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

[bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca]

Nice item, Colin! And good indeed to Dennis for searching-down such info.

Dan Gallacher
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>
To: <bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca>
Cc: <seaforth72@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 11:21 AM
Subject: RE: [Bcma-l] Insignia & Markings for Canadian Army Vehicle


>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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