New to me C60L's

[Tony Wheeler]

Check out this one Ken - does the 7775 on the front shell reflect your 4004 placement?

Sea of Japan, 1950-09-28. Members of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), sit and stand on top of military trucks on the deck of the United States troopship Aiken Victory which is transporting the battalion from Kure in Japan to Pusan and the war in Korea.


P01813.874.jpg

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

Check out this one Ken - does the 7775 on the front shell reflect your 4004 placement?

Sea of Japan, 1950-09-28. Members of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), sit and stand on top of military trucks on the deck of the United States troopship Aiken Victory which is transporting the battalion from Kure in Japan to Pusan and the war in Korea.


Attachment 69350

Good day,
I gave my Indian C60L a wipe over the rubbed back ARN today with my leather work glove, the rough glove seemed to shift the little bits of paint that have flaked since I polished it a couple of years ago.

In really good sunshine and with the angle I was looking at it the original registration number stood out very clearly, it is 501004. No photo as I had to look across the paint to read it. The Indian registration is on twice including on the original paint. There is no vertical arrow prefix, nor is there room for one on the second level of paint. I can't see the beginning of the first original registration, some of the Korean War pictures I have seen in the 6 digit series don't have the arrow.

I am searching the 4500 BCOF photos on the AWM site, no useful registration numbers yet. I have done the AWM Korean war ones and the closest I can get are registration numbers 497775, 497749, 497740, 497592, 483785, 463833. I am confident that my truck was in the Indian Army, as my numbers are the same style as the photos on the AWM.
If anyone spots a 5***** registration number on a Indian vehicle I would be interested in seeing it.

Cheers Ken

[Ken Smith]

I just found a photo of a wrecked BCOF, Chevrolet CMP based bus with the Indian Army registration; vertical arrow small 50 large 2733, so 502733.

The photo is one of several showing the bus, sadly the Australian soldier driving the bus died.

The photo number 147301 is on the AWM site. I don't know how to do links.

Ken

[Keith Webb]

Here it is for you.

[Ken Smith]

Thanks Keith, that was very good of you to put the picture on.

Now to work out how these Indian trucks got to Japan. In my research I have discovered that the Indian Army was part of the BCOF for a couple of years.
Were the trucks delivered straight to Japan or did they go to India first? Some of course then went from Japan to Korea in 1950 with the Australian Army ,which we have photographic evidence of, from the AWM.
It would appear that the trucks were left in Japan after the Indian Army departed Japan in 1947/48.
Gifted, sold to the Australian Government?

Ken

[Ken Smith]

I bought this spare tyre carrier yesterday. I am hoping it is the correct Canadian carrier for a 20 inch tyre on my Indian C60L.

This is all I have. I searched for a picture of what goes on the opposite end to the little ramp to stop the tyre rolling off.

Would someone have a picture of the opposite side?

One picture I saw shows brackets that lift the carrier up above the chassis, similar to Australian brackets but with pressed in strengthening dimples.Canadian spare tyre carrier.JPG

Canadian spare tyre carrier 2.JPG

Ken

[Ken Smith]

I bought this to save it and it was reasonably priced, then worked out that it was the remains of a Derrick. Chassis number is 38443S01368 there are no plates on the dash.

I am assuming the truck is RAAF as I have searched the AWM records yesterday and today and this chassis number is not there, as far as I can tell. The closest I can find is 38443001355 ARN 143412.

In civilian life the truck was used as a log skidder. The chassis is perfect and seems to have been reasonably well looked after. There is no engine or gearbox or lots of other things including the Derrick, I think I will never get to fix it, but it is nice to have.

Many years ago Ken Hughes RIP loaded some parts on to my truck, at his Caboolture block, with a perfect one of these. I was impressed at how well it worked and how well he worked it.

Ken

C60L Derrick 38443S01368 (5).JPG C60L Derrick 38443S01368 (4).JPG C60L Derrick 38443S01368 (3).JPG C60L Derrick 38443S01368 (2).JPG

[aj.lec]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I bought this spare tyre carrier yesterday. I am hoping it is the correct Canadian carrier for a 20 inch tyre on my Indian C60L.

This is all I have. I searched for a picture of what goes on the opposite end to the little ramp to stop the tyre rolling off.

Would someone have a picture of the opposite side?

One picture I saw shows brackets that lift the carrier up above the chassis, similar to Australian brackets but with pressed in strengthening dimples.Attachment 110048

Attachment 110049

Ken

Pretty sure there were two or three different types . 1 sided clam and double sided clam type. The one I have has a back and wheel dimple

[Tony Wheeler]

Hi Ken, I've just caught up with your posts from 5 years ago! Congrats on finally detecting the Indian Army registration number. I checked my BCOF and BCFK photos for similar numbers but only found the same ones you did already. They're mostly in the 497xxx range and are all Canadian built vehicles, ie. steel bodied. This is unusual for Indian Army vehicles which normally had local pattern bodies like Australia, except they never progressed from timber to steel. I found an IWM photo of what looks like 501303 in Sumatra with the usual late production Indian Pattern timber body. I believe your 501004 was identical originally and remained so until disposal in 1956, with a standard Australian spare wheel carrier / toolbox unit fitted in service. These were fitted to Canadian built C60L too, as in the photo below.


P01813.614 Canadian built C60L 3RAR Korea circa Oct 1950.JPG


The_Allied_Occupation_of_Sumatra_SE7515.jpg

[Ken Smith]

Tony, that Sumatra photo is good, I have never seen it before. I blew it up as far as possible and it definitely looks like 501303.
I did start checking Indian Army pictures again last night coincidently.

[Tony Wheeler]

I reckon this one might be worth ordering a high res copy from AWM. I know it's a longshot but it could be your truck.

HOBJ0344 Japan c January 1950 BCOF.JPG