Canadian contract jeeps (was: CDLV 505 Jeep Serial numbers...)

[Eric B]

Hello

I have found no orders or instructions to moving the blackout headlights and bridge plates to the opposite side from where they were placed when assembled. I have seen various photos with one or the other missing or on the opposite side. Generally these photos were taken once the vehicle had left Britain.

War Department number do not generally coincide with the Jeep contract.

When the CDN Contract jeeps were assembled in Britain they were assigned CMD numbers. These were then changed to War Department numbers once the vehicle was assigned permanantly to a Unit.

The British allotted batches of their War Depatment numbers to be assigned to the Canadian Vehicles, therefore you will not see a British and Canadian vehicle with the same number unless it is the same vehicle.

The 116XXXX numbers are generally the earlier contracts, but i have seen 505 and 242 jeeps assigned numbers after a GPW, which we would have bought used in 1943 and later.

Some vehicles were also renumbered for an unknown reason. There is a case of a 116xxxx number being renumbered to a 423xxxx.

RCN and RCAF were also assigned vehicles from the Army and some of these were renumber to their own service's numbering systems but some still kept the original WD number.

We also received and traded jeeps with the British, which explains why some of the CDN Vehicles have no C in front of them.

I have never seen the odd headlight before. Any chance of seeing a copy of the rest of the photo?

Thanks

Eric