Post-War Disposal of military vehicles in Canada?

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Is there any information and hopefully pictures available relating to the post-war disposal of military vehicles in Canada? Something like the fields of CMP’s photographed in Europe must have occurred here in places like Hagersville, Ontario. I’ve heard tales of CMP’s being sold only to municipal governments and fire departments at first. There are other tales of Otters and Foxes that were not very desirable for post-war civilian use so they languished until presumable sold for scrap (once the working parts were stripped by Levy Brother of Toronto to supply foreign markets). One enterprise converted a large number of CMP’s into fork-lifts and many still exist in the Peterborough area. Several hundred Bren carriers were to have existed at a foundry in Toronto near where the CN Tower exists today. Apparently WW1 era ex-USA Renault tanks were converted to bulldozers. Are there particular firms that are know to have cut up the dozens of Rams, Valentines, Vickers and experimental vehicles that were surplused? A second wave of CMP disposals occurred in the late 50's and early 60's mostly of wireless vans that were retained longer than other types, having served, amongst in other ways, at "Pine Tree Line" posts.

[Jon Skagfeld]

In the GTA, we used C15A WIRE-5s until receipt of M152s c. 1963.

The "gin palaces" were driven to 15 Regional Ordnance Depot on Cawthra Road in Lakeview, Ontario.

From there, I suppose that they would have been disposed of by Crown Assets Disposal Corporation.

Who would have thunk how valuable those vehicles would be to collectors some 40 years later on?

[Lynn Eades]

Jon, Great useage of the English language!
If you can use swim, swam, and swum, then think, thank, and thunk, must be O.K. ......Correct.....??

[Lynn Eades]

stop" English literary Bob" from seeing this thread?

[Jon Skagfeld]

I'll tell him that it's the pluperfect subjunctive...that'll get him scurrying to reference material in a hurry.

PS...do I get a niggling feeling that many are watching my useage of the King's English after my last rant?

[Lynn Eades]

Whats Elvis got to do with it? I thought it was the Queens these days?..... and yes, What goes around, comes around....to nip you on the......the......derriere.

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

stop" English literary Bob" from seeing this thread?

Do not concern yourselves any more. Everyone now appears to be on notice and attention to detail seems paramount.
Once in a while a Pronto needs a small amount of upward discipline from a Pronto Minor.
English Literary Bob, Salesman Bob, Pronto Minor Bob
Bob

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

What was to be a civilized discussion about an oft neglected , but vital, part of world history has apparently denigrated to a display of the relative literary merrits of a few gentlesmen who's credenials in the field are world class, top notch.

Carrying grudges between topics? I never heard tell of such a thing. Scandleous.

So, in the sprit of sharing and goodwill, please respond to the topic at hand, not with the blowing of wind; which to Jon, would be properly called, from his advanced literary perspective, "suction" and to those in the antideluvian world, "blowsion".

Ah-hem

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Eye luv theez speeling misteaks! 'Specially az I doo 'tem meeself

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

..but how much better we all would look if MLU had a state off the art spell chequer?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

spell checkers are notorious for not identifying words and consequently too many people say 'there' instead of 'their' or 'they're' and of course 'to' instead of 'too' plus the incessant errant apostrophe e.g.

MAN = MAN'S
MEN = MEN'S NOT MENS'. AS MEN IS ALREADY PLURAL, AS WITH CHILDREN'S NOT CHILDRENS'
IT IS = IT'S
IT SHALL = IT'S

BUT:
ITS ITEM = ITS..NO APOSTROPHE

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by Bruce Parker
..but how much better we all would look if MLU had a state off the art spell chequer?

.... I thunk that was MA 's position.......

[rob love]

Regarding the topic of post WW2 vehicle disposal, I believe I saw photos in the old RCEME journals of the early 50s where it showed MacGregor Manitoba runways, which were lined up with trucks, artillery, and aircraft up to ,I believe, 1952. It was foremerely a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) base, but used post war as a holding point for the equipment pending disposal.
There are many stories of the farmers buying aircraft for $12, selling the engines off to make their money back, and then dragging the fuselages home to use as chicken coops.

The first CMP that I ever restored, a Cab 11 Ford 15cwt, came from it's first civilian owner. He told me he bought it out of Shilo in 1946. He still had the bill of sale around somewhere. It had the markings of A4 artillery training Center (Brandon).

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

The closest I've seen is in Ontario in the late 70's when the M series Dodges were let go. There was a dealer north of Toronto that had a long line of them. Pick one out, pay $1000 to $1500 (depending on condition and whether it was an M37, M43 or M152) and drive it home. I can only imagine the same situation a few decades earlier with CMP's or better.

I've heard that farmers were willing to pay upwards of $75 for a surplus Anson or Battle just for the tires. Many were disappointed to find they has (HAD HAD HAD. Gawd, I'm getting nervous now) already been removed. Driving through the Canadian west as late as the mid-80's you could still see yellow aircraft remains quite often.

*********

Spell checkers cause problems? Hood a think it possible?

[Jon Skagfeld]

Reference "dealer with M series surplus vehicles north of Toronto"...

Must be the same scene I saw a few(!) years ago on either Mayfield Road or the King Road, on the south side, between Hwy 10 and Hwy 50, just north of Brampton.

Most probably c 1976+.