DOG POUND, Alta. — If there is an abandoned jeep parked behind the barn, collectors Stewart and Donna Geekie want to know about it.
“It seems like a shame to see them sitting out in fields rusting away. They are just such a unique part of our history,” said Donna, who would like to save every one she finds no matter what its condition.
Added Stewart : “You are always looking along in the back of the trees. It is part of the fun to find them.”
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Jeeps were built mostly during the Second World War, and many ended up as farm vehicles. However, many are in poor shape and require lots of work.
The Geekies have been researching and restoring military and agri-jeeps since 1970, when they bought their first for $125 in Sparwood, B.C.
They restored the 1946 model so that they could use it on camping trips and for racing. Their interest grew and they wanted to acquire more of the durable little vehicles that had transported soldiers and supplies during the Second World War and the Korean War.
Two years ago they dispersed their Simmental herd on their Dog Pound area farm west of Calgary and converted the calving barn into a jeep station, where they can restore and store their jeeps. They also house some of their Second World War memorabilia.
The history of each jeep is as important to the Geekies as the restoration. Manuals are available to trace models, patents and serial numbers. They have learned a lot about the jeeps from checking pictures and maintenance stamps and talking with other collectors.
Many jeeps that saw military action were abandoned in France at the end of the war. However, some came back, including one owned by the Geekies. It was shipped from France to the Philippines and ended up in the Pacific Northwest. They bought it through an estate sale.
“We feel it was involved in the Normandy landing,” Stewart said.
It has been restored and includes a wire cutter mounted in the front to cut piano wire that Germans stretched across the road to hit Allied soldiers on motorcycles or those riding in jeeps with the windshield lying flat.
A white invasion star in a white circle is painted on the hood to show it saw action during the war.
Finding parts, tires and paint is a big challenge. They have travelled to the United States and searched the internet for help. They even bought a jeep on eBay and imported it to Canada.
The Geekies started the Antique Willys Association in 2007 after they displayed their jeep at a Mountainview Pistons show in Olds. Other jeep enthusiasts were invited and 20 participants agreed they needed a club.
The association now has 63 members from British Columbia to Ontario. Members can exchange information on history, parts and the possibility of more vehicles coming available.
Pronounced ‘Willis,” the Willys jeep dates back to before the Second World War when the U.S. army wanted a reconnaissance vehicle that could go anywhere.
The Quartermaster field corps wrote vehicle specifications in July 1940 and sent the requirements for tender. The Bantam Company, Willys Overland and Ford submitted models.
The army ordered 1,500 from each and Willys of Toledo, Ohio received the contract. Demand grew so much that it had to subcontract to Ford during the Second World War.
The jeep had a four-cylinder gasoline engine and four-wheel drive. There were no luxuries such as heat or comfortable seats, signal lights and mirrors.
The vehicle was also known as GPW, which was Ford’s code for government contract. The P stood for the 80-inch wheelbase and the W for the Willys designed motor.
Ford ended production after the war, but Willys continued with civilian versions that became popular for farm work.
Chrysler manufactures a jeep, but members of the association must own vehicles made by either Willys or Ford.
Jeeps abandoned by the U.S. militar y in Europe after the Second World War were commandeered for farm work because there were few tractors available. The jeeps were easy to run, durable and adaptable to farm work.
“A backyard mechanic can do most of the maintenance,” Stewart said.
The early civilian jeeps were called agri-jeeps but few of these can be found.
Farm jeeps were advertised in agricultural publications in the late 1940s and 1950s as four-wheel drive vehicles with great versatility.
They were also promoted as a tractor replacement and had a power take-off and draw bar. Three point hitches could be added to haul wagons or a fan belt could run a threshing machine. They could also be cleaned up to take the family to town.
The U.S. decommissioned the jeep after the war, parts were released from government military warehouses and entrepreneurs began acquiring them.
The Geekies have a reference book that lists the models, parts availability and permissible colours, depending on whether the jeep was in the military, forestry service or used as a municipal service vehicle. Forestry service jeeps were painted red and military vehicles were drab olive green.
Panel trucks, station wagons, fire trucks and other service vehicles were also manufactured.
“The trucks are quite collectible and we have quite a few in our association,” Donna said.
The association holds an annual show at Olds each June to display and share information. Many people remember seeing the vehicles on the farm.
“So many people have fond memories of jeeps when they were kids on the farm. So many people learned to drive on jeeps,” Donna said.
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