Morris-Commercial Wireless info needed

[Hanno Spoelstra]

A Dutch friend of mine has recently bought a Morris-Commercial C4 15-cwt 4x2 Wireless Truck. Apparently (haven't seen it yet), it is in good nick but the wireless body seems to have been altered inside.

Who can provide information and/or interior views of the wireless body?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Hanno

[Alex van de Wetering]

Hanno,

Would that be the one that Hendrik van Oorspronk posted on the forum before?
I might have some info on the exterior, but sadly not the interior.

Alex

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

Would that be the one that Hendrik van Oorspronk posted on the forum before?

Alex,

Don't know. This one came from the Marshall Museum.

H.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Don't know. This one came from the Marshall Museum.

Here is my scaled version, a model I did about 10 years ago.


I wasn't able to find any info on the interior back than, so painted the inside black to cover up the empty house type body. I always thought the interior would have been crowded with equipment, but since found out that it isn't much more than a radio set, table and generator.

Alex

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

Here is my scaled version, a model I did about 10 years ago.

I can see by the cracked tyres - how realistic!

H.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

I wasn't able to find any info on the interior back than, so painted the inside black to cover up the empty house type body. I always thought the interior would have been crowded with equipment, but since found out that it isn't much more than a radio set, table and generator.

Outside views are all I have come across (courtesy of Richard Notton).

H.

[cliff]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

I can see by the cracked tyres - how realistic!

H.

Some of the realistic rubber tyres that came with certain model kits cracked like that within a few months of finishing. I changed over to resin copies to get away from this fault.

Les are they the Tamiya LRDG Chev kit wheels?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I found this extract from the WD Mechanization Board draft report of 1939-40that was never published:

To improve the vehicle in its role of wireless truck, a standard Morris-Commercial type C.S.8.T. 15-cwt truck was fitted with modified rear springs to the company’s drawing no. C.9699, and trials were carried out in direct comparison with a similarly-loaded standard truck. Personal observations and vibrometer records showed that the vehicle ran much more smoothly on roads with the new springs.

Is there any evidence that post-1939 orders required these modified rear springs please?

[Les Freathy]

They certainly look like the Tamiya tyres Cliff i only ever made one LRDG and the tyres seemed to melt at the bottom giving a great effect of flats on a shot up truck, obviously something wrong in the factory compound set up
cheers
Les

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Here are two pictures of the wireless truck:

[austin tilly]

Found this picture in a bookstore today.


source : http://spaarnestad.pictura-dp.nl/com...id,60/lang,nl/

Cheers,
Arjan

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by austin tilly

Found this picture in a bookstore today.

Nice photo.

The motorcycle is an Ariel WNG, and the wireless truck does not look like a Morris..........you can see the bottom edge of the windscreens is horizontal, unlike MCC models, I am going for a Guy Ant.

[Rolf S. Ask]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

I found this extract from the WD Mechanization Board draft report of 1939-40that was never published:



Is there any evidence that post-1939 orders required these modified rear springs please?

David
In Spare Parts List for model C4/GS (Contract 294/23/S.6862 (Con. 23A9-Cat Ref.338) it is listed with part number C.9699 for the rear road springs. So it was for sure used post 1939 since the C4 was first made in 1942.

Rolf

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Thanks my friend, and I agree it looks to me as though it's an Ant by the front mudguard alone.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Les are they the Tamiya LRDG Chev kit wheels?

Yes Cliff ..............They are indeed the Tamiya LRDG wheels. They performed well for the first few years after I finished the model, about 15 years ago, but than cracks turned up. I also built a CS8 GS which is pictured on Mike Kelly's website, which has the same cracks. I have replacement resin wheels, but still haven't fitted them.

and the wireless truck does not look like a Morris..........you can see the bottom edge of the windscreens is horizontal, unlike MCC models, I am going for a Guy Ant.

I agree with Richard. I recon it's a Guy; apart from the front wing, the door hight and fuel tank combo also looks different from a Morris. Anyway, it's a nice picture and rare to see pictures of the house type radio trucks in service.

Here are two pictures of the wireless truck:

WOW Hanno! That's a nice one. Is it anywhere near our part of the country?

Alex

[austin tilly]

Maybe this info will help.
The numbers on a id-plate are:

MCC, Cont no 23\6778
Chassis no 2202 04\WT 3446
Cat.Ref. no 337
WD. no no
Body no 257

The id-plate is located on a metal black-out-plate for the window of the backdoor.

Cheers,
Arjan

[Dave Page]

Hi Guys,
that image of the WS truck is for certain a: Truck, 15cwt 4 x 2, Guy "Wireless-Ant", the following link will help identify certain points:
http://www.military39-45.freeuk.com/update03/guy002.htm
Cheers,
Dave

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

WOW Hanno! That's a nice one. Is it anywhere near our part of the country?

Hi Alex, it's located near the centre of Holland, about an hour drive from where you live now.

H.

[cliff]

somewhere in MLU someone was asking about these small wooden body wireless CMP's and I thought This may help.

While browsing the AWM data banks I found the photo below with the caption....

ID Number: P04632.001
Maker: Bilney, Leonard
Place made: Syria
Date made: 1942
Physical description: Black & white
Summary: Three signallers of G Signals Section, 2/12 Australian Field Regiment, 9th Division, standing in front of their Canadian Military Pattern (CMP), Cab 12, 15 CWT, 4x2, F15 (Ford) wireless truck. Identified from left: unidentified; NX32840 Sydney Daniel Burtenshaw; and QX1772 Edward Francis Hoey. Note the rolled canvas awnings fitted to each side of the body.
Credit line: Donor L Bilney
Copyright: clear

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by cliff

somewhere in MLU someone was asking about these small wooden body wireless CMP's and I thought This may help.

Interesting pic, thanks Cliff!

But what we really need are pictures/details of the insides of the wireless body. Who can help?

Thanks,
Hanno

[cliff]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Interesting pic, thanks Cliff!

But what we really need are pictures/details of the insides of the wireless body. Who can help?

Thanks,
Hanno

Hanno I did not mean this thread which is a Morris Commercial thread but elsewhere in perhaps the restoration forum someone was talking about an 11 or 12 cab CMP with this type of body on it.

Sorry I cannot help with interior photos at this stage however I am looking through a big file of wireless photos now and if anything turns up I will post copies.

[cliff]

found the photo below in the same batch as the CMP wireless truck I posted earlier which leads me to believe it may be the interior of the same truck.

AWM caption ....

ID Number: P04632.003
Maker: Bilney, Leonard
Place made: North Africa: Western Desert, Western Desert (Egypt), El Alamein Area
Physical description: Black & white
Summary: Portrait of signaller K Wood, G Signals Section, 2/12 Australian Field Regiment, 9th Division, inside a signals van, operating an AWA or Standard Telephone and Cable (ST&C) No 109 wireless set. He is wearing headphones and operating a morse code key.
Credit line: Donor L Bilney
Copyright: clear

[cliff]

looking at the wooden lockers and narrowness it could be the correct one.

AWM Caption....

ID Number: 040591
Physical description: Black & white
Summary: TOBRUK, LIBYA. 1941. INTERIOR OF A WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY TRUCK IN OPERATION WITHIN THE PERIMETER.
Copyright: clear
Related subject: Radio communication; Trucks
Related unit: Wireless units
Related place: Tobruk

Related conflict: Second World War, 1939-1945

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Hi Alex, it's located near the centre of Holland, about an hour drive from where you live now.

H.

Hanno,

Is there any place in Holland that is more than an hours drive away from anywhere else !

Mike

[Bruce MacMillan]

The interior view that Cliff posted is a wireless set #3 mounted in a Leyland 6 wheel lorry. This is a very early photo. The WS#3 was first produced in 1934 and was quickly replaced by the WS9,11,19,etc family.

In the Morris Commercial, layout depended a bit on which radio system was used but there was a common element of what went where. For the WS11 all units were inline in carrier and mounted on fore and aft shelf on off side. Batteries were 2 12v@85ah or 4 6v units mounted one on each side of the operators seat.

[Keith Brooker]

The Best info on British, Canadian and Australian radios fitted in Jeeps, Trucks, Command Trucks, Trailers Ect, Is Wireless for the Warrior by Louis Meulstee. Vol 1 Wireless Sets No 1 Set to 88 Set. Radios and Equipment 1932 to 1945 & Vol 2 Standard Sets of WW2. Vol 1 Shows the inside of house body radio 1500Cwt Trucks and much more Vol 2 WW2 and post war Veh radio set ups, as some war time radios were used up untill the 1970s [ 19 Set ] We used them in the Army Cadet Force. They are not cheap to buy but are the Best for info. He has a good website, Type in google, [ wireless for the warrior ] and that should find it.

[Les Freathy]

3 shots of the Morris wireless 15cwt

1. the nearest i can get to a interior at the moment, well it shows where they threw the kit

2. late body types in the ETO one in attendance with Bedford QLs
cheers
Les

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by cliff

Hanno I did not mean this thread which is a Morris Commercial thread but elsewhere in perhaps the restoration forum someone was talking about an 11 or 12 cab CMP with this type of body on it.

Cliff,

Sorry if I merged it with the wrong thread, if you find the correct one (which I cannot), I will merge it with that one.

Thanks for all the pics!
Hanno

[cliff]

Hanno no problem as hopefully it was helpful. I enjoyed trying to find the correct interior shots as well.

Cheers
Cliff

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Is there any place in Holland that is more than an hours drive away from anywhere else !

You would think so, in a country of only some 16,000 square miles, eh? But in today's traffic, almost every place is well over an hours' drive

H.