Morris Portee pic

[Mike Kelly]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/88572252@N06/36177432302

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C356131

Early October 1941 - Brothers-in-arms, Australian Army, 19 Brigade, 2/1 Anti-Tank Regiment gun team with 2 pound 'portee' A/T gun on the road to Haifa, during the move to Ras Baalbek Camp, Syria (now Lebanon)
Photograph - 1941

An unidentified officer waits in the driver's seat of a very dirty Salvation Army Red Shield vehicle outside the Red Shield 'Hop In'. The Red Shield sign is prominently displayed on the door of the building, it reads 'Hop In, You're Welcome' and depicts a kangaroo.

[rupert condick]

Hi Mike
I found these pictures,
one pu my error but i am not an expert on these

what was the number on your Pu?
it looked like 99
regs
Rupert

[Mike Kelly]

The number located on the bonnet is 0 36?0 very faded but readable, that PU was found up at Winton .

I got onto another Morris PU in N.S.W. up past Deniliquin, , a stripped cab/chassis , I paid the guy , told him it would be a long while before I could pick it up but some time later he resold it ! I was at the local newsagents looking through a vintage car magazine and in the adverts was my PU Morris at Deniliquin for sale again

I am guessing: maybe less than twenty made it to Australia. Colin A had a spare chassis..... which was scrapped sadly .

BTW those pics are all 15cwt CS8 except for the kiwi PU

[rupert condick]

hi Mike
I came across somthing about the 0 prefix,
not in the AWM records, I will have to do some digging.

Can the O be the PNG prefix? then that would be in the PNG allocation of numbers, I have 8 as the MD no. and NG? as the letter.
if you are very lucky you may find the original WD no. painted on the bonnet or on the under side of the bonnet.
I clean the ambos off with soap and scotchbrite, and a uv lamp to help but the light was poor.
I did not realise that Australian Army Number would be painted above the WD no.
But it was unlikely it had one.


regs
rupert

[Mike Kelly]

The bonnets were sometimes swapped around during workshop maintenance. The mechanics often didn't care about reg. numbers

The Morris and other British makes usually have a small brass contract plate fixed onto the dash panel. The contract cards will give you the W.D. reg. Numbers range allocated to each contract. I have a CS8 fitted with a bonnet that is displaying a W.D. Z prefix number , unfortunately that number doesn't fit into the range of WD numbers allocated to that particular CS8 contract, in this case the bonnet has been swapped

Not sure about PNG numbers ?

The O prefix reg. system was probably peculiar to Palestine only.

The PU I found at Winton has this contract nr., on the brass dash plate. Thanks to Rory Ballard for locating the card.

[rupert condick]

Hi Mike
cheers for the info I did a long reply but thats got lost?

C for Ceylon.

Bonnet was probably swapped here or post war,

wd no.s came with the Army Book so had to match the chassis and engine no.(frame/eng.no m/cs)
ROC ones destroyed.
Austin trucks(not Ambulances) are in the main in sequence, as are Norton m/cs,
BSA a bit mixed.

I have picture of two Austin Ambulance with the AMF no. 1207004,both in NSW, one ambulance has is a 1 MD.sticker.

in roc records there are two Austin Amblances with the same WD no.
one had the chassis no altered to match the bonnet no.
so it happens.

3 AACC had AUSTIN 1 and AUSTIN 2, for two of its Austin Ambulances.

regs
Rupert



regs
rupert