David B.

Has anyone any ideas ? Should I be looking in the Public Records Office for a list of contracts and if so can I contact them direct or will it entail a visit. Which of the "military" establishments be best to try for the "Catalogue"

In the 1944 Chilwell Vehicle Census List is listed the vehicle make and type,census numbers.contract number and catalogue reference. The contract numbers are not listed in numerical order and my question is - In what publication is the list of WD vehicle contracts listed definitively in numerical order with the dates that the contracts were placed with the various makers? A secondary query is - In which publication does the "catalogue reference" appear. It is not the Data Book of Wheeled Vehicles - so which book is the "catalogue" ? David.

Richard, Presumably Bedford,Austin and all the other manufacturers would have furnished replacement engines and boxes in their original factory colour during the war but at what point then did the REME rebuilds system adopt Eau-de -nil ? The idea was to make oil leaks more visible was it not ? David.

What a great find and an excellent project. Is it on its original tyres do you think John ? It presumably hasn't seen much use. What other bits and pieces do you need ? David.

Thanks John, The preference is for a small number of plugs on their own but I could also use one or two complete sockets if they are NOS like your pictured Trailer Connector WD/TC. 1. They normally seem to be supplied with one plug. I have seen the NOS items boxed like yours and dated 1944 and would be very interested in the complete plug and socket or simply the individual plugs. All suggestions or leads would be gratefully received. David.

The " Trailer Connector WD/TC 1 " which looks like a bulb holder on either side of a teardrop shaped bracket was supplied new with one plug which fitted to the reverse side of the unit as a feed from the vehicle itself. Although we have a used trailer connector which could be restored we would not be averse to buying any NOS connectors which also included plugs with them.

We are gradually getting the bits and pieces together prior to starting work on our Trailer 2 Wheeled 10cwt GS and are now looking for several electrical items both to fit our trailer and to exchange with other trailer restorers for items which we need . We are looking for one or more of the bayonet plugs illustrated above which connect the trailer harness to the towing vehicle. Listed as "Adaptor,Lamp Plug" the preference is for the double contact version "10800 S.B.C" This is the same external appearance as the 10801 S.C.C illustrated next to the actual plug Of brass construction the plug was fitted to the end of the trailer wiring harness and then plugged into the towing vehicle's "Trailer Connector WD/TC 1 " Can anyone help with these items or suggest a source. Is it possible that there is a modern equivalent of these plugs which are approximately 1" long and 1/2" diameter and described as being of the American small bayonet cap - double contact type.

Very nice pictures Les Thanks very much. With the exception of the Trailer GS No 1 the tow hitches illustrated show the type which we are looking for, with the lifting arms mounted on the hitch as part of the assembly. The GS No1 pictured has the earlier type of assembly where the lifting arms are mounted on the trailer draw bar. I have picked up some reference material but I have not yet seen the differences between the makers properly described - do you have anything on this? For my two pennorth the GS illustrated is a Reynolds or an SS.and the Mortar Ammunition carrier an Orme Evans or a TEC. David.

Not exactly,both the SMLE and the No 4 could be reloaded with the mag in place with the aid of the charger(clip) or by changing mags. In 1942 the No 4 came into service as a rifle redesigned to be faster and simpler to manufacture than the SMLE. Hence during the early part of the war - BEF,Norway,Western Desert etc the SMLE was standard issue,a mixture of WW1 and 1920s manufacture. By the invasion of Europe the No4 was commonplace and the norm in the Infantry Division. Plenty of exceptions to the rule of course and at least one factory (BSA) kept on making the SMLE throughout the war.

Thanks Tim - I knew that I should have gone to that sale !! The trailer looks like the 100 gallon water bowser which Arjan has pictured in the post below yours. He has also put a link to the post by John Corden where there are a series of pictures of his lovely little water tank trailer - worth looking at. My understanding is that the maker of the " Trailer 10cwt 2whld. Lightweight Water 100 galls." was Tasker. It looks that there was only one contract from X6201129-X6203268 although at least one reference source seemingly mistaken, attributes manufacture to SS. The common parts between the 10cwt Lightweight and the 10cwt GS like ours are support legs, hubs and wheels,and the tow hitch assembly. We are of course still looking for the hub dust cap and tow hitch assembly. David.

An antiques dealer colleague had yesterday, a good 1942 shellcase. I intended to post a notice about it this morning but he has sold it as a stick stand for £25 . What is the right price if I should ever see another ? David.

Arjan - A Reynolds or SS Mk2 would still be my guess. I'm hoping to correlate the available information on these trailers to try and shed a little light on the different makers,differences between the two marks and detail differences of application eg. mortar, GS etc. I have looked at a 1966 reprint of the WW2 Illustrated Parts List which illustrates some differences but does not attribute them to certain makers. It does also make a couple of mistakes with captions which confuses the issue a bit. Could I ask anyone with any photos of these little trailers to post them together with any definite information from the data plate of maker,mark and application. Chassis or census numbers would be particularly useful. We have now located a correct tail light and a convoy light for our trailer but are still looking for the tow hitch assembly,(later type with integral lifting arms), hub dust cap, and support legs. To fit to the Jeep we still need the British trailer socket and of course the plug which fits this socket. David.

Nice pictures Arjan , - At first glance the mudguards you have fitted are of the the Orme Evans/TEC squared off pattern but looking closer they seem a little too flimsy. Do they seem "home made" to you ? The way the body stops short of the chassis front seems to be a Reynolds/SS peculiarity and one of those would be my guess for manufacturer. I'm beginning to gather some info for chassis numbers which might help when a bit more comprehensive. The tow hitch assembly is of course the very type that we are looking for and for which all leads would be welcomed. David.

Thanks for the tip-off Clive. Similar but not quite, the earlier Lucas T1 is smaller but on a similar teardrop shaped bracket. The ones for sale are post war manufacture I think and I've used them in the past for (detachable) number plate lights. What I really need to find are the plugs fitted to the end of the WW2 trailer wiring harness which go into the vehicle mounted trailer sockets. They are a two pin bayonet fitting about 15cms diameter. Ones that I have seen are brass with a bakelite end. Does anyone have a lead to these plugs - I suppose there might be something modern available. David.

Morning Richard , Question really is,were the trailers fitted with the Morris 8 hub which took the six stud Easiclean wheel ? I just thought that a wartime parts list would give a clue to the origin of the hub and wheel by including the makers name code. Not all Easiclean wheels were six stud fixing as you know, Hillman for example were three only - so that rules them out as the hub manufacturer. cheers, David.

Yes Adrian - thats the one . I was just looking out the Lucas number and I think there was a T1 and a T1A. Haven't worked out the difference yet. Is yours surplus to requirements as I still need one ? Perhaps you could PM me please.

Seriously though Julian - over the years the only trouble I've had has been with stuff thats rolled up,especially cammo nets. I've always put rat poison down except where sheer numbers fendered this pointless. At the end of the summer you may have to think about bagging up your seat cushions and loose canvas,sealing it and possibly taking it home. You won't beat them. David.

.........and crap on your seat.

Thanks Robert, I must try to find documentary evidence of this as the hubs and wheels were used throughout the 10cwt and Lightweight range. I would really like to find the wartime parts list for the 10cwt range as these often list the manufacturer's code which in this case would be MM I think. I do have a copy of the 1966 dated 10cwt Parts List which in this case does not shed any light on the question of origin. David.

Nice to see work on another trailer. Arjan,is this the same trailer that was in the MLU thread of some years ago ? What make is it Reynolds,SS? - Mortar or GS ? We will be making a start on ours as soon as we locate all the bits we need but still aren't sure of finding the tow hitch assembly which is key to it all. We have had a good lead but are still looking for one if anyone can help at all. Other parts we need are the hub dust cap, a couple of support legs and the standard British WW2 "fag end" rear light. We also need a trailer lighting socket to mount on the towing vehicle and the correct plug for the trailer lead. Any help or leads please ? The hub cap was kindly illustrated by Clive Elliott in his thread http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?26688-Trailer-tow-eye-assembly-10cwt-or-1-2ton Its believed to be Morris Eight -can anyone confirm this. Any more trailer info or pictures gratefully received.

Many,many years ago I had a 1944 Canadian Universal Carrier still in its shipping crate which had been built in Canada,run round the factory,the tracks removed and shipped over to the UK with three miles on the clock. It was obviously a British contract as the "T" number was painted on the sides. My K2 Ambulance came out of service with the anti-freeze added symbol of a red disc painted on a small white square near the rad cap - but no stencilling. Was this not the norm for British vehicles that had anti-freeze added ? David.

I am posting a link to the very informative thread on Maple Leaf Up concerning these trailers on which I have drawn on for a lot of information. The first post by Nick Bullock dates back to 2006 and not too much info has been added since. Has anyone any pictures or info that they could add please ? http://www.Mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6932&highlight=10cwt+trailer Many thanks, David.

I really am surprised how little information exists about these trailers and how few photos of them are to be seen. Only this evening I've spoken to a collector with a 10cwt mortar trailer with a data plate which quotes the manufacturer as "TEC"- he was unaware who TEC were. With a little research we've established the maker as being Templewood Equipment Company who were taken into the Rubery Owen group. His trailer is very similar to the Orme Evans made trailers and there seem to be at least two basic design groups made by different makers. Clive Elliott very kindly posted a diagram of the hitch we are looking for and there are some interesting photos on his thread :- http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?26688-Trailer-tow-eye-assembly-10cwt-or1-2-ton If anyone can add any more information or photos,census or maker information please let us know. David.

Robert, Try Barry Redman - 07831 846615- barryredmanuk@aol.com I've found him very good and has the advantage of starting off from near you. David.