Quote:
Originally posted by Richard Farrant
Rich,
This system started around 1930, from No. 1, in fact No.1 to 5208 was allocated to Impressed Vehicles of various makes and types, next was M5209 to 5230 Austin 2 seater car, 4x2. It is by pure coincidence that the first two digits on the example you mention, are around the year of manufacture. There appeared to be batches of numbers not used and 399999, prefixed L, because it was a Thornycroft, was the last five figure serial starting with 3. 40000 to 46000 was a group not taken up. Then C46001 to C47551 was for Impressed m/cycles of various makes.
Your example C39**** to C41****, is I assume, six figure numbers? If so they were used with various makes of vehicles and m/cycles, inc. BSA Royal Enfield, Norton, Morris Comm., Scammell, Ford, Guy, etc.
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Richard, Thanks for your thoughts on this. Do you have a copy of the Chilwell Census booklet ?
I have now come across my source for having this idea of a link to "year in service" - Peter Hodges and Michael D. Taylor's "British Military Markings 1939 - 1945" -
"The numbers followed a sequence which had started with 1 in 1920, and were allocated by the RASC Stores Depot. During the 1930s, a scheme was instituted where the first two numbers indicated the year of entry into service but this does not seem to have survived for long. No doubt it was given up in the enormous wartime expansion."
The numbers that are of particular interest to me are seven digit numbers (I asume it went to seven after they reached C399999 ?) Norton contract C.5109 (W1000 - W6999) used C3932709 to C3934708 and then jumped to C4101401, finishing at C4105400. If I could establish whether the "C39" sequence ran up to the end of 1939 then it would give me a better idea of when my machine went into service (although not, perhaps the production date).
Rich.
11-07-07, 00:37
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