Ferret CFR List

[rob love]

Interesting that we used the British registration number as the serial number rather than the actual hull serial numbers.

I note there are a few gaps in the CFRs. 4 are missing from the 57X range.

[Scott Bentley]

Originally Posted by rob love

Interesting that we used the British registration number as the serial number rather than the actual hull serial numbers.

I note there are a few gaps in the CFRs. 4 are missing from the 57X range.

I went back and checked to see if there were any other Serial Numbers, but those are all that are listed. I'd imagine they would have only been painted on the vehicle..? I wonder if there is a UK source that would have the Serial Number to Registration Number cross reference?

I missed those other CFR's. According to EDR, there were 118, but i'd imagine if any were BER'd prior to the 70's, they wouldn't have been listed.

Scotty

[Jim Gilmore]

Very interesting!

I have to see where I put the photos of my "Fieldmouse" Mk -1 and check the Reg number....My Ferret is stored 600 miles away so I can't just go out and look.....

It does have a large circle with three sections painted on it that says "Combined Arms School" or "Combat Arms School" (can't remember which).

The British Reg numbers such as 35BA57 would have been stamped on a large data plate on the right side of the hull just below the top of the side armor..on the inside.

It appears that the Canadians removed these plates as all the CDN Mk-1's I have seen just have a small plate of steel with numbers/letters stamped in.

Where was the serial number stamped on the CDN Ferret?

Jim Gilmore

Jim Thorpe, PA

[Jim Gilmore]

On second thought.....

Why would CDN Ferrets have British Reg. numbers?

Were they bought directly or did they come from the British MOD?

Seems that if they were bought by Canada on a direct contract from the Mfg. they would not have had British Reg numbers.....

If they were gotten through the MOD then perhaps Bovington would have the histories on them as it did on my Saladin.....


Jim Gilmore

Jim Thorpe, PA.

[rob love]

They did have British registration numbers apparently. On the website "Ferret Heaven" it listed all the contracts for ferret production showing both hull and registration numbers. It seems the earliest production ferrets were primarily export sales to Australia and Canada.

Somewhere I have seen a photo of a Cdn ferret with the Brit registration number on it, but I can't locate it right now. Or they may have shown a photo of a brit ferret in the article. If I can find it, the registration listings given by Scotty would confirm if it's Cdn.

I am not so sure ours had those large aluminum plates in them. I do not see any marks from where the studs would have been welded into the hull to mount it. I believe we only had the small plates with the serial numbers on them, in roughly the same location as the big plates should have been.

Hard to say why the gaps are in the CFRs listed. I passed a full listing of all the 123 Cdn ferrets and their final dispositions to Colin Stevens in BC. He has them listed on his website.

[Robin Craig]

What does the heading "HUIC" refer to on your first list?

As the current owner of two Canadian Ferrets I am very interested to figure out their real CFR etc etc.

One of the two may be for sale and you should contact me via a PM or via email (best option).

I am about to start rubbing the markings down and revealing what I find.

One of mine appears to be an exception that proves the rule.

Because the UK military registration is traceable, when I eventually get around to doing that we may become enlightened a bit more.

Now where is my Makita cordless day stretcher?

R

[Jim Gilmore]

In doing a bit of research on the Brit/CDN numbers it appears to be that the these "Canadian" Ferrets were delivered to the British Army on WD Contract 4/FV/4267 in 1951. They were given British Army registration numbers when delivered.

Then about 1954 they were transferred to the Canadian Army and given CDN numbers starting with 54-xxxxx.

I have always thought my ex-CDN Fieldmouse Mk-1 was a 1954 model year Ferret.

This is because I was told that CDN reg. numbers start with the year of the vehicle.

It now appears that it is instead, a 1951 built vehicle.

It also appears that the first numbers in a CDN Reg. number is the year the vehicle was accepted by the CDN Army and not always the year the vehicle was built.

It looks like the CDN Army received these vehicles second hand (used) from the WD.

Can anyone confirm this?

Jim Gilmore

Jim Thorpe, PA