one for David Hayward?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

This is from Brian, the Tech Historian at the REME Museum:

What an extremely interesting document you have discovered! I had not come across that info before. Most of the workshops listed are known but some of th commercial establishments were clearly under contract to the MoS. The one bit of info we have all been looking for for years is the code list for MoS repair units which all had a numerical code which was stamped on vehicle data plates during a major overhaul. Those done in REME workshops usually used the abbreviated workshop title which is no problem but the MoS numbers remain a mystery. They were still using the system long after the War when very few MoS workshops remained.

As regards the Ford V8 I would be almost certain that this refers to 23 Heavy Workshop at Wetter, Germany. This began life as a semi mobile Advanced Base Workshop, one of four sent to France late in 1944. It changed location a few times but soon after the German surrender it moved into the Demag crane works at Wetter, Ruhr, which had been making half tracks and other military material and had been severely flooded after the Dam raids. The Unit Title changed to 23 Heavy Workshop and later back to Base Workshop. It disbanded in the early 1990s. The 'C' in the abbreviation may mean company as for a short time there was a system of branding workshops as workshop companies. That has returned in more recent times with the REME resources in a division now called REME battalions divided up into support companies.

In 1952 BAOR was so huge it needed the base repair support of several workshops, No 4 at Bad Oeynhausen, 22 at Hamburg, 23 at Wetter and Rhine Workshop at Moenchen Gladbach. The former two had disappeared by the mid 1950s but the latter two existed till the end of BAOR.

So, your assumption was correct, and I have learned a heck of a lot more than before!