Canadian contract jeeps (was: CDLV 505 Jeep Serial numbers...)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Eric Booth wrote:

Here is the information on the sale of CDN vehicles to the Dutch:

CFN Disposal Release No 16 30 Nov 45
Sold through CAAC to Dutch Government Jeeps - 190 Willys - 140 Ford -50
Declared Surplus Inventory 17 ABP - Arnhem Feb 1946
5 Willys belonging to Dutch Govt not yet picked up.
CDN surplus in the Neth value of $80,000,000 total 25 March 1946
Cdn Det to the Neth Government at 33,000,000 total to Cdn surplus in Holland and in full that is owed to it by the CDN Army and pay a sum of 4,000,00 to the CDN Govt.
All vehicles outside Neth to be returned to the UK.

The Dutch Bijzondere Aankoop Commissie (BAC, or Special Purchase Committee) in London negociated a deal with the Canadian Department Reconstruction and Supply for military purchases from surplus depots in The Netherlands and England. The first transfer of army trucks started in January 1946. In the first half of the year 226 Jeeps were shipped from the Bordon Depot in the UK to the Netherlands, plus a further 24 to Tandjong Priok in the Netherlands East-Indies. In May 1946 an "overall deal" was struck when the Dutch Ministry of Finance took over the remaining rolling stock in the Canadian dumps in Deelen and Enschede . In this deal were at least 1100 running Jeeps, plus 2200 Jeeps to be parted out for spare parts. (Source: "De Jeep In Nederland" by J.W. Hoogendoorn.)


Attached is a photo of a row of surplus Jeeps at Bordon. A number of the Canadian Jeeps stored there were sold to the Dutch government. Later, in August 1946 circa 800 were auctioned off to the general public in the UK (ref. The Deelen Dump in Holland).

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