'SM', 'S.M.' or 'S/M' and what it means!

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I know that Supply Mechanical contracts were officially 'Demands'. I would suspect that 'S.' ones were from the Ministry of Supply and may also have been 'Demands'.

The series of S/M contracts (I can't call them Demands) seems to have run in series as we discussed previously:

S/M 1001 and up (e.g. Staghounds so armoured?)
S/M 2002 and up.. I have no evidence that there was a 2001 actually placed
S/M 3001 and up (possibly trailers and spare parts?)
S/M 4001 and up ??
S/M 5001 and up ??
S/M 6001 and up (overflow from 2xxx series I think)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

I know that Supply Mechanical contracts were officially 'Demands'. I would suspect that 'S.' ones were from the Ministry of Supply and may also have been 'Demands'.

My F15A was built under contract "CD 1513"; I have been told "CD" stood for "Contract Demand"?

H.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Isn't that FULLY C.D.L.V., which stood for Contract Demand Land Vehicles?

To confuse the Ministry of Supply placed Demands overseas for CMPs under the S/M 2XXX series and then the actual contracts for assembly at Dagenham, and probably also other plants, had a 'V.XXXX' series one allocated. This was the domestic series. No doubt rebuilds had the same subsequently.

[rewdco]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

Isn't that FULLY C.D.L.V., which stood for Contract Demand Land Vehicles?

To confuse the Ministry of Supply placed Demands overseas for CMPs under the S/M 2XXX series and then the actual contracts for assembly at Dagenham, and probably also other plants, had a 'V.XXXX' series one allocated. This was the domestic series. No doubt rebuilds had the same subsequently.

Dave,

Indeed, we had a similar case in this thread: http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ghlight=ec018q
But correct me if I'm wrong: I did find the S/M 2019 reference in the Chilwell list (census numbers L773980 onwards), but couldn't find the domestic V4288...

Regards,
Jan

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I never cease to be amazed at a) how I forget about previous threads and b) how some 'ferrets' seem to be able to find them and drag them up! Thanks for that one, Sir!

The answer lies in the case of Fords in the 1942 Dagenham Ford civvy and military guide booklet which had details of models (and drawings) plus details in some cases of both Demands and Contracts. I just wish I had a GM Ltd version!

This is my complete list:
S/M 2004 EC098TFS (3-ton 158" w.b. 4 x 2 ) assembled under Contract 294/V/4214
S/M 2019 EC108Q assembled under Contract 294/V/4288
S/M 2020 EC011QF assembled under Contract [294/]V/4513
S/M 2030 EC011DF assembled under Contract 294/V/4699
S/M 2037 EC018Q assembled under Contract 294/VS/4784
S/M 2046 EC098UFS (3-ton Tipping) assembled under Contract [294/]V/4596
S/M 2048 EC196TFS for Canadian Forestry Corps (3 ton 176" w.b.) assembled under Contract 294/V/4629

[rewdco]

David,

I've been studying the contract plates for a while and have "discovered" this:

At the beginning of the war, these contract plates were made of brass. They contained the following information: contract number (starting with the previously mentioned T or C or V prefixes) and spare parts catalogue reference number.

From somewhere around 1943, the contract plates were made of sheet steel, and from more or less the same date onwards, the contract number was preceded by an additional prefix "294/contract number". At least for the motorcycle contracts, there was also a number 23 in this prefix: "294/23/contract number". I know from contemporary documents that this 294/23 prefix has been in use since the start of the war. But does anybody know what it stands for?

Regards,
Jan

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I am conjecting at the moment that the War Office then Ministry of Supply had written Volumes with different contract types, If that was the case, perhaps '243' was the Volume or series for vehicles, or wheeled vehicles, then the next was a sub-series, followed by a sequential number which started probably post-Great War...it seems that by the early 1930s they had got to V.2400 or so, and they just added as each contract was let? I know that the 'V.' series ran into the 5000s, but whether the 'T.' and 'S.' series used the same numbers I have no definitive proof but the evidence that I have suggests that they were a seperate series.