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Bedford MWR restoration


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Hi Ivor

you sure contract T8102 had wireless trucks in it i think the rivets truck is either 1939 or 1940 aero screen truck my research shows the first wireless trucks as much later in early 1942 .

 

Jeremy as Ivor says the info for the contract number and lists of Z numbers now we know were to look is straight forward but to find a link to the chassis numbers is going to be a lot harder , was your truck built as GS originally

as i said in part seven of my restoration blog i have narrowed the number of possible Z numbers for my truck to 974 from Z 4908541 - Z4909515 i have a photo of Z4908805 this is a later truck with the sling flanges on the wheels so that reduces the list of possible numbers to 264 any body want to lay claim to any of the numbers between Z 4908451 - Z4908805

 

Nicky

PS are there any factory production figures of how many MWs built per month in 1942

Edited by landrover nick
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Another problem with Bedfords is that their chassis number and census numbers do not run consecutively. You only have to see a Key Card to realise what I mean. I think the census number was not allocated until the truck arrived at the Vehicle Depot. Some types of vehicles do run in order, which makes it easy, but not with Bedfords unfortunately.

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These are the photos of Z4908805 i have they were sent to me by Simon Thompson when i was restoring the truck in 2014 and were a great help , i have always thought they were factory photos but the truck has got its Z number on the drivers door and on the rear cross member it is a fairly early MWR as there is no observation hatch in the cab roof (from chassis number 547757) and sling plates on the axles (from chassis number 52620) as you can see most of the radio equipment has not been fitted to the truck there is no radio set ,generator control panel or radio Ariel s fitted

 

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i also have the same set of photos for Z5252482 taken in what looks a very similar location which is a much later truck from the last MWR contract 293/23/s/3053 in fact i have seen photos of other new bedford MWs OYs etc in the same location any idea s if this was the factory or when they were delivered would they have gone to the ministry of supply or in the case of the MWRs direct to the royal signals ?

Nicky

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Hi Ivor

you sure contract T8102 had wireless trucks in it i think the rivets truck is either 1939 or 1940 aero screen truck my research shows the first wireless trucks as much later in early 1942 .

 

I'm going by what it says in the book. However if what you say is right, it could be that there's a typo as the list refers to several "Truck 15cwt 4x2 W/Tk model MW" which are obviously water tanker trucks. There's only one reference to a single W/T truck and it is probably just a missing letter "k" .

 

As the song goes - "What a Difference a K Makes......"

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Had a look at the Contract Card

 

25/9/43, V/5275

Contractor: Vauxhall (although most say Bedford) Quantity: 1005

ea. Contract Price: £312 1/4d Costed Price: £346 12/2d Free Issue: £34 10/10d

Remarks: Adopted for w'less "M.W.R."

 

It would appear that if the price is £310+ it is possibly an MWR whilst MWD's are around the £270 mark

 

As for matching up chassis numbers with "Z" numbers, I have found this to be nearly impossible unless you can find a serial number within less than 100 of the one you are looking for. A ball park of figure of +/- 2000 may is more achievable on the larger contracts.

 

Andy

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Andy thanks for the copy of the contract card what an interesting document when i started the restoration of my truck i never thought i would get any information like this .i need to know if the date entered for the contract of 25/9/43 is the date of the start of the contract or is the date the completion of the contract , the completion date would fit in better with the information i have contract 294/v/m5275 as being the first contract for MWR s with production starting in 1942.

i had always wondered why the British military had so many Bedford WM s and looking at the other entry's on the contract card it was simple economics with Ford wot2 costing £317.00 in 1944 ,Morris commercials at £388.00 and Guy ants at £390.00 all against the cost of £271.00 for a basic MW

nicky

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Tom

chassis number MWR 61420

built late 1944, last 1944 chassis number listed 64454 (if we had an idea of numbers built per month we could get closer)

i have a record of an MWR with a chassis number just 1,500 lower than your truck and a Z number very near the start the following contract .

contract number 294/v/m5058 for 829 units (TRUCK 15CWT 4X2 ADPT FOR CONVERSHION TO WIRELESS) Z numbers from Z 4909516- Z4910345

so i think your truck could have been built as part of this batch

hope this helps

Nicky

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The real job has been getting in the way of the MWR restoration over the last couple of weeks but i am catching up now so time for an update

PART EIGHT

The interior of the rear body and the cab are now mostly finished , i still have some work to Finnish fitting the wood rails to the rear seats

 

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The wooden dummy rifles i bought from guy selling them at croft last year

 

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The truck has been refitted with its canvas and is starting to look like the one in factory photo in the earlier post , the truck is due to be driven to Steve s at Cromptons in Birmingham for modifications to the rear canvas ,a new cab canvas and side screens at the end of the month as the radio truck canvas is very different to the standard GS canvas

 

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the last photo for today shows my first NO 19 radio set i have acquired to go in the truck , it is a British mk3 set but has had a post war rebuild and the B set removed but it go in one of the lockers as a spare set

all for now

Nicky

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part nine

Been working on the truck all week to get markings finished, first photo is the original photo i have been working off this is the information i have on it .

Irish guards group

Guards armored division

Aalst Holland

18 September 1944

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as the weather was good today took the truck out for test run of about forty miles with no problems and took the following photos ,still some jobs to sort but starting to look good now

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most of the jobs left to finish off seam to be at the back of the truck now

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Nicky

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  • 2 weeks later...

PART TEN

The truck has now gone to Cromptons in Birmingham to have the rear canvas modified and a new cab canvas and side screens made , it managed the eighty mile trip without any problems just the driver got wet with the leaky cab canvas which is now past its best ,with the truck out of the way i have been making the roof rack

 

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the last photo shows the trial layout for part of the dummy load to go in the roof rack of two gallon water cans my dad has a large collection of two gallon tins (which seam to have found a permanent home in my workshop ) most of which are petrol ones

 

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the last photo is i think a two gallon Canadian water can dated 1943 disguised as castrol fuel can

 

Nicky

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  • 3 weeks later...

part eleven

Last Friday was the day to go and collect the truck from cromptons in Birmingham having arrived at Steve's workshop in the center of Birmingham to find it was all hands on deck to get the cab and rear canvas finished,at one point there was seven people all doing different jobs on my rear canvas and what a splendid job they have done ,there are still one or two things to sort out the door tops and rear side screens that came with the truck when i bought it are two inches smaller than the new ones Steve had made to his original patterns so i need to find some more frames for these before we go to Guernsey on the 6th of may ,the cab and rear canvas are now correct to the factory photos with all the correct fasteners the brass gauze in the windows the speaking tubes from the rear into the cab canvas

 

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The sides of the canvas can now be rolled up

 

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correct flaps over Ariel holes in roof with gators sown in underneath with draw strings to seal around ariels when fitted

 

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speaking tubes in cab canvas have drop down flaps to close off when not in use

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rear view of speaking tubes

 

it was the Yorkshire MVT first show of the year at Clifford s tower in the center of York a good time for a trial fitting of the roof rack we had a very enjoyable day its usually a good place to meet old friends you haven't seen all winter with a record turn out of 85 vehicles

 

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Nicky

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