Chevrolet 1533X2 30-cwt trucks

[Charlie Down]

I've been looking at tracking down details of the charging panel on the Wireless trucks, and found some photos of Chevrolet WAs with a panel on the outside of the rear body. On the basis that the LRDG re-used items throughout their Desert campaign on different trucks, Aero screens and Wireless set ups for example, then the charging switch panel would most likely be re-used too. I was sent some documents by Bob Amos-Jones that were very useful too.
To summarise what I found out I'll cover the whole wireless setup. The LRDG used a WS11 High Power unit with Windom centre feed or sometimes end feed aerials on 16' duraluminium poles stowed on the trucks, and the 4' rod aerials for local (100 mile range) communication between Patrols. The power supply was fed through a 'Special' series/parallel switch for trickle charging/wireless use, from 2 standard 6 Volt batteries, one the truck battery, the other a 'booster' battery to provide the necessary 12 volts with the truck battery for the wireless. The 'booster' was mounted on the side step in front of the driver. During long periods of stationary Patrol, Road Watch, the Patrol would either take a chore horse to recharge the batteries or swap batteries with the other trucks in the Patrol. Very high levels of training were given to the signallers, this being the primary reason for the successful long range communication, not the limitations of the wireless. Very high levels of maintenance were given to the wireless and accessories throughout the Patrol too. No information is given on what periods of the campaign chore horses are used, but it seems they were more common later on. I suspect that all the Chevrolet 1533X2 trucks, and most likely the CMP Ford F30s were fitted with wireless suppression fittings as standard, but on the WA's not so sure. Most likely the ones from the Egyptian Army would be suppressed, which would therefore be primary choice for wireless trucks, but not the ones sourced from the civilian dealership in Alexandria.

I've put a drawing together of the series/parallel switch based on the photos attached (not dimensionally accurate and most likely wrong with some details, but its something to work on!), and on the assumption its the same switch, but on the Chevrolet WA's it had a protective edge due to its external mounting on the outside of the rear body, but on the Chevrolet 1533X2 no protection was needed because it was mounted in the cab behind the Drivers seat. No photos found yet of its location on the Ford F30's, but its not externally mounted on the rear body, or in the cab, based on the limited number of photos showing those area of wireless trucks. It may be mounted in the plywood wireless compartment, or possibly in one of the tool boxes below the wireless compartment. Hopefully something will turn up.