Canadian 2 1/2 ton 1950s

[Robin Craig]

Does anyone recognise this truck and does anyone know where it might be now?

[Peter Phillips]

I thought I'd seen that one on Hwy 36 heading South of St Paul, AB. Unfortunately that was over a year ago and I only seen it once. Does that make sense?

[Robin Craig]

I have no idea where it was in your fair Province but it was listed on Kijiji around that time.

I was hoping that someone on the forum might have bought it or know where it might be. The vehicle has certain features that interest me if they are preserved.

[super dave]

Originally Posted by Robin Craig

I have no idea where it was in your fair Province but it was listed on Kijiji around that time.

I was hoping that someone on the forum might have bought it or know where it might be. The vehicle has certain features that interest me if they are preserved.

What Features are you referring to ??

[Robin Craig]

I deeply suspect that this may have been ne of the trucks loaned to the Brits at BATUS and as such holds an interest in acquiring.

The paint scheme and call sign on the door to my untrained eye looks non Canadian.

Can anyone comment?

[Ed Storey]

The vehicle is ex-BATUS which alone would make it unique.

[Dave D.]

Originally Posted by Robin Craig

Does anyone recognise this truck and does anyone know where it might be now?

I was lucky enough to have a BATUS looking M135 slide into the herd. That colour scheme would keep the texting drivers from running into it.

There must be more of these out there. Surely they all didn't see the crusher yet.

[jdmcm]

Curious passenger side mirror on that truck as well as the paint job...sure looks like the BATUS markings, my FV432 had a very similar scheme we found under the green re-spray

[Robin Craig]

I have always been attracted to vehicles that are the exception to the norm.

The M135 vehicles used by the British at BATUS are such an animal.

While I yearn for one myself the reality of being a few provinces to the right makes ownership of one a remote possibility at the moment. In fact I might end up owning a Bedford MJ before i get one of these.

There are a few other vehicles currently or formerly in Alberta or nearby that I have tried to secure but alas without success.

Who knows what twists of fate may come to pass and who knows I may get one in the end.

[Robin Craig]

Rather like whale watching and the recognition of them, the paint scheme random patterns may lead someone to identify the British military registration number.

I am showing a picture I was sent a while ago that I should follow up on. It will be interesting to see what the official records say this vehicle was.

[chrisgrove]

Hi guys

Not a great pic, but this is another genuine BATUS M135CDN in which I covered just a few miles (in those days) on the great Alberta prairie. This was taken during either the first (probably) or the second British battle group to carry out training there waaaaay back. You can see the MoD number plate (22FL04) - these were just painted - no embossing. I assume, though I cannot swear to it, that all those GMCs were registered in the same FL series. It was so early in the BATUS saga that this truck (they all were) was still in its original - presumably Canadian - shade of green. No sand patches back then. This was actually the safety officers' admin truck.

Chris

[jdmcm]

Wow great collection Dave!

[super dave]

He just likes the bragging rights

[Dave D.]

Originally Posted by jdmcm

Wow great collection Dave!

Thanks jdmcm, I'd like more so when we get visitors, they can try em' out.

Don't want to step on Robin's thread too much....or until I take that drive up highway 36 and find that truck for him....meanwhile, here's Superdave "Tuning up the truck". This is how you tune up the trucks.....right?'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU-Y6D6bxEM

[jdmcm]

Yes apologies to Robin for the sidetrack....what a great video! And if you really want more I have 5 of them I might consider parting with as I thin out the herd in anticipation of a spring move....sorry Robin no BATUS trucks among them!

[Ed Storey]

Here is a BATUS 101-Inch Forward Control Land Rover with a FL Series licence plate.

65-22 68FL15 101-Inch Forward Control.jpg

[David Herbert]

For those not familiar with the 1950s series of British army registrations, the letters were assigned in alphabetical order but with some codes reserved or not used. So BC is later than BB and EA is later than both. It is possible that FL was reserved for BATUS but I suspect not. The letter pairs did not refer to particular dates but most followed on from each other so do actualy help to date vehicles. Within each letter pair vehicles were allocated numbers in blocks at the time of purchase contract. A block of numbers could start at 00XX01 and end anywhere, so there might well be a completely different vehicle type starting at say 02XX01 (leaving 200 possible vehicles in the first block) and the next block could start at 42XX01 (leaving 4000 possible vehicles in the second block). The blocks were almost always bigger than the actual number of vehicles delivered but also it was possible for identical vehicles to be registered in more than one letter pair - for example FV434 REME fitters vehicles with ED and FA registrations.

So the Land Rover 101 is over 4600 registrations later than the 2 1/2 ton trucks and there could be all sorts of other things in between (and also gaps)

While on the subject, letter pairs starting with X, Y or Z were for renumbered vehicles that had had WW2 style registrations and the RAF had letter pairs starting with A.

Once a vehicle received a registration of this style it kept it for life, regardless of conversions etc. So Humber Pigs kept the registration of the 1ton trucks that they were converted from for example.

In the 1970s it got much more complicated...

David