Surely helps understanding exactly WHY we sometimes see damaged chassis and broken springs, doesn't it! Poor old thing, dragging that house along, up and down all sorts of roads and gradients. Hope they kept the brakes in good shape.

Unfortunately, the driver and business owner, now has dementia, and can't even speak a word. Just lays there in a soft, pressure relieving, reclining chair. A glimpse of the aging process that awaits us all.

I want to photograph some of his other CMP moments of the past, when I get the chance. He also used a Chevrolet or dodge six wheeler for house removal. The chaps Wife did offer to try to get copies of the applicable images, but I declined. She is also very elderly, and it would be a big job for her, so I will take photos of the originals, which are part of his 'wall of life' display on the wall of his room.

Pictures like this are fascinating, what would interest me is what has been done to support the load, there is never photos of under the house.

Interesting to see the Dehavilland Mosquito in the background of the right hand photo of post 28.
These photos sure raise many intriguing questions.

David

Superstition
 

I like the horseshoe on the nearest vehicle. I suppose the staff wallahs turned a blind eye to this sort of thing as anything that soldiers thought would help them make it through the war was permissible.

Ebay pic
 

Here is a photo that was for sale on Epay a while ago

From the NZ National Archives...

Ref: DA-04682-F
A New Zealand military truck after crossing the Sangro River, Italy.
C H Lawrence (Auckland) and F Ross (Auckland) are on the front of the truck, with another man behind the wheel. A large stylised tiki, carved out of wood, is tied to the radiator grill. Photograph taken circa 29 nov 1943, by G Kaye.

I hate the B'stards who pluck these photos from public sources, and offer them for sale as if they were their own. Had a few unpublished ones stolen from my own website that I've found up for sale before.

:no4:

Pete M.

Ebay
 

Here,s another that was on Epay recently.

CMP Water Bowsers
 

Picked these up the other day, and thought folks might like to see them. My suspicion is that these are post war, based on the light colour scheme and absence of markings. Unusual to see so many water bowsers together, especially with the late model Thompson Bros. british water tanks fitted. Also what looks like a Bedford QL at the back of photo 3.

The third (and possibly seventh) truck along in photo 3 looks like it may have the earlier oval pattern british tank fitted?

Not sure of the location. The second truck in photo 3 has a registration plate fitted. I believe 'CD' used to be the registration code for Brighton, on Britain's south coast. But the letter/number format seems odd. Could they be trade plates?

They all show some text written on the windscreen, but I can't make it out. Could be my eyes, but it looks like the headlight glass is missing?

Wonder where all those water filters and hand pumps ended up?! :bang:

Owen.

Wonderful photos! I think that is a "trade plate" aka a dealers plate here. Looks like the south downs in the background so Sussex is probably right!
I suspect that they simply removed the blackout metal inserts from the headlamps, hence the slight gap being apparent?

There was a war surplus vehicle dealer at Brighton after the war and I seem to recollect from photos I have seen in the past that they refurbished trucks. I think the name was something like Premier Motors, but can't be sure. The Trade Plate is a Brighton issue. This could be a batch of vehicles prepared for the United Nations for aid in Europe.

Would that large stone pillar with the carved crest near the top at the road side help narrow down the actual location? Might be some form of marker which, judging by the weathering, had been there for a while.

David

David,
The pillar is what is known as the Patcham Pylon on the A23 London to Brighton road, just north of Brighton.
See here for details:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patcham_Pylon

regards, Richard

Thanks for that reference, Richard.

In the current photo on the Wiki site, the pylon in the old photo is clearly the one on the right side. Interesting ‘Then and Now’ with regards to how the trees in the background have all matured.

Cheers,

David

Could well be right Richard, the vehicle dealer you are thinking of could well have been part of the Premier Group which had 15 depots both in Britain and on the Continent selling both vehicles and parts.

The headquarters of the group was located in Hanworth Lane Chertsey Surrey and as can be seen from the photo of the inner page of the 1953 catalogue the list of vehicles is both comprehensive and impressive.

Pete

Attachment 103393 Attachment 103392

WW2 Trucks in Holland ~post war use -Vol.1

https://youtu.be/rfEPdNgKo_4

"1945 - 2015 ~ Seventy years of Freedom
Vol. 1 (black / white images)

Once the war has ended, the allied forces (US, Canadian and British) left thousands of vehicles behind. These vehicles, real strong work horses, came in handy and enabled businesses, institutions, organisations and governmental bodies to rebuild the wrecked economy."

Thanks for the link, Hanno. Lovely compilation. Some conversions are quite smartly done, but others...... :eek: No wonder a lot o coach builders went out of business afterwards :D

85 horses and a couple of elephants will get you through.
 

Bullens Circus was one of the best circuses in Australia and traveled Australia wide.

Attachment 110784

It looks like a bit of rough going for the F60L.(I say Ford because the radiator looks to have bevels to the sides.)

Regards Rick.

An interesting picture surfaced in Ebay, regretfully no info. The seller is Austrian.

Attachment 111976
https://i.postimg.cc/9Xn1jfSw/CMP-tower.jpg

Link: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Nr-32482-Fot...sAAOSwwfFeQal6

C60l
 

I'm going for Chevrolet - no roof hatch, bar across grille, round vents Fords had a shaped hole for the crank handle and Chevs had a larger round hole in the lower splash shield.

Berlin Airlift
 

Just spotted on Ebay, a CMP helping with the Berlin Airlift. Here's the link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1948-WWII...gAAOSwg8Fd5ub7

Chev or Ford? :confused

Two postwar CMPs
 

These were trawled from the Hungarian "Fortepan" archive.

1. Hungarian refugees, Austria 1956 :

Attachment 121055
https://i.postimg.cc/NMFDSTWj/Austri...pan-128564.jpg


2. The caption says just "Poland 1957":

Attachment 121056
https://i.postimg.cc/j51cb2bQ/Chevro...epan-62393.jpg

You can dowlnoad big size pictures from here:
https://fortepan.hu/hu/photos/?id=128564
https://fortepan.hu/hu/photos/?id=62393

Even in my country there are many CMPs working in rural areas.
It is a low cost truck and difficult to destroy.
Most lost their original engines in exchange for Diesel engines like the Perkins

Stylish Dutch CMP conversion

Attachment 126728

Anothers surviving examples

Used by a garage with crane on the back. Photo from my collection

Post-war, but still in service with the RAAF (note the front-Mounted exhaust on these C60X Refuellers):

"SABRE JET FIGHTERS PREPARE FOR TAKE-OFF AT THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE, WILLIAMTOWN, NEAR NEWCASTLE, NSW [PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE] / PHOTOGRAPHER, J FITZPATRICK. 1 PHOTOGRAPHIC NEGATIVE: B&W, ACETATE (1956)"

From National Archives of Australia, Image L19934.

In the 60's and 70's, a family company here in Buenos Aires, dedicated itself to buying vehicles at army auctions. They were surplus condition vehicles, but in good condition and with missing or small breaks. This family put them in running condition at the request of mining, forestry, agricultural and electrical supply companies.
Here are some photos of their work.
LAAT

C60L XL with two CCKW short cargo box welded . Two CMP Chassis welded too.

F15A Tipper