[Bcma-l] Insignia & Markings for Canadian Army Vehicle

[bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca]

I have extensive research material and knowledge on Canadian military
vehicle markings and I would be happy to help your museum. I also drove
an M37CDN Dodge truck in the army.

Here is a page on my personal web site dealing with Canadian military
vehicle markings - World War II in this case. This is only a tiny
fraction of the material that I have available and my reference files go
right up to the 1980s.  
http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net/markings_on_military_vehicles.htm 

I do have an image of the North West Highway System (NWHS) yellow shield
and photographs of some vehicles used on the NWHS. 

Your truck should have original markings under the old paint and I can
help you by telling you where to look, how to uncover them, and how to
decipher them. If you sandblast the truck without uncovering the
markings, you are erasing its history - like formatting your computer
hard drive without making a back-up. Even if your truck was not used on
the NWHS, it is important to record any of its history because this is
the only chance to do so as the army destroys its records. 

Luckily the markings on military vehicles are usually repeated left and
right sides and the front markings are usually repeated on the rear. Be
careful as vehicles were transferred and there are likely several sets
of different markings. Last weekend I was sanding by hand on my little
Ferret armoured scout car and I found many markings, including 3
versions of one crest. Yes, my arms are still aching! 

Every army vehicle is assigned a military control number e.g. 54-41234 -
called a Canadian Army Registration (CAR, later renamed CFR) number at
the time your vehicle was made in the early 1950s. The manufacturer's
serial number (VIN) rarely appears on military paperwork as they used
their CAR for tracking purposes.  The CAR was usually painted on both
doors in white paint, about 2-1/2" high and later was sometimes painted
on the dash inside (or stick-on numbers were sometimes used). The door
markings were painted over when the army changed to camouflage pattern
painting about 1970. Fortunately in the 1950s, the Canadian Army usually
stamped the CAR number into the top of the left frame rail on jeeps and
trucks - between the front bumper and the grille. This is usually
painted over, but shows up when you scrape down to bare metal. You
should do this because even if a number is painted on the side of the
vehicle, it may not be correct (as I discovered for the Lincoln and
Welland Regimental Museum on an M38CDN jeep they had acquired from the
Canadian War Museum.) 

It is sad that many museums and collectors will spend thousands of
dollars restoring a military vehicle and then put incorrect markings on
them, so I am delighted that you are asking.  

6th Field Engineers have a museum in North Vancouver at the Armoury. Guy
Black is presently their Curator. 

Colin MacGregor Stevens,
seaforth72@gmail.com

Manager,
New Westminster Museum and Archives,
302 Royal Avenue,
New Westminster, BC, 
V3L 1H7
 
Phone Office: 604-527-4639
Fax:     604-527-4641
E-mail: cstevens@newwestcity.ca 
Web Site: www.newwestminster.ca 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
[mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca] 
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 5:17 PM
To: bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
Subject: [Bcma-l] Insignia & Markings for Canadian Army Vehicle

Bulkley Valley Museum is looking for details and information about 
insignia & markings for an M-37 3/4 ton Dodge truck belonging to the 
Canadian army's 6th Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, Northwest Highway

Maintenance Establishment (NWH MAINT ESTB) which was used on the Alaska 
Highway.

If anyone can supply information on the insignia & markings used on this

type of truck, in particular the hood patch/decal, please let us know.

Thank you.

Dennis Gelean,
Trustee, BV Museum

email: bvmuseum@nucleus.com

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