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Old 26-10-20, 11:15
Mike Kelly's Avatar
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Default Bush fire army trucks

Found some interesting articles going through TROVE . The pic appears to be of a British 15 cwt, article is dated Nov. 1944 and appeared in the Adelaide newspaper . Looks like a WOT2 or maybe a Morris CS8 ? The reg number would be Z 4643755 ?? Edit: the vehicle has been identified as a WOT2 but it appears to be a GS model, it is not one of the Van models found in the ARN books.

Found the WOT2D's in the ARN books

50326 went to MOYLN fire brigade 26/12/44

50352 went to MOYLN " " 20/12/44

50359 went to Springhurst fire brigade .. this was the vehicle restored by Alec Duke and then went to the AWM https://www.oocities.org/vmvc1au/

9 YEAR RESTORATION OF A FORDSON.....
By Alec Duke

I was returning home one evening in June 95, when in the fading light, I glimpsed what I thought was a Morris 15 cwt. I had to look twice for English military vehicles are rare in Australia as not many were seen here during WW2. Returning the next day I clambered over the truck and found the data plate. It was a WOT 2 D - the Van body model. I had to have it ! So after some negotiation and having paid enough to rescue it from being scrapped, I found out that the vehicle had served locally for fifty years as a bush fire brigade vehicle and had been fitted with a water tank and pump. It was in poor but complete condition and had less than 10,000 original miles on the speedometer. I made contact with the archives section of the Australian War Memorial archives section as the Australian Army registration number, was just visible on the bonnet and after much searching discovered the former English registration number to be V711208. According to the records sixty WOTs entered service in consecutive order on 24th June 1942. And it is understood that the vehicles were on a convoy destined for Singapore, which was diverted to Australia when Singapore fell to the Japanese. Such vehicles are commonly referred to here as ‘ refugee cargo ’.


From 1942 onwards, Australia started to receive volumes of 4X4 and 6X6 vehicles of all types from the USA which allowed the release of the WOTs which were only two wheel drive, to various bodies such as bush fire brigades, roads boards, forest commissions, railways and tramways boards. Many were still in use years after the war including my vehicle that was released to the Springhurst Bush Brigade in late 1944 and served the brigade for almost fifty years before being retired and replaced. As there is little information in Australia about these vehicles, I contacted as many people overseas as I could, in order to source the material necessary to attempt a restoration. I acquired a maintenance manual from the UK and several photocopied magazine articles. The restoration commenced by stripping the vehicle down to the bare chassis together with bonnet and guards and sandblasting them with a mixture of fine sand and walnut shells. Everything was primed with paint and the slow process of re-assembly began. Luckily I had taken photographs of the disassembly that proved to be invaluable in accurately replicating the original look of the vehicle. The chassis and running gear were perfect but it was apparent that the original 1941 tyres (marked both WD and DAD) would have to be replaced for safety reasons, although they were all in excellent condition. The brakes were stripped and found to be perfect and unworn and the gearbox was in the same condition. In 1997, armed with an extensive shopping list , I decided a visit to the UK was called for and , the first show I landed at was Beltring, where I made contact with other WOT owners .


Beltring was a great experience, I was pointed in other directions to specific parts suppliers such as Wally Wheatley at Nordian. Here I managed to acquire many new and hard to locate parts that made it possible to complete the restoration. The original engine had blown up and been replaced by a 24 stud Bren Gun Carrier motor so on the next trip to England I bought three 21 stud motors and sent them home in a shipping container with new tyres, seats, another radiator and many other small parts. However on returning home and examining every engine not one crankshaft was suitable for grinding so a search for a Ford Pilot motor or a Thames truck motor started. Eventually after much searching, I was lucky to find a good crankshaft and an engine was rebuilt almost completely from new pans. It was a pity that the front oil gallery plug was left out on the rebuild because when the engine was started it was apparent that 10 pounds oil pressure, when cold would not be good enough. Out came the engine again, which is no small job however, it now has 50 pounds oil pressure.


From the time of purchase it was apparent that the rear wooden body would have to be replaced. It was complete but in various stages of decay, so we selected a Mountain Ash tree in the forest that was felled. This was milled into approximate dimensions, stacked and air dried for four years. Every piece of timber was exactly duplicated and most of the original bolts were re-used in the rebuild. As the metalwork was in excellent condition this was cleaned and painted, so that the finished product looks nearly as good as the day it left the factory in 194 Having had the instruments repaired, checked and professionally cleaned, they were installed together with a new ignition/light switch. A new wiring loom supplied by Wally Wheatley was also fitted which proved quite a task but trial and error eventually saw all the electrics working correctly. The canvas work was done locally using Australian canvas that unfortunately was not quite the quality or weight available in the U.K. I was lucky to find small items like the jack handle, oil can petrol tin and a tool kit with tools, in my travels which have added the finishing touches to the restoration. The WOT is a pleasure to drive short distances but the driving position is rather cramped for the right leg on the accelerator so this, together with poor fuel consumption ruled out long trips. The finished WOT2D has now been acquired by The Australian War Memorial in Canberra and may be seen on display, from time to time as it is rotated with other exhibits from the Memorial's extensive collection of historically important memorabilia.

Alec is among a select group of VMVC members to have restored a WOT2, both Andrew Browne and John Neville having also restored similar vehicles . Lets hope one day , we will see all three together tearing along the highway !


n.b. an excellent little reference book on British light military vehicles 1939-45, was written by Mike Conniford , it was published by Bellona in 1976 , the book occasionally turns up at flea markets . Quite few of these 15 cwt trucks went into rural fire brigades in Southern Australia as early as 1944, after being released from military service . Morris CS8’s and Bedford MW’s were among them , as well as the Fordson WOT2 type featured in this article . As the supply of new trucks was limited, before obtaining a truck , primary producers were required to provide evidence of their occupation. It seems that in some cases, official dealerships were given priority. During 1945, Lanes Motors in Melbourne were offering Morris CS8’s for sale to essential users , it is reported that they obtained as many as 200 vehicles from the Commonwealth disposals commission , they applied a coat of cheap dull grey paint over the army livery, before offering the trucks for sale . A Whittlesea farmer procured one with only 900 miles on the odometer . it was traded in 1952, for a new Land Rover , with 30,000 miles clocked up.
Attached Thumbnails
Adelaide Nov 1944.jpg   wot2new.jpg   wot2-1.jpg  
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 27-10-20 at 04:15.
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  #2  
Old 26-10-20, 11:29
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The army were loaning vehicles to bush fire brigades early 1944. Upper Beaconsfield is well known to us Victorians . This appeared in the Dandenong Journal Feb. 1944

Middle: The Express, Melton (Vic. 1943 - 1954) Sat 5 Feb 1944

Next one is The Picton Post (NSW : 1907 - 1954) Thu 16 Nov 1944

Next is The Dandenong Journal (Vic. : 1927 - 1954) Wed 14 Feb 1945 ..Officer is in West Gippsland

Last is : Benalla Ensign (Vic. : 1938 - 1954) Fri 9 Jun 1944
Attached Thumbnails
The Dandenong Journal View title info Wed 23 Feb 1944.jpg   The Express, Melton (Vic. 1943 - 1954)  Sat 5 Feb 1944.jpg   fire15cwt.jpg   1945 fire truck.jpg   firebenalla.jpg  

__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 26-10-20 at 11:47.
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  #3  
Old 26-10-20, 12:10
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The Dandenong Journal (Vic. : 1927 - 1954) Wed 22 Mar 1944

Daily Examiner (Grafton, NSW : 1915 - 1954) View title info Tue 9 Jan 1945

The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) Thu 30 Nov 1944

The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) Tue 18 Apr 1944 . 200 vehicles transferred to bush fire use as early as April 1944 , these would be the odd bod British 15 cwt vehicles
Attached Thumbnails
dand.jpg   private.jpg   herald.jpg   april44.jpg  
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 26-10-20 at 12:52.
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  #4  
Old 30-10-20, 11:11
Ian Mastin Ian Mastin is offline
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G'day Mike,

Just in regards to your post regarding the WOT2! I think it could be a WOT2-h model the British Rego on my WOT2-h is Z-4643751 witch is very close to the one in the news paper.


Regards
Ian
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1943 Gpw Jeep
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1945 No4 Trailer (Fmc) (Restored)
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  #5  
Old 31-10-20, 00:31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Mastin View Post
G'day Mike,

Just in regards to your post regarding the WOT2! I think it could be a WOT2-h model the British Rego on my WOT2-h is Z-4643751 witch is very close to the one in the news paper.


Regards
Ian
Ok Ian, thanks for that, its only four numbers difference , very close ! Those H models and some other British types have not been found in the ARN books, these examples may have not been refugee vehicles
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1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad
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  #6  
Old 04-11-20, 04:14
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Default Mulwala BFB

I can Remember this CS8 Morris being in the Belfield collection for many years . The door marking : MULWALA BFB (Bush Fire Brigade) It was sold at the big auction 2006 ..too steep for me . And another BFB Morris that the AWM had
Attached Thumbnails
bel2.jpg   cs8(1).jpg  
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 04-11-20 at 04:19.
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  #7  
Old 06-12-20, 11:25
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Monty's Midgets
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1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad
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  #8  
Old 06-12-20, 13:08
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Richard Farrant Richard Farrant is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Kelly View Post
I can Remember this CS8 Morris being in the Belfield collection for many years . The door marking : MULWALA BFB (Bush Fire Brigade) It was sold at the big auction 2006 ..too steep for me . And another BFB Morris that the AWM had
Hi Mike,
The Morris on the left (Mulwala one) looks like a C4 as it has flat metal supports for the brushbar, and not perforated pressings like the CS8.
The C4 superceded the CS8 and had the 4 cyl engine.

regards, Richard
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1943 Bedford QLD lorry - 1941 BSA WM20 m/cycle - 1943 Daimler Scout Car Mk2
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  #9  
Old 06-12-20, 13:48
Mike Kelly's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Farrant View Post
Hi Mike,
The Morris on the left (Mulwala one) looks like a C4 as it has flat metal supports for the brushbar, and not perforated pressings like the CS8.
The C4 superceded the CS8 and had the 4 cyl engine.

regards, Richard

Yes it looks like a C4 but its definitely a CS8 - I had a look over it . For some strange reason, many of the CS8's found over here have the later style cab with half doors and the full windscreen , don't know why this is the case.

Maybe these later cab examples were the last production run of CS8's , just before the changeover to the C4 .

Both these pics are of CS8's , the barn find one was taken at Ballarat airshow in 1985 . VMVC member John Carroll found this vehicle in a shed , hard to believe it was original and running, he did paint it though !It's now in the Moama museum run by Ian Ledwidge
Attached Thumbnails
ds82.jpg   Ballarat 1985.jpg  
Attached Images
 
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 06-12-20 at 14:41.
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  #10  
Old 24-02-23, 12:37
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Default Cmp

CMP conversion in 1955

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-314462135...e/n15/mode/1up

Another

https://northernbeaches.recollect.ne...des/view/15692

Indian pattern Ambulance ? Fire truck

https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/4204

Bren carrier

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...hTerm=brigade#

Being clad in doped canvas or a similar material on a wooden frame, the Indian Pattern ambulance would not be the ideal bush fire brigade vehicle with red hot ashes falling from the sky. .
Attached Thumbnails
fire.jpg   41050 (1).jpg   nla.news-page000027835369-nla.news-article251353539-L3-d708163eda44327e38b020d83d810817-0001.jpg  
Attached Images
 
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 25-02-23 at 04:12.
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  #11  
Old 27-08-23, 04:35
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Default Wandin

Wandin Bush fire truck. WOT2E by the look of it. The rego nr. dates from: circa 1951

Wandin is in the Yarra Valley, East of Melbourne

Pic. sourced from F/B
Attached Thumbnails
370558428_10228164603314900_8380850678489499743_n.jpg   371066347_10228164602674884_629495103236340902_n.jpg  
Attached Images
 
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 27-08-23 at 05:11.
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  #12  
Old 04-09-23, 03:01
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GMC in service in NSW - 1964.

UK scene with a Morris CS8

CMP fire truck
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A-01169856size.jpg   369536188_307853461772226_4286915725213727220_n (1).jpg   016860size.jpg  
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 04-09-23 at 03:19.
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  #13  
Old 04-09-23, 11:57
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For Sale on Marketplace Brisbane
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  #14  
Old 14-09-23, 06:26
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Default Morris CS8 Brisbane

Looks like this is a modified Morris-Commercial CS8 in Brisbane, 1943.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...army%20fire%22
Attached Thumbnails
CS8-fire.jpg   firewot.jpg  
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad

Last edited by Mike Kelly; 26-10-23 at 06:14.
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