A mighty Morris indeed: Versatile CD Series left behind proud service record in England
Morris Commercial fitted a more powerful 60-hp engine in their trucks to be known as the Model ‘CD’ Series and entered service with the British Army in 1935.
Having defeated Germany in the Great War and following in the wake of the Treaty of Versailles, the Allies took advantage of the opportunity of peace and reduced the size of their regular armies. Britain, for example, reduced the strength of its regular army year every year throughout the 1920s and 1930s so that by 1937 its manpower level stood at 192,000.
Behind this was the Committee on National Expenditure, headed by Sir Eric Geddes, who in 1922 implemented swinging cuts in a move known as the “Gedde’s Axe”. This led to 22 infantry battalions being disbanded, along with eight regiments of cavalry. There was also a reduction in the country’s defense budget with the army receiving a mere £2 million ($2.7 million U.S.) allowance for weapons and vehicles between 1923 and 1932. The Great Depression of 1929-1939, hit global economies hard which, in turn, affected the amount of money available for defense budgets. Even before the financial disaster, Britain’s spending for the Army to acquire weapons and vehicles amounted to a mere £2 million in 1923 and a budget for developing tanks at just £357,000 by 1932. Gradually, though, things improved with new weapons, such as the 3-inch mortar, being introduced along with new vehicles.
During the 1920s in France one particular vehicle design developed by Renault began to attract attention. The 6x4 drive layout caught the interest of the British War Office. As it turned out, the Morris Commercial Cars company, founded in 1924 by William Morris, who had earlier founded Morris Motors Limited, based at Cowley in Oxford, had a similar design on its drawing board. This was the Model D, examples of which entered service with the Royal Air Force from 1926 as ambulances and other roles. The War Office issued a list of requirements to be included in a new design for artillery tractors, including good off-road capability, a fitted winch, a capacity load of 1.5 long tons, 6x4 drive and the ability to carry a gun crew and a supply of ammunition on board.
Leading on from the success of the Model D, Morris Commercial began developing the Model C range of 6x4s beginning in 1933. At first the C was only used by civilian operators, but as is often the case with successful developments, the military showed an interest. In 1934 a series of trials were conducted which concluded with a contract being placed. Morris Commercial fitted a more powerful 60-hp engine and the first examples of the new trucks to be known as Model ‘CD’ Series entered service with the British Army in 1935.
These were used in the role of artillery tractors, known as prime movers, for towing the 18-Pounder field gun and 4.5-inch howitzer, both weighing 1.3 long tons. Both weapons had been in service since before the First World War. These would later be replaced by modern designs, such as the 25-Pounder field gun, and were towed by the new vehicles starting in 1939. With the introduction of the CD series, the British Army had a replacement for the aging Vickers Dragon tracked prime mover, which had entered service in the mid-1920s.
From time of development in 1933 until 1944, when production of the CD series was halted, a range of variants were developed and produced as an off-shoot from the basic CD design. The CD version had normal control and those types fitted out as having forward control labeled CDF. The letter “C” identified the model as being a Morris Commercial design. The initial “D” referred to drive being through double rear axle and the “S” meant six-cylinder engine. Finally, the “W” identified those vehicles fitted with a 4-ton pull capacity mid-mounted winch. For example, the CDFW meant forward control with winch. The CDSW version was “normal control” fitted with a winch and was most commonly used in the role of recovery vehicle with a 1-ton lift crane boom mounted on the rear.
Although the CD was designed by Morris Commercial, actual production of the series was undertaken by the Austin Motor Company and Wolsley Motors Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morris Commercial, with both factories located in Birmingham. Together they would turn out a total of 12,686 all examples of the CD series — 6,686 and 6,000, respectively. When in civilian use the Model C had been fitted with a 25-hp engine, but for military service it used a 60-hp Morris six-cyinder. The CD Series proved reliable in all variants and all roles in which they served, from artillery tractor to command vehicle. They were often fitted with radios, for controlling gun batteries. It was in service with the British Expeditionary Force during the British Army’s withdrawal from Dunkirk in 1940 that many were lost or abandoned. A large number of these were later recovered by the German Army and pressed into service. Photographs from the time confirm they were used as ambulances and supply transport vehicles.
The design proved versatile and with variants being configured to roles such as reconnaissance or converted to radio and communications signals versions with rigid, box-like bodies. The basic design served throughout the war as a prime mover for 25-Pounder field guns, serving alongside the Morris Commercial “Quad” during battles such as El Alamein and Monte Cassino. A number were adapted to tow the 40mm Bofors light anti-aircraft gun. The CDSW recovery variant became recognizable with its rear-mounted crane boom with a 1.5-ton lift capacity. Most variants of the CD Series served in all theaters of operations during the war, including the Italian campaign from 1943 to 1945, Normandy and the Middle East where it was used by Indian and Australian units. In the Far East units of the 14th Army used CD Series vehicles during campaigns such as Burma and the Arakan.
When the more powerful Morris Commercial C8 field artillery tractor, known as the “Quad”, entered service, it did not fully replace the CD series. Production was halted in 1944, but those in service continued in the roles they were already filling.
Built on a girder frame chassis, the CD trucks were reliable and rugged and could operate in all but the worst possible conditions. Tear drive wheels could be fitted with chains to create a caterpillar track, converting the vehicle into a temporary half-track mode. These chains were carried in the stowage racks and helped improve traction in either sandy, icy or muddy conditions. The CD Series retained good handling properties in even the most uneven terrain, making them popular with drivers.
The driver’s cab was open to the sides with only roll-back canvas screen doors offering any protection. The windscreen could be folded down if required. A canvas tilt cover could be erected over the rear space area to shelter the six-passenger crew. A cargo load of up to 24 rounds of 25-Pounder ammunition could be carried in cases ready to use. Additional ammunition was carried in the towed limber to which was attached the field gun. A similar compliment was available when the vehicle was in use with the 40mm Bofors light anti-aircraft gun.
Examples of the CD Series continued in service after the war, with some providing service during the Korean War and the early period of the Malayan Emergency between 1948 and 1960. The remaining fleet was gradually disposed of, mainly to civilian users who modified them by removing the superstructure and converting them to roles such as delivery vehicles. The CDSW recovery variants tended to survive better because of their rear-mounted crane boom, which allowed them to operate as breakdown recovery vehicles. When they were no longer of useful service they were mostly sold off to scrap merchants for disposal. When this happened some of luckier vehicles received a latae reprieve and were rescued by vehicle enthusiasts.
Even with the best efforts of military vehicle enthusiasts, today it is believed that perhaps fewer than 12 exist either in private ownership or museums. The Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Museum in Lyneham, Wiltshire, holds a very fine example which is on permanent display, but does not have any identifying unit badges. Another is held by the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London and is badged as serving with the 2nd Infantry Division which served in the Far East.
Another example is owned by the National Transport Museum at Howth in the Republic of Ireland which was actually the last of a fleet of 19 CDSWs purchased in 1939. The Republic of Ireland was neutral during the war, but maintained a small army for self-defense. These vehicles served with the Field Artillery Regiment as prime movers from 1940 with the example on display being taken out of service in 1968.
With so few surviving numbers it means that outside of seeing one in a museum, the chances of spotting a CDSW or variant are very remote. They are among the rarest wheeled soft-skin vehicles left over from World War II.
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