1941 Fordson WOT 2H truck. After 10 years

jack neville · #1 01-04-13, 11:19

Ten years ago while restoring my Fordson WOT 2H I found another one on a farm in Amphitheatre, Victoria. I had only lived in that town as a kid till I was sixteen and never knew of the vehicle, it always having been shedded and only used a couple of weeks a year by the owner Lenny Bird, a farmer, for spreading superphospate on his farm. I got access to the vehicle to measure the tray as I didnt have a tray on my truck. He dies shortly after and although I had one good WOT I tried to buy this one. the family had plans to restore the vehicle blah blah blah..you know the story. It sat in the hayshed for ten years as I watched all so slowly getting worse. Luckily it was protected from the rain but you all know what the elements gradually do. I recently wrote the family owner another letter and got her at the right time and she decided to part with it. It is missing a few parts which I luckily have left over from my last WOT restoration which can complete this one. We dragged it from the hayshed and trailered it to my nearby property. There was about four inches of phosphate and jute bags and timber covering the floors and the super spreader is still attached. It has one half of a WOT 2D model windscreen fitted which will be removed. I have a WOT 2D, or most of one that can be restored so I need another half. (anyone??)

jack neville · #2 01-04-13, 11:30

When I saw this vehicle ten years ago the rear tailgate was being used as part of a ferret box. Unfortunately that was disposed of so there is a few bits to fabricate. the condition overall is quite good. These vehicles, (This is the fourth I have had) , mostly appear to have been disposed of to the rural fire brigades and used as fire trucks. Three of the four I have owned had red coats of paint and a few old fellows had told me that they used them in CFA brigdes in Victoria. Apparently ther is one still garaged in Melbourne as a mascot at a Fire Brigade station. (Will follow that up asap). One old chap told me they were good to drive until they got close to the fire and then they had a bad habit of vapourising. I have experienced that myself and like them an electric fuel pump is the answer. Although I dont think they are that great to drive.

John Mackie · #3 01-04-13, 13:29

Great work Jack i hope to see it soon at corowa. dont forget i may be able to help with mechanical parts

Keith Webb · #4 01-04-13, 20:57

I noticed this as I drove through the delightful town of Amphitheatre about 6 months ago and am glad it has gone to the right person.

Ian Mastin · #5 25-05-13, 12:18

Hi All,
I d'not post a lot on this site!!! but I do like to looking at all the diffident forums so I will be continue this thread on about this truck, well has you can see via my photo I have just aquite a new project from Jack Neville.
first up I would just like to thank he's son Jake for he's great help! Jake brought the truck by trailer down from Geelong this time last Saturday Thanks mate

.
At this stage all I've done to it! is give it a good clean out with the high pressure water gun and it clean up real good.
John4172 My plan for the truck at this stage is to clean it up and try and get it up and runing for next year's Corowa meet, after that I will start on a full frame off resto on her.
My son shaun got stuck into it and lightly sanded back the passagers side door and guard's and uncovered some tact sign's, unsure what the number 14 is on the door? I think it could be from a British's army unit ? he also uncovered an Australian tact sign to, witch is a grayhound jumping and has a boomerang under it! so could someone help me out that knows what Australia unit this truck may of service with.

Cheers for now
Ian

Darrin Wright · #6 25-05-13, 14:04

the greyhound over the boomerang is the 1st Aust Cavalary Division.

David Hardway · #7 29-05-13, 05:19

Is there any record of how many of these were supplied to Australia?

Thanks

Dave

Ian Mastin · #8 29-05-13, 11:35

G'day David,

Just to your ? I don't know the numbers that came to Australia but Mike Cecil may know.
All I know is mate that their were 60,000 build beween 1939 through to 1944 and to what I know their is 6 or 7 survivor's here in Australia! maybe other members of this forum could shed some light on it to.

cheers for now
Ian

Mike Cecil · #9 29-05-13, 17:13

The Army registered 60, all Refugee cargo, in mid-1942 (but they had been held in an OVP for some months before that). All were listed as WOT2D, but we know from the many remains that they were a mix of WOT2D and 2H. Others might have been returned from the Middle East with the AIF in 1942-43, but it is doubtful, and in any case, the qty would have been very small. The 60 mentioned were disposed of in late 1944, mostly to country fire brigades in NSW & Vic (hence the red colour!) Forestry Commission in Victoria, and other odds and sods like the NSW Railways. Remainder went to Ford Australia. The AWM has a very nice restored example (WOT2D) in storage at Mitchell.

The greyhound over a boomerang was authorized for 1 Aust Cavalry Division in early 1942, which then morphed into 1 Motor Division by mid-1942, then morphed again into 3 Aust Armoured Division by 1943.

The square and number 14 is the sub-unit tactical sign for 14 Troop, B Squadron, of the unit the vehicle belonged to.

What is missing is the Unit sign, which appears to have been above the Div sign on the guard. If you can ascertain that number, we can work out exactly which unit operated the vehicle within the Division.

The camouflage pattern is still visible under the red paint, too: the raised 'brushed' edges are quite visible. Paint, in mid-1942, would likely have been KG3 base colour and Light Stone OR Light Earth - it's close to the change over period when LE was introduced, so depends when the vehicle was painted in cammo. Brit reg number is often visible under all the paint on the bonnet or door, so keep looking as you sand it all back and you might get lucky. Otherwise, let me know the chassis number/engine number and I'll see what I might have.

Mike C

Ian Mastin · #10 23-06-13, 12:23

Hi All,

Here are some more photo's of what I've uncovered today.

Regards
Ian

Ian Mastin · #11 04-10-13, 01:27

Hi all,

Just an up date to what I found on the web, I came across a site called Infantry Division unit Vehicle Markings witch relates to the number's on the left hand gaurd's!! what it said that number 79 on my WOT2-H relates to a Provost Company.

Regards
Ian

Mike Cecil · #12 05-10-13, 21:57

Ian,

You'll have to bit a bit careful with that, as 79 was, as I mentioned earlier, a Unit number used to denote different types of units at different times, and within different formation levels, eg:

1941: 79 was a Divisional Provost Company within an Infantry Division;
1941: 79 was also applied to an Advanced Medical Stores Depot at Corps level;
1942: 79 denoted a Mobile Bath Unit or an AA Brigade transport Company.
1943: 79 could indicate a Divisional Signals unit

Mike C

chrisgrove · #13 08-10-13, 18:59

But some of these would have different coloured backgrounds. While the Div Provost Coy and the Mobile Bath Unit would probably have a black background; the Corps Medical Supplies unit probably would too, but with a white bar at the top; the transport company should have a red/green diagonal ground and the signals unit, by 1943, would have a white over blue ground with red figures.

Chris

Mike Cecil · #14 08-10-13, 19:26

Yes, Chris, I agree with you that the background colours vary as you say, however, as Ian hasn't provided any info about the background (it does appear to be black in the images), I simply provided some examples of the application of '79' to illustrate my point, ie, '79' was not confined to Divisional Provost units.

The application of the white bar was also quite variable within the Australian context.

As for the Div sigs unit, you're right: the numbers would have been in red, so not a possibility in this case.

Mike C