RCAF Film Unit License Plate

Earlier this year, I received an email from Jonathan, ‘a history enthusiast teenager from Denmark,’ who contacted me about a set of unique automobile license plates he had in his possession…

I recently bought two German license plates from World War II. On the back of the plates, "RCAF FILM UNIT" is written. The plates originated from a Danish resistance fighter (Christian Hammershøi) who guided Canadian and British soldiers around liberated Copenhagen in May 1945. When the Canadians returned home, this man and his group took over the vehicle and removed the plates, keeping them as a souvenir. I purchased the plates from the man's son.

During the war, these plates would identify the vehicle as carrying members of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Film Unit, the RCAF photographic section of the Directorate of Public Relations, assigned to record photographic images and movies of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

"...the RCAF played a crucial role in the Allied victory, contributing to the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic, and operations in Europe, North Africa, and the Far East, and by the end of the war, the RCAF had become the fourth largest Allied air force.": (Google).

Jonathan was hoping to learn more about the whereabouts of the RCAF Film Unit at that time in May 1945, and if there might be more information surrounding the find…

The plates have been flipped, painted black, and hand-painted with “RCAF FILM UNIT.” The plate number is:
IS 21 43 44...

 Both inscriptions are undoubtedly hand-painted, as the positioning of the text varies on the plates. The holes for mounting the plates are also placed somewhat oddly. There’s no doubt that new holes have been made, as they aren’t precisely aligned. This reinforces my idea that the plates were mounted on a non-German vehicle...

"I came across a photo of an Allied vehicle with “ILLUSTRA FILM” written on it, which could mean that these film crews were in Copenhagen in may 45. I’ve also found plenty of pictures of Allied soldiers in German vehicles in May 1945, but the plates could potentially have been on both a German and an Allied vehicle.

The number on the plate 'IS' originates from Hanover in Germany. My guess is that the Canadians took an abandoned military vehicle in Germany during the final days of the war. I’ve found a website with pictures of similar plates. They could fit either a German motorcycle with a sidecar or some kind of open car. I think both are good guesses, for example, to film while driving.

...I’m linking to the official Danish database of resistance fighters, where the man (Christian Hammershøi) who took the plates has a profile...

Modstandsdatabasen - Christian Hammershøi

 The man, Christian Hammershøi, with the codenames “Thorsen” and “CH,” was the second-in-command of the resistance group “P3” 1st Division. I’ve spent quite a bit of time looking through the Danish Freedom Museum’s photo archive, which has an endless amount of pictures and videos from May, including a lot with Allied soldiers.

The RCAF, Army, and Royal Canadian Navy would have been present wherever Canadians fought, and this would indeed be true in Germany and Denmark. I recently transcribed an interview by Canadian Archivist Peter Robinson with RCAF Photographer (Henry E. Price) who tells a story of being in Denmark for an Air Show put on by the RCAF.

Canadian Army Newsreel Issue No. 82 – Copenhagen Air Show;

Much of the RCAF Film Unit material that was shot during WWII, would have been used in newsreels and shown here in Canada, as well as included in some of the other Allied newsreel companies, including the Canadian Army Newsreels (see also Canadian Army Newsreels online videos).

In this Fox Movietone Newsreel, British Airborne troops are filmed entering Copenhagen to the delight of the locals. Many of the cameramen and film crews appear to be from the AFPU, (British Army Film and Photo Unit). I was not able to locate any Canadian cameramen or vehicles in this newsreel. Nor was I able to locate this event in any of the Canadian Army Newsreels.

But a search through some of the Canadian Army Numerical Albums revealed some interesting images of Canadians in Germany and Denmark;

Army Numerical 106 – Canadians in Denmark – Canadian Guest in Danish home – 58863 Gloster (see Album page 62)

As well, while browsing through the Army Numerical Albums, I came across this image below located in Album 97 (see page 19 of the Album). Without a photographer being listed by name, I found several photographs simply identifying ‘RCAF’ as the photographer. (See image below).

Album 97, CANADIANS IN GERMANY, Date: 13 May 45, Photographer: RCAF, Location: Not given. Story; Liberated Canadian POWs.

In the photo Sgt. Hodges is posing in front of a building at an unidentified location somewhere in Germany. In the background is a jeep, stencilled with the word ‘PHOTO‘ just below the right front of the windshield. Having viewed the original neg, the plate on the original negative does not appear to have been physically censored, but appears to have been painted over and/or removed when the photo was taken. The shape of the plate area is not consistent with the plates in Jonathan’s possession but very similar in shape and size.

In my search, I was able to identify several additional albums that contained photographs marked as having been taken by photographer, ‘RCAF’.

Album 46, CANADIANS IN ENGLAND, 23 MAY 44, Story: Investiture. Location: Buckingham Palace. Photographer: RCAF Photo.

Album 49, CANADIANS IN ENGLAND, 19 DEC 44, Story: Pte. Ernest Alvia (Smokey) Smith V.C. Photographer: RCAF.

Album 50, CANADIANS IN ENGLAND, 8 JAN 45, Unit: C.M.H.Q. Location: Holborn. Presentation of colors to Holborn Mayor. Photographer: R.C.A.F.

Album 51, CANADIANS IN ENGLAND, 20 APRIL 45, Unit: RCAF – Repatriated POW’s. Place: RAF Airport, Odiham, Hants. Story: Welcome Home. Photographer: RCAF.

Photographs from this Album match footage that appears in Canadian Army Newsreel Issue No. 70;

* Of added interest within Canadian Army Newsreel Issue No. 70, story no. 2: "Canadian POWs Liberated", is an interview with the only Canadian War Correspondent to be captured by the Germans, Bill Kinmond of the Toronto Star. (The Information Front : The Canadian Army and News Management during the Second World War by Timothy Balzer. 2011)

There remains some mystery as to who actually was the ‘Photographer: RCAF’ who took the photographs. Was it a member of the RCAF Photographic Film Unit, or did Army personnel take images on behalf of the RCAF?

In my dealings over the years with the Canadian Army Film Unit (CFPU), most identifying markings for CFPU vehicles appear on the bumper, below the windshield, and oftentimes both. These identifying markings, would have expedited film crews in the field to obtain photographic material.

In most cases, all photographs and footage shot by Canadian Public Relations, (RCN, RCAF, Army), would have been reviewed by Canadian Military HQ Censors, and any sensitive identifying marks on vehicles, and or personnel would have been either rejected, or censored before being cleared for publication.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate any photographs of a vehicle that identifies as belonging to the RCAF Film Unit. Quite possibly, like Jonathan says, the plates might have been used by a motorcycle despatch rider belonging to the RCAF, who relied on these plates to hasten the driver’s progress through the many checkpoints that would have been in place during the war.

And just maybe there is uncensored amateur footage somewhere of a vehicle carrying a crew of cameramen, sporting a rare license plate, carrying members of the RCAF Film Unit in search of news of Canadians in action overseas…

Many thanks to Jonathan Halvarsson for sharing this treasure with this website.

© 2025 Dale Gervais