of the troops in the photograph are also British although there are two Americans in the foreground.

[Matthew P]

So I recently visited The Salvation Army archives in London again. This time one of my focuses was on a couple of "unpublished manuscripts". One was a sort of memoir type paper about 20 pages long written by a Salvation Army Officer who was in Arras at the War Graves Hostel at the outbreak of war and gives some details of the time from September 39 through evacuating at Saint Malo.

But the other manuscript was about 8 pages and written by nephew of a Red Shield Worker who was in Italy. Alan Clawley has since passed away himself. But his research into his Aunt Elsie brings us these three photographs of a Dodge in service with the British Forces in Italy.

Matt