C8AX Tac Sign

[Ausmick]

Richard,

Something that you said made me have another look at the cowls where the lettering and numbers were. I don't think, with the size of the white numbering/letters that were on their, that the RN number could have been written 68022RN, as on the smaller C8AX cowl it doesn't look like the room was available. Maybe the next best thing was the RN under the number, but more practical was what has happened with the RN above it?

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Ausmick

Maybe the next best thing was the RN under the number, but more practical was what has happened with the RN above it?

Mick,

That would make sense. Looking at the other vehicles brought over from UK on the website photos, they all have 5 figure numbers, so it does fit in. Just how it got there is the mystery.

[Mike K]

The other C8AX with the RN marking is owned by VMVC member Len Schutt

Bart V. mentioned the RN using C8Ax's in Sydney in his article in an early Wheels & Tracks artricle

Mike K

PS I have a C8AX body here ..cut into 4 sections ..only good for a pattern..free to anyone ..

[Ken Hughes]

Fred tells me that NZ sold about 9 C8AXs to australia after the war.
Also that the Kiwis were at a base in Aus for a while and left all their vehicles behind?
A fair bit of pilfering went on during the war by all our lot and it was nothing to pinch
a vehicle and redo the numbers etc overnight!( Canadian jeep)
Look at the Kiwi converted sliding roof hatch Keith found on a F or C 60L some years ago
I have seen the NZ numbering system ranging from nz19..... nz22....nz23....nz24......etc.
there was some talk a while back that those numbers 19 thru to 24 or so pertained to areas
of registration like Wellington,Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin etc,but we still dont really know.Perhaps Geoff Plowman would have some insight into this?.

[Ausmick]

Ken,

I see in your post you talk about the NZ numbering system may have been based on areas of registration linked to different towns. Tony in his post above #18, supplied a link for a list of C8AX trucks. My C8AX is on here as number 518.

I noticed some of the trucks built had two different formats for their date of being built. The early dates are a format as such 5 - 3 - 43 and about May started like 5 May 43.

Out of all the May built trucks, my truck is the only one on this list built 5 - 5 - 43 where as all the rest in May are 5-May-43. My truck and the numbered one 622, are the only two above a number of 339 that have dates set out like this.

My question is, do you know if these trucks were assembled at a different plant and if so, in what town? IS that why there is two different date formats?

[Ausmick]

Received this from the AWM today -

The C8AX, known in New Zealand as a 'Puddle Jumper' was the GS version of the Cab 13 C8A operated by Canada and the United Kingdom. The type was not operated by the Australian Army. The registration is a Royal Navy registration, applied to the vehicle following transfer to them from the New Zealand Army in the period of the build up of UK forces in Australia and NZ in preparation for the invasion of Japan in 1945. The UK acquired a number of vehicles from both Australia and New Zealand to supplement those they were accumulating in Australia by importation from the UK. When the invasion of Japan was called off due to the A-bomb and the end of hostilities, the vehicles were disposed of to the local market.

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Ausmick

Ken,

I see in your post you talk about the NZ numbering system may have been based on areas of registration linked to different towns. Tony in his post above #18, supplied a link for a list of C8AX trucks. My C8AX is on here as number 518.

I noticed some of the trucks built had two different formats for their date of being built. The early dates are a format as such 5 - 3 - 43 and about May started like 5 May 43.

Out of all the May built trucks, my truck is the only one on this list built 5 - 5 - 43 where as all the rest in May are 5-May-43. My truck and the numbered one 622, are the only two above a number of 339 that have dates set out like this.

My question is, do you know if these trucks were assembled at a different plant and if so, in what town? IS that why there is two different date formats?

No, that's a typo that has crept into constantly reproducing and updating the list. Go back through the earlier posts and you'll see that many of the other May vehicles have pics of their plates stamped as 5-5-43, while some are 5 May 43.

GM NZ was the only plant assembling XH8448 C8AX trucks, this plant was in the Lower Hutt suburb of Petone. Once assembled by GM NZ, they were handed over and distributed to the various military districts. Ken's suggestion is that each Military District was responsible for the initial registration of the vehicles, and therefore the allocation of the NZ number. There were 3 MDs, Northern, Central, and Southern.

[Ausmick]

Rob,

Here’s a picture of the pintle hook and frame. The tip of the hook is a little past the end of the chassis but this would indicate a GS tray? I have seen a picture of an C8AX ambulance now and the pintle hook was further out from the chassis as indicated.