WD Numbers, CAR, CFR

[rob love]

Originally posted by servicepub
Same thing. Census number is the more accurate term.
Canadians, forming the 1st Canadian Division (and later 1st Canadian Infantry Division) were part of 7 (Br) Corps - although this formatioh was commanded by a Canadian , Lt-Gen AGL McNaughton. As a component of the British Army, and one whose MT was exclusively of British supply, all vehicles conformed to the British census regime. At an early point the prefix "C" was added.
This numbering schene was limited to the CA(O).
In Canada, the census style yy-n-nnnn (year/number) was maintained. The yy represented the year of acquisition of the vehicle while the n-nnnn represented the sequential number of the vehicle acquired that year.i.e., 38-1-243 represents the 1,243rd vehicle obtained in 1938. I aminformed that this changed in 1942 but I am unsure of this. Postwar it appears that the CAR was yy-nnnnnn where yy is the year of acquisition and nnnnnn is a sequential number - but not related to the number of vehicles acquired in any given year, i.e, a deuce-and-a-half would show 52-537829. When the CFR licence plates came into effect, the same 2 1/2 ton would display a licence showing the 537829 only.

Clive
You've missed one batch of numbers. The early war numbers (ie 41-1-1085) started in the 30s and ended as you mentioned in 42. In 43 the vehicles were re-numbered to a different system; the vehicle noted above changed to 52-XXXX (numbers not legible). These number types continued until the more familiar CFR type (CAR ) numbers were adopted postwar.
re the 52-XXXX number, the first two digits did not represent the year, but may have been a regional designator. I have not really noticed a pattern to the numbers. It definately is not the year as the truck it came off was sold off in 46. There are also many of these numbers beginning with prefixes like 68-030 ( a UCmk1), or 56-749 (another UCmk1), and I've noted some in the 80s.

The early number style (41-1-1085) seems to have been assigned by areas. While researching my truck at the Shilo Artillery museum, I noted that sequential numbers (ie 41-1-1083, 1078) were assigned to substantially different vehicles like a 3 ton and a staff car.

CFRs (or CAR numbers back then) were initially assigned in blocks to the SMP fleet, and over the years, as the CFRs get used up, they will skip the blocks still in use. They are now assigned sequentially as vehicles are obtained, but for major purchases blocks of numbers will be reserved. Also, I believe the first 10000 numbers are reserved for overseas vehicles, as I've only noted these low numbers on things like DND owned landrovers or other one off locall procured vehicles.

I'm not sure when the CFR/CAR numbers came to being. I seem to recall an old fire truck we had in Portage la Prairie having a 48-XXXXX prefix.

Peter Ford's old info-ex was a good source for comparing many of these numbers, and the cutoff date for the early to late wartime registration numbers could be clearly seen.