Harley WLCs - location in Canada?

[Rob Cassin]

Hi all, I think this is in Canada Does anyone know the location?
Thanks, Rob.

[Bob Carriere]

....and I am sure it is not Saskatchewan.

[Wayne Hingley]

Rob; this looks a lot like the landscape around the eastern slopes of the Rockies (Alberta). It looks so familiar, I had to check a number of places I thought it could be, but I haven't found a match... yet. Are there any markings on the back of the photo that might give a hint?

One place I double checked was Vermillion Lakes (near Banff, AB), but the hill in the background is different.

[Bob Carriere]

Wayne you may have hit the target...... if the angle of your Vermilllion lake picture was shifted to the right....... or move the position of the camera down the road closer to the head of the lake....... a lot of very similar features between the two pictures........ the icefield/gravel slide leading into the lake may now have been covered with vegetation.............

[Wayne Hingley]

How about this...? There is potentially a slight trace of a slide chute in the proper location.

The trees are definitely a lot larger now, as I believe this area was completely burnt about 100+ years ago (the railway started a huge fire in the area, I think).

[Bob Carriere]

Too many similarities.......has to be Vermillion Lake.

Snow in the mountain of the original ...changes in vegetation but the right mountain.

[Rob Cassin]

Thanks for the feedback. I got this from the Antique motorcycle site. One of the gents says it is Canadian Military convoy to Banff , Alberta in 1944.
Rob.

[Wayne Hingley]

Rob: the last photo you posted is in the same area (Canmore & Banff, Alberta).

[David Dunlop]

In the initial photo, it’s possible that jeep is a slat grilled MB and the writing along the lower windscreen looks similar to whatever is written across the canvas of the WLC windscreen in the front left position of the group.

In the early 40’s, when the Atlantic convoys were not doing so well, Canada had a top secret project in Banff National Park at a lake up in the Jasper area. They were working out how to build cargo ships out of ice. They successfully built a prototype but by the time it was all sorted out the tide turned in the Allies favour in the Atlantic and the project was abandoned.

About 5 years ago, I think, researchers stumbled across the project documents in Ottawa and a documentary showed up on TV about it. They found the ships engines and/or ice making equipment at the bottom of the lake where the project was worked on.

Maybe all those MP’s in the photo were connected to that project in some way?

David

[Wayne Hingley]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

In the initial photo, it’s possible that jeep is a slat grilled MB and the writing along the lower windscreen looks similar to whatever is written across the canvas of the WLC windscreen in the front left position of the group.

I think they all read “Military Police”.

[Rob Cassin]

David, that is a cool story. Anyone know the name of the documentary? or have a link? Thanks, Rob

[Colin Alford]

Rob,

I watched a documentary on this subject (likely the same one as David) a few years ago but I do not recall the title or which network it was on.

Look up "Project Habakkuk" for more info from various sources.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Habakkuk

Colin

[Dan Martel]

I can't add anything to the location or the types of vehicles, but the sedan has the formation sign of an artillery regiment. A white serial '42' on a blue-red rectangle indicates the senior field regiment in an infantry division. The serial 'Z' identifies the CO's vehicle. There were only two infantry divisions on the west coast during the war.

Cheers,
Dan.

[rob love]

The DND number on the door is interesting. It has the post-42/43 type numbering system, but what is unusual is the letter (appears to be an N or an H) in front of the numbers.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Dan Martel

I can't add anything to the location or the types of vehicles, but the sedan has the formation sign of an artillery regiment. A white serial '42' on a blue-red rectangle indicates the senior field regiment in an infantry division. The serial 'Z' identifies the CO's vehicle. There were only two infantry divisions on the west coast during the war.

Cheers,
Dan.

Dan, you say that this is an artillery regiment of an infantry division and that there were two of them on the west coast (I think the 6th and the 8th). I know overseas divisions had a similar unit signs for positions within them (ie. 55 on red was the senior regiment in the senior brigade of an infantry division so indicated RCR for the 1st Div., Royal Regiment of Canada for the 2nd and the Royal Winnipeg Rifles for the 3rd.). But was the overseas markings duplicated in the home defence 6th, 7th and 8th Divisions? I though their structure was a little different.