Canadian Ferret surfaces in NJ

[rob love]

While your vehicle does have a serial number, the British assigned it a registration number before it was sold to Canada. Canada wrote that as the serial number when it assigned a Canadian Army Number (CAR). That number later became the Canadian Forces Registration number when the Canadian Army, Navy, and Airforce unified in the late 60s.

The Canadian number of 54-82559 has some meaning. The 54 is the year it was accepted into Canadian service, and the 80,000 was a block of numbers saved for armoured vehicles. The ferrets ran from 82500 to 82623.

Your number 82559 would have been on license plates when the Cdn forces began using their own plates instead of provincial plates.

If you go to the ramtank page ( http://ramtank.ca/ferret.htm ) you will see photos of many of Canada's ferrets.

[Ed Storey]

The serial number for your Ferret 54-82559 is 36BA33, it was disposed of in September 1982.

[Paul Salaterski]

Hey Robin,

My apologies for not responding sooner. Glad to hear from you! Please tell me if you find anything on yours. I'm crossing my fingers, but PLEASE be gentle as I've recommended previously with removing the paint. The stamp is barely visible with the naked eye once the paint is removed at least on four of my latches, but they are there for sure.

Wayne,
No aluminum data plate inside the vehicle, just the welded tag with hull number and date. 464 . B . 8 . 4 ..

Rob L.,
Thank you. Now I understand! That explains a great deal to me. I'm going to visit that link you left for me as soon as I'm finished typing this.

Ed,
Thank you for that info. Every bit is really helping me out. Do you think there might be any other records of release or disposal to be found from 1982?

I've contacted Bovington Tank Museum in the past with regards to this Ferret, but they were unable to assist due to my not having the registration number for it. Unfortunately, the hull number and date on tag was really of no assistance to them. Now that I have the registration number, what are the chances of them having a previous photo of it? I REALLY want to know
so much more about it. I'll post some more info in a bit. Have to get back to work. Thanks again and best regards to all of you, Paul

[Paul Salaterski]

By the way, Robin had previously mentioned that this Ferret was in a well known paint scheme. Which paint scheme is it? Does anyone have a photo of the paint scheme as it would have appeared on a Ferret? Thanks!

[rob love]

I think I posted the Ferret paint scheme about a decade or so back, so I have it in my file cabinets at home somewhere. The Canadian ferrets were painted in a pattern of black/flat green/light off white in the late 60s/early 70s, and changed to the more standard black/flat green and Canadian olive drab.

Alternatively, depending on the time period you want to rep[resent, it can be in the British semi-gloss Green, or after repaint, the Canadian semi-gloss green (much darker than the US semi-gloss green and without the brown tint).

I suspect the CFR number stamped on the bins was to prevent swapping between vehicles. The bins were subject to damage, and the armoured corps was always big on presentation. Especially that long bin over the side escape hatch.

[Paul Salaterski]

Hey Rob,

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction with the paint scheme. I'll try looking for a few photos on the net. Your thoughts concerning the CFR's on the bins was something I had never thought of. Excellent!
I did spend some more time looking for numbers last night. I decided to change things up a bit and spent some time on the interior. What caught my eye this time was the small metal tag with the hull # and date. My interior was painted white at some point, so I have an extra coat of paint that helps hide things. I noticed that there was what appeared to be another digit on the tag above the date so I pulled my knife out and started scratching away at the top layer of paint. What I found was three additional numerals above the date. I believe that it might be 8 26. I'll post a couple photos. Has anyone any idea as to the meaning of these? I'm having a little issue reading the first digit, so I'm not exactly sure whether it's an eight as of yet.
IMG_3717.JPG
IMG_3711.jpg

[Robin Craig]

Paul,

I am on a course this week and the book work is heavy and I haven't been able to investigate mine as yet. Will be next week until I am done.

[Colin Macgregor Stevens]

The hull dataplate on Paul Salaterski's Ferret, which is the first thing I look for in a Ferret, reads 464.B.8.4 as shown in his photos.
This decodes as Ferret Hull number 464, Build date 8th month (AUG) 1954.
That vehicle was assigned British registration number 37 BA 38
AND
Australian Registration Number (ARN) 115178
I had record this Ferret when it was owned and for sale by Al Barto in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA.

Available records show that Canadian and Australian Ferrets are intermingled serial numbers
e.g.

Hull 417 was Canadian CAR 54-82604 (ex-36 BA 91)
Hull 418 was Australian ARN 115152 (ex-36 BA 92)
and
Hull 460 was Canadian CAR 54-82623 (ex-37 BA 34) (Canada's last Ferret apparently)
Hull 461 was Australian ARN 115180 (ex-37 BA 35).

The traces of white paint suggest that it was once painted white for United Nations service. Australia has provided military and police personnel to 62 United Nations and other multilateral peace and security operations since 1947. Thus, white paint does not mean that it had to be in Canadian UN service.
https://www.dfat.gov.au/internationa...0since%201947.

No CAR/CFR number was found except for a "possible" last 5 digits on bin latches. Why and how it has a possible Canadian identify 54-82559 (i.e. 82559 stamped on bin lids, is a mystery. I suspect that the 82559 is a part number.

Its hull number is out of the sequence for Canadian Ferrets.

I have a photo of a Mk. 2 Ferret in Canadian markings in Cyprus with UNFICYP, painted green. Officially we never bought any Mk. 2 Ferrets but I suspect that this was a loaner while a Canadian Mk. I was in the British shops in Cyprus being repaired and possibly being upgraded a bit.

Canada is known to buy used +/or surplus military equipment (submarines ex-UK, F-18 fighter jets (ex-Australia) and two used Airbus A330 passenger jets (from a global leasing firm). However I am not aware of any ex-Aussie Ferrets coming to Canada for use by the Canadian Army or Canadian Armed Forces, though some might have come here by private owners. Some ex-Aussie Ferrets have however may have ended up with surplus dealers in the USA.

As I tell every collector of historic military vehicles, the history of your vehicle is in the markings under layers of paint. e.g. Painted markings, decals and markings stamped into the metal (e.g. CAR number). If a vehicle is sandblasted or Redi-stripped for example, all painted markings and decals are removed. Here are photos of the Ferret that I used to own, 54-82598, that had original paint. The previous owner had uncovered the CAR number. I uncovered many more markings and even a STUDENT DRIVER plate that had slipped doiwn between a bin and the hull. https://captainstevens.com/military/...-car/54-82598/
Once the paint and markings are removed, it is like reformatting your computer without first making a back-up.

I recommend that the owner (Paul) contact the Australian Ferret owners to see if they Aussies made modifications to their Ferrets similar to those made by Canada. As well, I suggest contcating the Australian War Memorial to see if records survive for this Ferret. Also, search AWM's photo archives and Aussie armoured units web sites for photos of Ferrets in Australian service and to see about mofifications and ideally to find photos of Ferret 115178.

Colin MacGregor Stevens, Richmond, BC, CANADA

Originally Posted by Paul Salaterski

Hey Rob,

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction with the paint scheme. I'll try looking for a few photos on the net. Your thoughts concerning the CFR's on the bins was something I had never thought of. Excellent!
I did spend some more time looking for numbers last night. I decided to change things up a bit and spent some time on the interior. What caught my eye this time was the small metal tag with the hull # and date. My interior was painted white at some point, so I have an extra coat of paint that helps hide things. I noticed that there was what appeared to be another digit on the tag above the date so I pulled my knife out and started scratching away at the top layer of paint. What I found was three additional numerals above the date. I believe that it might be 8 26. I'll post a couple photos. Has anyone any idea as to the meaning of these? I'm having a little issue reading the first digit, so I'm not exactly sure whether it's an eight as of yet.
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