F15A project

[chris vickery]

Bill, I am sure someone will chime in with measurements, unfortunately you are on your own with this one. There is no "kit" available that i am aware of, it will either be re-using an existing hatch ring if available or a custom fabrication.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Bill

If you post your location, the collective wisdom may be able to direct you or your brother towards another collector's completed restoration nearer to the workshop. Using the forum as a go-between may not be the most satisfactory way of getting some information.

As the fellows will tell you, there are few NOS parts for WWII CMPs in Canada. There are commercial equivalents, but the majority of the parts were shipped forward to support the war effort. Ironically, places like the Netherlands and Norway have better CMP resources than where they were built.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bill

You are not the first person to need a new hatch as the removal of this source of roof leaks was a common post war modification.

Your also not the first person to ask for details to figure out just what it is they are looking for, so here is a link to a page on my CMP web page showing some details of the hatch as seen on 1945 HUP.

http://canadianmilitarypattern.com/H...f%20Detail.htm

Cheers Phil

[Bill Alexander]

Thanks all for the information. Sounds like it may have to be a fabrication.
Follow up question. These were an open hatch, eg with no hinged steel hatch cover, only a canvas one?
Hi Terry, It's my Dad that is doing the restoration. I am his "digital techi", he doesn't do computers. Unfortunately, we live 350 k apart. I will ask him about getting in touch with others.

[cletrac (RIP)]

The canvas hatch was used in North Africa on the Cab11 and Cab 12 trucks.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi David

I think a clearer statement could be made, canvas hatch covers were used in North Africa on some Patter 11 and 12.

I've reviewed many of the photos of North Africa that have been posted over the years on MLU and I can not find a sample, I do distinctly remember having seen a photo of improvised hatches with a canvas cover. Did find picture of a New Zealand Convoy with a Dodge in the foreground that appears to have a canvas hatch cover.

There most definite are examples of square hatches with the sun compass mounted on the roof, see below. There were a butch of color photos with Tan or Sand CMPs but non of them seem to have canvas hatches, though some canvas tops.

Did a quick search of the Australian War Memorial Archives search phrase North Africa, Truck, conflict WWII, which yields many photos in those that I looked at that clearly showed trucks with cabs the majority seemed to be solid tops with no hatch at all. But there are also a large number were the cab tops have been completely removed.

Interesting pictures to look through. Try a browse through http://www.awm.gov.au/search/collections/?mode=advanced

Like this one


Searching the Imperial War Museum yields similar results in looking at the first 20 pages not surprisingly most of the photos showing CMP or Canadian Vehicles have been posted on MLU at one time or another.


But back to Bills original question concerning the Round Hatch on Pattern 13, does any body know when that was introduced?

Bill I am also looking for my notes on the detail of round hatch unit and when I find them will try and post them. Likewise with pattern for the canvas cover that I have as a cad drawing but have never been able to figure out how to post.

Cheers Phil

[cletrac (RIP)]

Here's a Google Life picture from the western desert.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

I think a clearer statement could be made, canvas hatch covers were used in North Africa on some Patter 11 and 12.

I've reviewed many of the photos of North Africa that have been posted over the years on MLU and I can not find a sample, I do distinctly remember having seen a photo of improvised hatches with a canvas cover.

That would be the thread Canvas-covered square roof hatch. These were retrofitted in North Africa, any sort of closed cab truck could be subjected to the treatment, including Cab 11 and Cab 12 CMPs which did not have a factory-fitted hatch.

But back to Bills original question concerning the Round Hatch on Pattern 13, does any body know when that was introduced?

The round hatch was a 1944/1945 production feature, the square one was fitted to most Cab 13's, but not all - what is hardly known is that the "cab with hatched roof was optional on all models"

HTH,
Hanno


Source: Interesting pic of CMP