Door Markings

[John Ganton]

I've been sanding my 42 HUP getting ready to paint, and have uncovered a new set of door markings. The truck came with OD paint, RCEME markings and a door number Z58-700. The new, presumably origional, markings are RCASC, an underlined V, and a number which may be 42-723. This number is mixed in with an earlier Z58-700 that lay underneath the top coat of OD. Does this help me trace the trucks origin?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I couldn't find anything myself, and there is no evidence that the census number was British...what does the Build Plate say please? The contract number will be or should be on the Plate?

[John Ganton]

Order Number LV. 308
Manufactured May 27/42
Serial 2844509772

I suspect my HUP never left Canada. I will appreciate any info you can give me. Thanks John

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

It turns out that I have data namely serials and plate details off seven Contract [CD] LV 308 trucks, although LV59 was the first Canadian contract then 308 and then 309. What's the Engine # please? # FR3890000 or thereabouts I think.

The only census numbers I have are CZ4229130, which would have been an overseas delivered truck, using the British War Office style and Canadian-allocated number series, and # 2844515234 ENGINE # FR3838709 but the slightly later Contract L.V.309 manufactured AUGUST 14 1942 [C-HU-441-M-WIRE1] Census # Z 65-479...your revealed # Z 58-700 therefore looks as though it was a Canadian DOMESTIC census number. I wonder if 42-723 may however be the ORIGINAL Canadian DND number...I have been looking up my records and wonder if it was originally stencilled:

RCASC
V
Z 42-1-723
which was in the original DND pre-war style for Canadian vehicles that carried on into at least 1942. I am not sure whether by '42 the middle "-1-" had been deleted but it was used from 1935 to 1940 at least. Perhaps someone else can clarify if that "-1-" would have been in the number or not. Perhaps the truck was renumbered when rebuilt for further service with the RCEME?

NOTE: I have looked at the photo again and there does not appear to be room for an intermediate "-1-" and I therefore suggest that the original DND number was Z 42-723, because it was allocated in 1942 as # 722nd, and then was renumbered later. I assume that the two first digits were not the Calendar Year or were there still HUPs in service rebuilt for further service in Canada in 1958 and 1965?

[david moore]

David; I believe that I am correct in recalling that the RCASC were the only unit to omit the "dash 1 dash" from the earlier style markings i.e. the year plus vehicle number registered in sequence. Not sure what the logic was behind this. But this would be consistent with what is seen here. The M,Z,H etc. letter was not used with this earlier style it appears.

For the later style Canadian ( home-based) numbers, the first two digits identify the vehicle type as far as I know. The British-style vehicle type letter ( e.g. Z) also seems to be commonly used with this system. Presumably 65 was a HU-WIRE 1 and 58 was John's type of HUP.
My very limited data base shows 54= C15A GS, 56 =WIRE1 , 57=FAT, 69=Otter, 83=carrier. For vehicle types having more than 999 actual vehicles on the road, they must have resorted to more than one code number - but maybe there were'nt often that many left-in-Canada vehicles.

I would very much like to fill out this database of all Canadian census systems and have been studying all the photos I can lay my hands on. If anyone has any original photos and would send me the number ( even with "x's" marking illegible characters), I would be happy to add to my list and try to make some sense of it all. Any data will be available to all. While you are about it please add vehicle type, location, date and unit if any of this is known. Please DON"T send restored vehicle numbers unless you KNOW that they are as per original!

If someone has all of this info already organized, please let me know so I don't waste any more of my time! Also I am happy to stand corrected on my comments!

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Thanks for the input....we definitely need to create a database of domestic numbers.

[cletrac (RIP)]

I have the following door markings you can add to your database. I assume they didn't leave Canada.

1443 HUP Pers 1:
65
V
65-665

1941 C8 4x2 wireless:
53-433
Z
41-1-212

1940 C15 4x2:
40-1-717

The first two I'm planning on restoring and the last one has been dismantled.
I also have a 1943 Cletrac M2 with the following on the hood:
R.C.A.F.15D10PA35

[david moore]

Many thanks for the data. I forgot to say that I would like RCAF door numbers - and any RCN too. So far I have zero RCN info!

David Moore

[cletrac (RIP)]

The 1943 HUP is painted blue with the numbers in white. Would this be RCAF or RCN? I assumed it was RCAF.

[david moore]

If it's a lightish blue, I think RCAF. RCN would be gray or very dark blue.
David Moore

[cletrac (RIP)]

I've attached a picture of the doors and data plates on the HUP. The sheltered blue paint is a shade darker than the dark blue on the fender. The numbers on the doors aren't your typical army type font. The truck was originally khaki and when they painted it blue they also did the insides of the doors but the rest of the interior and underside of fenders etc stayed khaki. It's only got 34000 miles on it and it has the original engine.

[S. Dafoe]

It would be great to see some pictures of your HUP. Sounds like you have a very nice example. Do you have any more pictures?

S

[Colin Macgregor Stevens]

The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) did NOT use the -1- in the middle of their DND number (style used from early 1930s up until about the beginning of 1943). The V is the code for "Van". Odd in this case.

In 1943, everyone IN CANADA changed to the new DND number style (e.g. 50-123 or Z50-123) with or without a prefix vehicle type letter code. This number style did not use the -1-in the middle at all. The dash in this case is because they did not have a comma stencil! 50-123 = 50,123

The RCAF used numbers in the 20,000 and 30,000 range. They also usually had R.C.A.F. and a two letter station code. If one word station e.g. Estevan (Saksatchewan) it was EN (first and last letter.) If two word e.g. Sea Island (BC) it was SI (first letter of each word.)

[cletrac (RIP)]

I have a 1943 Cletrac high speed tractor with R.C.A.F.15D10PA3 on the hood. What base would it have been stationed at? I presume it was in western Canada.

[Colin Macgregor Stevens]

Originally posted by cletrac
Cletrac high speed tractor with R.C.A.F.15D10PA3 on the hood

I AM SORRY i HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS WOULD MEAN.

HAS ANYONE EVER FOUND RCAF MARKINGS INSTRUCTIONS? ALL I HAVE IS A FEW PHOTOS TO WORK FROM (HISTORIC AND OF SAVED VEHICLES).