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PU 8 CWT  PAGE

The MCC PU 8 cwt appears to have been developed around 1936 . From  the outside, the PU looks to be very similar to its beefier brother, the 15 cwt CS8. But , the PU is actually based on a much lighter chassis , it also has a 10" longer wheelbase and it is fitted with smaller wheels and axles.  The PU is altogether a more nimble vehicle than the CS8 , with a cruising speed of 50 mph .  As with the CS8 , the PU was fitted with the 25 HP 6 cyl engine of the Morris 25 saloon car , the engine was militarised to a degree e.g., a special military dust proof updraft carburettor with governor was fitted. The PU had wide section 9.00 - 13" balloon tyres  fitted - as the vehicle only had two wheel drive this was possibly an attempt to improve its off road performance in sand and mud .

The PU evolved over a five year period from the 1936 Mk1 version into the main production Mk2 model .  Early production vehicles had hub caps fitted and the rounded bonnet of the early MCC 15 cwt CS8 . The 8 cwt MCC PU seems to have been intended for use in the signals role from its beginning . Approx. half of the PU vehicles built were the FFW ( Fitted for Wireless) version , the FFW had elaborate fittings including a table and special fitments for the wireless accessories. A gearbox driven PTO generator for charging the wireless batteries was fitted to the FFW version . The No.1 wireless set was fitted up to 1938/39 when the No. 11 wireless set became available

The PU Morris-Commercial was produced in two Mk's from 1936 to 1941 and research done in UK archives reveals that approx. 11,500 were built. The MCC PU served in the early campaigns of WW2 including in Nth Africa where it performed admirably . During the BEF retreat from France in 1940 approx. 40,000 vehicles were abandoned and many were subsequently used by the Germans . Some MCC PU's were salvaged and rebodied by the Germans.

The 8 cwt 4X2 PU concept was taken up by other British companies - Humber and Fordson during 1939/40 . The Humber PU was based on the Snipe saloon chassis while the Fordson WOC1 was based on the 1939/40 Ford light commercial chassis . These vehicles featured the same rear body of the MCC PU and many were fitted out as wireless trucks. A Humber Snipe PU survives in NZ and a few more in the UK . A Fordson WOC1 survivor is known of in the UK .

Because of a need to rationalise the many different makes and sizes of the British army's vehicles , the MCC PU along with other makes in the 8 cwt class ceased production in 1941. The MCC PU shared some components with its bigger brother the 15 cwt CS8 - the engine , gearbox, steering box autovac petrol pump and smaller parts like instuments etc.

During 1940/41 a small batch of the MCC PU 8/4 4X4 vehicles were built . Approx. 1000 may have been built in total . These vehicles used the same Side Valve engine of the 4X2 but the cam profile was modified to give an extra 15 BHP .  Only two known complete examples of the MCC PU 4x4 model are known to exist , one in the UK and one in the U.S.A.

Surviving examples of the MCC PU model are rather scarce to say the least , most of them seem to be located in the UK and France where some were converted into garage breakdown trucks after WW2.  A few examples have been located in Australia .   Australian army units posted to the Middle East were issued with vehicles of British origin and among them were MCC products . Contemporary photos (Australian War Memorial neg No. PO2037.020 ) show PU's being used by the 6th Aust. division in Palestine circa 1940 . The returning AIF units came home with their British origin vehicles snugly tucked away in the cargo holds of their ships. A AWM photo ( AWM negative No. 064534 ) shows a PU Morris being disassembled for parts in a ordnance park in Tolga QLD in 1944 . Another MCC PU was seen in daily use by a grocery store in Melbourne's SE suburbs in the early 1950's .