question Bedford wartime contract

[andy1960]

Can anyone tell me the details of contract V4564 for Bedford MWs. I am after date of contract number of vehicles, Z numbers, chassis numbers and engine numbers ranges and any other info relating to this contract and the vehicles produced under it.. Many thanks.

[Richard Farrant]

Can anyone tell me the details of contract V4564 for Bedford MWs. I am after date of contract number of vehicles, Z numbers, chassis numbers and engine numbers ranges and any other info relating to this contract and the vehicles produced under it.. Many thanks.

 

 

 

Z4760260 to 4765259 V4564 Cat. Ref. 71 MW GS body. The only way you will find chassis numbers is to find a parts list for that Contract No. or Key Card with vehicles of that contract on it.

[Danny P]

Richard,

 

Do you perhaps have the Z-number for contract number S-8216 belonging to chassis number MWC 66674 and engine number 72177 ?

 

Danny

[Richard Farrant]

Richard,

 

Do you perhaps have the Z-number for contract number S-8216 belonging to chassis number MWC 66674 and engine number 72177 ?

 

Danny

 

 

Hi Danny,

The Chilwell list is not showing that Contract. This could be one of two things, it may be an RAF or Navy contract, as Chilwell list is only Army, or a late contract as my list ends in late 1944 I think. Do you have the Cat. Ref. number from the Contract plate?

 

Richard

[Danny P]

Hi Richard,

 

There could be a 2 at about 7 to 8 mm from the beginning of that section but it is smaller than the digits of the chassis number. How many numbers should be there?

 

Danny

[landrover nick]

Richard,

 

Do you perhaps have the Z-number for contract number S-8216 belonging to chassis number MWC 66674 and engine number 72177 ?

 

Danny

 

The contract number S-8216 is a Bedford contract number it is listed in the 1946 parts book but that is all info i have on that contract there are at least 69 Bedford contract card to date the Bedford MW face book group have located copys 34 of the contract cards but this one of the 35 missing contract cards we are still trying to trace .

Danny has your truck by any chance still got its original contract plate fitted .

Nicky

[Danny P]

Thank you Nicky,

 

Yes, the plate is on the right top of the dash.

 

 

Info I've got so far:

 

Chassis number MWC 66674 with original engine, number MW 72177. Production date according to chassis number is dated 1945 with contract number S-8216. Rear shock absorbers are dated April 1945.

[landrover nick]

The copy's of the missing contract number cards are out there some ware, the ones we have found came from the tank museum but they only had copy's of 34 cards i have list of 69 Bedford mw contract numbers all taken from the lists of contract numbers shown in the various Bedford parts books ,your date of 1945 is probably correct as it is not shown in list in the December 1944 parts book but is on the list in the 1946 book ,any leads to the location of missing Bedford contract cards would be a big help ,we are also looking for the Bedford wartime factory production lists showing chassis numbers built as at present there is noway to link a chassis /engine number to specific contract other than if the truck has retained its original contract plate.

Nicky

[Danny P]

There is also a plate under the hood on the left side of the bulkhead. On this plate I found the chassis number and engine number. This plate will tell you if you have the original engine with the truck. As you know the engine number is on the right side of the engine.

 

Hope the missing contract numbers will turn up in the near future.

 

Nicky, do you know how many digits the Catalogue ref. number exists.

 

Thanks

Danny

[79x100]

Nick, has anyone been through the Ministry of Supply ledgers in The National Archive ? It's a lot of work as there is little apparent order but from mid-war onwards, MoS took over purchase of RAF contracts from the A.M. and R.N.from the Admiralty and the same sequences of numbers were used.

 

The ledgers won't confirm census or chassis numbers but will usually state 'RAF' if that is the case. Is the lack of a Catalogue Ref. No. on the Contract Plate an indication that there was no WD (Army) Cat. Ref. ?

 

This page copy shows Norton contract S7010. There isn't a lot of information beyond the quantity ordered but sometimes even that can help fill in a gap. The ledgers may at least save looking for non-existent Ordnance receipt cards.

 

[Richard Farrant]

The Chilwell census number list for WD 'B' vehicles was an official publication, it was copied by Rob van Meel of Groucho Publishing some years ago. I was once shown an original of this document. The copy is correct up to Nov. 1944. The loss of any contract cards will not effect this list and any gaps or "missing" contracts could be for contracts destined for Air Ministry or Admiralty. As the MW was also issued to the RAF, this is a possibility.

 

Richard

[landrover nick]

There is also a plate under the hood on the left side of the bulkhead. On this plate I found the chassis number and engine number. This plate will tell you if you have the original engine with the truck. As you know the engine number is on the right side of the engine.

 

Hope the missing contract numbers will turn up in the near future.

 

Nicky, do you know how many digits the Catalogue ref. number exists.

 

Thanks

Danny

 

Sorry Danny not quite sure as to what you mean by how many digits in the catalogue ref ? the full contract number is 294/23/S8216

Nicky

[Richard Farrant]

Sorry Danny not quite sure as to what you mean by how many digits in the catalogue ref ? the full contract number is 294/23/S8216

Nicky

 

I believe that the Catalogue reference no. ( Cat. ref. no. ) is the number of the contracts that came in to each manufacturer. As Bedford is the one in question for now, they start in single figures and by the end of the war were up to three figures, in the 200's. If a contract was split with, for instance, part GS bodied and part water tanker, then there are two Cat Ref numbers for the one contract number.