Wrecker equipment on Civil trucks

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Yes Battle of Britain do have most back issues but they are going fast! I have a copy of the issue in my shed which I must look out now.

I have just one photo of a post-war refurbished wrecker on CMP chassis..C60S I think. You are welcome to it..just let me know. There are also the official shots of Chevrolet wreckers that I have been lent as well.

We had an answer to the reason for the spare wheel behind the cab in a past thread as I requested clues as to telling the difference between the swb and lwb 3-tonners. I seem to recall that if the wheel could not fit in the cab it was mounted behind... the photo seems to be of the lwb chassis and most 158" chasiss I have seen have the wheel mounted behind the cab. I have a Xerox of IWM photo # KID 1402 of a similar # 12 Cab F60L with the same body as the photo you posted. We know of a survivor, assembled 14 August 1941. It would appear that the truck in the photo and that in the IWM photo were both Ford models EC018Q, Dagenham-assembled F60L to British Contract S/M 2019 / V.4288 [similar to later contract S/M 2037 although I also have another shot, KID 1987 of a similar body with Holmes crane on the F60S chassis to Canadian order, assembled in England as well]. My information has it that these had GAR WOOD 4D1 bodies but I know zilch about wreckers! Why the Canadian F60S was photographed for the WD I have no idea, and suggest that it was 'borrowed' for testing at Kidbrooke from the Canadians especially as it still has the 'CMD' assembly line code and not a WD-style Census Number that would have been applied if the truck had been taken on strength. The CMD number acted as a 'trade plate' it seems until the RCAOC allocated the WD-style Census Number ready for tge truck to be issued.

I also have a Xerox of an IWM photo of a 1940 Brirish [S/M 2004] contract Ford EC098T wrecker, 4 x 2 modified civilian pattern, with spare wheel behind the cab.