CMD Numbers!

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

It appears that the CMHQ also had a small outstation or office in the Ford works at Dagenham, where a number of Canadian Fords were assembled as well as diverted French orders, from Canada and the US. In addition, from around the 1st December 1940, the new Canadian Mechanization Depot which was based in several bays of the Citroen Cars Limited works on the Slough Trading Estate in Slough, Buckinghamshire, completed the first batch of overload assembly of Canadian Fords. As we all know, the Southampton Plant was blitzed by the Luftwaffe, evening of Friday 30th November/morning of 1st December 1940. As a consequence of the blitzing, official photos were taken of the ruins on Sunday morning the 2nd. Two 1940 Model Chevrolet 4-door sedans clearly had numbers on the sides, and one was evidently "C.M.D. 3269" althought the "3" is not distinct. We know that 4,236 vehicles were assembled in Southampton, so logically the series started with, possibly a F15, number C.M.D. 1. However, it is not clear whether these numbers were applied on the line[s] as the vehicle came off, or when they were parked up inside or outside in the rear yard near the text track.

However we do know that the CMD in Slough allocated a new system, "CMD 15001" and up, so as not to cause confusion. Did Dagenham have their own allocation, perhaps starting with CMD 10001? Numbers CMD 15001 to 15005 seem to have been F-GT, F60H, F60H, C11AD and C11AD. This suggests that they were by then allocated as they were being delivered rather than allocated on the line unless they had at that time a mixed assembly line? The only photo I have that is not on this Forum that has a "C.M.D." number is a Diamond T G/S that looks as though it is about to be delivered with British order CMPs and Dodges.

Thanks to Clive (Law) we have a copy of ASSEMBLY PLANT INSTRUCTIONS A.P.I. No. 10 issued 22 May 1943. This states that on each assembled vehicle a "transit number" is to be stencilled on the front bumper and a conspicuous place on the right rear, preced by the letters "CMD". Vehicles handled by "your plant" and they were then named, had sequences allocated with # 30,001 resereved for Lep Transport Ltd in Chiswick, west London, [on the banks of the Thames] which took over the Canadian Chevrolet assembly work after Southampton was closed, plus the Goole warehouse where the Diamond T was assembled, with # 35,001 and up, and Tom Garner Ltd of Manchester[See Jeeps thread]#60,001 and up. However by then Citroen Cars in Slough was # 70,001 and up, which is at odds with the "CMD 15001" and up series. Austin Motors in Treforest had 112,001, and so no-one could have clashed with the 15,001 and up 1940 Slough series.

So, now we have it! Prior to the allocation of the Census Numbers by the RCAOC Census Branch, the vehicles were moved around under "transit numbers", and retrospectively I suggest that that is what the famous CMD numbers were