Singapore April 1941

[Mike K]

Great pics and of particular interest to me are the GS Vans pictured . I have the remains of two 1940 chevy utes .

It's so easy to get confused as the AIF had on issue both 15 cwt and 1 ton variants ..outwardly, they appear pretty much identical but there are differences .

The 15 cwt Van is built on what Nth. Americans call a 113" 1/2 ton pickup chassis, whereas the 1 tonner is built on the 123" chassis .

The 15 cwt version has: 2 tilt hoops , sits on modified 16" car type rims ( widened to take 7.50 -16 tyres ) , has running boards that extend all the way to the rear guards .

The 1 Tonner has: 3 tilt hoops, sits on unique 17" split rims and the running boards stop just at the cab rear corner.

The vehicle which shows the bike is actually 1 Ton GS Van

Both of my wrecks somehow escaped military service , possibly they were sold to essential civvy users ? farmers maybe . The GMH data plates show Jan. 1940 assembly . The cab body numbers are only 2 apart ! They were both painted in GMH Port Red . One survived with its GMH wooden framed ute tub, but its mostly gone . Both have the CFA logo on the doors ..possible clue ! One came from Maryborough near Ballarat, the other near Colac . The Chevy is a long term project that will likely never be done as I've two Morris Commercials waiting in line and I spend my time playing with a lathe and a milling machine ..if we only had 40 hour long days

Mike