a Midland IIIf Leica showing top plate serial number and internal matching number.
Toronto. Post ww2 Leitz decided to diversify their camera and lens production by adding a plant outside Germany. According to my friend, the late Bill Belier, the Canadian distributor, Walter Carveth, suggested Canada for the new plant and in particular Midland, Ontario which has a short name like Wetzlar with friendly people and a country side not unlike parts of Germany.
My doctor’s father, who once sold Leicas to stores, was among the parties who immigrated here to set up the new plant, called E Leitz, Canada. Many, like Mr Holzapfel, and others like Walter Mandler, the famous lens designer, never left Canada.
The first cameras (IIIf series) were assembled here from German parts and proudly labelled Midland. Sadly the idea was a bust. People wanted a German camera so many Midland cameras were returned to Leitz and re-engraved as Wetzlar. The only way to identify a ‘Midland’ Leica was to check the serial number batch for the tell-tail ELC.
A few kept the Midland cover and became very collectible. In issue 24-2 (fall 1998), an article by Hans O. Pieper of Vienna, Austria was reprinted with permission from the LHSA Viewfinder. Hans begins, “I’ve perused the recently received VIEWFINDER Vol. 30 No.2 and found the contribution of member Michael K. Steinberg quite interesting. I feel the same enthusiasm in collecting and researching screw mount Leica cameras and accessories, and their historical and economic background.
“One exciting feature, indeed, is the short postwar period. For a couple of years I’ve been looking for publications covering this particular field of interest. To start with, I’m sending pictures of my ELC RDDA IIIf camera Nr. 684742 emanating from the Canadian batch 684001-685000, of course with ELC engravings.
“It is obvious that those first LEICA cameras manufactured in the Canadian plant of Leitz at Georgian Bay in Midland were assembled from parts imported from Wetzlar, due to a lack of sufficient material from the Canadian plant.
“But listen to what happened then. The ELC management who were looking for working capital, hastened the completion of the first production batch by proudly engraving the top plates with Ernst Leitz Canada Limited Midland Ontario, and then tried to sell it to the Canadian market. However, the potential Canadian customers rejected the ELC engraved cameras for the funny but simple reason that they wanted German made and engraved Leicas.
“The wholesaler at that time returned the ELC IIIf’s to the company, bitterly disillusioned. By a special agreement with the Canadian government the top plates of those cameras were changed by ELC to receive Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Germany engravings so the cameras then could be sold to the Canadian market.
“It is therefore a real rarity to find today three genuine Leica IIIf RD — or RDDA with ELC engravings as I did some years ago. At that time my ELC III RDDA was furnished with an Elmar lens 5 cm 1: 3,5.” …
Members read all of this interesting reprint on the pdf file for issue 24-2 which is on the free members-only DVD (or thumb drive). Joining is easy – just follow the directions above (cheque or cash) or at right (credit card or PayPal account). Email any questions to Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.
