ww2 15cwt "Gin Palaces"

[Runflat]

Another picture of interest here: http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/morris_commercial.htm

[Chris Suslowicz]

Well I would like to try for the early type as your picture I think is of a late MK2

This is the early type MK2 aerial also used on the MK1 and prototype.

Most of the aerial has been removed from this one but it has no board like on your photo.

If haven’t sent the picture follow this link. http://www.fareham-darc.co.uk/G8KZO/g8kzo.htm

 

Without digging _too_ far into the document pile, I think the roof aerials were only used with the very early "number" sets, WS.2, WS.3 and WS.9. I suspect the sets are rather more scarce than the Gin Palaces, these days.

 

There's a whole supplement to Signal Training Volume III Pamphlet No.25 that deals with the WS.9 in a vehicle.

There's also an Installation Print from March 1942 detailing how you fit a WS19 Mk.II Truck & Ground station to a 15cwt truck, and it has all the necessary parts listed on the diagram.

 

Chris.

[Runflat]

A WOT2 here: http://www.mvt.org.uk/members_files/pages/legg_d.html

 

Anyone have better pictures?

[Guest jcpdw]

I take it that the Morris CS8 is the early version with the solid tailgate without the dip in the middle but not the early low cab almost prototype version - On the subject of Morris's You don't have a spare lube chart for the dash do you? My '39 model is in need of one .

 

On the subject of my wireless truck as you go in the back door there is the fold down seat fixed on the genny cupboard to the right , to the left there is a shelving unit in the corner which has a bench or smaller shelving unit going over the wheel arch which extends to the operators table . The light and socket is above each window at the side - All windows have a blast / blackout screen over them . There is a smallish cupboard on the left and the battery brackets are on the floor under the ops table which itself has a small lockable drawer in it . On the back wall to the right of the operators table is the switchboard which leads to the rifle rack on the right wall There is another small cupboard on the back wall just to the side of the small window where the wires go out to the aerial bases . Another seat sits half on and off the right hand mudguard and back to the genny cupboard which has a metal shelf above it where the oil can etc for the genny live and finally above the genny cupboard is the extractor fan - I will try and dig out some more photo's of the interior as it is easier to see rather than putting it into words .:coffee:

 

Hi glynn, I am jaap from holland and a new member to this forum. I am restoring a chevrolet c15 with a radiobody No1 MK 3 the same as your's only some more work on it.

as you can see on the pictures I have some work ahead I know all the things for the outside but for the inside I know only a littlebit, so I was hoping you have some pictures of your radiobody's inside if you please.

as I read the above text I think your's looks very complete on the inside so if you or someone else can help I like to see the info / pictures .

thanks jaap.

[Runflat]

Some stills, of what looks like a Morris Commercial C4, from here: http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=26480

[early british ww2]

Hi glynn, I am jaap from holland and a new member to this forum. I am restoring a chevrolet c15 with a radiobody No1 MK 3 the same as your's only some more work on it.

as you can see on the pictures I have some work ahead I know all the things for the outside but for the inside I know only a littlebit, so I was hoping you have some pictures of your radiobody's inside if you please.

as I read the above text I think your's looks very complete on the inside so if you or someone else can help I like to see the info / pictures .

thanks jaap.

 

#Hi Jaap , Welcome to the group - Only just seen your post - I will get you some photo's put together at some stage showing the interior of my own wireless truck as soon as I get near to it cheers

[Guest jcpdw]

thanks glynn, I guard this tread so I don't mis them :-D

cheers jaap

 

:thanx:

[Craig Tanner]

This is an especially interesting topic for me, as I am restoring a 1944 15cwt Chev Wire 5, CMP.

I have been looking for photos of one "in the field" so as to help me with details for when I get to that point. It has proved to be a very elusive vehicle variant for photos anyway. My vehicle is originally a "gin palace" version but I had to source a van box somewhere else. Here is a photo of the one that I recovered. (a little over 2000 km return trip).

The second one is a photo that I found when I went to the Canadian Forces Museum of Communications in Kingston Ontario, on a research trip. It shows a Chev 15 cwt probably in the 50's. I have a few more coloured ones I got of the internet but I am not sure if I am allowed to use them as they are not mine and I do not know who took them.

In any case I have been following Mr. Jaap De Wit"s incredible restoration on MLU and am looking forward to when he gets to the van box restoration part.

 

Craig Tanner

Burton N.B

[Runflat]

Taken from film in Sicily here: http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=12345

 

Clearly a Morris Commercial, probably a C4. Interesting camoflague pattern!

[Guest jcpdw]

goodday glynn and jules I was asking my self if you guy's are near your military vehicles some day to take some inside pictures of the radar/radio body's if this is possible. :bow:

it will help me to get more info for inside of my No 1 MK3 radio body.

cheers jaap :beer:

[early british ww2]

goodday glynn and jules I was asking my self if you guy's are near your military vehicles some day to take some inside pictures of the radar/radio body's if this is possible. :bow:

it will help me to get more info for inside of my No 1 MK3 radio body.

cheers jaap :beer:

 

Hi Jaap ,

May get chance this weekend and if so I will post some pics up for you cheers Glynn

[11A]

 

Hi folks,

 

 

 

 

I have one listed on my 2nd Irish Guards (Armd) Listing as embarked for Normandy 1944:

 

 

 

 

Guy - Z4859742 (Gin Palace) 15cwt W/T RCS

 

 

 

 

Crewed by the following Guardsmen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

43171

Maj Sir John R Reynolds - Sqn Ldr

3855257

Cpl Winstanley C - Op/WL

2380565

Sig Cathcart J - D/Op

 

 

 

 

if it is of any interest.

 

Alan

[early british ww2]

Hi folks,

 

 

 

 

I have one listed on my 2nd Irish Guards (Armd) Listing as embarked for Normandy 1944:

 

 

 

 

Guy - Z4859742 (Gin Palace) 15cwt W/T RCS

 

 

 

 

Crewed by the following Guardsmen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

43171

Maj Sir John R Reynolds - Sqn Ldr

3855257

Cpl Winstanley C - Op/WL

2380565

Sig Cathcart J - D/Op

 

 

 

 

if it is of any interest.

 

Alan

Hi Alan ,

Many thanks for the info - That Guy Truck must be from the same contract number as mine from 1942 - The interesting piece to note is that there are only 3 crew names as I have been led to believe that they were crewed up by four - Driver/Commander(officer in charge)/wireless op/wireless op-signaller from a visit I had from a corporal in the signals many years ago who had searched me out after seeing my Guy Wireless truck at a show :coffee:

[Carruthers]

Standard crew is 4 as you say Glynn. My dad was a signaller in one of the Morris versions. Not impossible for a three man crew to operate it in theory though. I thought the breakdown was driver, who was in charge of the truck and gene operation/charging the batteries etc, 2 signallers (so there always one on duty) and an NCO in charge. That's why there's 2 seats in the wireless house, apart from the operator's seat.... Maybe there were other crews allocated for different roles. Simon

[early british ww2]

Standard crew is 4 as you say Glynn. My dad was a signaller in one of the Morris versions. Not impossible for a three man crew to operate it in theory though. I thought the breakdown was driver, who was in charge of the truck and gene operation/charging the batteries etc, 2 signallers (so there always one on duty) and an NCO in charge. That's why there's 2 seats in the wireless house, apart from the operator's seat.... Maybe there were other crews allocated for different roles. Simon

 

Hi Simon , Yes that's the ticket - The chap who crewed the Guy Ant was the Man in charge and he was a Corporal in the signals , The driver was , as you say in charge of all things petrol powered and then there was the main wireless op and his right hand man who were both interchangeable - There are two seats in the cab accupied by the driver and Officer who had there rifles with them in the cab and communicated with the rear compartment by a speaker tube which had whistles on either end which you replaced after talking down the tube - to get the attention of your oppo's you would remover the whistle and blow down the pipe alerting the chap at the other end .

In the rear you had the main operators seat in the middle of the table - You had another seat on the wheelarch next to the genny cupboard and a fold down one in front of the door attached to the genny cupboard - There were also rifle brackets for 2 more No. 4's in the back - Your main armament being a Bren Gun or better still a captured burp gun ehich if you had to use it behind enemy lines when setting up forward communications would not alert the germans .

This chap was extremely knowledgeable and we had an excellent weekend with him .:coffee:

 

p.s. Simon , I Like the cs8 by the way!

[Dave Page]

Hi , Ive decided to start this thread in order that I can guage how many of the WW2 15cwt House Type Wireless bodies or more affectionately "Gin Palaces" have survived into preservation and where they all are ?

 

I own a 1942 Guy Ant Wireless Truck as part of my own collection and wonder how many other Wireless Trucks survive and on what chassis they are on and where in the world they all are , whether complete with internals or whatever - Please get in touch

 

Here are a couple of photo's of my Guy in various guises over the years :coffee:

 

Hi Glynn,

 

I wondered where Eddie Smith's "Wireless-Ant" went to, good to see she is in appreciative hands. I had the privilege to drive her once, she ran very well, though a little slower than my GS, likely due to the weight of the house-type body. By-the-way, I'm new to this forum.

Cheers,

Dave Page

[early british ww2]

Hi Glynn,

 

I wondered where Eddie Smith's "Wireless-Ant" went to, good to see she is in appreciative hands. I had the privilege to drive her once, she ran very well, though a little slower than my GS, likely due to the weight of the house-type body. By-the-way, I'm new to this forum.

Cheers,

Dave Page

 

Hi Dave and welcome to the forum , Yes the House type body does make a big difference in the weight , although the truck handles it very well - I also have an early G.S. version too but in my case the wireless truck definitely seems the more spritely of the the two . My wireless truck hasn't been out on the show circuit for a few years now but may make a return next year as I have a building project to complete to give it a new home so to speak then I can give it a fresh coat of paint but yes I have had it sometime now and still think it is great - Have you any pics you can post of yours or send me ?? cheers rgds Glynn:coffee:

[Dave Page]

Hi Glynn,

thanks for the welcome. I have uploaded an image of my old truck in the "early Guy Ant" string. Just went through my files:

Census No. Z4646406 Car No. A22257 I sold off to "Kiwi" who is also on this forum, he got all the NOS spares including 3 engines from scrapped trucks. As I recall there were aprox. 20 Ants in NZ. some were GS and others House-type Wireless-Ants, I could account for only 10 either as remains (engines) or had located the actual vehicle. I knew of 2 Wireless-Ants, one chassis (bent) and one unrestored. I know for sure that at least 4 were scrapped. There is another GS restored in West Melton (near Christchurch) NZ.

While in the UK I met a chap in Sheffield who had one, pretty much a stripped chassis and I think the engine was seized. They were extremely rare 20 years ago, good to see some more brought back to life.

Cheers,

Dave

[AmphibAndy]

My father owns a complete but unrestored Morris Commercial with Wireless Body 15cwt. I dont think it has a grills on the side of the body . I will try to get some photos to post.

[Morris C8]

Bought this off Ebay. Wireless Body No1 Mark III MCC [Morris Commercial Cars] 1942. Contract No 11537. Wt 2-14-00

Would this be off a Morris CS8 and any info on the Contract.

Keith

[early british ww2]

Bought this off Ebay. Wireless Body No1 Mark III MCC [Morris Commercial Cars] 1942. Contract No 11537. Wt 2-14-00

Would this be off a Morris CS8 and any info on the Contract.

Keith

Hi Mate , the plate you have could be from a number of vehicles as Morris Commercial cars seemed to have made most of the house type wireless bodies for other truck manufacturers such as my own Guy Ant - It even says that M.C.C. were providing the wireless bodies for my contract of Guy Ants on the original Contract cards!

As for being off a cs8 I wouldn't have thought this would be the case as the date on the plate being 1942 would suggest that the body is the later metal clad wireless body whereas the cs8's would have the earlier wood planked bodies althouigh still made by M.C.C'S !

I will look up the contract number when I get a minute to see what truck it was fit to cheers:coffee:

[Morris C8]

Thanks Glynn, for the info. my Morris C8 GS is going to a New home in yorkshire.

[early british ww2]

Thanks Glynn, for the info. my Morris C8 GS is going to a New home in yorkshire.

Hi Mate ,

Nice truck it is too !! Stuart rang me to say he had bought it - The Div signs are identical to the ones on my Jeep!! which are its' own genuine wartime markings!! Cheers Glynn

[early british ww2]

thanks glynn, I guard this tread so I don't mis them :-D

cheers jaap

 

:thanx:

 

Hi Jaap , Here are some photo's of the interior of the Guy Ant wireless truck interior - They are quite old but I thought I would send you them as my Truck is in storage at the moment - Hope they are of use

 

Cheers Glynn

[Guest jcpdw]

thanks glynn for the pictures they look very nice. I get a beter idear on how to do the inside of my radiobody.

can you tell what the cover is that is on the right fender see in the big circle.

and I thought that the switchbord was placed on the wall under the table, was it allways on this place?

do you know any more of the 4 switches for sale, I have the switchbord but no switches in it.

if you have any more info I like to know, thanks for now glynn

cheers jaap.

Edited October 20, 2010 by jcpdw