No Signals Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Just found this photo amongst an old family album, uncle from WW2. Gunner in RA. What is the vehicle in the background? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radek Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 looks like as post war Commer or Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 (edited) Canadian Dodge...3 tonner? similar cab to this Edited October 19, 2008 by Nick Johns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Canadian Dodge...3 tonner? similar to this I agree, Nick, Dodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Signals Posted October 18, 2008 Author Share Posted October 18, 2008 (edited) Thanks for that guys. Next question then has to be was this a common vehicle to find being used by UK units? Anyone know if there are there any still around on the circuit? Going by the sequence of others in the album I believe this photo was taken either in the UK or in Mechelen(?) Belgium. Did the truck stay this style throughout the war or did it only appear mid war onwards etc? I'll be doing some searching myself but someone might know the answer straight up. This might help me tie down some dates and places regarding his service 'pattern' as this isnt known other than by his campaign stars. Cheers fellas. Edited October 18, 2008 by No Signals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Going by the sequence of others in the album I believe this photo was taken either in the UK or in Mechelen(?) Belgium. The lintel arrangement on the background building looks clearly Belgian to me. Mechelen (spelled 'Malines' by the French) is certainly a possibility but sometimes confused with Machelen which is now a suburb of Brussels close to the military airfield at Melsbroek / Zaventem which had a strong British presence. Everything points to post liberation and they're warmly dressed. The winter of 1944 /45 would seem most likely. Rich (in Belgium) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Signals Posted October 18, 2008 Author Share Posted October 18, 2008 The lintel arrangement on the background building looks clearly Belgian to me. Mechelen (spelled 'Malines' by the French) is certainly a possibility but sometimes confused with Machelen which is now a suburb of Brussels close to the military airfield at Melsbroek / Zaventem which had a strong British presence. Everything points to post liberation and they're warmly dressed. The winter of 1944 /45 would seem most likely. Rich (in Belgium) Brilliant Rich, thanks for that. The spelling in the album was actually Mechelin, which didnt come out as anywhere in my atlas so I presumed it was what I posted previously. But the Brussels connection is good as he also has a photo of Brussels in the album. Another picture shows 'Mechelin from the barrack tower' and there are other pictures taken I would guess at the same time as the truck shot showing more of the same damaged 'workshops' which they appear to be repairing. Winter 44/45 poses an interesting one as the family thought he was in Burma at that time so this will have to be gone in to more. It could be he was posted out to the Far East in early '45 though. Pics of the VJ day parade, with Sunderlands doing a flypast, at Singapore confirm his presence there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Being awkward, to make a change. Could it possibly be one of the Kew built Dodges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Being awkward, to make a change. Could it possibly be one of the Kew built Dodges? No it looks like a Canadian D60, as in Nick's photo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Another picture shows 'Mechelin from the barrack tower' and there are other pictures taken I would guess at the same time as the truck shot showing more of the same damaged 'workshops' which they appear to be repairing. Winter 44/45 poses an interesting one as the family thought he was in Burma at that time so this will have to be gone in to more. It could be he was posted out to the Far East in early '45 though. Pics of the VJ day parade, with Sunderlands doing a flypast, at Singapore confirm his presence there. Any chance of seeing some more pictures. Do the barracks look anything like this ? :- If so, they've now been pulled down to make way for the offices of Telenet, my Internet provider ! The great fear of British Servicemen in NW Europe after VE day was that they would be sent to the Far East. Thankfully, it all ended before most of them could go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Pity the guys are standing in front of the side bonnet louvres, that seems to be the givaway comparing photos. Unfortunatley the thumbnails I have from bovvy may not come out to well, I'll give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Ah not bad, might it be in here somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 A large number of D60's were used in North Africa and later in Italy, but by the time they reached Italy they were worn out. Old factories were taken over by the Army and Italian labour was utilised to rebuild trucks just as was done with jeeps etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Signals Posted October 18, 2008 Author Share Posted October 18, 2008 (edited) Any chance of seeing some more pictures. Do the barracks look anything like this ? :- If so, they've now been pulled down to make way for the offices of Telenet, my Internet provider ! The great fear of British Servicemen in NW Europe after VE day was that they would be sent to the Far East. Thankfully, it all ended before most of them could go. Note to the mods- given that this thread is obviously now not a British vehicle enquiry you might wish to move it somewhere more relevant. This is the best of the pics which show the town, the others just didnt scan well at all. (They are not too good to start with : ) ! ) The building is the same as there appears to be one of the pointed tower tops/finials visible in the bottom left of the shot. The others are taken in front of the same damaged building and dont show much else than the first. Not even a unit sign anywhere in view. The last pic is an earlier one from his days serving as a gunner on armed merchantmen on the Atlantic/Russian convoys. He later went on to italy, again initially on a ship- I didnt realise the Navy were so short of gunners. Another pic in the album shows his mate on the 12pdr at Taranto and another on an oerlikon at Alex. Both on board the S.S Samdak. Edited October 18, 2008 by No Signals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Moved to MV Chatter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 It's sometimes difficult to separate the vehicles from the men who used them (and I'm not sure that we should be trying to !) Definitely Mechelen and definitely winter I would say, judging by the chimney smoke. That certainly looks to be St Rombouts Cathedral on the skyline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Being awkward, to make a change. Could it possibly be one of the Kew built Dodges? Cabs of English Dodges built at Kew looked similar to Bedfords Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Rimmer Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Although built in Canada the Dodge D15 and D60 are without doubt British vehicles,they were built for and mainly used by British units. The truck in Nick's photo is in fact a D15 which had been extended by a post war user,now in the process of being restored to original spec last I heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Ron the old guy who owns the yard where I keep my vehicles, loves the Dodge. He keeps telling me he had a Dodge truck when he was demobbed. he managed to get for £300, bear in mind a house didn't cost much more at the time, he raves about it the speed and the loads it carried, in the end he sold it to a haulage firm for £600 apparently this firm only used Dodges, I'll see if he can remember the name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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