Demand code on WO/Army Coded books

[fv1609]

Many of us will be familiar with the final few lines at the back (less commonly at the front) of WO & Army Coded Publications.

 

Typically there will be the printers name & his job number

Then "Wt 12345/67890" ie a double large number block

Then number of copies printed eg either 10,000 or 10m

Month & year of publication

Gp or Group usually 3 digits

 

The order varies a little sometimes.

 

Having studied such entries for several thousand publications, I have now seen for the first time "Demand" followed by 6 digits. This is in lieu of the "Wt" numbers.

 

I have never managed to interpret "Wt" & seems to have no relationship to weight. Seeing "Demand" in its place makes me wonder if it is the reference number of the now MOD to printer contract. In the same way that trucks might have "WV" on the vehicle body/chassis plate signifying the number of the Wheeled Vehicle Contract.

 

So might "Wt" be something like a contraction of "War Office contract"?

 

Once you move into documents printed under the authority of the MOD, then of course WO Code was dropped & they were Army Code, then the "Wt" disappears & is replaced by a long number preceded by "M" presumably meaning MOD.

 

Has anyone seen "Demand" before? Might it have been short lived in the period immediately after the setting up of the MOD in 1964? Anyone got any Army Coded books of this period that have "Demand"?

 

Anyone any ideas?

 

Unfortunate typo for Liverpool!