Mike,
From post #6(my bolding):
"Mr. Dedman said that in 1945 the Commonwealth Disposals Commission sold to the Ford Motor Company 470 unassembled chassis, less front axle assemblies, for resale to the Royal N.E.I. Army.
The Royal N.E.I, Army arranged to purchase through the American authorities sufficient Marmon Her-rington conversion kits to complete the assembly of the chassis.
The Ford Motor Company in turn arranged [to] produce the completed trucks.
The Commission's responsibility in this matter ceased with the disposal of the 479 incomplete unassembled chassis'."
The Australian Army was working on a Tractor, Artillery (Aust) No.10, based on a Ford 1942 'jailbar' with a MH all wheel drive kit, but the requirement was shelved after the prototype was completed or near completion. There was also the purchase of Ford chassis for 4x2 lorries that were no longer required due to (1) the changing operational situation and (2) the move away from Modified Conventional vehicles to more rugged military pattern vehicles, which resulted in an 'over-supply' of MC types, hence the 'stock' of 470 un-used chassis.
Mike
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