WD Number Sequence

[PeterW]

Just looking at the list of contract numbers on the Draganfly site
https://draganfly.co.uk/wp-content/uplo ... etails.pdf
and noticed that for 1940 they are up in four million range - ie C4,191,560 to 4,553,326
but that in 1941 they have dropped to one million ie C1,034,001
yet in 1942 they are back at 4,589,426

I know there are lots of inconsistencies in the despatch books but, out of curiosity, does anyone have an explanation for the WD numbers jumping back & forth?

ps I think I need to get out more....

[Roger Gwynn]

Although I wrote that list I never really studied the tank numbers because all I had was the basic info, nothing much i could do with it. I think most of the information on tank numbers came from Ralph Hawkin's researches at the Imperial War Museum and the Orchard and Maddon book. Perhaps the clerk in charge discovered a run of unused numbers... I don't know.

[Jan.V]

From late 1939 until early 1942 the RASC and RAOC each used their own census number sequence. Your example C1034001 is RASC, and C4191560 is RAOC. From approximately C4600000 onwards both services shared the same sequence.