[Tony Wheeler]

Interesting about the odd carrier Lauren, maybe post some pics and someone may recognize it.

I don't quite follow you on a few points here:

1. "The stirrup steps I'm pretty certain are a UK thing"

The problem is we've only seen two RH stirrup steps on the entire planet. One of them is on a full cab FAT which was DEFINITELY built in India. The other is on a full cab FAT which was CONTRACTED for India, namely yours. There's just no getting around that kind of evidence - that RH stirrup step has "FORD INDIA" stamped all over it!

Likewise the battery box location - that's standard Indian Pattern FAT practice. They either moved the passenger seat forward, or dispensed with it completely on some versions. Once again, the only other CMP we've found with a battery box located like yours is a full cab FAT supplied to India.

2. "she would never have got to India (she was made at the point where the orders were getting diverted, and the suspicion is that's where the names of the channel islands on the cards come from)."

It seems to me we've placed rather too much emphasis on the late '45 diversion theory. This vehicle has been the subject of investigation for decades, but most discussion seems to revolve around the idea it was built in the UK, as suggested by the late Peter Ford: "Given what I now know, I'm strongly of the opinion that Brian's truck was a British Army assembly modified for their own purposes......One must assume that it was assembled in the UK, from parts, on Nov. 12th." In light of recent evidence however, including the contract cards, the photo above, and mounting evidence of Indian built vehicles in Australia, I believe we need to focus on the possibility it was built in India as contracted, and subsequently brought back with the British Army. I imagine they brought scores of vehicles back from India after WWII, invariably the newest ones. The question remains open, as Hanno wrote many years ago:

The following questions regarding the "F22" remain:

Where were these trucks built?

Fact is that Great Britain, Australia and India did receive a number of CKD (Complete Knock Down) kits. These were not complete vehicles built up in Canada and then disassembled to some extent to facilitate shipping, but kits of parts that were to be built in overseas factories with a high degree of local content. Thus, a number of local versions existed which might not all be listed in Canadian manuals.

Where and when were they used?


It's also worth noting that SM6389 is not a particularly late contract. A little earlier we have SM6337 with one recorded build date of 26 May 45, and somewhat later we have SM6537 with a build date of 4 Sep 45. Evidently this SM6389 chassis sat around for several months before being built on 12 Nov 45. That's not unusual, esp. for an export chassis. Here in Australia we see plenty of Nov 45 build dates, and we've seen build dates as late as 1947.

3. "She did go somewhere hot and dusty as she's got desert paint under the garage's yellow colour and on top of the SCC15. Maybe Palestine?"

I don't see why not Lauren - maybe direct from from Ford Bombay up the Suez with a British Army unit posted from India to Palestine? I imagine that would have made sense at the time, what with excess units in India and trouble brewing in Palestine. BTW what's SSC15?

4. "the chances of the garage owner getting mixed up and having procured two odd vehicles seem pretty remote."

I completely agree Lauren, but therein lies the problem! If both vehicles were SWB as we assume, and only one of them was an oddity, then the other one must have been F15A. The question then becomes - which body did the F15A have? By far the most likely answer is the GS body, which means your vehicle was the tanker.

I believe the chassis rails may hold the answer. If they're double skinned as Brian reported, and the auxiliary spring stops are riveted, it's hard to imagine it being anything but a Lorry 30cwt, 4x4, Water. However I don't think we should speculate before seeing the evidence. Can you post some pics of the chassis at some stage Lauren?

Cheers,
Tony