| Mike
Kelly pointed out that the rear body on
the Indian pattern FAT is not unlike (though not identical with) some wooden
GS type bodies. One example is the body as fitted to the International
K 1-ton 4x2 GS Van, produced by International Harvester company of Australia
Pty Ltd. More trucks with similar wooden bodies are shown below.
Note: the
images below are not copied but linked directly from the AUSTRALIAN
WAR MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPH DATABASE. They are provided for research purposes
only and may not be reproduced or published. |
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A 15-cwt 4x4
GS truck, very likely assembled and bodied in Australia by General Motors-Holden's
Ltd. Its wooden rear body is the GS body number 1, Australian.
Photo
source: AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPH DATABASE
"This image
is provided for research purposes only and may not be reproduced or published."
Negative Number: 054739. Caption: BULLDOG ROAD, NEW GUINEA. 1943-07-09.
TRACTOR OF THE COMMAND ROYAL ENGINEERS HITCHED TO BOGGED TRUCK AT THE 1
1/2 MILE POINT. Photographer: Warrant Officer Irving. |
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Another
15-cwt GS truck with the wooden GS body number 1, Australian. It was assembled
and bodied in Australia by General Motors-Holden's Ltd.
Photo
source: AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPH DATABASE
"This image
is provided for research purposes only and may not be reproduced or published."
Negative Number: 127822. Caption: AUSTRALIA. TRUCKS, 15-CWT. G.S. (AUSTRALIAN),
1. THREE-QUARTER FRONT VIEW, LEFT SIDE. |
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A
15-cwt Fire Tender truck with wooden body - again, assembled and bodied
in Australia by General Motors-Holden's Ltd.
(For a surviving
Fire Tender truck see Keith Webb's page on the Len
Watkins collection - third row on the right.)
Photo
source: AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPH DATABASE
"This image
is provided for research purposes only and may not be reproduced or published."
Negative Number: 127816. Caption: AUSTRALIA. TRUCKS, 15-CWT. FIRE TENDER
(AUSTRALIAN), WITH TRAILERS, 2-WH. FIRE PUMP 500 GALL/MM. THREE-QUARTER
REAR VIEW, RIGHT SIDE. |
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Mike
reasoned that vehicles like this "Indian Army Type" Ambulance, which was
actually built in Australia, suggest that there is a possibility the Indian
pattern FATs were not built in India but in Australia.
Photo
source: AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPH DATABASE
"This image
is provided for research purposes only and may not be reproduced or published."
Negative Number: 127834. Caption: AUSTRALIA. TRUCKS, AMBULANCE, INDIAN
ARMY TYPE, (AUSTRALIAN). THREE-QUARTER FRONT VIEW, RIGHT SIDE. |
On the subject
of wooden GS bodies, Mike Cecil
(of Australian
Military Equipment Profiles and Assistant Curator Military Technology
at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra) commented:
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"The wooden
bodies on the Australian vehicles are all standard Australian pattern GS
bodies, based on the British wooden bodies, but using Australian techniques
and materials. The wood bodies were built at GM-H at Woodville, South Australia,
GM-H at Fishermans Bend in Victoria, the Ford Special Body plant at Geelong
in Victoria, and other specialist body manufacturers. The same 15 cwt wood
body crops up on International and other truck manufacturers vehicles as
well. The MCP 4x2 and 4x4 15 cwts are both GS types. The 15 cwt "No."
body in Australian service was a demountable steel body. In the case of
the Ford Fire Tender, this was a purpose built wood/steel body built to
a Directorate of Mechanical Vehicles specification. I suspect that the
only similarity between the Indian and Australian wood bodies is the material
and some superficial external resemblance, and the fact that they are both
broadly based upon British doctrine and British designs, but the method
of construction and details of the metal fittings will reflect the local
manufacturing techniques and capabilities.
I don't have
an actual design for these bodies, but the same metal fittings can be found
on many pre-war commercial lorry bodies and on the larger 3 ton wood bodies." |
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"I strongly
suspect that what are described officially as "Indian Pattern" Ambulances
was a pre-war British ambulance design that they described as "Indian Pattern"
since it was originally built in India for Indian conditions. The Australian
Army simply used the basic design and manufactured a similar body here
in Australia, and described it in the same terms, i.e. "Indian Pattern",
but beyond the origins of the basic design, there is no other connection
to my knowledge.
I seriously
doubt that the Indian Pattern FATs were built in Australia when India had
the manufacturing capacity to undertake the task internally, and Australia
was already manufacturing the all-steel, fully enclosed no.'s 8 & 9
Arty tractor bodies. Certainly, in all the production information I have
for both Ford, Chev, and other specialist body manufacturers, together
with the Eastern Group Supply Council information for that period, I have
no reference to Australia producing bodies of any sort for India." |
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Links to CMP body pages:
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index ->
"Indian Pattern" FAT -> Australian
wooden bodies
Created
07 Jan 2000
Updated
16 May 2001
Copyright
© 2000 H.L.
Spoelstra - All Rights Reserved |
