Vintage postbag, September 1981
Spot the Pub
Sir,
I enclose two enprints, together with negatives, recently found in an attic. They are all I have left of a motor tour undertaken by my paternal grandfather in the ‘twenties. I think both were taken in Gloucestershire.
I believe the car was a Clyno. Perhaps a reader can furnish some information on this particular model? The road scene is I imagine fairly typical of a country road at the time. Can anyone recognise where the pub “The Farmers’ Arms” might be?
John T Dean, Swanage,Dorset.
[The car appears to be a Calcott. — Ed]
Cyclecars
Sir,
I hope it will cheer up your 87-year-old reader (VEV Miscellany, May 1981) if you let him know that my father’s first car in 1911 was a Little Midland LM cyclecar and I enclose a photo of him (Dr. Charles Booth-Jones), at the wheel. I think in Warwick. In 1912 he traded it in for a Crouch Carette, and that in turn for a Swift cyclecar in 1913. I have his motoring diary which covers the period from 1911 to 1924 (when he bought an 8 hp Rover which I remember) with gaps when he was on active service in the RAMC.
In those early days many motorists collected mileage rather the same way pilots now collect flying hours, and all trips were recorded with distance, total mileage this year, total mileage this car, etc., with a column for “Incidents”, mostly punctures. I like the “Incident” recorded on the day he was married — the only remark is “Removed old shoe from back of car”.
Are there any Crouch quotes still in existence? It looks flimsy.
Tony Booth-Jones, Port Elizabeth, SA.
More on Royal Cars
Sir,
Just a note to let you know the Packard 12 ran like a train during the recent Nordic Packard OC run on June 13th and 14th. We had a tremendous storm in the North Sea and pretty indifferent weather thereafter including even a freeze-up and we covered over a thousand road miles; Harwich – Kristiansand – Oslo – Lillehammer – Stockholm – Gothenburg – Felixtowe.
Here is a picture for you that might be of interst showing a parade of cars driving HM the Queen to the Palace from the airport after her recent arrival for her State Visit to Norway. It shows several police cars and then the Queen in the Lincoln flying the Royal Standard, then would you believe, the 1940 Packard 180, even a Humber Pullman, then another Lincoln and one or two Cadillacs.
The Norwegian King’s chauffeur is an Hon member of NPOC and is sent the Bulletin regularly. The car is kept going with parts often supplied by the NPOC and it is hoped that we will shortly have an invitation to view the Royal garage.
Hans Edwards (Regional Director, ‘Packards England’) Stevenage. Herts.