The Military Registration Number

One of the most common questions today is “How do I find out the military history of my vehicle?” Many people assume that the military records survive and may be consulted. Sadly this is the exception rather than the norm.

Militaries all over the world assign their own "fleet" numbers to military vehicles. This simplifies lists and helps to reduce errors and aids in managing the fleet. Thus in the Canadian Forces, two vehicles with Vehicle Identification Numbers (makers' serial numbers) of 001 or 123AB456CD78911111Q might look like 87-12345 and 87-12346.

If it is a British vehicle, the original military number often survives on the licence plate or data plate as well as being painted on the vehicle. Luckily, one can often obtain the history from the UK (Bovington for armoured vehicles) . For ex-US and ex-Canadian vehicles however, the paperwork recording the history is almost always discarded or destroyed when the vehicle is sold surplus. Ironically for aircraft it is preserved! 

In WWII, Canada used the DND (Department of National Defence) number in Canada (e.g. 42-1-1234 or 61.261 on the system introduced about the beginning of 1943) and overseas in Newfoundland. Overseas in the UK and Europe the Canadian Army usually used the British War Department (WD) number e.g. CM4242313.

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) used the DND number system in Canada (In 20,000 or 30,000 blocks e.g. 30.123) and occasionally overseas as shown in at least photo of an RCAF HUP overseas, although they usually used the RAF system overseas e.g. RCAF 12345 or RAF 12345.

In the 1950s, the Canadian Army started using the Canadian Army Registration Number (CAR) e.g. 52-30934.

These military numbers were usually painted onto the vehicles. In WWII the Canadian Army usually painted the DND number on the doors, over the rear wheel wells and sometimes on the centre of the windshield. On other vehicles, they were placed where space permitted.

This was usually in 2” high white numbers. Overseas, the DND number was usually painted in white letters and numbers that were 3-1/2 to 4” high on the doors, or hood and often on the rear of the vehicle. 

On motorcycles the number was usually on the gas tank. 

CANADIAN ARMY REGISTRATION NUMBER (CAR)

In the early 1950s, the Canadian Army started using the Canadian Army Registration (CAR) Number on newly acquired vehicles. The earliest date seen by me is 1951. The number consisted of the year the vehicle was taken into service, and then 5 more numbers, initially logically grouped as shown below. The CAR was later renamed the Canadian Forces Registration Number (CFR) after unification in the late 1960s. 

The first two digits are the last two digits of the year the vehicle came into service followed by a dash or a dot (if painted). When stamped, the number "1" was usually stamped at a sloped / angle or horizontally. In the 1950s, the vehicles were assigned numbers in blocks by type.

30,000 range = 1/4 ton jeeps e.g. 52-30934

40,000 range = 3/4 ton trucks

50,000 range = 2-1/2 ton trucks

70,000 range = trailers e.g. 53-70216

81,000 range = Centurion tanks e.g 52-81104

82,500 range = Ferret scout cars e.g. 54-82500

Post-WWII the military number was usually on the doors, under the doors in the case of jeeps and rarely on the sides of the hood due to the snorkel cut out in the right side of the M38 and M38CDN hood.  The Queen's Own Rifles [QOR] however tended to continue to paint it on the hood). In more recent times (c.1970s onwards), the numbers are sometimes put on with stick-on numbers on the vehicle (sometimes on the dash of M38A1 CDN 2 & CDN 3 jeeps) and/or the last 5 digits of the CFR are put on the DND/CANADA licence plate with stick-on numbers. Some units painted the last couple of digits of the CAR on the spare tire, obviously to discourage theft.

The good news is that in the 1950s, the Canadian Army STAMPED the CAR number into the frame of most of their vehicles, so even if your vehicle has been sandblasted or dipped you can still find the CAR number! It is usually stamped in about 1/4" high numbers on the top of the left frame rail, between the front bumper and the radiator grille (e.g. on jeeps, 3/4 tons and 2-1/2 tons). 

CAUTION: Some units simply switched licence plates or possibly even data plates when they wanted to keep good vehicles and would thus send the "clunkers." Your stamped number in the frame may not match the painted on CAR. This will usually be an error by a previous owner who did not know the original CAR (or wanted it to represent a particular vehicle such as the one he/she drove) or it MAY be an old army switch. You want to determine if the painted markings are original or put on by a restorer. 

Post-WWII the RCAF painted the number on the sides of the vehicle, and on jeeps, high on the sides of the hood. The RCAF sometimes added an RCAF crest decal on truck doors or sides. Post-war the Canadian Army sometimes added a crossed swords army crest, and then later used a Mobile Command diamond shaped crest, then later still, a Canadian Armed Forces crest. This was dropped in the early 1970s for vehicles that were camouflaged. 

The military registration number also appears on the surplus sale paperwork, although owners usually discard this document after the vehicle is registered.

Once you have found this military registration number, then you can try to find photographs and records for this vehicle. The ideal is if you also know the unit and formation signs. This narrows the search.

I have been collecting lists of Canadian and British military registration numbers and am sometimes able to tell owners what unit(s) their vehicle was assigned to.  have a 1944 list of over 6 million British WWII War Department numbers, which includes those issued to Canadian Army for soft-skin vehicles.  I also have a virtually complete list of CFR numbers from c.1992 for BC, Alberta and Manitoba. Included are 5/4 Tons, CJ-7 and other vehicles then in service.

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