enthusiasts club bulletin

Transcription

1 enthusiasts club bulletin ISSUE 277 July/August 2006

2 2 ROLLS-ROYCE ENTHUSIASTS CLUB The Hunt House, High Street, Paulerspury, Northamptonshire NN12 7NA Telephone: (01327) Facsimile: (01327) Shop: (01327) http// Office and Shop open 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday President: Lt. Col. Eric Barrass, OBE PRESIDENT Lt. Col. Eric Barrass, 7 Shirley Gardens, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8TG. Tel: Fax: CHAIRMAN Ian Rimmer, 148 Sandylands Park, Wistaston, Crewe, Cheshire CW2 8HE. Tel/Fax: ian@rimmeril.supanet.com DEPUTY CHAIRMAN Suzanne Finch, 7 Kingsmill, Stoke Bishop, Bristol BS9 1BZ. Tel: suzanne@trinfinch.fsnet.co.uk MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Trevor Baldwin The Brook, Stamford Road, Marholm, Peterborough PE6 7HX. Tel: Fax: atthebrook@btinternet.com John Clough Dukes, Main Road, Danbury, Essex CM3 4DT. Tel/Fax: Paul Farnill 4a Graveley Thorpe Road, Whitkirk, Leeds LS15 7EH. Tel/Fax: paul.farnill@ntlworld.com Duncan Feetham 154 Magdalen Lane, Hedon, Hull, North Humberside HU12 8LB. Tel: Philip Hall C/o The Hunt House. Tel (home): Eri Heilijgers Baddow Park, Great Baddow, Essex CM2 7SY. Tel/Fax: eheilijgers@btconnect.com Tony James Bengal Farmhouse, Greens Norton, near Towcester, Northamptonshire NN12 8BG. Tel: Fax: james@bengalfarmhouse.freeserve.co.uk Benno Th Müller Sunnmatt 4, CH-8126 Zumikon, Switzerland. Tel: rrec@rrec.ch Jane Pedler Barn House, Church Street, Ewell Village, Surrey KT17 2AQ. Tel: (home) ; (work) JEPedler@aol.com Malcolm Tucker Butlers Farm, Gangbridge Lane, St. Mary Bourne, Hampshire SP11 6EP. Tel: maltuck@btconnect.com SUB-COMMITTEES Finance Chairman/ Finance Director John Clough (see Management Committee). Company Secretary Keith Lanchbury. Additional Members Jane Pedler, Ian Rimmer (see Management Committee), Charles Tabor (see Chief Judge). Annual Rally Chairman Trevor Baldwin (see Management Committee). Chief Marshal Jane Pedler (see Management Committee). Chief Judge Charles Tabor, Sutton Hall, Rochford, Essex SS4 1LQ. Tel: Fax: Trophy Master Paul Farnill (see Management Committee). Trade Co-ordinator Patsy Baldwin (address as Trevor Baldwin, above). Tel: Fax: Hospitality Suzanne Finch (see Deputy Chairman).

3 3 CLUB HEADQUARTERS General Secretary Wg Cdr Julian Spencer. Visits and Research Philip Hall, C/o The Hunt House. Library Philip Hall, C/o The Hunt House. CLUB SERVICES Bulletin Editor Wg Cdr Julian Spencer. Club Shop Manager Helen Saxby, C/o The Hunt House. Tel: Webmaster Sophie Scales, C/o The Hunt House. Tel: Chassis Cards and Ring Barbara Westlake at The Hunt House, quoting chassis number Car Build Histories or Cost varies with model. Valuations Car valuation forms are available from The Hunt House on receipt of 35. Completed forms are to be sent to the Valuation Officer with photographs of the car. For cars insured on an agreed-value basis, Richardson Hosken requires a revaluation every three years. Valuation Officer Bill Medcalf, 42 Clay Hill, Enfield EN2 9AA. Tel: Chief Instructor, Seminars Steve Lovatt Tel: Seminar Bookings Penny Thorburn, C/o The Hunt House. Tel: Special Tool Hire Tony James (see Management Committee). Films and Photography Colin Hughes, 6 The Birches, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP3 0LJ. Tel: CONSULTANTS Insurance For quotations apply to Richardson Hosken, Library House, New Road, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4GD. Tel: Fax: DVLA registration enquiries Please contact The Hunt House. European Liaison Eri Heilijgers (see Management Committee). Translates both ways Dutch, French, German, English. Organises European tours. Ombudsman Richard Shaw, 1 Wildwood Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London NW11 6UL. Complaints and recommendations in confidence. Spares Secretary Tony James. Tel: (between 6 pm and 10 pm please). Advice on spares new and used. SAE with letters please. Technical Co-ordinator All enquiries to The Hunt House. Trademark Attorney David C Evans (contactable through the General Secretary). Shadow Help-line Mike Hall: 6 pm-7 pm weekdays and 1 pm-2 pm Tuesday and Thursday telephone SIR HENRY ROYCE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION Chairman Charles Tabor, Sutton Hall, Rochford, Essex, SS4 1LQ. Tel: Fax Curator and Chief Executive Philip Hall, The Hunt House. Tel: philiphall@henry-royce.org. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION (DUE 1 JULY) UK membership 46 Overseas membership (includes rest of Europe and Eire) 41 Overseas membership airmail (includes rest of the world) 63 Joint membership (add this amount to the above subscription) 7 New member joining fee (add this amount to the above subscription) 30 Junior membership (under 20 years). Note: New member joining fee not applicable 20

4 4 Section Secretaries Overseas AUSTRIA Chairman: Mag. Helmut Goigner, Staatsbahnstr. 58, 2136 Laa an der Thays. Tel: Gerwald Anderle, Brucker-Bundesstrasse 100, 5700 Zell am See. Tel: BELGIUM (Flemish) Chairman: Mar Van de Kreeke, Het Steedie 44, 3530 Houthalen-Helchteren. Tel: Guy Rousseau, Oosthoevestraat 127, 2950 Kapellen, Belgium. Tel/Fax: BELGIUM LUXEMBOURG Chairman: Baron M. t Kint de Roodenbeke, La Ferme du Vicaire, Hédenge, B-1367 Autre-Eglise, Belgium. Tel: Fax: michelkr@roodenbeke.be DENMARK Jens Kjaerulff, Nordvestvej 12, DK Liseleje, Denmark. Tel: familien@kjaerulff.dk FINLAND Matti Sortila, Särkiniementie 19 B 25, FIN 00210, Helsinki, Finland. Tel: secretary@rrec.fi FRANCE Antoine-Pierre Blondet, 2 rue Rossini, Paris Tel: (33) direct. Fax: (33) secretary. rrec@tea-cerede.com GERMANY Chairman: Hans-Rudolf Koch, Bergrade 16, Duvensee, Germany. Tel: Mobile: Fax: florianannakoch@gmx.de Secretary: Götz v. Kayser, Menzelstrasse 7, Potsdam, Germany. Tel: Mobile: Fax: mgkayser@gmx.com HOLLAND Robert Jan Tjeenk Willink, 25 Wildernislaan, 7313 BC Apeldoorn, Holland. Tel: Fax: tjeenkwillink@wxs.nl HONG KONG Patrice Delsinne, House 7D, Tree Lodge, Kap Pin Long New Village, Saikung, Hong Kong. Tel: Fax: IRELAND Chairman: Raymond Moffatt, 100 Omagh Road, Drumquin, Co. Tyrone, BT78 4SP. Tel: Mobile Carol Plunkett, 2 Fortfield Terrace, Rathmines, Dublin 6, Ireland. Tel: ISLE OF MAN Chrissie Parkes, The Round House, Lonan, Isle of Man IM4 7PP. Tel/Fax: roundhouse@enterprise.net ITALY Davide Bassoli, Viale Risorgimento 54/B, Cicognara (MN), Italy. Tel: bassolidavide@libero.it NORWAY J. E. Ronneberg, Neils Juels gt 14, 0272 Oslo, Norway. PORTUGAL Elvio Santos, Centro Comercial, Marina Vilamoura, Loja 23, 8125 Vilamoura, Portugal. Tel: vilamoura@rocketmail.com SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town Chairman/Secretary: Stuart Halsall, 25 Rembrandt Road, Spanish Farm, Somerset West 7130, South Africa. Tel: SPAIN Chairman: Roger Fry, CBE, C/o Maestro Lasalle 46, Madrid, Spain. Mario J. Hernáez, Maestro Lasalle 46, Madrid, Spain. Tel: Fax: SWEDEN SWITZERLAND Göran Berg, Rönntunet 2, S Lidingö. Tel: (Sweden) berg@karlebo.net Chairman: Arthur G. Sutsch, Ober Geriwil 41, CH-1715 Alterswil, Switzerland. Tel: Fax: asutsch@rrec.ch Jürg M. Bihn, Jonastrasse 17c, PO Box 406, CH-8636 Wald ZH, Switzerland. Tel: jbihn@rrec.ch UPPER CANADA Chairman: Peter Neilson, 34 Kings Garden Road, Toronto, M8X 1S6. Roger and Eleanor Hadfield, Mazemoor, RR1, Milton, Ontario, Canada L9T 2X5 Tel: WESTERN CANADA Basil Fox, 470 Seaward Way, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada V9K 1T8. Tel: Fax: Home CENTRAL SOUTHERN Ted Meachem, Little Stammerham Farm, Two Mile Ash, Horsham RH13 0PG. Tel: Fax: emeachem@hotmail.com EAST ANGLIAN Terry Wright, Engine Cottage, Fordham, Downham Market, Norfolk PE38 0LW. Tel: @tiscali.co.uk EAST MIDLANDS John D Newton, 64 Breach Road, Heanor, Derbyshire DE75 7NJ. Tel: john.newton2005@gmail.com ESSEX Michael Batt, 30 Carlton Close, Upminster, Essex RM14 2YR. Tel: Fax: mikebatt2000@hotmail.com GREAT WESTERN Pat Smith, 11 Mansel Close, Saltford, Bristol BS31 3LE. Tel/Fax MIDDLESEX David Oxford, Brantwood, 11 Court Way, Colindale, London NW9 6JG. Tel: NORTH EASTERN Martin Vinson, Cleveland Lodge, Cold Kirby, Thirsk, YO7 2HL. Tel (direct line): Tel/Fax: Jmartin.Vinson@btinternet.com NORTHERN Graham Eastwood, 37 Brentwood Avenue, Crosby, Liverpool L23 2UY. Tel: graham@lov76.com OXFORD Gerald Garratt, Sycamore House, Tacks Lane, Thame Road, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire HP17 8EW. Tel: gerrygarratt@onetel.com PAULERSPURY Mia Murray, Tattenhoe Farm, Tattenhoe, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK4 3AA. Tel: mia_murray@ampthill1.freeserve.co.uk SCOTTISH Peter Kendrick, 51 Jamaica Street, South Lane, Edinburgh EH3 6HG. Tel: stirton@blueyonder.co.uk SOUTH EASTERN Stephen Beker, 7 Roseacre Lane, Bearsted, Kent ME14 4HY. Tel: stephen.beker@btinternet.com SOUTH WALES Kelvin Price, The Hendre, 45 Village Farm, Bonvilston, Cardiff CF5 6TY.Tel: SOUTH WESTERN Mrs Beryl Stone, Stewart Heights, 2 Petroc Drive, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 2LT. Tel: beryl.stone@btopenworld.com SURREY Andy Courtney, 25 Upper Teddington Road, Hampton Wick, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT1 4DL. Tel/Fax THAMES VALLEY Diana Chambers, 167 Blind Lane, Flackwell Heath, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP10 9LE. Tel/Fax: WESSEX Chess Ferrier, 315 Bursledon Road, Sholing, Southampton, Hampshire SO19 8NE. Tel: wessex@chessf.com WEST MIDLANDS Brian Bremer, Chylowen, 9 Beechcombe Close, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1PW. Tel: YORKSHIRE Ian Hick, 4 St. John s Avenue, Kirby Hill, Boroughbridge, York, YO51 9DL. Tel: ianhick@yahoo.co.uk Register Registrars Silver Ghost Tim Forrest, Botley House, The Green, Chiddingfold, Surrey GU8 4TT. Tel: hp Keith Jay, 14 Kingsway, Craigweil on Sea, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 4DQ. Tel: rrec20register@yahoo.com 20/25, 25/30, Wraith Tony James, Bengal Farmhouse, Greens Norton, near Towcester, Northamptonshire NN12 8BG. Tel: Fax: james@bengalfarmhouse.freeserve.co.uk Derby Bentley Douglas Reece, Polcouta Farmhouse, Veryan, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 5QQ. Tel: doug-eliz.reece@tiscali.co.uk Derby Phantom David Dudley, The Old Barn, Llanerch Park, St Asaph, Clwyd, LL17 0BD. Tel/Fax: Mk. VI and Silver Wraith dgdudley@lineone.net Tony Jenkin, Fair Acres, Bampton, Oxfordshire OX18 2AA. Tel: (evenings). uptheclump@witneyserve.net Silver Clouds and S types John Fox, 13 Llandennis Avenue, Cyncoed, Cardiff CF23 6JD. Tel: Post-65 Andrew Meakin-Scott, 3 Seaside Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN15 8DD. Tel/Fax: Alan Mowbray, Tollfield House, 6 Prebendal Green, Yarwell, Peterborough, East Northamptonshire, PE8 6PJ. Tel: alan@mowbray25.freeserve.co.uk All new members are invited to contact their nearest Section Secretaries for information of local activities. You will be sure of a warm welcome among people of like interests! The opinions expressed and advice offered in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Directors. R.R.E.C. Ltd accepts no responsibility for the results of following contributors advice.

5 5 Chairman s Notes T he rally season is now upon us and, by the time you read this, the Annual Rally will be over and preparations begun on next year s event, which will be very special as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Club next year. Other commemorative events are being planned and details will be announced later. The South of England Rally, held at the new venue of Woldingham School in Surrey, was well organised by the Surrey Section and again attracted a large number of motor cars. One of my major targets during my twoyear term as Chairman has been to strengthen the bond between all of our Sections and more particularly our overseas Sections. They often feel somewhat isolated from the main activities of the Club, due to their geographical locations and different languages. Consequently, I was delighted to be invited to attend the German Section Spring Rally in the Frankfurt area and also the Swedish Section AGM and Rally in the Stockholm area. This latter event also included a oneday Silver Shadow technical seminar run by our chief instructor, Steve Lovatt, and myself. These overseas events welcome members from outside their region and it is a good opportunity to meet other members and their cars which are not seen elsewhere. Language is normally no problem as this English-only speaking chairman found out. July 2nd sees the official opening of the newly converted Peter Baines Wing, which will give muchneeded additional storage space for our vast archive collection. This will be a most fitting tribute to the late Peter Baines, our former General Secretary, and we are delighted that Jo Baines has kindly agreed to perform the opening ceremony. It was Peter who found the thenderelict Hunt House in the village of Paulerspury in 1977, and following the official opening in 1980, Peter spent most of his time there when not flying airliners. The Club Shop is an important service to members and is well-managed by Helen Saxby but for a long time we have needed additional display and storage areas. We have also wanted to relocate the Shop to the ground floor to help the staff with deliveries and also to give disabled access. Our General Secretary, Julian Spencer, was charged with finding a solution and has come up with a proposal, which is currently being considered. Incidentally, if you have never been to The Hunt House you should make this an aim for the future, either with a Section visit or by a pre-arranged private visit. There is so much to see there. IAN RIMMER Enthusiasts Club Bulletin Number 277 July/August 2006 Editor: Julian Spencer The Bulletin is published every other month. Photographs, illustrations, features, members letters and announcements are always welcome. Deadline for material for next Bulletin: 4 August Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, we cannot be held responsible for statements published in good faith. Reproduction of material published in this issue in part or in whole without written permission is expressly forbidden. Copyright is normally vested in the contributor and application should be made in the first instance to the Editor. Designed and printed at Acanthus Press Limited, Wellington, Somerset. In this issue Chairman s Notes...5 From the Editor...6 CARs...14 Junior Members...15 Tour of the Loire Region...16 Technical: Devil in the Detail News from the British Car Industry, From the Archives...28 Historic Seminar...30 All in Glorious Colour...32 Goodwood News...40 RREC Consolidated Indexes...43 Restoration of 65WR Part Registers...48 South of England Rally...56 Section News...60 Events List...78 Correspondence...81 Front cover: Gilded figure of Victory on the Queen Victoria Memorial and the railings at Buckingham Palace reflected in the bonnet of Chris Gannon s 1980 Rolls-Royce Camargue (JRH50320) Back cover: R H Jewer s 1932 Phantom II (81JS) Windovers sports coupé

6 6 From the Editor (The comments contained in this editorial are strictly those of the Editor and do not represent those of R.R.E.C Ltd, the Club or its officers.) Following on from the Archives articles in the last three Bulletins regarding Sir Henry Royce s building plans for Wells Cottage, I am grateful to James Nightingale and David Gray for their information and pictures of Wells Farm Cottage at West Wittering in West Sussex. Not only did they track the cottage down, they both sent in photographs of the cottage that Sir Henry once owned. Picture (1) shows David s /30 (GMP73) Gurney Nutting sedanca de ville in front of Wells Farm Cottage. The thatched Wells Farm Cottage that exists today was the cottage to be demolished as stated on Sir Henry s building plan (B275, pages 38-39) of Clearly, the cottage survived. Picture (2) shows the new house that was built in the New Cottage position drawn on Sir Henry s plan. Therefore, his proposal to build a new cottage on the site was carried out after his death. I wonder if the current owners know the provenance of their houses. The Archives article in this Bulletin explores a new area of The Hunt House collection. The article, written in two parts, describes the involvement of the Honourable Charles Stewart Rolls in the pioneering years of aviation. The Hunt House archives contain several photographs of Rolls flying activities and a fascinating and comprehensive collection of original newspaper cuttings that described his exploits as a pilot. In this Bulletin, the first part of the article describes Rolls involvement in ballooning. The second part, which will appear in the next Bulletin, will explore Rolls experiences in heavier-than-air flight. If you want to find out how Rolls did a vanishing act in a balloon race you will just have to read the article! Derek Randall sent in a fine photograph (3) of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford taken at their home, Woburn Abbey, in the mid-1960s. The occasion was the first RREC rally to be held at Woburn. Derek 1 (below) /30 (GMP73) Gurney Nutting sedanca de ville in front of Wells Farm Cottage, West Wittering 1 2 (below) GMP73 with Wells Farm Cottage on the left and Wellsfield to the right 2

7 7 3 believes the date was 1964 and the car shown is a PI that belonged to the late Robert Brooks. It could be that Robert Brooks himself is the person that can be very partially seen to the far right of the picture. Can anyone confirm date and car details please? A new member of the Club, Christopher Houghton, sent in a picture of his Derby Bentley (B47FC) van den plas tourer (4) which he inherited from his uncle three years ago. The car is currently undergoing a total restoration to its former glory as shown in the picture taken on Oban Beach in 1937 when it was virtually new. The car has been in successive generations of Christopher s family ownership and we look forward to seeing him and B47FC at future rallies. 3 (above) The Duke and Duchess of Bedford at the first RREC Rally at Woburn 4 (below) Derby Bentley (B47FC) 4

8 (far left) Bentley S1 (B83DE) 6 (left) Unknown Carmargue convertible Martin Vinson sent in a picture of a Bentley S1 (B83DE) (5) which has just reappeared into the light of day after seven years in a garage on an estate just outside Thirsk, North Yorkshire. After the application of some WD40, a new starter solenoid and some fresh oil she burst into life and is now running. However, the car is in need of considerable restorative work. The car was bought second hand in 1959 by Lt Col Peter Consett who ran it until he parked it in the garage in 1999, shortly before his death. There is a flag pole on the radiator which was used when the Colonel was on official business as High Sheriff. A Riverside Spectacular & Garden Party on the banks of the River Thames at Staines will take place on Saturday 16 September 2006 to raise funds for three very worthy charities: the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Fund (ADLS); the Coronary Artery Disease Research Association (CORDA); and, our very own Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF). Owners of a number of adjacent mansions will allow Club cars to park on their manicured riverside lawns. Highlights planned for the day should include a gathering of Dunkirk Little Ships, river launch trips, a barbeque and bar in the Sailing Club, car displays by P & A Wood and Bentley Pangbourne, a river steamer with a restaurant and bar moored on the riverbank, a Barbershop Quartet Concert and many other attractions. A heated swimming pool with changing facilities, a croquet lawn, and a children s Wendy House will be available. Please support this family event to help three very worthwhile charities. The Riverside Spectacular is open to all Club members so book early. Money raised for the SHRMF will be put towards the new Peter Baines Wing. If you wish to be involved, please contact Andy Courtney, Surrey Section. John McGlynn provided me with a photograph (6) of what appears to be a Camargue convertible bearing an Arabic registration number as well as the number Does anyone know the history of this car? What does 40 buy you these days? Half a tank of fuel perhaps, or two day s family food shopping or even a week s worth of Council Tax! Well, not all is doom and gloom. For the sum of just 40 you can have a highly entertaining and informative weekend at The Hunt House with lunches and dinner inclusive! The Historic Seminar is scheduled for the weekend of 25/26 November Six highly informed speakers will regale you with their experiences and knowledge on various aspects of Rolls-Royce. The usual camaraderie and esprit de corps, the hallmark of the Club, will pervade the air. It is that ideal time of the year in the hiatus between laying up the Club car for the winter and contemplating some Christmas shopping! Places are limited so first-come-first-served. Details on the Historic Seminar are included in this Bulletin. It s a lot more fun than paying Council Tax! The TV History Channel is currently producing a new series of six one-hour programmes on British icons. One of these programmes has travel as its theme and the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, along with the E-type Jaguar, the Routemaster Bus, the Brough Superior motorcycle, and the Mallard steam train, have been chosen as the British icons of travel. The presenter of the series is the TV personality Rory McGrath who recently spent a day filming at The Hunt House and another day filming with the Surrey Section Secretary Andy Courtney in his 1924 Silver Ghost 6TM (7) in Richmond Park. Also featured in the programme is the 1921 Ghost (33CE) of Nick Stow together with various other Club members and their cars filmed at the South of England Rally. The programme covering the Silver Ghost is scheduled to be broadcast late July/early August Following on from the previous enquiry made to

9 9 7 7 (above) 1924 Silver Ghost (6TM) identify the Phantom II (B274 Editor s Notes, page 9 and B275 Editor s Notes, page 12), Richard Shaw sent me a picture he had taken of the car in about It is the 1931 Phantom II (6GX) (8) with a Carlton two door tourer body, one of seven PIIs bought new by Sir John Leigh of Whitley Park. The centrefold photograph in B275 showed the Market Place, Shrewsbury, as it looked in the early 8 (below) 1931 Phantom II (6GX) taken in about s. The car shown in that early photograph was /50hp (1499) open-drive landaulette by Barker. Readers may recall that, in the Editor s Notes of B275, I set the following question and challenge: Is the Market Place scene largely unchanged today? Perhaps a Club member local to Shrewsbury would like to recreate the photograph with his or her own Club car and send it to me so we can see the then and now. I am delighted to report that Club members rose splendidly to the challenge and provided excellent reproductions of the original photograph. David Mitchell and Michael Hilditch sent in the photograph that is the centrefold to this Bulletin showing the Market Place, Shrewsbury, as it is today (the photograph was taken in April 2006 but reproduced here in monochrome for comparison with the original). Remarkably, little has changed since the early 1930s. The car in the centre of the picture, replacing the 1911 Barker Silver Ghost (1499) shown in the original, is Michael s 1920 Silver Ghost (50RE) Barker tourer. The car to the right of Clive s statue is David s hp (GHJ15). Steve Plimmer also reproduced the Market Place

10 (above) Phantom II (9WJ) in the Market Place, Shrewsbury scene with picture (9) and provided the following information. The car is 1929 Phantom II (9WJ) Thrupp and Maberly limousine de ville. It was the 1929 Paris Salon (Thrupp and Maberly) Stand car. The car was exported to the USA for many years but returned to the UK in 1996 when it was purchased by the current owners, Frank Painters and Sons, in Shrewsbury. The firm kindly lent 9WJ to Steve for him to reproduce the photograph. Alan Painter informed Steve that, at the time the original photograph was taken, the Silver Ghost (1499) was owned by Edward Trott, a local business man who used the car to chauffeur the Crown Court judges and the Mayor of Shrewsbury around the town. The one horse transport also shown in the original photograph was a cab owned by a Mr W R Lea who ran his cab business from the decagonal booth seen by the wall of the Old Market Hall. Today, like all market towns, Shrewsbury is usually a hive of activity and there is little window of opportunity in which to reproduce the original photograph. I am, therefore, indebted to Steve, David and Michael for the trouble they took in choreographing the photographs so early on different weekend mornings in Spring to achieve the absolute minimum in modern intrusion. Spookily, as the town clock shows in both photographs, both reproductions of the original were taken at precisely 0812hrs! I am informed that the clock was working. In B276, I mentioned the introduction of a junior membership category of the Club. I am delighted to say there has been some good response and we already have a few young people who have joined the Club in their own right. The first Junior Member of the Club was John Smith, aged 11, living in Rochester, Kent. In this Bulletin I have introduced a Junior Members Page which I will continue in future Bulletins if there is sufficient interest from our younger members. The page will be reserved exclusively for comments, anecdotes, reports and, of course, pictures submitted by our junior members. Continuing the theme of encouraging the next generation of enthusiasts (and heirs), picture (10) shows Larry Riches two-year old daughter, Anastasia, staking claim to Larry s /25 (GPG41) H J Mulliner drop head coupé. Picture (11) is Robin Wayne s 1954 Silver Dawn (SPG3) and granddaughter Connie. Oliver Perks, one of our longest serving members (45 years), sent in a photograph of a Silver Wraith (12) that a friend of his had taken recently in Austria. As Oliver said, it looks like a James Young body. Oliver informs me that the car was sporting an RREC badge and a Chilean Motor Car Club badge. We do not have any members in Austria with a James Young

11 (above) /25 (GPG41) 11 (right) Robin Wayne s 1954 Silver Dawn (SPG3) and granddaughter Connie 12 (below) A James Young Silver Wraith? 12

12 (above) /25 H J Mulliner Saloon (GLJ57) 14 (below) 53TC 14

13 13 15 (above) Unknown French? car Silver Wraith but there is a member with a car that fits the description in Switzerland. If that is the case, it could be the 1955 touring limousine (ELW7). Could the owner or a reader confirm please? Picture (13) shows Michael Russell s /25 H J Mulliner saloon (GLJ57). The photograph was taken on 1 January 2006, the car s seventieth birthday. The Club s Registers provide an excellent service to their members on model-specific technical, historical 15 and social matters. Two Registrars will be standing down this year and volunteer replacements are required. If you would like the prestige and kudos of being the 20hp Registrar or the Silver Cloud and S Type Registrar then please contact the current Registrars. Club Chairman, Ian Rimmer, attended the German Section s spring meeting, organized by Hans-Günter Zach. Picture (14) sent in by Michael Ehrhardt, shows the Chairman standing beside 53TC, a limousine by Maythorn & Son in Hans-Günter's museum. A regular contributor to this column, Ludo Pivron, sent in a photograph (15) and asks when and where was the picture taken. Ludo says the fittings seem to be French. Was the picture taken somewhere in France before the war? Finally, to prove that your General Secretary does get out and about sometimes, picture (16) shows (right to left) Chairman Ian Rimmer, Deputy Chairman Suzanne Finch and General Secretary on a formal visit to Goodwood earlier this year. The car on the left is a Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd Phantom demonstrator; the car on the right is Clifton and Isabel Spencer s 1958 Silver Cloud (SGE392). JULIAN SPENCER 16 (below) Goodwood Phantom and SGE392 16

14 14 CARs Corrigenda, Addenda & Responses B276, p6, PICTURE 2 Colin Hughes and Bernard King both confirmed that the car is 1933 Phantom II (30PY) Hooper sports saloon which carried the registration ALO PY was Hooper's demonstration car. It had different seating materials for each seat for experimentation purposes. The door handles were like the spokes of a sprung steering wheel arranged horizontally. Colin believes the colour of the car was grey and maroon. Malcolm Heath, Bernard Phantom II 30PY King and Basil Lockwood-Goose all confirmed the aeroplane in the picture, G-ACLF, is an Airspeed AS 5 Courier built at Portsmouth. Of all wood construction and with a total of six seats, G-ACLF was the third production example and was powered by a 277hp Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah V engine. Basil informs me that the aircraft was built for Airspeed s distributor in India. It left for India in December 1933 with C E Kelly at the controls with Lord Ronaldshay as co-pilot. Therefore, the date of the picture has to be the Autumn of B276, p7, PICTURE 3 Bernard King informs me that the Bristol 170 freighter aircraft shown in the picture is a MkIIB with registration G-AGVB. It first flew at Filton on 30 April 1946 and was leased to Silver City Airways by the manufacturer on 28 July Silver City subsequently purchased the aircraft in April 1954 but sold it to a French company in February 1957 when the more capacious Mk32 version became available. The aircraft in the picture crashed at Le Touquet on 4 November 1958 after hitting a beacon on approach for landing. Silver City (also Air Charter and the later combined British United Air Ferries) was the preferred transport method for cars going on delivery to the Continent during the S Type and Silver Cloud era and perhaps 100 Silver City Airways car badge Bentley/Rolls-Royce cars were delivered during the 1950/60s courtesy of a Bristol Freighter. Details of the actual aircraft used are often shown on the reverse of the build cards. Bernard is aware that his R Type (B14XF) once used the air ferry service to France and the car will soon sport the badge shown that was recently purchased at a car boot sale. B276, pp42-43, CAR COMPASS ADVERTISEMENT The only information received on this was from Sir Michael Kadoorie in Hong Kong. He recalls seeing an identical car compass in Hong Kong in 1954 fitted to a 3 litre Lagonda. Michael tells me that he has a similar car compass that was made some time ago by a company based in Milton Road, Swanscombe, Kent. I have not been able to track that firm but a company called SIRS Navigation Ltd in Gravesend, Kent currently makes compasses that are suitable for cars. B276, p44 CJ was not Rolls partner as stated. CJ was Rolls business manager. JULIAN SPENCER

15 15 JUNIOR MEMBERS On 1 July 2006, the Club introduced a junior membership category for the first time. Several young people have already joined the Club in their own right. This is the first Junior Members Page to be introduced into the Bulletin. If there is sufficient interest and contributions from our young members this page will become a regular feature. The page will be reserved exclusively for comments, anecdotes, reports and, of course, pictures submitted by our junior members. The first junior member of the Club was John Smith. I leave the rest of the page to him... Dear Mr Spencer, I would like to be a junior member of the RREC. My first time in a Rolls-Royce was when I was one day old! I have been to most of the RREC rallies, including the French and Germany trip. Please find enclosed a cheque for my first year s membership. Yours sincerely, John Smith (aged 11) Top: John Smith at a South Eastern Section rally Middle: John and Sarah Smith at the Belgium / Luxembourg border, September 2004, Mosel rally, South Eastern Section: 1921 Silver Ghost, 2UG Stephen Carter s 1938 Wraith Bottom: John, Clifton Spencer, Derek Smith, September 2004, Mosel rally: 1921 Silver Ghost, 2UG (Car Park at Bernkastel) JUNIOR MEMBERS

16 16 Tour of the Loire Region 11 to 19 MAY 2006 Anniversary Celebration DOREEN SAMPSON THE LOIRE A chance remark some ten years ago was not forgotten by Keith Jay who had organised the tour of Brittany in On that event Joe and I had our Golden Wedding and the whole party celebrated the occasion in a spontaneous and joyful manner, taking us by surprise. Last year the memory of the promise Keith made led to him organising the event to the Loire Valley region of France. On 11 May many members arrived at the Travelodge, Portsmouth for an overnight stay allowing us to catch the ferry early next morning. We set sail at 0700hrs and arrived in Caen by lunchtime. The weather was superb as we travelled 194 miles south to Azay-le-Rideau, in just over four hours. On arrival at the hotel, Best Western Hotel Val de Loire, the twenty eight cars were carefully parked. After an informal gathering for a complimentary glass of wine and to meet our fellow members, we strolled to our restaurant, Les Grottes, a cave carved into the rock. After breakfast on the Saturday we drove to the Chateau Villandry, a most interesting chateau with gardens growing herbs and some lovely walks. On Sunday we drove in convoy to the wine cellars of La Herpiniere, owned by Lois-Jean Roche. During our tour Joe and I were presented with a bottle laid down in 1946 with two glasses packed in a presentation box, to celebrate our Diamond Wedding anniversary the next day. In the afternoon we visited the Chateau le Rideau. On Monday we visited the Museum of Maurice Dufresne who exhibited over 3,000 ancient machines, it took three hours to walk round and is a place not to be missed. In the afternoon our son Paul and his wife joined us. We had champagne and cut a special wedding cake and received gifts: an engraved silver salver; a cut glass bowl; a bowl of silk flowers; a jewel box; and, finally, a metal ancient rally car. A wonderful day. Thank you one and all for making our diamond wedding anniversary so memorable.

17 17 above: Twenty Twenty Vision. Left is Geoffrey and Jenny Allo s hp Rippon saloon (GRJ 21). Right is Tod and Marita O Donoghue s hp Park Ward doctor s coupé (GHJ50) left: 20hp line up at Azay-le-Rideau. From left to right: GWL 18, GA 28, GCK 78, GHJ 50, GRJ 21, GXL 3, GYK 30, GLN 2 Tuesday was a free day and on Wednesday Keith and Louis joined us to visit Meyers and Gratin Cellars and wine tasting, near Saumur. The cellars are high and dark and once again, cut out of the rock for miles and miles. A young lady explained how the wine was manufactured and bottled. We tasted many wines and had a superb buffet lunch on the terrace. Each car owner received twelve bottles of their special wines and we were all in good spirits for the rest of the day. Thursday was the last full day of the tour and in the evening we had a farewell special dinner at Les Grottes, as the climax to a wonderful event. Splendidly organised with some of the friendliest colleagues you could wish to meet overseen by Keith Jay and Louis with all the little details taken care of. An all round success. below: Chateau at Usse. From left to right: GLN 2, GCK 78, GWL 18, GYK 30

18 18 TECHNICAL SECTION Devil in the Detail by Michael Forrest Making bonnet panels was traumatic enough, but having to make a complete set of bonnet furniture, although tedious from repetition of so many parts, was relatively restful, if only because not so much was invested in single large pieces, and the bitesized chunks could be regarded with equanimity. Nevertheless, many bite-size chunks. 1 Rationalising that these are not original parts, but essentially fakes, and some aspects of the originals, with time, have shown problems, some minor changes have been made to details, all in the best possible taste, and in a manner one hopes would not displease Henry even on a bad day. Picture 1 No bonnet rests came with the bare chassis of 37LC, and the battered look of most in service suggested that a modest increase in gauge might be appropriate. Equally obvious was Henry s blind spot for electrolytic corrosion, for these aluminium rests are trapped under the brackets for the dash, not only making a corrosion sandwich, but providing poor foundations for the dash brackets as they sink into the soft and crumbling aluminium. Removal of these rests, tedious at best, is made very diffi cult indeed by being trapped. Right are cardboard prototypes, carefully cut to fi t, which, with discretion can be used as templates for marking the aluminium plate. Diffi cult bits can be made separately in cardboard, fi tted into place and taped in position independently. You will see that the rests have been shaped to fi t round the dash brackets, which bolt directly to the frame. The fi t is close, and is undetectable when in place. The guard around the top of the pendulum lever (which curiously in the spares list is referred to as steering lever ) is another puzzle. I am not entirely clear what it guards against, for little is likely to fall on top of it, or cause any harm if it does, while rocks, mud and water are likely to be a problem, thrown up by the front wheel, and liable to collect, or jam, inside the guard. One suspects its real raison d etre is a standard shape to fi t the bonnet sides around, instead of that lumpy and irregular steering box and bracket. The requisite rounding off and trimming of the rests will wait until the demands of bodywork are clearer. Picture 2 The cutout round the steering box is very close fi tting both in the horizontal and vertical elements of the rest. Combined with a refi ning of the outer surface of the steering box mounting bracket, a very close fi t of the bonnet can be made over this bracket, giving a neat appearance and not making a trap around the boss of this steering lever, which is a very handsome unit. Picture 3 Bonnet catches for the early Phantom I were identical with the Ghost. Liberties were taken with the material, stainless steel in this case, and with attachment bolts, which are devoid of standard screwdriver slots. The screwdriver is one of the most dangerous tools to be wielded by amateur or professional. At best, no matter how well fi tting the screwdriver,

19 19 2 3

20 20 edges of slots are burred over. At worst, slots are obliterated, nearby fi nishes savaged, material under the screwhead scored and the bolt/screw is inadequately tightened. 4 If contemporary pictures are to be believed, some Ghosts until very late had no bonnet lifting handles. Lifting a heavy bonnet with these catches is notably hard on the fi ngers. But then it was only the hired man s fi ngers? Details of the ends of the louvres is evident, having received no fi nishing other than a quick rub with Scotchbrite. Picture 4 Springs like this can be a nightmare: the diffi culty not so much in manufacture as in obtaining materials. A typical Royce refi nement, it was used from the earliest cars until Phantom II. Logic says it should have disappeared with the advent of the angled bonnet catch, which supplies the inward pull to bonnet panels not provided by the vertical catches which continued well into the Phantom I era, but even the later Phantom I, with angled catches, had, in some cases, spring clips as well. Properly set up, with a slight smear of oil, they have a delightful feel as they slip into place. Note the top abutment, which resists the tension on the lower blade to relieve the ears of bending loads, is fi tted with an aluminium button to allow for the slight sliding motion of the end of the spring as it fl exes marginally. Without it, the spring end would quickly dig into the soft alloy. Picture 5 Simplest source of spring blades for such as these bonnet clips is a derelict wood saw from your local fl ea market. With a little thinning, it also is fi ne for Klaxon diaphragms. For slightly thinner material, springs from the larger, undistinguished mantle clocks is fi ne see your local clock repair man. Such material is just machinable in its normal state. As for any harder material, sawing, fi lling and drilling is is best done very slowly and deliberately, with heavy pressure. Demonstration of saw sawing saw overleaf. Make cardboard templates to get proportions right, and for setting out multiple shapes, best to utilise the material available. The above card shape was amended to widen the blade top and bottom to take lateral bending of the centre section. To avoid having to clean up a rusty sawblade, I bought a modern cheap, (hardpoint) saw from the local DIY emporium. Don t. They are signifi cantly harder than traditional saws, and will not cut or bend readily. It is perfectly feasible to anneal these steels, work on them, and reharden, but risky unless you have use of an accurate oven. Blacksmith techniques on an open hearth, with these light sections, are diffi cult to control accurately, with the risk of being too soft and distorting, or too hard and cracking. The traditional clockmaker s technique of submerging the light parts in brass fi lings to equalise and hold the heat is fi ne, if laborious. First equip yourself with half a pound of brass fi lings. Picture 6 Standard length early Phantom bonnets have three springs each side. With longer bonnets, four a side is desirable. So eight it is. For a one-off, simple manual methods are probably appropriate, although a simple jig often takes no more time and makes a better job. For eight, however, there is little choice if repeatability is required. A jig for a short run like this, putting a kink in one end, and a slower curve in the other, need be no more than a handful of bar ends and a G-cramp or vice. This not only controls accuracy, but also the application of the force which will prevent local overstressing and fracture.

21 The consistency achieved left, with the simplest of equipment, is demonstrated by the refl ections of light on these chemically blacked springs. Picture 7 Early Phantom I bonnet handles mirrored the Ghost, and it was clearly the same part. It was a fl imsy thing, unkind to delicate hands, and looked a little inadequate. Later production was a not very well fettled nickel silver casting, more substantial but fastened with a meagre single countersunk screw on a not too large base. Regrettably it puts me in mind of 1930s kitchen cabinets. So overleaf is a slightly amended version of the early handle, which was made from sheet metal. The original fl atware has been curved slightly to improve feel, looks and rigidity. These handles were unaccountably rivetted in position, making replacement and painting diffi cult. The rivet had a larger head than most, presumably to spread the load over the sheet metal.

22 22 7 8

23 These you see are not rivets, but bolts similar to those used to secure the springs. (see picture 14) Picture 8 Simple jigs ease manufacture. The groove cut into this wood block mirrors the bar offcut, which is then used to put a curved section into a strip of 14swg aluminium. Clamped in this same jig, the ends are pulled round by hand using a bar offcut, the slight spring back being acceptable. Picture 9 The handle blank now has to have its ends turned up and fl attened 23 Picture 10 so it is secured to a bar with a heavy steel split collar and hose clip, at a predetermined height defi ned by a stop clipped below, and methodically belaboured to lie fl at on the bar end, the collar preventing the curved shank form bulging. Picture 11 Completed blanks, marked for trimming to size and a pleasing shape. The handle is narrowed, swelling into the end lugs to give more strength at this point. For fi nished product, back to picture

24 24 12 Picture 12 While a restorable pair of locks came my way, sockets were missing. These come in at least two sizes for Phantom I, the later ones being quite a bit taller. Originals were in brass, for no very good reason other than perhaps a throwback from earlier times when aluminium was a comparatively new and untried material, with known casting problems. Partly for convenience, partly to avoid the considerable difference in electrolytic potential between brass and aluminium, leading to corrosion, the replacements were in aluminium. Bonnet locks were an optional extra, fi tted on payment of 2.13s.6d, discounted by 25% to Picture 13 Bonnet lock as fi tted to 37LC. An intriguing fi tment, over and above its utility in keeping meddlers out. One suspects that this 2 extra was the origins of the well-known fact that all Rolls-Royce engines are sealed at the factory. Before restoration, the external barrel showed traces of nickel plate, which presumably was the standard fi nish, as the spares list does not include this item in the optional fi nishes available. 13 The locks are secured by very long, thin ( 1 8th"?) rivets, passing partly through a void in the lock body. This is a recipe for rivets buckling longitudinally and disappearing whence they came. Rivetting was an odd decision, given the above problem and the potential need for locks to come off for service or repair. These dome headed rivets securing the locks, are in fact small bolts with square shanks under the head, similar to that in picture 14. Picture 14 Bonnet furniture is fastened by slotted screws or rivets. Rivets make maintenance and polishing diffi cult, while slotted screws are designed to be selfmutilating while chewing up the aluminium below. A palliative in later chassis put washers underneath. The bonnet rests were also secured to the chassis by slotted screws, with similar results. Keeping the proportions of the originals, these domed headed bolts were made, with a square shank just under the head to secure it against rotation. Given that this technique was used to secure bearing strips in the radiator shutter frame, one wonders why this was not adopted for vulnerable fi ttings into aluminium. These are 2BA in 316 stainless steel.

25 Picture 15 Last of the bonnet fi ttings is the gizmo which holds the top hinge of the bonnet onto the dash, via the anchor for the radiator stay which is angled 2 degrees down to accomodate the slope of the bonnet towards the radiator. In stainless steel, it matches the bonnet hinges. Picture 16 Bonnet furniture installed. Catches and clips are untidy by modern standards, and changed little from early Ghosts until well into Phantom I production. The front clip is essentially early Ghost, while the rear clip was redesigned to operate from a bellcrank and spring to accomodate the tapered bonnet, setout beyond the frame. The one you see is a reproduction. 16

26 26 Notizie Dellʼindustria Automobilistica Britannica MARCO MAKAUS Club member of long standing, Marco Makaus, recently came across a copy of an Italian press release issued in 1963 about the life of Sir Henry Royce. It was written by Mr Tumiati, a well known Italian motoring journalist of the time who was an official rep resentative of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Marco believes it was issued just before the 1963 Turin Motor Show. He points out that it is interesting to read the official support given at that time to the myth that the radiator badge was changed from red to black as a sign of mourning. Marco has kindly translated below the original press release into English. Marco is the Regional Director, South Europe, for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. >> NEWS FROM THE BRITISH CAR INDUSTRY >> SMMT, ROME OFFICE, 1963 >> THE CENTENARY OF HENRY ROYCE S BIRTH The 27th of March was the Centenary of the birth of one of the world s outstanding engineers, Sir Frederick Henry Royce. Born in the neighbourhood of Peterborough, in England, the last of five children, Henry Royce was devoted since his youth to mechanical studies and, in 1904, made his first motor car, with two cylinders. In that same year, C S Rolls formed a partnership with him and so Rolls-Royce was born, very early earning worldwide fame and respect for its motor cars perfection. Royce was drawing his designs in a small Manchester workshop but, when his 40/50hp Silver Ghost was shown to the public its success was such, and the demand grew in such a way that the small workshop was not sufficient anymore and Rolls built a new factory in Derby, since 1908 the head quarters of the Company. Very tall, with piercing and restless eyes, Royce was to develop into a genius also in the field of aero engines. His engines powered British planes in two world wars, and also made the flight of the Vickers Vimy bomber that made the first non stop North Atlantic crossing in 1919 possible. In 1930, acknowledging his merits, he was made a Baronet. Three years later, at 70 years of age, Royce died. Thus a life entirely devoted to the production of engines able to guarantee power and safety. With his death, Rolls-Royce adopted a sign of mourning, and it was then that the famous monogram on the radiator, which originally was red, was changed permanently into black. P L TUMIATI

27 Wheels on Roads 2007 Celebrating Fifty Years of the RREC On Sunday 12 August 2007, sections will hold an event to encourage members to drive their cars on the public highway in celebration of our Club s first meeting which was held on Sunday 11 August 1957 in Oxfordshire, England. The celebration is called Wheels on Roads. Events may be small or large, and more than one may be held in the larger sections such as the Scottish, Yorkshire or the overseas national sections, thereby making attendance practical for those members with great distances to travel to a single venue. The nature of the events will be decided by individual sections, although joint-section events are encouraged. Ideally cars will be driving on public roads at 1530hrs local time, which is the time of day that the Club s first event started. However, driving a Club car at any time during 12 August 2007 will qualify members for a Certificate of Participation and entry into a Book of Record to be kept at The Hunt House. Club members who are unable to attend a section-organized event may take their cars out for a short (or long!) drive, and return their Participant s Forms direct to The Hunt House. A Participant s Form will be included as a loose insert to Bulletin 283 (Jul/Aug 07). Instructions will be included in that Bulletin on how to process the Participant s Form. In the meantime please keep Sunday 12 August 2007 in your diaries aside for the Wheels on Roads celebration. Although the social side of our Club is not only enjoyable but important, the focus of this event is to celebrate the use of our cars in the purpose for which they were built to drive upon the world s roads in silent comfort. Please take part and see how close to 10,000 Rolls-Royce or Bentley cars our 10,000 members can muster on our fiftieth anniversary. JULIAN SPENCER

28 28 Archives: FROM THE HUNT HOUSE No. 5 Double Barrel Rolls (I) My first four Archives articles have introduced Sir Henry Royce as property developer and Claude Johnson as patron of the arts. Continuing the theme of exploring the more esoteric aspects of the three principal protagonists of Rolls-Royce motor cars, this article considers the non-motor car exploits of the Honourable Charles Stewart Rolls; his involvement in the pioneering years of aviation. This, the first of two parts on Rolls flying adventures, describes Rolls involvement in ballooning. The second part, which will appear in the next Bulletin, will explore Rolls experiences in heavier-than-air flight. The Hunt House archives contain several photographs of Rolls flying activities and a fascinating and comprehensive collection of original newspaper cuttings that described his exploits as a pilot. Charles Stewart Rolls ( ) was the third son of Lord and Lady Llangattock. Being the son of a wealthy British peer, Rolls might well have chosen to lead a carefree life often associated with the young Edwardian aristocracy. Instead, he combined his innate adventurous spirit with a learned education and thus, in his short life, made a useful contribution to his nation in the development of early aviation as well as his soon-to-be-famous motor cars. Rolls went to Cambridge University ( ) where he earned a BA, and later an MA in engineering. It was soon after his Cambridge days that he experimented with making and flying model aircraft in co-operation with J T C Moore-Brabazon (later Lord Brabazon of Tara). The model aircraft were constructed of tissue paper and light wood held together by sealing wax and were usually of the tandem monoplane type with a wing span of about eighteen inches (45cm). Some of the models were tested by launching them from the upper balconies inside the Royal Albert Hall, London! Several of them produced highly satisfactory lift-to-weight ratios and achieved glides with descending slopes of about one in fifteen. The seeds had been sown for Rolls enthusiasm for aviation. Ballooning had originated in the 18 th Century as a means of scientific inquiry. However, by the end of the 19 th Century, ballooning had degenerated into the preserve of aeronaut showmen touring around pleasure gardens and fairgrounds. Indeed, Rolls own first balloon ascent was at the Crystal Palace, London on 8 September 1898 as a passenger in a balloon piloted by Percival Spencer, one of the most prominent showmen of the time. Rolls, though, could see a greater future for ballooning than merely as a fairground attraction. In late 1901, Rolls, with Frank H Butler and a few others, founded the Aero Club. The Aero Club, an offshoot of the Automobile Club, had the stated objective of: Rolls in the basket of Midget The encouragement of aero-automobilism and ballooning as a sport and to develop the science of aerial navigation in all its forms and applications. Most of the Club s early balloon ascents were from the Crystal Palace and the Ranelagh polo grounds, also in London, piloted by professional aeronauts such as members of the Spencer family. However, from June 1905, the Aero Club began to issue its own certificates of pilot competence and, on 3 July 1906, Rolls was awarded the fourth Aeronaut Certificate to be granted by the Club. Club membership grew and more and more Aeronaut Certificates were issued. Ballooning, as a socially acceptable activity for owner-aeronauts, had arrived. Rolls early flights were in balloons owned by the Aero Club. However, he soon began to buy his own, the first being the Rat of 21,000 cu ft manufactured by A E Gaudron, which he flew just once only on 30 January The Gordon Bennett International balloon contests had been announced in the Autumn of 1905 and Rolls realized that he would have to acquire the very best from the British balloon building industry if he was to compete with the quality balloons being built in France and Germany. Just as Rolls earlier search for the best in motor engineering had led him to Henry Royce, Rolls search for the best in balloon manufacturing led him to the Short brothers factory in London Mews, off Tottenham Court Road. Rolls first order with Eustace and Oswald Short was for Venus of 42,000 cu ft. In early 1906, Rolls ordered the Short-built Britannia of 80,000 cu ft

29 29 Rolls balloon at the Hendre, the Llangattock family seat in Monmouthshire which was his entry for the first Gordon Bennett balloon race held in Paris on Sunday 30 September Rolls, accompanied by Colonel Capper, was placed fourth out of sixteen entrants in the race but there was considerable mystery and concern about his safety because he seemed to disappear! By the morning of Monday 1 October 1906, the winner was known and all balloons entering the race had been accounted for except Rolls Britannia. Newspaper reports variously suggested that he had met his fate ditching in the North Sea, some even uncharitably said that he was hiding because he knew that he had not won! Monday wore on and still there was no news of Rolls. Monday night passed and still there was no news. The worst was feared. But Rolls had not perished, nor was he hiding. The rest of the tale is best left to the person who knew best Rolls himself. The following personal account is taken from The Times newspaper of 3 October 1906: I was much surprised that there had been so much anxiety. I came down at 6.38 [pm] at a very deserted spot, half way between Sandringham and the [North] sea. When I decided to descend, the balloon was travelling at 35 miles an hour. The speed was increasing and Colonel Capper and I calculated that in another five minutes we would be over the sea. Owing to the time occupied in packing up the balloon and finding a cart, it was late before we were able to reach a village. It was then impossible to send a telegram. By the rules of the contest we had to report ourselves at the earliest possible moment to some one in authority. We found the vicar of Shernbourne, King s Lynn, the Rev W C Waters, who attested our papers and entertained us for the night. As soon as possible [yesterday morning] we sent telegrams to the Aero Clubs of Paris and London. Rolls achievement in advancing the international reputation of British ballooning was significant. Rolls and his balloon in Monmouth, 1908 Although he did not win the Gordon Bennett, he won the Gould Cup for the highest placed member of the British team and the Gold Medal of the French Aero Club for the longest endurance. Moreover, he demonstrated the Shorts balloons to the international arena as being excellent products emanating from a British workshop. Edwardian ballooning was not always competitive and Rolls was a frequent participant in social ballooning weekends at country houses. Although Rolls was born in London he retained a strong family connection with his ancestral home, the Hendre, near Monmouth in South Wales. Balloon ascents took place at the Hendre every Easter and Christmas between 1906 and Apart from his large racing balloon Britannia, Rolls also owned the French-built Midget (17,500 cu ft) and the Short-built Imp (11,000 cu ft). The Imp was indicative of Rolls interest in technology in that every single part of its construction was a deliberate exercise in miniaturization and weight control. These aspects would provide valuable lessons for Rolls subsequent move into powered flight. Although Rolls was deeply involved in ballooning, his main interest in aviation was aerial automobilism powered flight. He was certain that the future for aviation would be with dirigible airships and aeroplanes. How right he was! Rolls own first powered flight was in the French dirigible airship Ville de Paris in which he flew on 29 November Even at that date, Rolls, at the age of just 30 years, was turning his attention to the possibilities of heavier-than-air flight and was determined to be involved in the pioneering days of powered flight. The next Archives article will explore Rolls involvement in fixed-wing powered aeroplanes. JULIAN SPENCER

30 30 Historic Seminar 2006 The Club s Historic Seminar 2006 will take place at The Hunt House during the weekend of Saturday 25 November and Sunday 26 November The theme this year is A Year of Anniversaries. Six experienced and highly knowledgeable speakers have kindly agreed to address the Seminar on a broad range of milestones in the history of Rolls-Royce. Lunch and dinner on Saturday, lunch on Sunday and refreshments both days will be provided for members attending the Seminar. The cost of the whole weekend is just 40 per person. Places are limited and will be awarded as applications are received. If you wish to be involved, complete the Seminar application form (it was a loose insert to Bulletin B273) or contact The Hunt House if you need a replacement application form. TOPICS AND SPEAKERS LECTURE Years Sykes and the Spirit of Ecstasy Speakers: Mr Bernard King and Mr Kris Sukhu LECTURE 2 60 Years Crewe Car Development Speaker: Mr Ian Rimmer LECTURE Years Final victory in the Schneider Trophy Speaker: Mr Kris Sukhu LECTURE Years Isle of Man TT victory Speaker: Mr Simon Coss LECTURE 5 45 years A Personal Account of a Rolls-Royce Career Speaker: Mr Reg Spencer MBE LECTURE Years Launch of the Silver Ghost Speaker: Mr Tom Clarke Tom Clarke Tom Clarke joined the Club in 1970 not long before becoming Technical Librarian at Rolls-Royce Motors. His interest in Rolls-Royce history led him first to produce relevant indexes. His books include works on the Wraith, 20/25, and pre Ghost cars, as well as Rolls-Royce in Australia co-authored with David Neely. Over sixty articles have also been published as well as shorter books. Current work includes coachbuilders Gurney Nutting (with Jack Triplett of the USA) and Cunard, C S Rolls business life, and an update on Rolls-Royce in Australia. In 2001 Tom received the Sir Henry Royce Foundation Award in Australia and he gave the Rolls-Royce Foundation Lecture in the USA in Ian Rimmer In 1967 Ian Rimmer left de Havilland Aircraft Company to join Rolls-Royce as a Quality Engineer. He spent over 30 years at the Crewe factory and became the Company historian. He spent many years researching the Company s experimental cars and much of his work was published in 1986 in his book Rolls- Royce and Bentley Experimental Cars. He joined the RREC in 1968, served as Northern Section Secretary for 21 years and has been a member of the Club s Management Committee for 30 years. Over the years, Ian has led many of the Silver Shadow and Silver Spirit technical seminars held at The Hunt House. Ian is currently the Club s Chairman. Following World War II, Rolls-Royce re-introduced car production at the Crewe factory. Although much is known of the cars that followed, Ian s lecture covers the many ideas which were tried, and often rejected, in arriving at the cars which were eventually put into production.

31 31 speaker profiles Simon Coss Simon Coss admits to being a new kid on the block. He joined the Club in 2003 and for the last year he has edited the Club s website, a subject on which he gave a presentation to the Club s Annual Conference in Simon s editorship of the website has propelled him out of the sedate and comfortable world of 20hp ownership into the seemingly limitless diversity of Rolls-Royce motor products. The diverse threads of Rolls win in the 1906 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy illustrate the emancipation of motoring in the UK, the evolution of motor car design and Royce s growing confidence in building engines. It also represents a final chapter in Rolls career as a competitive motorist and marks a turning point in Rolls-Royce s manufacturing policy. Bernard King Bernard King was born in Surrey in 1946 and throughout his working life was involved in various aspects of the travel, airline and oil industries. During his many trips around the world, he took the opportunity to investigate reports of stored post-vintage aeroplanes and cars and he has a considerable dossier and photograph collection of around prints and slides. Bernard introduced the Complete Classics series of books in 1997 which has made his gathered information available to a wider audience of like-minded people around the world. Books covering eight Bentley & Rolls-Royce models have been published to date and others are planned for the future. In addition, Bernard has updated several other well known titles for Dalton Watson and completed the superlative Bentley Motors On The Road for the same publisher. Planned for the future are a history of coachbuilder Hooper and Bentley and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Films. Reg Spencer Reg Spencer began his industrial career as an engineering apprentice at Rolls-Royce Limited, Derby in March 1940, before serving in the Royal Air Force from On his return to Rolls-Royce he joined the engine design team, as a design engineer ( ) and was a member of the team that designed the new V 8-cylinder engine for the Silver Cloud in He was also the principal designer of the FB60 in-line 6-cylinder, 4-litre aluminium engine that was fitted to the Vanden-Plas Princess R. In 1969 he was appointed Assistant Chief Designer (Motor Car Mechanical Systems) and in 1971 he was appointed Divisional Chief Inspector. For 13 years he was the Senior Manager responsible for the quality assurance of motorcars and associated products at the Crewe factory, until his appointment in 1984 as Quality Improvement Manager. In the 1982 New Year s Honours List Reg was appointed by the Queen to be a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to the community and to the automotive industry. Kris Sukhu Since leaving University, Kris Sukhu has worked exclusively in the motor industry, initially with Honda in Swindon, then Land Rover in Warwickshire. Following the take-over of the Rolls-Royce motor division by BMW, Kris was moved and became a member of the design team for what was to become the Goodwood Phantom. Now resident in Munich, his task for the small design team is to outsource materials such as wood, leather, paint etc and to ensure their compliance with international regulations and the strict guidelines laid down by the parent company. Kris has been a motoring fanatic throughout his life and his particular interest is coachbuilding between the wars. Kris involvement with Rolls-Royce has meant an expansion of his interests in the EX series of experimental cars and the early Rolls-Royce aero engines, particularly in their development and later use in the Schneider Trophy winning Supermarine S.6B. A Year of Anniversaries

32 All in glorious colour Some early Rolls-Royce advertising Tom C Clarke, UK, 2006 When Rolls-Royce Limited was founded in March 1906 the first managing director held the office only briefly, namely Henry Royce himself. Very soon the Hon C S Rolls s former business manager, Claude Goodman Johnson ( ), was appointed Commercial Managing Director to relieve Royce of this burden. The charismatic Johnson, or CJ, was both the obvious candidate and an inspired choice. He steered the company until his death in imaginative ways which reflected his personal manner, liberal ideas, and cultural interests. In his early years CJ had studied at the Royal College of Art where his passion for the arts was not matched by his ability. His aesthetic sensibilities had also been roused by his father with instruction in religious music and the great composers. CJ never lost these loves but spent the rest of his life enjoying the arts through better exponents than he. As his position improved he used

33 the power of Rolls-Royce, and sometimes its money, to promote good art further. He did this behind the scenes, working to bring pleasure or success to others, and especially ensuring no fuss was created which would bring the spotlight onto himself! This aspect of his personality, and shunning honours, might be thought odd in today s cult of celebrity. It is doubtful that all of CJ s links to artists will be unearthed. One of the earliest to benefit from Rolls- Royce patronage was the sculptor and typographer Eric Gill ( ) who designed the classical Roman font used by Rolls-Royce until very recently. Another was Charles R Sykes ( ) commissioned to produce catalogue paintings in 1909 and the mascot in In August 1919 whilst in Paris CJ fell under the spell of Marcel Dupré s organ playing at Notre Dame. Before long CJ worked to organise an Albert Hall debut in 1 The first advertisement showing a Silver Ghost without windscreen, not uncommon in the period. The formula used here, basically just the famous name and its inseparable The best car in the world, remained in use until the late 20 th century Colour Jan p218 2 Colour Feb Colour Mar p.xiii 4 Colour Apr p.97 5 Colour May 1917 p.xv 6 Probably the most dramatic of the series, calculated to take your breath away and put your nerves on edge Colour June Colour July 1917 p.x 8 Colour Aug p.xiii 9 Colour Sept p.xiii 10 Colour Oct p.xiii 11 The last advertisement until resumption in February 1919 Colour Dec p.xvi 12 Note that Rolls-Royce still have a presence in St Petersburg after the Bolshevik revolution Colour Feb and Apr. 1921

34 Colour Mar Colour Apr Colour May Colour June Colour July Colour Aug Petrograd is no longer mentioned even though Rolls-Royce were selling cars to Lenin and others! Colour Sept For the first time in this advertising series support from other sources is quoted, and the latest Rolls-Royce success in the air is stated in a restrained manner Colour Nov and Nov Colour Dec Colour Jan Colour Dec After this last new advertisement appeared in January 1921 earlier examples were repeated until April. The testimonial from Lord Buxton bottom left did not indicate that the painting showed his car, shown in the next picture for comparison Colour Jan front of royalty, and this took place in December Rolls-Royce later paid for electric blowers in the Notre Dame organ. A personal gift from CJ was some antique spandrels for the ceiling of Dupré s music hall. CJ s love of church music led him to support the leader of the Gregorian Association, Captain Francis Burgess ( ), by arranging a job in the Rolls-Royce Aero Publicity Department. Modern French music became another CJ passion when he heard pieces by Claude Debussy. It is thought he published an appreciation of Debussy although no record of this can be traced. Meanwhile, his close friendship with the acclaimed society portraitist Arthur Ambrose McEvoy ( ) led CJ to publish in 1919 a sumptuous two-volume study The Works of Ambrose McEvoy... from 1900 to May It contained 163 plates and was published by the Chiswick Press. True to form, CJ s name did not

35 appear on the title-page. Instead he used Wigs, his family nickname. CJ and McEvoy shared an eye for the ladies. In McEvoy s case the bulk of his work was portraits of women. It is interesting that this feast of art and culture came to a head in the late stages and immediate aftermath of the Great War. For a brief period there was a post-war boom in the car industry and Rolls- Royce advertised widely in prestigious journals. Colour printing, however, was then very expensive for book and magazine publishing so its use was restricted to the most expensive publications, or covers and supplements. In August 1914 the new art magazine Colour had commenced publication to place colour images of recent and some early paintings before the public. It was an art journal of modest size aimed mainly at artists themselves, connoisseurs, and collectors, and orientated towards current developments rather than scholarship. In late 1916 someone at Rolls-Royce, almost certainly CJ, decided to lavish patronage on Colour magazine. Interestingly, the June 1917 issue was to contain a laudatory article on McEvoy by TIS (not CJ in another guise). From January 1917 until April 1921 twenty four Rolls-Royce full-page colour advertisements appeared. Some were occasionally repeated and all were a treat to the eye in a modern style. Recognisably showing Rolls- Royce cars, albeit crudely, the paintings were oil on canvas but unsigned. Why would Rolls-Royce Limited indulge a small art journal of limited circulation with such expensive advertising, knowing that orders would be unlikely from the readership? Before considering this question let us take in what the readers of Colour saw.

36 The car that drew in Lord Buxton s testimonial used in Colour January 1921, the 1914 Silver Ghost chassis 3YB H J Mulliner landaulette with chauffeur Charles Raymond (ex C S Rolls and Rolls-Royce Ltd.) Courtesy of Mrs G Matthews 26. Bosham Bridge, by F Gregory Brown with a Silver Ghost tourer Colour Nov p.xiv 27. Arthog, N. Wales, by F Gregory Brown and showing a similar Silver Ghost Colour Dec p.xvi 28. Near Basingstoke, Hants., by F Gregory Brown showing the type of Arthur Mulliner cabriolet used in the 1913 Silver Ghost catalogue Colour Jan p.220

37 Old Basing Church, by Edward J Claes showing a Silver Ghost tourer Colour Aug p.xii Colour was published by William Dawson & Sons who were large publishers and printers at the suitablynamed Rolls House, Breams Buildings, London EC. The editor, one Mr Barrett, was based at 25 (later 53) Victoria Street, Westminster. The colour advertising manager was Ali Ahumada (d.1917) who would have started the Rolls-Royce series. The actual printing was done by Abbey Press of Westminster. Apart from Rolls-Royce other motor firms to advertise were Vauxhall and Napier. In addition, paintings of Rolls- Royces to accompany travel articles appeared but they were unconnected to the advertisements shown earlier. Nevertheless, might these too have been commissioned by CJ for other purposes? The artists in these cases were F Gregory Brown and Edward J Claes. An influence on Rolls-Royce advertising at this time was the newspaper baron Lord Northcliffe, a keen supporter of the company. Writing to CJ on 2 March 1921 (see Wilton J Oldham s The hyphen in Rolls-Royce, 1967, p141) he complained that current Rolls-Royce advertising was contemptible and he had seen it in almost worthless publications! Was Colour in Northcliffe s sights? He urged CJ to call in an intelligent 29. In leafy Buckinghamshire, by Edward J Claes and also showing the Arthur Mulliner cabriolet type used in the 1913 catalogue Colour Apr p96

38 Tink by Ambrose McEvoy. Joan Claudia Johnson (b.1912), later Mrs Hugh Riddle, was the only child of CJ and his second wife Evelyn Maud Mill known as Mrs Wigs. Joan was known as Tinkerbelle after J M Barrie s Peter Pan character Colour Apr p59 32 The Hon Mrs Akers Douglas by Ambrose McEvoy, 1916 Colour Apr p57 33 Mademoiselle by Ambrose McEvoy. Colour July-Aug p15 34 A portrait by Ambrose McEvoy. Colour Apr p50 35 The first advertisement for the 1923 book on McEvoy written by CJ as Wigs Colour July 1923 advertising service and wished to see more testimonials. He also stressed in a further letter that in the words Rolls-Royce you have a unique possession so clearly he understood branding as we understand it today. This intervention probably explains why CJ s aesthetic approach, the appeal to his heart and emotions, moved away from indulgence at Colour magazine and towards more strategic advertising. The advertisement paintings in Colour for Rolls- Royce are highly original and the loose treatment of the cars themselves might indicate a painter not accustomed to much landscape or figurative work. Just as the Rolls-Royce advertisements tailed off in 1921 the work of Ambrose McEvoy made four appearances in Colour during CJ was a collector of McEvoy s work, having commissioned his own portrait by the artist as well as paintings of his daughters, and of his wife at least three times. The close friendship between the two men could perhaps make McEvoy a candidate for the anonymous advertisement paintings. Certainly some of the examples of his work which follow suggest at least a possibility of this connection. Conveniently, an exhibition of McEvoy s work was held at the Leicester Galleries during April-May 1923 and, soon after, CJ s 1919 book on McEvoy was

39 published by Colour magazine as a much-abridged 80- page booklet. Of the 1,500 printed 500 were offered for sale and presumably the rest were distributed by CJ or McEvoy. This artistic affinity clearly had something for all parties: Rolls-Royce Limited gained publicity in new quarters with the impressionistic paintings that possibly came from McEvoy s hand; McEvoy was feted in CJ s books on the artist and by Colour magazine s support; and CJ derived his pleasure from the public praise he could heap on his close friend McEvoy. The anonymous painter of the advertisements benefited from Rolls- Royce patronage and if he wasn t McEvoy who could it have been? Thereafter advertisements were limited to black and white by Rolls-Royce for the new 20hp to face new market realities. The framed Colour advertisement paintings ended up on the walls of Rolls-Royce Limited s Conduit Street offices (see John Fasal s The Rolls-Royce Twenty p184). Do any survive? 36 Some reaction to CJ s 1923 book Colour Aug p The new type of Rolls-Royce advertising in Colour but, alas, not in colour! Colour Aug

40 40 Goodwood News 101EX LIGHTS UP LONDON 101EX photographed recently in London. The experimental car is currently on a worldwide tour.

41 41

42 42 Goodwood News ANDREW BALL NEW APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME LAUNCH AT GOODWOOD On 9 June Rolls-Royce Motor Cars launched a new apprenticeship programme which will provide fifteen young people with the opportunity to train for highly skilled jobs at the manufacturing plant at Goodwood. The apprenticeship programme is open to year olds and it is anticipated that many of the candidates will come from the local West Sussex area. The first intake of apprentices will start in September 2006, with subsequent groups joining at the same time each year as the programme develops. The apprenticeships last for up to four years and combine on-the-job training, working alongside skilled craftspeople in the paint, wood, leather, assembly or maintenance areas, with studying for nationally recognised qualifications. Ian Robertson, Chairman and Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said, We are delighted to launch this new programme, which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the development and training of young people in the UK manufacturing industry. Every Rolls-Royce is hand-built to the highest levels of quality and our new apprentices will join a team of dedicated craftsmen and women. With the development of our new convertible well underway and more models to follow, they will join the Goodwood team at an exciting time. SKYLARKS FOUND NESTING ON ROLLS-ROYCE LIVING ROOF A number of breeding pairs of skylarks began nesting on the living roof of the Rolls-Royce manufacturing plant and head office at Goodwood in early June this year. Believed to be the largest living roof in the UK, it covers eight acres and is planted with a variety of sedum plants. Skylarks generally nest on the ground in fields and meadows, where the risk of attack from predators is high therefore the Rolls-Royce roof is a much safer home for them. Dr Paul F Donald, Senior Research Biologist International Research Team RSPB said, It is great that skylarks have chosen to nest on the roof of the Rolls-Royce manufacturing plant. Skylark numbers have fallen during the last twenty years, largely due to changes in agriculture. Intensive research by the RSPB and others has now enabled conservationists to start addressing this problem. With the expansion of ideal nesting sites, like the Rolls-Royce roof, future generations will be able to enjoy the song of this wonderful bird.

43 43 RREC Consolidated Indexes The RREC Consolidated Indexes up to Bulletin B276 can be found on the website by going to: The indexes available are: Consolidated Historical Index Consolidated Photograph Index Consolidated Technical Index Chassis Numbers Chassis Numbers Chassis Numbers The Consolidated Historical Index contains an index of all items except Technical and Photographs in Bulletins B184 to B275, January 1991 to April Prior years items are in: Bulletin Index 1960 to 1975 B1 to B93 Bulletin Index 1976 to 1980 B94 to B123 Bulletin Index 1981 to 1985 B124 to B153 Bulletin Index 1986 to 1990 B154 to B183 The Consolidated Photograph Index is an index of all photographs that have appeared in the RREC Bulletins B184 to B275, January 1991 to April 2006, plus the photographs in the Queen s Golden Jubilee Souvenir The Consolidated Technical Index is an index of Technical items in the Bulletins from B172 January 1989, the items re-printed in the Technical Manuals 1 to 5 from 1960 onwards, and the Service Instructions for Cars built prior to It can be found also in the Technical Section. As they are Acrobat documents you have extensive search facilities using them on a computer, whether online or after downloading: you can search by, owners, models, chassis number, registration number, primary subject, secondary subject, Bulletin, or any keyword. They will be updated after each new Bulletin is indexed. It has been Club policy to issue the Consolidated Indexes free to all members in printed form once every five years, with Annual Indexes each year. The new service is much better as the Consolidated Indexes are up to date soon after each Bulletin is published, with powerful computer search facility. To send a printed copy to all members is rather wasteful, because most members, even without a personal home computer, can have access to the Club s website via an on-line computer in their Public Library or in an Internet Café. However, the Consolidated Technical Index is needed in the garage and in the car when touring. Therefore, it is distributed free when you purchase the Technical Manuals, and we plan to send a printed copy to each member early next year. Ben Grew and Derek Harris produce the indexes, and we are very grateful for their efforts. They have obviously been as careful as possible to be accurate, but if you do spot any errors or omissions, please let me know and I will pass them on to Ben and Derek. JULIAN SPENCER

44 Silver Ghost (50RE) (see Editor s Notes)

45

46 46 The Restoration of 65WR Part 3 DAVID DUDLEY CONTINUED FROM B271, p53 1 The cracked rim 2 The dreaded rust At the end of Part 2 the car was minus its bonnet, the doors, the boot lid and most of the interior and was therefore in no fit state to go to the Annual (2004). Gradually however, these missing items were finished and fitted. I noticed a crack in one of the wheel rims (Photo 1) and so that had to be welded a process which takes some skill and care if the crack is not to reappear. Just in case, that one is now the spare! Then wheels were shot blasted and powder coated, but someone forgot the anti-rust process. They rapidly turned from smart silver to junkyard red (Photo 2). The firm admitted responsibility and did them all again, but it did mean removing and remounting five tyres (again). I wanted to change the bootlid straps to allow better access. The existing straps were rigid 10 bars and the replacements were going to have to fold. However, this requires very careful measurement and design to avoid fouling the floor or the lid itself. Borrowing a video camera from the everhelpful David Else, I was able to observe the movement of 3 Looking inside the boot on closed circuit tv the trial straps as the boot-lid closed and make adjustments accordingly (Photo 3). The boot-lid now opens almost to the horizontal. Work went on steadily into the Autumn and then it all began to come together in a rush. The bodywork was all back together by August 2004, although I had taken the car for its MoT test a month earlier (minus bonnet and the doors unpainted!). To complement the gorgeous dark blue paintwork, I chose very light tan leather. It may prove difficult to keep clean in future

47 47 6 The new plate years, but it will be worth it (Photo 4). The upholsterer, besides being extremely good value for money, really knew his stuff and did all the seats, doors, carpets and interior coverings, plus the hood and its bag. The end result was terrific and the car certainly makes much more of a statement than it did when sporting its thirty year old metallic grey paint (Photo 5). In the next two months I covered over 2,000 miles any excuse would do! One trip I just had to make was to Wigan. In B270 I told how I found the names of the craftsmen who built the body on my car in Well I managed to contact two of them, still living in I asked them why, when straight edges and flat surfaces were so easy to produce, they had made the body so wonderfully curvaceous. the Wigan area, and went up there to take them out to lunch. They told some fascinating stories about the car and the Calderbank firm. I will leave those for another 4 Beautiful upholstery

48 48 article, but one of their statements I must share with you. I asked them why, when straight edges and flat surfaces were so easy to produce, they had made the body so wonderfully curvaceous. They spoke as one man Because we could! The final act of restoration was to have a coachbuilder s plate made an expensive but fitting gesture (Photo 6). Was it all worth it all that hard work, all that money and being without my car for a year? Well I loved this car before I got to know it, when it was rather tatty round the edges and not really performing well. Now it is running beautifully, looks stunning and fits me like a glove physically and temperamentally. There is no other motor car in the world that I would exchange for 65WR. To cap it all, I took it to the 2005 Annual Rally and won the Douglas Wood Trophy for the best personal restoration (the best trophy in the Club s huge inventory). Of course it was worth it! 5 The finished article 20hp REGISTERS The first issue by the new team of the Register Newsletter has been sent out to all 20hp owners on the Club s database. Tom Jones, the new Editor, did a splendid job and produced it in record time. There has been excellent feed back from members. Thank you Tom. A most generous response for donations has been received which are greatly appreciated. I arrived back from the Loire rally to find over fifty 20hp owners responses I was overwhelmed and would like to offer a sincere thank you for your support and kind words. The Members Register is now being recompiled and updated but it is highly unlikely a new hp (GHJ15) with shooting brake body Members Register will be available until the New Year due to the amount of input needed. For any information wanted on anything to do with the 20hp motor car, please give me a ring.

49 hp (GOK53) tourer by Lanchester Articles, photos, advice, etc, are still needed for both the Register Notes in the Bulletin and our Newsletter. Please let us have your contributions! Hints & Tips in the Newsletter proved to be so true the overfilling of oil in the engine that causes the oil to blow back on the gearbox and starter. Unfortunately it occurred to one 20hp whilst on the return from the Loire and the motor car had to be recovered. At least the members made it to the Ferry just in time. I would seriously ask members to think of the rear of their 20hp, especially for night driving and even more so in the wet. You need to be seen by other road users. Might I suggest a couple of Red Warning Triangles on a trailer board I use a white pvc weatherboard panel with reflective yellow and red adhesive foil, in the middle, as used on lorries. You will be seen more clearly and hopefully avoid being tail ended. I have done this for many years on my pre-war Motor Cars. I followed a 20hp a short way recently at night and in the rain. I was within 50 metres of it before I could see it! Entries for the visit to Picardy on 18 May 2007 continue to come in well with visits planned to Monet s Gardens, Versailles and Honfleur. Over half the places/rooms are already taken. If you are interested, send an SAE to me for a booking form or Tom Jones on tom@chezjones.demon.co.uk. Several members recently experienced problems with topping up their mobile phones whilst abroad. There are several inexpensive monthly account suppliers I use One Tel and pay no line rental and settle monthly by Credit Card/D/D. It is very easy to get a mobile unblocked if you are with a pay-as-you-go provider and put a new chip in (with your new number) from your choice of new provider who is not pay-as-you-go. Photographs taken by Simon Slaffer on the recent the Loire Trip should be available on the Register Web Page on the Club s website. There was an excellent selection of 20hp motor cars on the Event. (Editor s Comment: Readers will find three of Simon s photographs of the event elsewhere in this Bulletin.) A serious problem is in the offing. The use of traditional cellulose or 2-Pack paints is shortly being phased out, unless paint shops invest in expensive specialized new equipment and obtain a special license. Otherwise, water based paints only will be available, which in the main are totally unsuitable for pre-war motor cars as the finish is much harsher and highly lustrous. It is estimated that over 2000 paint shops will be out of business by 2007 due to the new Regulations. As yet no regional meeting of the Register is planned for this year there is not enough time to notify members of a suitable venue. However, it is hoped to have one in 2007 and suggestions as to suitable venues would be appreciated. It must be one accessible by the

50 50 majority of 20hp Register members. Maybe a long weekend somewhere your comments and suggestions please. It is very apparent that 20hp owners want and enjoy being members of an active Register. Please remember, a new Registrar is wanted in order to continue the work please give serious thought to it I am definitely only a stop gap Registrar until a new one is appointed. I will definitely cease holding the position of Registrar at the next Club AGM. Interesting history and facts have come to light, thanks to Michael and Pat Crees. Four chassis GLN26, GCK74, GA28 plus one other were all acquired as complete chassis and completely rebodied in the late 1980s the ash frames were built by David Templeman of Carlby, the panel work by Ray Cantrill of Stoke on Trent. Albert Corried did the trimming, with all other work carried out by John Hanson. I understand that the four replacement bodies are identical two are known in the 20hp Register, although one owner insists that his is part original! I hope we manage to meet up during the season. KEITH JAY, Registrar Derby Bentley Ramblings Our Registrar felt that it was a good time for a potted history of the Derby Bentley but what follows is, perhaps inevitably, rather longer than your average pot and still hardly does justice to the great achievement of the remarkably small team that created our car. The Highly Condensed Story of the Derby Bentley In August 1931 the press reported the fact that negotiations were proceeding apace between the receiver for Bentley Motors Ltd. and D Napier & Son Ltd. There was undoubted concern in the board room of Rolls-Royce, for the combination of Napier and W O Bentley was likely to create a highly reputable top-of-the-range automobile which, following the W O Bentley 8 litre could be superior to their own chassis at that time. Some exceedingly astute business thinking by Rolls-Royce, coupled with excellent legal advice, resulted in the receiver being forced by the court to put Bentley Motors Ltd. out to sealed bids. The British Central Equitable Trust, acting discreetly on behalf of Rolls- Royce, won the day in November 1931 with a bid of 125,256 which topped the Napier bid by around 20,000. It was a shrewd move, as the sale of the assets alone covered the larger part of the cost, and in one stroke Rolls-Royce had minimised the competition and had acquired a name which had a strong, younger, and more sporting customer loyalty. After this fast, decisive management move came a long period of indecisive boardroom discussion. The huge division of opinion as to the direction to follow with the new name seems to indicate that the Company had been far more concerned with knocking out competition than in finding a base for widening their chassis offerings. That, coupled with the poor health of Royce, meant that for the next twelve months Wormald, Hives, and Sidgreaves, ably assisted by Cowen, Elliot and Robotham, argued the cases first with each other and then with Royce for engine type and size, price level, market, and level of sporting appeal. All these individuals were loyal and committed Company men who, having great respect for Royce, were perhaps understandably reluctant to move without his The end result of this hybrid car was quite remarkable and was a tribute to the brilliance of the engineers involved approval. Sir Arthur Sidgreave was Managing Director having succeeded Claude and Basil Johnson. E W Hives, later the great leader of the firm, was Head of the Development Department at that time and ably assisted by his deputy, Robotham. Cowen, the General Manger and eventually Director - was the individual who, just as the Derby Bentley was about to be released to the world, came up with the comment We need to change the radiator from the cheap and undistinguished wire stone screen. Elliott at that time was the Chief Engineer and thus, given the backgrounds of all those concerned, it meant that the engineering excellence of the car was uppermost in all their minds. Naturally there was no wish to compete with their existing Rolls- Royce model and, despite the reluctance of the Board to get involved with motor racing or the very fast set, the desire was to move towards a lower cost base having the rather more sporting style much associated with the name of Bentley. There was considerable competition in this area and the offerings of Alvis, Alpha Romeo and Lagonda were looked at in some detail. Test drives, especially in the Alvis Speed Twenty, were followed in some cases by some extensive Rolls- Royce bench testing. Various alternatives including consideration of supercharging a smaller engine were explored but for some months little was achieved. Eventually Hives and Sidgreaves took matters into their own hands and developed an approach that was passed through Royce on the basis that if there was no outright rejection it would be assumed as

51 51 Experimental 14-B-V full steam ahead. Thus the Derby Bentley was conceived using much of the chassis and ancillary design work that had been developed on the Peregrine project and incorporating the J1 engine which was a progression on from the 20/25. As both the Peregrine project and the J1 engine had been well developed when Bentley Motors Ltd. was purchased, the first Derby-built Bentley could have been produced at least a year earlier - in theory. However, the delay did provide time for further development work and testing on the Peregrine and did allow for full consideration to be given to the competition in their new market place. Although the original aim for the Peregrine was a litre engine and a lower overall cost base, the match of the larger litre engine was quite brilliant and a far better solution than the supercharging of the smaller motor that had been considered. In early 1933 the prototype Bensport, as the Derby Bentley was known during the development stages, was driven to West Wittering, no doubt for a Royce look-over and approval. Then followed an extensive period of testing, refinement and organisation of production facilities with the target date for the launch set as the October 1933 Motor Show. Finally in September 1933 the car was shown to the press and gained much favourable comment. The chassis, by the standards of the day, was exceedingly light with just six tube and two box cross members and, unusually, no diagonal bracing. The 3669cc cast iron and aluminium engine was relatively conventional and well proven, but it had a new crossflow design of head, giving a much improved compression ratio, and it was fitted with twin SU carburettors. Eighteen inch wheels, hydraulic shock absorbers, a chassis lubrication system, servo-assisted brakes, and a Rolls-Royce gear box with synchromesh on just third and top complemented the chassis and were all improvements and modifications to existing designs. The end result of this hybrid car was quite remarkable and was a tribute to the brilliance of the engineers involved. All who tested the vehicle were impressed by the handling, performance and silence. Here was a grand touring car built to Rolls-Royce exacting standards and reliability The Silent Sportscar. At this time the Company just produced rolling chassis, and bodywork was to the choice and purse of the customer. Initially Rolls-Royce favoured Park Ward and Vanden Plas and four models - two drophead and two saloon. Once production was in swing the number of coachbuilders and body designs increased enormously and by the time the litre was announced in 1936 over 1,100 cars had been bodied by more than fifty coachbuilding firms. Interestingly, the majority of bodies were the less sporty saloons or drophead cabriolet styles and as a result of

52 52 Four new springs New spring fitted demands for comfort and space the weight of the bodies tended to increase. During 1934 and 1935, in addition to a stream of minor improvements and modifications, the experimental department was looking to increase the power and speed. Competitors were offering faster and more spacious cars at lower prices and could not be ignored. Once again, supercharging was considered by looking at the offerings of the American Graham Paige cars and super charger but, after numerous tests, rejected. The Company purchased several vehicles for very detailed testing including the Jaguar litre and later the However it was soon decided that the engine size of the existing model should be increased to 4257cc. While Rolls-Royce officially stayed aloof from motor racing, the Experimental Department assisted E R Hall on preparation and modifications to his own privately entered Derby Bentley. This he raced exceedingly successfully but while he set fastest laps many times and covered greater distances, due to handicapping he mostly came second in the prestigious events of the early 1930s. However the information gained from his prodigious efforts added much to the improvements made on the Bearing problems occurring due to sustained high speeds were overcome by Hall s metal a new alloy devised by another Mr Hall, the chief metallurgist at Rolls- Royce. Lubrication of the big ends was improved, compression was increased again, and air supply to the carburettors was enhanced. The clutch was now bought in from Borg & Beck and better capable of taking the almost twenty percent increase in horsepower. This was yet another early step in the gradual change from an engineering firm that made all mechanical parts of the rolling chassis to that of a car manufacturer using an ever increasing number of externally sourced components. Once again the vehicle met great acclaim from the press and, even more importantly, from the market place. Improvements and modifications continued to take place but with a major step in late 1938 when the M overdrive models were introduced. This had a major effect on the high speed touring performance and, coupled with a different steering box and a reduction in wheel size to seventeen inches, improved both handling and ride. While termed the overdrive in fact it was a major revision to the gearbox whereby top had a very high ratio with third being very similar to the predecessor s top. This was achieved by top being indirect, third the direct drive, all the gear ratios being changed and the rear axle gearing lowered. Overall more than cars were produced before the final Derby Bentley model was announced. This car, known as the Mark V, was significantly different from the and cars. Chassis, suspension, engine, clutch, and gearbox were all changed and radically improved, following the lessons learnt from the predecessors. Alas, the war intervened and, of some thirty five chassis laid down, only a few were completed and even fewer survive. By the end of the war automobile production had moved to Crewe and thus it was the end of the era of Derby-built Bentleys. The happy final comment is that a very high number of the almost 2,500 cars built still survive and are still driven and enjoyed the world over a testament to the outstanding design work, skilled engineering, and high reliability of automobile production by Rolls- Royce.

53 Technical Shut Up! from your Registrar, Douglas Reece My car can have a habit of catching me out just when I think all is well. Finishing off my cleaning and polishing routine the evening before a friend s wedding I found that one of my back doors wouldn t latch shut, rendering the car unusable. Fortunately it had failed at home and not outside the cathedral just as the bride stepped in! The problem couldn t be ignored and so the lock was removed for inspection, not difficult. After removing two items of wood trim and the door panel four wood screws released the lock from the doorframe and it slid out leaving the operating shaft still attached to the exterior handle. The mechanism of the lock was now exposed and the culprit easily identified, a fractured spring, due to seventy years of use and not helped by a dose of plating chemicals when the face was rechromed. My box of old springs didn t contain anything remotely similar so I set about making a temporary spring out of 1.5 mm stainless steel wire. This worked well enough but was a worry as the latch action was much weaker. A subsequent search of local ironmongers produced a similar spring for domestic doors, Lock assembled which was fitted, but it still lacked the power of the original item. At Fiennes technical day last October I was delighted to learn that they were now manufacturing a door lock spring, however there were several different types. Obviously an on-going demand! I duly sent up a photo and measurements of my example and thankfully back came four identical springs I had decided to replace the complete set for peace of mind. The inner end of the spring was held in a slot at the base of a post securely fitted to the lock back plate. Removal of the old spring was not difficult as it could be distorted and pulled out, but replacement either entailed removing the post, which I thought best avoided, or gaining access to the slot by extending it to the top of the peg with a hacksaw. The new spring was then slid down this slot until against the back plate and the cut area closed with a blob of weld on the top of the post from the MIG, being very quick and careful not to anneal the spring. Reassembly was straightforward and all moving parts well greased. While the door panel was removed I also lubricated the window winder mechanism. Out of the original four there was only one decent spring, with another fractured, and 53 a very poor replacement some two inches shorter when unwound, in another lock. The doors now shut with a lovely solid clunk and hopefully will continue to for another seventy years. Newsletter We are hoping to re-launch an annual Derby Bentley newsletter in The intention is to send this free, as a service, to all members of the register. The first edition is likely to be a modest affair (The Art of The Possible!) and the quality and size of future editions will depend upon the support and feedback that we receive from YOU, the members! We need articles and snippets relating to you and your Derby such as restoration projects underway or completed, technical items, travellers tales and really any submission that will interest / amuse your fellow readers. Perhaps cars and parts for sale or wanted could be entered, perhaps a quiz? Submissions only need to be a few sentences or lengthier if the mood takes you and photographs are a bonus. Please contact me Douglas Reece, Derby Bentley Registrar by doug-eliz.reece@tiscali.co.uk or Tel: or James Tucker: jasmines.shaldon@virgin.net or Tel: Events 2007 Given all the planned summer activity to celebrate the Club s 50 th Anniversary, we feel that perhaps our Register event should be held in the spring next year and are currently looking at west Wales as the venue. Comments or suggestions from any of our probable vital and lively attendees would be most welcome. JAMES TUCKER News Editor for the Derby Bentley Register

54 54 WZB61 meets Ju52, Aunt Ju Seminar 283 March 2006 WOF58 Freestone & Webb owner Simon Buck Mark VI and Silver Wraith Firstly, an apology to Simon Buck for an error quoting his chassis number in B275/56 which should have read WOF58. Please blame whoever invented the typewriter / computer keyboard for the distribution and close proximity of the keys. The Diamond Jubilee celebrations started at the Annual on Saturday 17 June The Register was offered the chance to display our cars in the main prize ring and some thirty cars participated. To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee in September 2006, we have been searching for early cars. Selwyn Crabtree has been restoring B4AK bodied by H J Mulliner for many years and at last it is finished so members coming on the September run will be able to see the car. In February, Dale Powers USA joined the Register with his Park Ward dhc Mark VI (B10AK) which is under restoration. Dale is seeking information about the exact interior of his car which was removed around 1968 so if anyone of our members or readers can help, please contact your Registrar. Dale also provided some information about other early cars namely, B6AK which is now in Florida and B12AK in California. Elsewhere in this Bulletin you will find an update from Malcolm Hobbs on the September rally. The Lake District part of the run is now fully booked but there are still (at the time of writing in June) some rooms available at Pot Shrigley Hall. There is also an opportunity for Bentley Mark VI, R-type and R-Continental drivers to join in the BDC event at Silverstone on 19 August (Happy memories of racing the Mallory Circuit a decade ago as a guest of the BDC and the Seminar 283 March 2006 only time I have ever had B207MB in a four wheel drift at Shaw s corner). Although 19 August will follow close on the publication of this Bulletin, interested members should contact Malcolm Hobbs as soon as possible. (See his update). The Register seminar took place in March 2006 run as usual by Steve Lovatt and Eric Healey and was well subscribed. An interesting addition was a session by Norman Axle Geeson on rear axles (naturally). The usual inspections took place on the hoist and Mike

55 Kendrick was also on hand to meet and discuss points with delegates. Julian Spencer was seen hovering in the background to ensure that deadlines were met. Thanks to all concerned for their input in order to make another successful weekend. Some while ago, James Bradford Powers (Brad) over in Massachusetts produced a couple of very interesting CDs and a booklet of historical notes entitled By Design: A Visual History of the Bentley Mark VI from The package contained some fascinating pictures and information on the many coachbuilders of our cars. Brad has now turned his attention to the Silver Wraith and the Register has been assisting him recently with the project. Sincere thanks go to the several members who have kindly agreed to provide information (historical and otherwise) on their cars. One of the members involved was Justus Trentmann (WZB61) in Germany who provided many photographs. Justus sent a picture of his car meeting Ju52 in 1984 and with our Editor s enthusiasm for all things airborne (B276/6&7), the following notes from Justus may be of interest and we thank him for the contribution. Now the last photo and the story about this photo, Aunt Ju and WZB61. Pre-war design meets prewar aircraft. This shot was taken by coincidence 13 October 1984 on B4AK HJM Selwyn Crabtree 2006 Gatow Airfield, Berlin, British sector and was printed 14 October in the Berliner Zeitung. A small article says that a lot of old-timers met at Gatow Airfield, Bentleys, Rolls-Royce and a lot of Mercedes- Benz 300 SL. I inherited my parent s house (where we had grown up) in 2004 and restored it in Now, another family is living there and the father is an American from Tucson who was a flight engineer with the United States Air Force. Today he is a pilot with Lufthansa and for fun he is the flight engineer on Lufthansa's Ju52. I hope that in the near future I can repeat the shot from There is a saying in Germany which directly translated means: Sometimes life circles close. Some information on Ju52. Due to the increasing demand for air freight capacity, Junkers developed a freight carrier which was named Ju52. At first it was equipped with one engine. The request was 1000PS which was difficult to obtain. The first engine was a BMW 725 PS star engine. The load was 2000 kg at a distance of 1500 km in The increasing demand in the 30s for passenger transport requested a bigger execution of Junkers G 34 and G 31. For safety reasons three engines were requested there was no new construction but Ju52 was fitted with three engines and became a passenger carrier, the 55 capacity being fifteen to seventeen passengers. Ju52 was exported to twenty five countries and was used by thirty air companies. Ju52 was very safe and decreased the number of emergency landings from 7 to 1.5 per 1 million km. This is the reason why it is called Aunt Ju, probably the safest and most reliable air craft before and during WWII. I will not tell you stories about this aircraft during WWII, but my father told me that when they returned from France they were completely demolished flying with only one engine. After WWII a big number of Ju52s were built in Spain. Today there are very few aircraft in the air, four in Switzerland and one in Germany. If Ju52 is of more interest, please look at the internet. Amongst other correspondence of recent months Peter Harrison in the USA sent information about several of our cars going up for auction on the ebay site. Some are in excellent condition, some are in a bad state of repair and one has been sadly modified into a hot-rod. Our member Keith Jay (SVJ107) encountered an interesting and most unusual electrical fault. In the 20hp newsletter dated May 2006 he says If you have an electrical short, check the bulb holders and ensure that the bulbs do not have extra solder on the end or side, which is touching the bulb holder. For Internet users, Bernard King has mailed to report progress with his new web site which is now online at completeclassics.net so do have a look. The Register has grown a bit in recent months with 926 cars now recorded and our e-list for receiving newsletters stands at 212. Here s to a successful Diamond Jubilee in September 2006 and safe driving to all. TONY JENKIN Registrar

56 South of England Rally ANDY COURTNEY Woldingham School, Sunday 14 May 2006 PHOTOGRAPHS AND CAPTIONS BY COLIN HUGHES Peter Seamer s 1957 Silver Cloud saloon (SED149) For the second year running the South of England Rally was held at a completely new venue, the choice this year being the grounds of Woldingham Girls School near Caterham. Set at the end of a two-mile drive, the school sits in a quiet valley isolated from the bustle of the surrounding Surrey countryside and is a near ideal spot for a leisurely car rally. In order to accommodate the number of cars likely to attend, two adjoining areas of the school grounds were selected; a gently sloping field, allocated to postwar cars, and below that, a large walled area which was used to accommodate pre-war cars, the main marquee, and other displays. On the day, some 350 motor cars attended which was a very satisfying turnout and not far short of maximum capacity. It was particularly pleasing to see so many pre-war cars which represented nearly a third of the total attendance. Activities on the day included conducted tours of the school by the girls, a raffle which was extremely well supported, a wandering Jazz Band, a new Phantom on display courtesy of Andrew Ball of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars at Goodwood and of course the Club Shop and the Spares Stall. During the day a TV film crew, making a programme for the History Channel* on the Silver Ghost as a great British icon, had a number of car owners parading their vehicles. For the first time the organisers of this year s South of England Rally had procured four awards in the form of permanent trophies to be presented annually at this and all successive events. The school proposed that these awards be presented by Alderman and Sheriff John Stuttard - shortly to become Lord Mayor of London and as he is himself an avid Rolls-Royce owner and enthusiast, turning up in a delightful /50hp all weather tourer, his presence was greatly applauded by all. The choice of Best Car in Show was made by the girls of Woldingham School, and the new trophy in (*Editor s Comment: For more information on the History Channel s TV programme see Editor s Notes) Bruce Thompson s /25 Arthur Mulliner saloon with division (GRF10) winner of the Best Pre-War Car

57 57 Jim Rankin s 1950 Bentley Mk VI Park Ward drop head coupé (B158HR) winner of the Best Post-War Car the form of a showroom-size Spirit of Ecstasy, kindly donated by Montague and Co of Bramley, was awarded to Mr P Price for his 1927 Rolls-Royce 20hp Hooper tourer, Reg No. DS7695. The Award for Elegance, again chosen by the girls of Woldingham School, was presented to Mr Peter Fischer for his 1958 SI Continental drophead coupé, Reg No. OYL1. The new trophy, of elegant art deco style, had been generously donated by Mr and Mrs Len Meades of the Surrey Section. A trophy in memory of the late Dr Robin Barnard, an active and esteemed member of the RREC in the Andrew Sait s 1975 Rolls-Royce drop head coupé (DRH20117) Jim Rankin (left) receiving prize from John Stuttard (right) for Best Post-War Car South East, was donated by local member John White for the Best Pre-War Car. His choice was a /25hp touring limousine by H J Mulliner, Reg No. CPE960 owned by Bruce Thompson. The trophy for the Best Post-War Car, in the form of a magnificent etched glass bowl, was donated by Central Southern Section and members Ian and Corinne Niblett where invited to select the winner. Their admirable choice was a 1950 Bentley Mk VI drophead coupé by Park Ward, Reg No. LFX598 driven by Mr Jim Rankin. After the awards had been presented, a large Spirit of Ecstasy, very generously donated by Mr Jim Denne

58 58 of West Hoathly Garage Ltd, was auctioned and raised a healthy 350. The proceedings concluded with the raffle draw for over fifty prizes. Apart from the frequently overcast skies, the day proceeded without any noticeable problems and everyone, including many staff, parents and girls from the school who turned up to see the wonderful cars parked on their lawns, seemed to enjoy the day. The school has already suggested a return visit so evidently our appearance there was appreciated. above: P Price s hp Hooper tourer (GAJ81) winner of Best Car in Show left: Maurice Pitchford s 1986 Silver Spirit saloon (GCH15810) below: Peter Fischer s 1958 Bentley SI Park Ward continental drop head coupé (BC51CH) winner of the Most Elegant Car

59 59 Ivan Odds /50hp Barker double cabriolet (20RB) and /50hp H J Mulliner tourer (75RE) alongside Derek Smith s /50hp F R Wood of New York landaulette de ville (2UG) As Secretary of the Meeting may I add my personal thanks to: the Headmistress, the staff and the girls of Woldingham School for their kind hospitality; our most generous sponsors; everyone from the RREC involved in the organisation and administration of the event; and, finally, everyone who turned up to support the event on the day. ANDY COURTNEY J Baker s 1995 Silver Spur III saloon (SCH55177) Nearest is R Vassili s 1989 Silver Spur saloon alongside G Baillon-Bending s 1990 Silver Spirit II saloon (LCH31923) Charles Vyse s /25 Thrupp and Maberly phaeton tourer (GXO71)

60 60 S E C T I O N N E W S Central Southern Section Regrettably I have to report the deaths of two regular supporters of this Section, namely Grace Jupe and Teddy Nash. Grace died suddenly in April With her husband, Peter, she attended almost all of our Section events and I hope Peter will continue to join us in rallies in the future. Teddy had a long illness and died peacefully in a hospice. I am sure all who knew them would wish to join me in sending our sincerest condolences to Peter and Teddy s wife, Janet, and their respective families. They will be sadly missed. One of the highlights of recent weeks was a visit to the Rolls-Royce Manufacturing Plant at Goodwood where some 180 members in eighty Club cars parked for a photo shoot in the courtyard. Surrey members arrived from their weekend rally where they were staying at the Goodwood Marriott Hotel. The visit raised 1,000 for the Chichester Hospice, St Wilfred s where Teddy Nash died a week or two later. The prototype convertible 100EX was on display as were many of the current Phantom saloons but all the new convertibles on the production line were carefully concealed and under wraps. Grateful thanks must go to RRMCL for their kind hospitality and of course to our Ted Meachem for the organisation. For more detail of recent meetings in our Section please refer to the Chichester website. Above and Below: Visit to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

61 61 The Section Rally to the Mosel region of Germany in September 2006 is now full with twenty five cars and a contingent of fifty five people planning to go. Michel Moniot of the French Section says there are still some places on a Normandy weekend (29 September to 2 October 2006) available. If interested please contact Maurice Pitchford on for more details. TONY LEACH Future Events 6 August 2006: Hog Roast at Staddles, Fishbourne, Chichester 20 August 2006: Glynde Place 9 September 2006: Section Rally to Germany 24 September 2006: Hollycombe Steam Museum, Liphook 8 October 2006: Hostelry Meeting, The George at Eartham East Anglian Section Pensthorpe Wildfowl Centre, near Fakenham 23 April 2006 The season has started with a vengeance now that the winter servicing break is over. Our first meeting of the year was at Pensthorpe Wildfowl Centre, near Fakenham on 23 April Seventeen cars arrived, a very good turn out considering the weather, cold and cloudy but at least it did not rain. A full report will be in our Newsletter. The car of the meeting was John Clarke s very nice 1937 Bentley litre Derby sports saloon, the body by Park Ward chassis number B129KT, registration number ACJ363. Mr T L Lane of Athelston Hall, Hereford acquired the car on 13 July 1937 (cost 1,578). The car has only changed hands four times since then and it underwent progressive restoration by Rolls-Royce agents Brunt s of Silverdale, Staffordshire between 1989 and John East Anglian Section at Fanhams Hall Hotel acquired the car in 1996 and it has had further restoration. In September 1998 he took the car down through Germany to the Swiss border and then back though France, Belgium and Holland. It has been attending rallies and shows to the present time with utter Bentley reliability. Best of British I.W.M Duxford 7 May 2006 There was a very good turn out of Club cars at this event. Some of our members took the opportunity of a flight in the de Havilland Dragon Rapide and it was nice to take a good look around the very impressive museum. The Daimler & Lanchester Owners Club joined us and they also had a very good turn out of cars. I have not seen so many Daimlers in one place at one time for a very long while. James Grinter had brought along his very impressive and imposing Rolls-Royce Phantom III, chassis number CM177. The car has a very interesting history and a full report will be in our Newsletter in due course. We had a good range of cars from 20/25s, Norman Geeson s very nice R Type and right up to a very new Bentley GT. East Anglian s Section Rally 9 to 12 May 2006 Twenty four Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars attended this event with fifty three members and friends. Our base was to be Fanhams Hall in Ware. Fanhams Hall is a wonderful building surrounded by over twenty eight acres of the most impressive gardens. The Hall can be traced back to 1412 when the Queen Anne house was built to replace the original farmhouse. The house did not remain long in the ownership of any one family until 1859 when it was purchased by Henry Page of Ware, the founder of the present malting business of Henry Page & Co Ltd of Ware. The Hall was connected with this family until its purchase by the Westminster Bank in In 1971 it was sold to The Building Societies Association to house their Institute and Training College. During the Association s ownership much work was done to the hall, the walnut panelling in the lounge with its inlaid mother-of-pearl, the oak panelling, the Minstrel s Gallery and the tiled fireplace of the Great Hall, and the oak panelling and the ceiling of the Long Gallery. In 1986, the Hall was purchased by J Sainsbury plc as their Management Training Centre and then subsequently sold again to a hotel group. The Hall is now known as Fanhams Hall Hotel. On Wednesday morning we drove to the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre. We had planned a country route, which did test our driving skills a bit, but all arrived safely to be greeted by Ralph Steiner, a Director of the Centre. Michael Wyndham- Grice had arranged a special guest for us, James de Havilland, who gave us a short talk on his family history within the aircraft industry. The museum is run entirely by volunteers and is a charitable trust dedicated to the preservation of all things de Havilland. I cannot do it justice but our Chairman, Victor Stirling, has done a much better job in our

62 62 Newsletter. On Thursday we drove to the Van Hage Centre. It is so much more than a garden centre. Not only can you buy any type of plant, shrub or tree that you can imagine, they also have almost anything you might require from clothing to huge stone monuments. When we had originally contacted Van Hage they had suggested that if the weather was on our side they would be able to run the miniature railway. However, we felt that, with the vagaries of the English weather, we would keep that as a surprise. As it turned out, the weather was on our side so some of our members were able to become train drivers for a short time! Stody Lodge and Gardens 14 May 2006 A full and interesting day was planned by our Section President, Mr Peter Perrow. Eighteen cars were lined up in the sunlight. The gardens were splendid and are well worth the trip if you are in Norfolk. See our full report on the gardens and the cars in our next Newsletter. Over the last year or so I have been in contact with a Club member in New Zealand. Towards the end of last year we had an from him to say that he and his family were coming back for a six-week break to see family and friends (he had moved from Kings Lynn to NZ to further his teaching career). A group of us met for lunch at the Three Horseshoes, to welcome them. A very interesting car orientated afternoon was enjoyed by all, with many Rolls- Royce and Bentley cars on display. The Club member from New Zealand has a 1974 Silver Shadow which has won many trophies and a very impressive registration 19 RR 74. In NZ number plates are much smaller, so he was very pleased to be taking back a set of proper Shadow-sized plates. We will be more than pleased for other Sections members to join us, so if you are planning a trip to Norfolk come and join us at anyone of our meetings. Please contact me for details. Finally, our monthly pub evening meetings are very well supported and will continue to be held at the venues listed below: 1st Tuesday: The Rose and Crown at Thorney, on the A47, five miles east of Peterborough 2nd Tuesday: The Wayford Bridge Hotel, Wayford, Nr Stalham (John Bebbington ) 3rd Tuesday: The Wheatsheaf, Stow, Nr Cambridge (Victor Stirling: ) 4th Tuesday: The Three Horseshoes in Warham, Norfolk (Iain Salmon ) 4th Thursday: Mike s Barn Woodbridge, Ipswich (Mike Darby ) TERENCE G WRIGHT Essex Section Easter Parade at Hylands House Essex Section I am pleased to report that our late arrangement for our May weekend at the Brome Grange hotel in Suffolk turned out to be a very successful weekend according to the forty three participants attending. Some members were awarded spot prizes for their misdemeanours over the weekend and it is worth mentioning the winners of a lucky draw for the bridal suite being Neil and Julie Willis with champagne, flowers and chocolates in their room. Guess who were always last for breakfast! The visit to The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum saw many members staying to the end of our programme enthralled with the many exhibits and aircraft memorabilia mostly gathered from the many WWII airfields in the area. This is a no frills/no charge museum relying on enthusiastic volunteers and donations to survive. Walking around the smashed up engines (some Merlins) and reading personal experiences of individual flight crew members of the 446 th Bomb Group USAAF brought home the sacrifice that was made in that period of time. June Wright and Trudy Copsey must be congratulated for their efforts to give us a most jovial and pleasant weekend. Hylands House and the Cricketers pub at Fryerning saw twenty eight cars attending our Easter Bonnet event where the ladies were judged for best bonnet. The winner was June Wright and Jean Albon was second. A mystery tour is planned on Sunday 30 July 2006 through the highways and byways of Essex and possibly into Suffolk. We start in Dunmow car park at 1030hrs and finish with a picnic. Our final destination offers other options after your picnic. On Sunday 13 August 2006 we return to Baddow Park for our annual Driving Test. Other sections are most welcome. We visit Bletchley Park on Sunday 10 September 2006, the location of the code breakers during WWII. It was here that work was done to crack the enigma code.

63 63 Our section club car badge is at this time being manufactured and will be available at our section concours. TONY COPSEY Future Events Sunday 30 July 2006: Mystery Tour Sunday 6 August 2006: Lunch meet at The Compasses, Pattiswick Sunday 13 August 2006: Driving Test at Baddow Park Sunday 10 September 2006: Visit to Bletchley Park Friday 20 Sunday 22 October 2006: Section week-end in the Cotswolds Please remember our pub night at the Black Bull in Fyfield is on the third Thursday of every month. For further information of events please contact Glen Grindrod on Great Western Section By now our 20 th Anniversary Celebrations at Highnam Court will be a distant memory. A report will be in the October Bulletin. Visit to The Hunt House Wednesday 26 April 2006 Twenty intrepid members of our section made their own way, some car sharing and with a small sprinkling of Club cars to The Hunt House for a most enjoyable day s visit. After coffee we were warmly welcomed by the new General Secretary, Wing Commander Julian Spencer and then we all put ourselves in the very capable hands of Philip Hall for the rest of the day. It was without doubt well worth the journey to discover what The Hunt House has become and to discover many of the treasures it holds; from the top, just under the eaves, to the basement there were new and very interesting things to delve in and wonder at. We were also shown the new Peter Baines Wing which is not far off completion, it just awaits the exhibits and the Great Western Section members pose outside the Peter Baines Wing on their visit to The Hunt House sorting out of the material that has to be placed there. However, this is no small task. I heartily recommend that all members take the opportunity both now and in the future to make use of the facilities that are there for us. The Hunt House has grown from when I was last there on a tour and is still evolving and long may it do so. GWYNNETH HARRIS Dewstow Gardens Caerwent Sunday 21 May 2006 We drove over the Severn Bridge wondering why on earth we were going on a garden visit when it was raining so hard. On arrival at Dewstow we found members sheltering in the former Tropical House eating their picnic lunch. However after lunch, things improved and a gentleman named John whose family had purchased Dewstow gave us a short history of the gardens. In 1893 Henry Oakley purchased the Dewstow estate and commissioned James Pulham to landscape the gardens with a subterranean focus. On Henry s death in 1940 the land was sold and the garden was filled in and reverted to pastureland and its existence forgotten about until the land was purchased by the Harris family in Imagine their surprise on discovering steps and on further investigation grottos, tunnels, water features and ornamental areas. It has been a huge undertaking uncovering the gardens but has been well worth while. Our thanks go to Sarah and William Whitehead for uncovering this gem and organising this fascinating day for us. PAT SMITH Future Events Clevedon Flower Show Sunday 27 August 2006 Once again we are visiting Clevedon Flower Show on Sunday 27 August. We will picnic at the show and can enjoy the activities there, after which we will make the short journey to Kenn to the home of Margaret and John Ball where we can have a cream tea and possibly partake in a game of croquet. Great Western Section cars outside the former Tropical House at Dewstow Gardens

64 64 Details in our newsletter or from Margaret Ball Tel: Drakelow Unearthed Wednesday 27 September 2006 The friends of Drakelow Tunnels have kindly agreed to give us a guided tour of Drakelow Underground Factory on Wednesday evening, 27 September Constructed in 1936 when war was imminent it was occupied by the MOD until We propose travelling to Drakelow by coach. Further details in our August newsletter or from Richard Welch Tel: Ireland Section The Fermanagh Lakes Rally is over, and what a success it was for Raymond Moffatt and his team, Sam Marsden, Eddie McIlwaine and Iain Kane. All participants had a memorable time, and special congratulations go to Jim Black on winning the Sam Marsden Perpetual Trophy, which is awarded to the owner of the car that (in the opinion of the appointed judge) he or she would most like to take home. This year, the judge was His Grace the Duke of Abercorn, who at a special lunch at Baronscourt, the family seat, had no problem in deciding that the award must go to Jim s beautifully restored 1924 Silver Ghost tourer (124EM). Congratulations Jim! A further, more detailed, report on this outstanding rally will be published in our Section s own Newsletter to be issued in July 2006, together with a report on what promises to be another historic event - Pat McSweeney s first West Cork Weekend Event. Pat has been extremely busy putting all the arrangements in place so that members will be guaranteed a hearty Cork welcome. Further events now in the offing include the Bonham s 2006 Wicklow Run and, North of the Border, the Kilbroney 2000 static show, a vast affair for vehicles of all types. The Bonham s Rally will be over by the time you read this Bulletin, but we are hoping for a lot of support for Kilbroney this year. All visitors to our marquee will receive a genuinely warm welcome, be they members or not. If you can make it, please do come along and support this great charity event on 2 September 2006 which is organised by Newry and Mourne District Council, the Association of Old Vehicle Clubs in N.I. Ltd. and the Newry Lions Club. All proceeds are disbursed to the Lions Club for distribution to worthy charities. Last year, 1,200 vehicles participated and the Sterling equivalent of Euro 21,000 was donated to charity. This is a prime example of people having fun while simultaneously benefiting needy good causes, the perfect combination. Membership of our Section continues to increase and we are delighted to welcome four new members, bringing our total head-count up to eighty five. The newcomers are Jim Black, Charles Palmer, Dr Michael Ryan and Nigel McCullagh. To each of them, a big welcome and best wishes for many years of enjoyment in the Ireland Section and in the RREC as a whole. Fund-raising for our two selected charities is proceeding apace, the equivalent of Euro 950 having been raised at Fermanagh, and we still hope to attain our rather ambitious target set for It is fulfilling to be a member of a group of people who are so very generous with their funds and their time, and who make old-car rallying such fun as well. Tom Love and David Flood, who have both been incapacitated, are continuing to improve, and we were delighted to see David at Fermanagh. Section members look forward to seeing Tom again, maybe at Cork, and it would be delightful if David could also make it to the same destination. Dare we push our luck and hope that they both might also make it to Rathsallagh for the Wicklow Rally? While mentioning David, it needs to be stated that, once again, Pauline and David have asked our Jazz enthusiasts, who might like to attend a Jazz Festival at Mount Stewart, to note the date of 27 August The presiding musicians will be the New Orleans Jazz Band. More details will be sent to all Section members closer to the date. Even those of us with ears more finely attuned to the Classical repertoire can find a high degree of musicality in well-performed Jazz, a genre with endless connections extending back to the glory days of veteran and vintage motorcars. Jazz tunes composed (and preferably recorded) in the 1920s and 1930s seem to be absolutely perfect on soundtracks of today s films and videos showing old cars, especially pre- WWII cars, in action. Now for a piece of news which no old-car devotee ever likes to read! While returning from the Fermanagh Rally, accompanied by Section President Jim Boland and Breda, Michael Ryan (not the new member mentioned above!) had a most unpleasant experience - that of having his recently acquired Silver Shadow I charged from behind by another vehicle. Fortunately, no injuries resulted, but we can be sure that Michael was understandably upset at the serious damage inflicted upon his latest toy. However, it is reported that he was remarkably calm and cool during the sort of ordeal which must haunt every enthusiast who ventures forth onto the highways of today in a cherished special-interest motor car. We sympathise with Michael on his bad bit of luck and sincerely hope that he will be on the road again in the reasonably near future. On no account should he allow this episode to discourage him. They say that when you fall off a horse you should immediately remount! Happy and safe motoring is our Section s wish for every one of you. FINBARR FRANK CORRY

65 65 Italy Section cars outside the Villa Erba building Italy Section Concorso d eleganza Villa d Este Cernobbio, 22 and 23 April 2006 The Concorso d Eleganza di Villa d Este on the shore of the Como Lake was a usual appointment for the Italy Section. This event was sponsored by the BMW Group together with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd and I want to thank Marco Makaus for the exceptional organisation. The star of this event was, of course, the new 101 EX, the marvellous concept car launched at the Geneva Motor Show that we had the opportunity to see (but not to touch due to Concorso d'eleganza di Villa d'este a strict bodyguard who would be adept with the security of HM The Queen!) and to learn the secrets thanks to the kindness of the Chief Stylist, Ian Cameron. Looking at the cars in the Concours, I have to mention the awesome 1928 Phantom I (17EX) discovered in India in the 70s and restored to original condition, the awesome Phantom II sedanca de ville owned by my friend Stefano Ammon of the Swiss Section, a James Young Wraith 2-door saloon, a streamlined drophead coupé Derby Bentley and R Type Continental. After the parade of the Concours cars in the park of Villa d Este, the second built Jaguar E Type FHC made my heart beat faster. On Saturday evening we had the Gala Dinner inside Villa Erba. On Sunday morning we exhibited our cars in the Villa Erba park: a 1916 Silver Ghost, a Barker doctor s coupé 20hp, a Hooper tourer 20hp, a Park Ward drophead coupé Mk VI, a couple of Silver Clouds, a very rare James Young 2-door saloon Phantom V (just two cars built), a Phantom VI, a Corniche FHC, a Camargue, a 1998 Silver Dawn and a Goodwood Phantom. Before lunch, we had an interesting lecture on the Spirit of Ecstasy by the historian Bernard King and Kris Sukhu of Rolls- Royce Motor Cars. The event ended in the afternoon with the parade of our cars. The Italian Section is preparing a Rally in the Modena area for 23 and 24 September 2006 and another one for 21 and 22 October 2006 in Rome. Every member of the other sections is welcome to participate! DAVIDE BASSOLI

66 66 Middlesex Section We are well into the Club season and have already visited many attractions and enjoyed the journeys there in our Club cars. Don t forget to join the other sections events which are spread all around us to get the full benefit of Club activities. Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker On a rainy St George s Day a party of about twenty five with Club cars visited Kelvedon Hatch to see a prime example of a secret nuclear bunker. We met in a quiet car park just outside Brentwood in Essex and walked along a quiet country track through a wood to a quaint bungalow nestling in the trees. Behind the door of this rural bungalow we discovered the twilight world of the government during the Cold War! Step through the blast screens that protect the bungalow and into the entrance to an amazing labyrinth of rooms encased in 10 feet thick reinforced concrete and 75 feet underground. This is where devolved central government and military commanders would have run the region had the UK been attacked and nuclear war broken out. It was built in great secrecy and under strict military security so even the local villagers and contractors didn t know what it was for. We were able to see the three phases of its life from RAF tactical control centre that would react to nuclear attack, through regional government HQ housing 600 personnel, to the Prime Minister organising the survival of the civilian population after a nuclear attack. They had their own water supply, electrical generators, BBC studios, radar room and the scientist room where nuclear fallout patterns were plotted. This was a concrete fortress which was totally selfcontained which could not only withstand enemy attack but also attack from any marauding external survivors. Every inch of floor space was utilised to store rations and necessities including body bags and cardboard coffins. It was only decommissioned in December 1994 at the end of the Cold War. Thanks go to David Oxford for arranging such a different day. South of England Rally The South of England Rally was at a different venue this year, Woldingham School in Marden Park, Surrey. We were separated into pre-war cars in the walled garden and post-war cars parked on a hill overlooking. Even though it was nice having all the older and more interesting cars together I feel it lost a bit of the camaraderie of us being parked as the Club cars arrived. What a wonderful sight met our eyes in the walled garden. There were about eighty pre-war cars neatly parked, of which I would gladly have taken about fifty of them home. After an unsettled start, the weather cleared up and the traditional jazz band played and wandered around wearing, for some reason, what looked to be bus conductors caps from the past. We met friends and talked all in an atmosphere of what appeared to be a 1930s grass car park at the races reminiscent of the film The Yellow Rolls- Royce. Everywhere I turned I seemed to be met by a television crew from Sky making a programme which I believe will be shown in July. It was a very enjoyable day which passed only too quickly which is always a good sign so that when asked as the war time film Went the Day Well? you have to reply Yes thank you, very well. TIM NEALE Future Events Sunday 13 August 2006: Royal Hospital Chelsea, meet the pensioners and see the marvellous surroundings where they live, organiser Mike Underwood. Sunday 20 August 2006: Ashlyns Hall Car Show, run by Section member Bill Hughes in his own grounds in Berkhamstead, last year was a great day out, organiser David Oxford. Saturday 16 September 2006: Destination Westminster, take a trip around the Palace of Westminster and see where your MP works followed by tea on the terrace, organiser David Oxford. Sunday 24 September 2006: Motor Show 2006, St Mary s School, always a good turn out with many cars you don t usually see. Sunday 19 November 2006: Section AGM North Eastern Section The season this year has started well, the first event in March 2006 being a lunch at The Dun Cow, Sedgefield, famous for the visit by Messrs Blair and Bush. Fortunately, neither was in evidence this time. At the end of April 2006 we visited Brancepeth Castle, situated just five miles south west of Durham, which dates from the Saxon period and still retains its Norman Keep and bailey wall. The castle stands on a rock overlooking the sur- Margaret Dobson with Peter and Susan Tong s 20/25 Hooper limousine, (GBK69)

67 67 North Eastern Section cars at Dilston Castle rounding countryside, the village church and, now, the local golf course. Although it has been improved and modernised by various owners over the millennia, it still retains many of its original features, including what is believed to be one of the best preserved garderobes in the country. Unlike a great number of the castles in this country, it is privately owned and not generally open to the public. However, although lived in and retaining its roof, the rooms are for the most part empty echoing the grandeur of past times. The North Eastern Section was privileged to be allowed to visit and taken on a conducted tour by the owner, Mrs Margaret Dobson, who bought the castle about twenty eight years ago. There was a good turnout of twelve cars of the marque, and the owner of the castle was delighted to see them parked on her lawn. The tour was enlightening, with the main staircase, hidden as it is behind a plain wooden door put up by the army when they were in residence, soaring to an amazing height and lit by an oval domed skylight. Even Margaret herself, is not sure how many rooms there are. About 350 she thinks! It must have been a wonderful place with all the furniture, armour, servants etc. in the past, although it still retains much of its splendour and no doubt at some time in the future it will be restored to this. As Margaret says, she is just a custodian of its heritage for others - as indeed we are for our cars. Early May 2006 saw us touring Northumberland in most inclement weather though that did not detract from the general enjoyment of the scenery. Future events to look forward to include an invitation by the Northumbria Section of the MG Owners Club to their Classic Vehicle Show at Dilston Castle, near Hexham. This is the second year that this event has taken place and attracts a large turn out of cars of all marques. Two of our members were rewarded with best car in class last year, Derek Moss with his stunning Silver Dawn (SVJ71) and John Harrison with his 20/25 Hooper, four door, four light saloon, (GNC7). MARTIN VINSON Northern Section Fortieth Anniversary Supper What a great occasion! Eighty four of our members gathered at Briars Hall Hotel, Burscough, to celebrate the Fortieth Anniversary of the formation of the Northern Section in We raised our glasses at precisely 1930hrs on 25 April 2006 as Club Chairman, Ian Rimmer, proposed a toast to Roy Brooks, our founder, and the Northern Section. Roy replied and said he felt sure that the membership and health of the Section would endure for at least the next forty years. After a Lancashire Hotpot supper, Graham Eastwood read out several greetings and messages, which he had received wishing the Section well. He then went on to introduce past and present Chairmen, Secretaries, Treasurers and other significant people who had made valuable contributions to the smooth running and development of the Section over the past four decades. Graham Moore spoke about the great social changes that have taken place since 1966 and how, at about that time, a second-hand Rolls-Royce could be purchased for less than 100. Roy Brooks had paid 30 for his 20hp Hooper landaulette in 1962 and a year later Graham acquired his 20hp Park Ward limousine for 55. There followed several brief reminiscences which were fascinating in their diversity. Roy told us how he came to start the classes in restoration of Rolls- Royces and of the many firsts that the Section had achieved which had subsequently been adopted by other Sections. Matt Wright informed us of the very profitable exhibitions he had organised in Blackpool and Bolton, and Ian Rimmer showed us how the Newsletter had evolved over the years, with each editor adding his or her own touch to the outcome. He added that the current very professional format owes a great deal to the competence of our printer and member, Trevor Stokes. Ivor Aspinall told us of his experience of having to drive his chauffeur home, after a party where the drink had flowed freely! Finally, Guy Potter told us how moved he had been by the fantastic day at Donington Park, when we were celebrating the Rolls-Royce Centenary in Coach Building with a Difference Did you think Rolls-Royce and Bentley were the only vehicles built in Crewe? On Sunday 7 May 2006 we visited Whitby Morrison Engineering of Crewe who is Europe's leading manufacturer of ice cream vans, trucks, trailers, kiosks, tricycles and soft ice cream machinery. Their ice cream vans are predominantly constructed using the Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter chassis for Europe, with a Chevrolet option for export to the USA. The fibreglass bodywork is custom made to ensure that there is an ice cream van or truck to suit every task. The company also

68 68 has a museum of ice cream vehicles which were on display, ranging from an adapted tricycle to a very modern and sophisticated semi-collapsible trailer. Forthcoming Events We have an important event planned for later this year which you need to put in your diaries. This is our Section Weekend on Friday 1 to Sunday 3 September We will be located at the Inn-onthe-Lake, Ullswater, near Penrith. The highlight of the weekend will be our involvement in the Centennial Re-enactment on Sunday 3 September of the journey made by King Edward VII from Brougham Hall, Penrith, to Raby Castle, Co Durham; the first motorcade in the North of England by a British Monarch. If you would like to take part you need to book your accommodation directly with the hotel on We warmly welcome Club members from all Sections to this event GRAHAM MOORE Future Events Saturday 5 August and Sunday 6 August 2006: 27th North of England Rally, Harewood House, Harewood Contact: Ian Hick on Saturday 12 August 2006: Traction Engine and Vintage Car Display, Astle Park, Chelford Contact: Gerry Cohen on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 August 2006: Tatton Park Vintage and Classic Car Show, Knutsford Contact: Gerry Cohen on or John Beecroft on Friday 1 to Sunday 3 September 2006: Section Weekend at The Inn-on-the-Lake, Lake Ullswater, Nr. Penrith Contact: Graham Moore on Sunday 19 November 2006: Lunch with Speaker at Portal Golf Club, Tarporley Contact: Mary Moore on Sunday 9 December 2006: Visit to British Aerospace Warton Contact: Graham Eastwood on Sunday 10 December 2006: Christmas Lunch, Briars Hall Hotel, Burscough Contact: Barbara Charlton on Oxford Section We celebrated St George s Day and the FBHVC Drive it Day by driving to, and enjoying a splendid lunch at The Crazy Bear, Stadhampton on the suggestion of our new Committee member, Mike Hopper. And interesting it was too, described as a boutique restaurant, the décor has to be seen to be believed and the rooms are out of this world. There was an interesting display of fourteen cars ranging from Peter and Irene Edwards s well known /25 Barker 4 door saloon (GAE67) known affectionately as Merlin to Rodney and Shirley Alf Kenchington with his old Silver Shadow (SRH17029) Lewis s newest acquisition, a Silver Spirit IV (TCH57011). Due to my interference, my Bentley failed to proceed and I had to rely on our trustee 1966 MGBGT! Our next event was a visit to the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum at Calne, Wiltshire. This is a privately owned and run museum which contains approximately one hundred and twenty motor cars, thirty motor cycles and three commercial vehicles. Thirty two members and spouses plus three children thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing amongst the cars on a beautiful sunny day. The highlights for me were the Derby Bentley belonging to Hamish Orr-Ewing and our recently elected new President, Alf Kenchington being re-united with his old Silver Shadow (SRH17029) which now resides at the Museum (see photo). Afterwards we walked into the village for an excellent lunch at the Talbot Inn. GERALD GARRATT Future Events Sunday 6 August 2006: (note revised date) Picnic at Cokethorpe School Saturday 2 September 2006: President s Dinner at Sudbury House Hotel, Faringdon. Sunday 3 September 2006: President s Picnic at Buscot Park, near Faringdon, Oxfordshire. Sunday 22 October 2006: Westonbirt Arboretum Sunday 10 December 2006: Christmas Lunch at Hartwell House Paulerspury Section I am delighted to say that the Paulerspury Section pages on the Club website now feature write ups and photographs of past events. If you have already visited our pages, you will have seen all the mug shots of the committee members and also the current events list which is being kept up to date throughout the year by Janet Dolan. I think it has

69 69 Robert Kennedy receiving the Section Trophy from Club Chairman, Ian Rimmer been said before but if you don t already have access to the Club s website ( and therefore the Section s pages, why don t you contact The Hunt House for your password? At the time of writing there are reports and photographs of the New Members Lunch in February 2006 and the Road Run and Treasure Hunt in March 2006 but hopefully by the time you read this there will be several more added. The information on our pages is intended to complement our Section newsletter which comes out twice a year. We are limited by printing costs and can only publish a few photographs of events and those are in black and white. The web pages are therefore a useful addition for us enabling us to show lots more photos and they are in colour. As newsletter editor for the Section, I get to see copies of other Sections newsletters from time to time. They are all different, some very glossy and professional looking with technical articles alongside news of events, others are more basic (but not less good) providing a few A4 sheets with news of past and future events. The Club tends to give the sections free rein with the content of newsletters and Paulerspury Section decided a long time ago to concentrate on reporting past events and advertising future events. We also include other bits and pieces now and then and are planning to feature a Me and my Car article in each future issue, however we like to leave the technical articles to the Bulletin as we believe they do it best. Leading on from that, David Davis has commenced hosting Informal Technical Discussions at The Hunt House. The first one, held in May 2006 was a resounding success and there are more to follow. During the last few months we have also held our, now annual, St George s Day Dinner, visited the premises of Trafficmaster at Cranfield, spent a weekend in Kent, sailed and dined on an east coast wherry, and visited Coton Manor Gardens. Details of what happened on these events will appear in the summer edition of Paulerspury People. Hubert and Elspeth Vass 20/25 Park Ward saloon (GOH38) Future Events Sunday 13 August 2006: Woburn Rally at Woburn Park in Bedfordshire. There may still be time to enter as part of the Rolls- Royce and Bentley contingent or you can turn up on the day as members of the public. Monday 28 August 2006: Knebworth Classic Car Rally. This takes place over the August Bank Holiday Weekend and Paulerspury Section will be visiting as a group on the Bank Holiday. We will form part of the organised exhibits on that day and if you want to take part and join us, pre booking is essential. (The entry fee is extremely reasonable at 3 per car, about 70% off the gate price). There is of course, nothing to stop people turning up on the day (full gate price applies) and enjoying the spectacular array of cars that will be there. Sunday 3 September 2006: President s Picnic. This annual event is organised by Oxford Section and is again being held at Buscott Park near Faringdon in Oxfordshire. You should have received booking details in the last copy of the Bulletin. Wednesday 4 October 2006: Towcester Races: We are always trying to think of different places to go and Janet Dolan has come up with a Race Day which will take place at Towcester Racecourse. Our superb package includes a private chalet for RREC members in the Paddock Pavilion Marquee overlooking the Parade Paddock, a carved buffet, private bar, race programme, TV screens and private tote betting facility plus allocated parking for Club cars. Sunday 15 October 2006: Autumn Road Run. Ian Moorcroft is a relatively new member to the Club and our Section but filled with enthusiasm he has decided to take on the role of organiser for this event. Wednesday 8 November 2006: Oyster Fisheries. If you want a good excuse to get out in your car before settling it down for its winter break, why not come along to this event? The

70 70 Oyster Fisheries is near Colchester, Essex and we will have an introductory talk and tour of the plant before partaking of an oyster and fish lunch overlooking the estuary and out to sea. Please contact Val Yates ( ) our Events Secretary for details of all events throughout the year or look up the details on our web pages. Last but by no means least, we are proud to announce that this year Paulerspury Section won the Section Trophy which was collected by Robert Kennedy and Adrian Denham and their respective wives Jill and Linda, during the recent Club AGM at The Hunt House. We are obviously delighted to receive this award and like to think that it was awarded in recognition of the hard work that Section members put in both at The Hunt House and organising a wide variety of interesting and informative events for our membership. We also make a very positive effort to encourage all our new members to take part in events. Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to making Paulerspury such a successful and active section. KATHY MARTIN Scottish Section Our event on 30 April 2006 was a two-part affair, each component having a nautical flavour, as was fitting, as they were on the banks of Glasgow s river Clyde. The morning was spent at the Scottish Maritime Museum at Braehead. Here, inside an unpretentious but purpose-designed building, the story of the river Clyde is brought vividly to life and the contribution it has made to the development of west central Scotland. Ships and shipbuilding from the 1700s to the 21st Century are vividly illustrated with models and interactive displays. (The Museum is a 5-star audio-visual award winner.) The Museum is home also to M V Kyles, the oldest Clydebuilt vessel still afloat in the UK, built by Fullerton s of Paisley in As the publicity claims: From the sound of waves crashing against the hull of The Thistle, an 18th Century tobacco trading ship in the Museum foyer, to the blare of a claxon to signal clocking off at a Clyde shipyard, Clydebuilt is an assault on the senses. The exhibition was opened about six years ago by our Section Honorary President, Sir James Cayzer, who donated three paintings of ships (the Hood, the Lucitania and the Aquitania-and-Howe) to the Museum. It was a pleasure that Sir James could be present on our visit. After lunch overlooking the river we drove to its north bank, to the berth of The Tall Ship, the Glenlee. Built in Port Glasgow in 1896, she was a cargo-carrier until 1922, thereafter being used as a sail training ship by the Spanish Navy. The abandoned hulk was bought in 1992 by the Clyde Maritime Trust and Three Scottish Section cars in front of The Tall Ship the Glenlee owned by the Clyde Maritime Trust (30 April 2006)

71 71 Scottish Section s club entry at the BVAC public rally at Thirlestane Castle (4 June 2006), with the winner of the Charles Palmer Trophy in the foreground John William s 20hp Hooper tourer (GHJ8) next to Gil Berrett s 1976 Silver Shadow I (SRH25841) in France restored as a fully-rigged 19th Century sailing ship (afloat, but no longer sea-going), serving now as a floating museum. After our escorted group tour, three of our cars were photographed alongside, at the request of the Museum staff. Our now-annual main social event for the Section (shared by members of other Sections) took place based on the Nethybridge Hotel, May With a full house (120 people), almost fifty cars (though alas only nine were pre-war) and The Spirit of Macbeth as host Robert Wiles-Gill s theme, a great time was had by all. On Saturday we visited Monarch of the Glen country and on Sunday Cawdor Castle. Most people have rebooked for 2007 already! On 4 June 2006 the Section had a Club entry at the 34th Historic Motoring Extravaganza run by the Borders Vintage Automobile Club at its new venue, Thirlestane Castle (near Lauder, in the Scottish Borders). This was the occasion for Section members to compete for our own Charles Palmer Trophy, awarded by audience vote by our members as to which among the Section cars present each voter would most like to own. This year s winner was John Campbell for his Silver Cloud III tourer by Mulliner (SDW63). Other Section members, John White and Alistair Macaskill, also did well at this event as winners of BVAC trophies. PETER KENDRICK South Eastern Section This is another busy year for our Section! Past Events Holiday Inn, Wrotham Sunday 7 May 2006 This is one of our more popular eating places and twenty six Club cars were neatly parked before we enjoyed a very good carvery lunch. Here we were able again to admire Peter and Jean Young s new acquisition, their yellow 20/25 Park Ward limousine (GWX30). They can be justly proud of this addition to their family. South of England Rally Sunday 14 May 2006 A new venue, this time at Woldingham RC Girls School, eventually reached at the end of a two-mile entrance drive. Our Section was once again in charge of the entrance gate. This was not an enviable task as the cars had to be parked in two separate fields, dividing the pre-war and post-war cars. This arrangement was not always popular with people who brought two or more cars. Also, after the recent heavy rainfall, the pre-war cars had a treacherous slope to negotiate. But fortunately there were no mishaps and our gallant team of entrance stewards, led by Martin Coomber, coped efficiently as usual. The Club Shop was present and the Central Southern Section ran the Spares Stall. There was the usual raffle after which Mr John Stuttard presented the prizes. The prize for the best post-war car was won by our Section members Jim and Maggie Rankin for their immaculate Bentley drop head coupé (B158HR). Their prize was a large engraved glass trophy donated by the Central Southern Section. Leonardslee Gardens Wednesday 17 May 2006 This is our annual mid-week event. We never fail to be impressed by the kaleidoscope of colour presented by the magnificent display of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and magnolias, together with hundreds of majestic trees and shrubs. The colours are reflected in the seven beautiful lakes. The Bonsai display regularly wins prizes at the Chelsea Flower Show. We visited the wallabies (including an albino with baby joey in pouch) and the miniature (scale 1:12) Victorian Estate which has to be seen to be believed. Finally, a visit to the unique Loder collection of motor cars ( ) rounded off our visit.

72 72 Peter Young s 20/25 (GWX30) French Rally May 2006 Twenty three Club members and friends travelled from wet and windy England to wet and windy France on a surprisingly calm ferry trip to Calais. Our ten Club cars all arrived safely at St Louis Hostellerie in Bellezeele, where several of us had stayed a few years earlier. The same proprietors again provided us with excellent fare. We were pleased to welcome among us Professor John Williams and his wife Anne who had travelled from their North Wales home the day before in their newly acquired 20hp Hooper tourer (GHJ8). Our visits included a chateau and its medieval garden, a paper mill and a large WWII rocket site. This gave much food for thought about what might have landed on Britain during those war years (but, thanks to the RAF, did not). We also visited Ypres in Belgium and attended the poignant nightly ceremony of The Last Post. This rally was organised by John and Jill Jones who have homes on both sides of the Channel. Presentations were made by our Chairman to John and Jill on our last evening and the hotel presented a bottle of wine to the furthest travelled, John and Anne Williams. Before heading for Calais and home, we all enjoyed a lavish lunch at Chateau Tilque. Hall Place, Leigh Sunday 28 May 2006 This was our second visit to this delightful privately owned estate, arranged by Martin Coomber. It was generally agreed that this was one of our best ever venues. We sauntered around the beautiful garden and lakes before enjoying our picnics on the terrace, where we were entertained by a six-piece brass band. Our twenty nine Club cars made an impressive display in front of the mansion and were much appreciated by the public who came in later in the afternoon, and Lady Hollanden, the owner of the estate, was seen strolling around them more than once. Brattles Farm, Staplehurst Sunday 4 June 2006 A hot sunny day found twenty Club cars assembled in the yard of this most interesting farm museum owned by Brian and Anita Thompson. We saw hundreds of fine examples of farming machinery and tools of yesteryear, as well as vintage Rolls-Royce and trade vehicles. A wonderful collection of tractors greeted us in one barn and in another there were scores of trade bikes and mementoes. We were able to picnic in the beautiful garden and enjoy tea and coffee generously provided by our hosts. ISABEL SPENCER Future Events Sunday 6 August 2006: Wings and Things, Woodchurch Sunday 13 August 2006: Filching Manor Sunday 20 August 2006: Greg & Christine Bailey s barbeque, Sittingbourne Sunday 27 August 2006: Emmets Garden, Ide Hill, Sevenoaks Sunday 3 September 2006: Shadow Motor Cars, Sittingbourne 5-14 September 2006: Belgian Rally Details of all our events can be found in our Section magazine or from our Secretary, Stephen Fabman- Beker. South Western Section Sunday 7 May 2006 Mystery Drive (Organised by John & Peggy Pearce) Tiverton/Somerset area Approximately forty eight members participated and most certainly, by the comments made, all thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the hard work and research that John and Peggy Pearce had put into the organisation. John Squire (who was recovering from a lawn mower accident when he chopped off two of his fingers!) made a point of offering his congratulations on a successful event and saying it was one of the best he had ever attended. Firstly we all met at The Hartnoll Hotel in Tiverton where John distributed our driving instructions for the morning. These instructions included ten observation/information questions interspersed throughout the route such as What is the post code for Battleton? and What is the fox doing on a sharp bend sign? etc. Our route of some forty miles, over Exmoor and Withypool Common, took us through narrow lanes, very picturesque countryside and the villages of Dulverton, Exford, Wheddon Cross and Blagdon Cross - to name but a few. Lunch was booked in a private function room at the Raleigh Cross Inn where we enjoyed a carvery of (I thought) extra high quality.

73 73 Jan and Peter Price s Silver Cloud I (SHF29) newly acquired and very recently restored and David Jobson- Scott s 1980 Silver Shadow II (SRH40021) and Colin Pike s 1986 Silver Spur (GCH15470) The result of our quiz was as follows: All with ten points out of a possible ten points: Charles and Trish Master-Curtis Howard and Angela Ridley Helen Pearce and her brother and sister in law (All received small prizes) BERYL STONE Surrey Section During the last weekend of April 2006 some thirty members and guests enjoyed our Spring Break at the Marriott Goodwood Park Hotel and Country Club, the highlight of which was a visit on the Saturday morning to the nearby Rolls-Royce Plant with fellow members of the Central Southern Section. The premises and, of course, the assembly line remain very impressive even for those not on their first visit, and the hospitality of our hosts was impeccable. The day also included a leisurely lunch in the Vitra Restaurant overlooking Goodwood motor racing circuit and, for many of us, a half-hour flight in a light aircraft along the coast to Portsmouth and back or an equally exhilarating advanced driving lesson on a skid pan. A formal dinner was arranged for the Saturday night and we were delighted to welcome as our guests Ted and Kate Meachem and two other members of the Central Southern Section who seemed remarkably tolerant of the somewhat liberated proceedings. On the Sunday there was a specially-arranged conducted tour of Goodwood House, which proved quite fascinating, before most members departed for home. On 7 May 2006 we held another of our Sunday lunches organised by Tony Spencer, and the venue this time was The Hautboy at Ockham. Tony has found several pleasant one-off venues like this, all with good food and safe parking, so do keep an eye open for future dates. For many of our members our recent activities have centred around the organisation of the South of England at Woldingham School on 14 May Despite the difficulties of holding it at a new venue, all went well and, as the event is reported elsewhere in this Bulletin, all that needs be added is our thanks to everyone from the Section who gave up their time to help. As this is being written, eighteen members and wives are about to set off on a sixteen-day, mile tour through France and Switzerland to Menaggio on the coast of Lake Como. With a very busy itinerary, it should be quite an adventure and we wish the participants, and their cars, well. ANDY COURTNEY Future Events 20 August 2006: Surrey Annual & Trophy Rally, Cranleigh Classic Car Show 27 August 2006: Wings & Wheels, Dunsfold 3 September 2006: Sunday Lunch, Garsons 9 & 10 September 2006: Weekend in Bath 16 September 2006: Riverside Spectacular & Garden Party 10 December 2006: Xmas Lunch, Albury Park 13 February 2007: Evening at the Magic Circle Welsh Section Welsh Weekend April 2006 Each year I visit mid-wales several times and although the magnificent scenery changes significantly with the seasons, I consider it always at its best during springtime. The trees bear little foliage so do not blot out the sheer majesty of the hills

74 74 Welsh Weekend at Devil s Bridge. The 1935 Bentley litre Thrupp and Maberly saloon (B128DG) from Bristol, owned by Nicholas and Suzanne Finch (Deputy Chairman), graces the car park of the Hafod Arms with its elegant lines Welsh Weekend at Llandrindod Wells. The 1933 Phantom II Park Ward limousine (48PY) owned by Ken and Veronica Dunn from Liverpool, has been superbly restored. The original owner was Lady Hamilton Welsh Weekend at Llandrindod Wells. The hp Hooper limousine (GMJ10) driven from Peterborough by Trevor and Patsy Baldwin Welsh Weekend at Brecon. The 1952 Bentley R Type Continental (BC11A) owned in South Wales by Rose Beynon since 1978 and recently restored. This is the view many a 1950s French motorist would have had of this car on the long straights of a Route Nationale when this car was resident in Paris. Does anyone have a photo of the car during its days in France? Welsh Weekend David Else driving his hp Binder saloon (GKM30) on the dam of Graig Goch Reservoir, Elan Valley, mid Wales

75 75 rising from the valley where most of the roads run. The wild spring flowers and infant lambs bouncing here and there are conclusive evidence that life has returned after winter, a particularly long one last time round. And so it was that 135 people in over sixty Rolls- Royce and Bentley cars, dating from 1924 onwards converged on the sleepy spa town of Llandrindod Wells which has changed little since the coming of the railway put it on the map in the mid 19th Century. It was good to be back at The Metropole which we had not used as our base since The recent new head chef created interesting and enjoyable cuisine. Friday proved the usual convivial re-meeting of old friends on this the first major motoring event in the RREC s calendar in the UK. After early morning fettling in the car park by some, the mid morning coffee stop took us to the visitor s centre in the Elan Valley, nestling below the massive dam of Caban-Coch Reservoir where we were joined by local member Gareth Morgan in his Silver Dawn (SNF63) and David Dudley who motored down from North Wales in his Phantom I (65WR). The road closely follows the outline of the reservoirs. The mature lakeland ambience is far more picturesque than before the reservoirs were built over 100 years ago to provide water for Birmingham and the Midlands. Further on, one samples the valley nature created, rather barren and windswept and dotted with the odd dwelling and more populated by sheep than people! The observant may have even spotted a red kite with its red-brown plumage and distinctive forked tail now happily increasing in this part of Wales after near extinction. Soon we arrived in Devil s Bridge where some indulged in a light lunch at the Hafod Arms before descending the spectacular 500ft wooded gorge to view the 300ft waterfall. Some took the narrow gauge steam train to Aberystwyth on the Vale of Rheidol Railway while others motored to the National Library of Wales to attend a civic opening of a new photographic exhibition. Our cars provided an added photo opportunity on the terrace overlooking Aberystwyth and the coastline south. Saturday concluded at The Metropole with a pleasant dinner dance with live music from a local band Gentlemen of Jive. Sunday morning took us through drizzle and the attendant low cloud restricted our enjoyment of the scenic delights of Eppynt Mountain on our way to Brecon Cathedral. The Pilgrims Restaurant provided an enjoyable light lunch before we returned back to Llandrindod Wells for a farewell dinner at The Metropole after which we enjoyed an impromptu sing-song led by a local accordion player! The 38th Welsh Weekend was over, as popular as ever, proving a good test for any car for the forthcoming rally season. KELVIN PRICE Future Events Sunday 20 August 2006: Monmouth Castle and Regimental HQ this rally entitled Castles, Cutlasses, Knights and Cars is being run as a joint RREC and Daimler and Lanchester Owners Club event. Full details of parking in the centre of Monmouth, lunch and what to visit are available from Section Secretary. To aid security, we must have your car booked in. Sunday 17 September 2006: Tredegar House, Newport entrants should receive passes and instruction during the first week of September. Wessex Section On 19 April 2006 the Wessex Section visited the Westland Helicopters manufacturing facility at Yeovil in Somerset. The impressive line-up of cars spanned seventy eight years, from John Moore s 1928 Rolls-Royce 20hp Windovers limousine (GYL22) to Roger Newport s 2006 Bentley Flying Spur. Our host, Westland s works manager and Wessex Section member Mike Norman, presented us with a detailed agenda to include the company s history and a tour of the Customer Training School. After lunch we were given a tour of the assembly line where EH101 helicopters destined for Denmark, Apaches for the British army, and special aircraft for the US presidential flight were being built. A tour of the hangar impressed us further with an array of the company s products including the Lynx, which has the world speed record for helicopters at mph. We all enjoyed a most memorable and rare tour of this elite manufacturing plant. Organiser Clifford Briggs made up for the cool grey atmosphere of the day with a warm reception at the Royal Marine Yacht Club at Sandbanks near Poole on 3 May About a dozen cars and double that number of people came for the lunch and enchanting private view of Poole Bay. Members of Wessex and Great Western Sections Wessex Section at Westland Helicopters

76 76 Wessex Section at Westland Helicopters visited Wookey Hole caves near Wells on 4 June Nine cars were present from 1936 to the late 1990s. Those who visited the caves, paper mill and local pub were impressed and a good time was had by all. Our future events include: 16 July 2006 Wessex Annual at Lulworth Castle, Dorset (organised by Ron Tinsley); 29 July 2006 Axford Fete (Chess Ferrier); 6 August 2006 Lacock Abbey and Fox Talbot Museum (Gill Hughes) and finally we will be represented by several cars at the Hampshire Pageant of Motoring, Romsey on 27/28 August Hope to see you there! Photos of Westland are courtesy of Mike Norman. GEORGIA CHEER West Midlands Section Since our last report we have enjoyed our first off our patch outing for a while. In the morning we visited Lincoln Cathedral and then in the afternoon we welcomed Duncan Feetham from the Northern Section and his son who joined us for the purpose of our trip, a visit to RAF Scampton. Very interesting and full of nostalgia! We went by coach and that was another first for a long time, members enjoyed being together on the journey with the opportunity to chatter, and, no, there was no singing from the back on the way home! On 15 May 2006 we held our first visit to the Morgan Motor Works. As Morgan limit numbers in each party and this was a sell out, we have had to organise a second date to cope with the demand. So, by the time this goes to press, sixty members will have visited this bastion of the hand built motorcar. Yes, they still make them like Rolls-Royce did in the early days. Parties of up to thirty people are welcomed to the factory and taken on a tour lasting about two hours. Well, not so much a tour as a guided walk through you take as long as you like and talk to the craftsmen as they work! Our young guide had lots of information to give if you asked him a question but as for group lecturing about where we were or what we were seeing, it was a case of, this is the chassis assembly, this is where body frames are made etc, etc. Little seems to have changed in this factory that has occupied the same site since Previously the cars were built at another site in Malvern. A really enjoyable, relaxed way to spend a Monday morning. But did you know that, in 1910 at Malvern in Worcestershire, Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan opened a factory for the manufacture of cars that bore his name, after serving an engineering apprenticeship with The Great Western Railway. In 1906 he had established a garage in the town and the Morgan car that followed was a three-wheeler, powered by an air cooled 916cc JAP unit, prominently exposed at the front. Unusually for the day, the front suspension was an independent sliding pillar system, which has featured on every subsequent Morgan. The light nimble car proved to be a great success and 1000 were built by Incredibly, the three-wheeler survived at Malvern until 1952, which then saw the introduction of the familiar Morgan we see today. It is still produced at Malvern, and is the only surviving British Motor Car Company with a long pedigree. Those members who attend the Bentley Drivers Day at Silverstone will be familiar with the Morgans that race at this event each year. In 1930 H F Morgan bought a Rolls-Royce Phantom II (138XJ) and the open touring body was constructed in the Morgan factory coach building department. It was drawn out in full scale on the factory wall, showing all the ash frame members. The car is the middle photograph on Page 203 of Rolls- Royce, the Derby Phantoms by Lawrence Dalton available from the Club Shop. According to Peter Morgan, son of H F Morgan, the car was sold in 1935, when H F purchased a litre Bentley, and his father told his friends the car

77 77 suffered dreadful wheel tramp at any speed over 72 mph, this situation acted as a speed governor in every instance which infuriated H F Morgan! JILL MALEK Yorkshire section A small contingent from our Section travelled southwards in May 2006 to take part in Keith Jay s 20hp Register event, based in Azay le Rideau. Paul Farnill didn t quite manage to finish the Mark VI (B331LH) in time so the trusty 20/25 (GMU65) made the 1,000 mile round trip. Pausing overnight at Portsmouth, ready for a 0500hrs start, the car park of the Travelodge was a hive of activity - particularly around Derrick Kay s gorgeous Camargue (FCH09863), which had developed a power bulge after the clutch on the air conditioning compressor disintegrated en route. Scotts of Hayling Island quickly answered the call for assistance and soon effected a temporary solution. It just meant returning to the old fashioned method of air conditioning for the rest of the journey - opening the windows! Our worthy Chairman, with the help of Linda (his Satellite Navigator), had no difficulty finding his way around France and always seemed to have a smile on his face as usual. Ken Cowdell managed to fit a bit of cycling in and Peter Bromley rattled off a few paintings whilst the rest of us just relaxed, feeding ducks, tasting the odd glass, or two, of wine and generally enjoying the weather, and the company. Keith Jay had arranged the event to coincide with Doreen and Joe Sampson s Diamond Wedding, which made it even more special as everyone was able to join in the celebrations. (Editor s Comment: See Doreen s report on the event elsewhere in this Bulletin.) Nostell Priory proved to be another popular event with forty plus cars, and their passengers, enjoying a pretty picnic, with the help of very supportive National Trust staff. With lots of space to disport the cars and a steady stream of questions from admiring members of the public, this type of event is always most enjoyable - as long as the organiser has arranged for the weather to be at least fine! A few years ago I read of the experience of a Scottish Section member with his Mark VI when the short hose connecting the petrol filler tube to the fuel tank perished and I resolved to check that this was not a problem in the making on my car. Each time I put the car over the pit I looked at the connecting hose as carefully as possible - it is in an inaccessible spot immediately over the exhaust pipe, where it bends up over the rear axle. More recently I had noted a smell of petrol when the quarter lights were open during a journey and examined fuel lines, carburettors, petrol pumps, etc. There didn t seem to be anything significant but washers were replaced and unions carefully tightened. The day before setting out for France I went to fill the car up with fuel and, shock horror, a stream of highly inflammable petrol appeared near my feet. I returned the car to my shed, removed the boot lid and floor and found the connecting hose was well past its sell buy date. I had picked up a piece of second hand rubber hose some months back and proceeded to fit it. Everything was put back together and the car taken back to the garage to complete the fuel fill. No problem! Next day we set off down the road, filled up once again without a problem, and eventually arrived in France. On leaving the docks most people seemed to be filling up at a roadside station so we pulled in and the problem returned - fuel spewing out behind the rear wheel. The rubber hose had been softened by the petrol and split so there was nothing for it but to carefully part fill the tank, keeping the amount of fuel spill to the minimum - fire extinguisher at the ready. With the help of a new hose from Healey Bros the problem is now solved after a very worrying time. If you have a Mark VI or R Type, I would earnestly suggest that you check out this situation very carefully and, if at all in doubt, replace this important piece of hose. As I have now completed the exercise twice and know the easy way having found all the knuckle skinning hard ways I will be pleased to help anyone wishing to complete this task. IAN HICK Future Events 6 August 2006: North of England Rally - Harewood House 27 August 2006: Visit to Renishaw Hall - Michael Broadbent 10 September 2006: Visit to Fort Paul - Duncan Feetham 13/15 October 2006: Lakes Weekend - Gordon Holmes Yorkshire Section. Impressive line-up at the Chateau in Azay le Rideau

78 78 EVENTS LIST Will Section Secretaries and Registrars please send all fi xture dates to the General Secretary for co-ordinating for the Events List. Members are advised to contact the Section Secretaries for further details of the events published below. Please note: Timely booking is essential. August North of England Rally, Harewood House, Leeds 6 Picnic at Cokethorpe School. Oxford Section 6 Lacock Abbey. Great Western & Wessex Section 6 Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum. East Anglian Section 6 Wings & Things, Woodchurch. South Eastern Section 6 Lunch, The Compasses, Pattiswick. Essex Section 6 Hog Roast at Staddles, Fishbourne, Chichester. Central Southern Section 12 Astle Park Rally. Northern Section 13 Royal Hospital Chelsea. Middlesex Section 13 Kelburn Castle & Country Park, Largs, Ayrshire. Scottish Section 13 Driving test at Baddow Park. Essex Section 13 Chairman s Picnic at Elvaston Castle, Derby. East Midlands Section 13 Filching Manor, Polegate, Sussex. South Eastern Section 13 Woburn Rally. Paulerspury Section 16 Wine Tour and picnic lunch. Thames Valley Section 19 Sixty s night at Ken Watson s barn. Essex Section Tatton Park Rally. Northern Section 20 Glynde Place, near Lewes. Central Southern Section 20 Dibble Bridge Picnic. North Eastern Section 20 Greg and Christine Bailey s barbeque, Sittingbourne. South Eastern Section 20 Picnic at the home of Fred & Marion Cane, Aish, Totnes. South Western Section 20 Section Rally, Ragley Hall. West Midlands Section 20 Monmouth Castle and Regimental HQ. Welsh Section 20 Classic vehicle event at Lupin Farm, near Alrewas. East Midlands Section 20 Trophy and Annual Rally, Cranleigh. Surrey Section 20 Ashlyns Hall Car Show, Berkhamstead. Middlesex Section nd Bavaria Rallye, Garmisch Partenkirchen. Switzerland Section 26 Aug-2 Sep 18 th Euro Rally, Norway 27 Little Gransden Air & Car Show. East Anglian Section 27 Jazz Festival, Mount Stewart. Ireland Section 27 Clevedon Flower Show and Kenn. Great Western Section 27 Visit to Renishaw Hall. Yorkshire Section 27 Wings & Wheels, Dunsfold. Surrey Section 27 Emmetts, Ide Hill, Sevenoaks. South Eastern Section 27 Scone Place & Dundee & Perth Polo Club. Scottish Section Hampshire Pageant of Motoring, Romsey. Wessex Section 28 Knebworth Classic Car Show. Paulerspury Section 28 Uffi ngton Car Show. Oxford Section 31 Aug-4 Sep Island-hopping in the Hebrides. Scottish Section September 1-3 The Inn-on-the-Lake, Lake Ullswater. Northern Section 2 Kilbroney 2000 Static Show. Ireland Section 2 President s Dinner, Sudbury House Hotel. Oxford Section 2-3 Silver Ghost & Derby Phantoms Seminar, The Hunt House th Annual Car Rally, The Manor, West Ashby. East Anglian Section 3 Visit to Souter lighthouse followed by lunch. North Eastern Section 3 Sunday Lunch, Garsons. Surrey Section 3 Picnic at Carsington Reservoir, Derbyshire. East Midlands Section 3 Shadow Motor Cars, Sittingbourne. South Eastern Section 3 PRESIDENT S PICNIC, Buscot Park, Faringdon, Oxfordshire 5-14 Belgium Rally. South Eastern Section 9 Circumspective Auto Trail & Lunch, near Newton Abbot. South Western Section 9-10 Weekend in Bath. Surrey Section 9-15 Trip to Loire Valley, France. West Midlands Section 9-17 The Mosel Valley Rally, Mosel. Central Southern Section 10 Visit to Bletchley Park. Essex Section 10 Gliding Day at Shipdham Airfi eld, Norwich. East Anglian Section 10 Fort Paul, near Hull. Yorkshire Section Diamond Jubilee Tour, Lake District to Derbyshire. Mark VI and Silver Wraith Register th Raduno in sunny Ticino, Jubiläumsevent.

79 79 Switzerland Section Weekend at Caley Hall Hotel at Old Hunstanton. East Midlands Section 16 Destination Westminster. Middlesex Section 16 Riverside Spectacular & Garden Party. Surrey Section Weekend event. Holland Section Fuel Economy Run to Mount Washington, Vancouver Island. Western Canada Section 17 Tredegar House Rally, Newport, Gwent. Welsh Section 17 North Yorkshire Police HQ. North Eastern Section 17 Kingston Lacy, Winbourne. Wessex Section 17 Autumn Rally. Belgium Flemish Section 17 The Woodman, Ide Hill, Sevenoaks. South Eastern Section 17 Traquair House & Kailzie Gardens, Peeblesshire. Scottish Section 17 Burghley House, Stamford. East Anglian Section Northumberland Weekend. Derby Bentley Register Rally round Grossglockner, Hotel Grüner Baum, Bad Gastein, Salzburg. Austria Section West Sussex Weekend. Paulerspury Section 23 Visit to Rolls-Royce at Derby with RRHT. East Midlands Section Modena Rally. Italian Section 24 Motor Show 2006, St Mary s School. Middlesex Section 24 Hollycombe Steam Museum, Liphook. Central Southern Section 26 Sep-1 Oct Centenary Rally, Isle of Man. Isle of Man Section 27 Drakelow Underground Factory. Great Western Section 27 Visit to Concorde at Filton, Bristol. West Midlands Section 29 Sep-2 Oct Cotswolds Rally. Wessex Section 29 Sep-3 Oct Autumn Meeting with General Meeting, Schloss Schobber near Hameln. Germany Section 30 Sep-1 Oct Coachwork & Trim Seminar, The Hunt House October 4 Day at Towcester Races. Paulerspury Section 5-12 Autumn Leaves Tour to West Cornwall. Thames Valley Section 7 Greasy Fingers Day. Switzerland Section 7 Presidents Day in and around Worcester. West Midlands Section 8 New Members Lunch. Northern Section 8 The Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Pembury. South Eastern Section 8 Grand Hostelry Gathering, the George Inn, Eartham. Central Southern Section 8 Britannia Royal Naval College Rally & Picnic. South Western Section 8-10 Visit to Bath. Surrey Section Lakes Weekend. Yorkshire Section 14 Festive Autumn Meeting. Austria Section 15 Autumn Road Run. Paulerspury Section Section Weekend in the Cotswolds. Essex Section Rome Rally. Italian Section 22 Cruachan Power Station. Scottish Section 22 Westonbirt Arboretum. Oxford Section 22 Workshop Day, Roundstone Car Centre, Angmering. Central Southern Section Silver Spirit, Silver Spur, Mulsanne etc. Seminar, The Hunt House November Brandenburgische Hubertusjagt with Bentley Motors. Germany Section 4 Fall Dinner. Western Canada Section 4 Technical Meeting at Garage Daatsellaar in Baarn, near Utrecht. Holland Section 5 Autumn Lunch at RAC Epsom. Thames Valley Section 5 London to Brighton Run, Moto, Pease Pottage. Central Southern & South Eastern Section 8 Colchester Oyster Beds. Paulerspury Section 12 Remembrance Sunday Gathering, Royal Oak, Midhurst. Central Southern Section 15 Men & Their Ladies & Their Motors. West Midlands Section 15 Visit to The Hunt House. Northern Section 18 End of Year Dinner. Belgium Flemish Section 19 End of Season Lunch, Homewood Park Hotel. Great Western Section 19 AGM, Grove House Hotel. Middlesex Section 19 Lunch with Speaker, Portal Golf Club, Tarporley. Northern Section 19 AGM & Christmas Lunch. South Eastern Section 19 AGM & Lunch, Devon Hotel, Exeter. South Western Section Historic Seminar, The Hunt House 26 Lunch and Theatre, The Mill, Sonning. Thames Valley Section 26 Kempton Great Engines Trust. Paulerspury Section December 2 AGM, Ashdown Park Hotel, Gorey, Co Wexford. Ireland Section 2 Carols and Christmas Party. Western Canada Section 3 AGM & Christmas Lunch. Central Southern Section 3 Traditional President s Chlaus Höck at Sunnmatt Lodge, Zumikon. Switzerland Section 3 AGM & Christmas Lunch, Perth. Scottish Section

80 80 9 Visit to BAE Warton. Northern Section 10 AGM & Christmas Luncheon, Diss. East Anglian Section 10 Christmas Lunch, Hartwell House. Oxford Section 10 Christmas Lunch, Briars Hall Hotel, Burscough. Northern Section 10 Christmas Lunch, Scalford Hall, Melton Mowbray. East Midlands Section 10 Christmas Lunch. South Western Section 10 AGM & Christmas Lunch. Paulerspury Section 10 Christmas Lunch, Albury Park. Surrey Section 10 AGM, The Hotel Baltimore, Middlesbrough. North Eastern Section 26 Boxing Day Run with the Vintage Car Club in Vancouver. Western Canada Section MKVI AND SILVER WRAITH REGISTER Diamond Jubilee Celebration of Crewe Built Cars September January: 14 AGM in Rhenen, near Utrecht. Holland Section 28 New Year Lunch, Donington Manor Hotel. East Midlands Section February: 3-4 AGM Weekend. Western Canada Section 13 Visit to the Magic Circle. Surrey Section 25 AGM, Morley Hayes, Derby. East Midlands Section March: 30 March-1 April CLUB CONFERENCE & AGM, The Hunt House April: Welsh Weekend. Welsh Section 22 Memorial Meeting, West Wittering. Central Southern Section May: May Visit to Normandy and Monet s Garden. 20hp Register 27 May-12 June Silver Ghost Centenary Celebration Tour. Silver Ghost Register June: June 50TH ANNIVERSARY ANNUAL RALLY at Kelmarsh Hall July: 22 GARDEN PARTY FOR 40 YEAR MEMBERS, The Hunt House August: 12 August 50TH ANNIVERSARY WHEELS ON ROAD September: 6-14 September Silver Ghost Centenary Celebration, Cornish Tour. Silver Ghost Register September 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WEEKEND Heart of Scotland Rally. Paulerspury Section Crew Assembly Line 1948 This is the last Bulletin before this momentous event. I m sure that you all know by now of this rally, which starts in the Lake District on the banks of Ullswater and finishes at Shrigely Hall, on the edge of the Peaks National Park. Subject to cancellations the Lake District part of the tour is now full, but you can always call me to check. When I wrote this in early June, over seventy cars were booked into Shrigley Hall out of a possible allocation of 100 rooms. So there may be space left, but you will have to check quickly. However this does not mean that you cannot take part in the celebrations on Saturday and Sunday 16 and 17 September, which are to be held at Bentley Motors. You will be welcome on either, or both days. All you have to do is contact me for entry details. Both days will be celebrations, the Saturday being a gala day providing a factory tour, some car fun with the sixty year olds (cars that is) and Crewe s latest products, music, laser lights and fireworks. Sunday will be a family day for Bentleys and we are helping by having our cars on show. The point is, any Crewe Built Car will be welcomed. We would like to see examples of every model that has been produced at Crewe. Even if you have a pre-war car, you will not be turned away; heritage is all part of the occasion. Just come along and join in the fun. If you would like to join in, please contact: Malcolm Hobbs, Nutwood, Coleford Road, Tidenham NP16 7JD or malcolmhobbs@compuserve.com

81 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO Dear THE EDITOR Sir LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE CEDITOR O RLETTERS R ETO THE S EDITOR P OLETTERS N DTO ETHE NEDITOR C ELETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 81 FLYING SPUR I was most interested to read Ian Dixon Potter s most comprehensive article in B275 about the various body styles on the R Type and S Type Continental chassis. As I have written elsewhere, I started working at H J Mulliner in 1947 until the mid 1960s and with my employment there I hope he will not mind me correcting one or two points relating to the original R Type Continental and the Flying Spur. The original concept for the Continental was before the war when Rolls-Royce had a plan suggesting that there should be a higher performance car with an illustration of a sloping back style. In the late 1940s, Evernden (Ev) pursued this in conjunction with Walter Slater of Franco Brittanic Autos of Paris and I remember reading a quite comprehensive brochure, prepared I think by Ev, which revived the pre-war plan with a more modern fast back style and which I expect is now in the records at Paulerspury. However the plan depended on having a suitable body and, as I have written before, Stanley Watts, technical director at H J Mulliner, came up with the all metal, light weight, structure but with the traditional aluminium panels. The weight reduction was so startlingly low on the fi rst model with this framework that Crewe decided to proceed with the R Type Continental. I well remember that Stanley Watts claimed that he personally drew it straight on to the full size drawing. Herbert Nye did do a scale drawing of it but this was just a record of Stanley Watts design. I have no recollection of the Crewe design or the fi nal H J Mulliner design being inspired by a 1949 Cadillac. I must correct that the Flying Spur emblem is named after the Mulliner family. When the S series started it was intended that the S Type Continental should be only a 2-door model, as in fact the R Type Continental was. However H J Mulliner wanted to build a 4-door model on the Continental chassis and H T Johnstone (HTJ) Managing Director of H J Mulliner, persuaded Dr Llewellyn Smith (LS known to his more intimate colleagues as Doc Smith) to allow them to build a 4-door model on this chassis. HTJ wanted to give this model the name Flying Spur which is well documented as the heraldic symbol of the Johnstone clan in Scotland. The Flying Spur was supposedly awarded to the Johnstone clan for their help in allowing Bonnie Prince Charlie to escape from the English on horseback. I have always thought that it was not really appropriate to use the family crest on a motor car particularly now that the modern Flying Spur is actually built in Germany. I wrote recently to the Managing Director of Bentley Motors at Crewe about the origin of the name and had a very courteous reply from Dr Ing Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman and Chief Executive, who pointed out that Flying Spur is a registered trade mark of Bentley Motors having been fi rst registered by Rolls- Royce when they took over H J Mulliner in I still have the actual Flying Spur radiator mascot which HTJ had made for the fi rst Flying Spur car. ARTHUR JOHNSTONE CURRIES FAVOUR WITH COMET I note from Tony James article (Spares Corner, Bulletin 275, page 14) that the RRV8 engine is still in production fi fty years on. Many members may remember the Comet jet airliner powered by Rolls- Royce Spey engines. Unfortunately, due to a minor design fault with the window, the resulting crash meant that an otherwise great aircraft, the very fi rst commercial jet airliner, was consigned to history. Well not quite, it is still in production today, all be it under its military name of the Nimrod. Twelve brand new Nimrods are being built to the original Comet airframe design with Rolls-Royce engines for use by the RAF. They will, however, have more modern engines and other updates to the new airframe. The parallel with our cars is similar in that it is still possible to replicate old parts in small quantities, for instance I am restoring a 1938 Wraith; when a part is not available I either make a replacement, or commission others to make them. I usually make between six to twelve copies of a part as it is cost effective providing I can sell some. For instance, so far, I have made square headed bolts (out of high tensile steel) and bevelled washers, all the fi ttings and brackets for mounting the body on the chassis, tool nests, battery box cleats, battery lid hold down rods and domed nuts (to fi t any modern size battery), etc. In fact, all the type of parts that, during a restoration project, need to be replaced due to wear and/or corrosion. Parts that should be completed this year include the jack handle and a new spin on/off fi lter that fi ts and is hidden inside the original fi lter case (ZSI type). Future projects that I am working on include newly designed coils for the Wraith and later series Phantom III and possible air valve extensions. Should anyone with a Wraith (pre-war) wish to benefi t from the knowledge I am accumulating during my restoration project I would be glad to help them with any query and am available evenings on or via the internet on roger4acespares@hotmail.com. I can also be faxed on daytime. ROGER C TOWNSEND

82 82 FORREST FAN Some years ago I wrote a letter of appreciation regarding Michael Forrest s articles and work. Another one is long overdue. I am involved in several vintage clubs but nowhere can I fi nd articles or a standard of work to compare with his. If he is not already an honorary member of the Club then he certainly deserves to be so, we all owe him a great deal for the quality of his writing. DAVID MORGAN (Editor s Comment: David s sentiments mirror those of numerous other Club members who appreciate Michael s excellent technical articles. Michael was awarded honorary life membership of the Club in 1997.) MK VI ENDURANCE DRIVE Thirteen years ago I drove my then Derby Bentley (CXM100) 1027 miles in twenty four hours to attend the 60 th anniversary celebrations of the Derby Bentley. At that time I had owned my Derby for thirty years and just wanted to prove how reliable and enjoyable a car it was. I succeeded in this. Today I own a 1951 Bentley Mk VI Big Bore 4½ litre. These cars are also reliable, practical and enjoyable to drive. Today s situations with both the RREC and BDC are somewhat different. Both clubs have Foundations to support and both clubs have members worldwide who rely on data provided by the foundations. It is with this thought in mind that I am again willing to drive my Mk VI 1000 or so miles in twenty four hours to raise funds for these most worthwhile causes. I will be attending the week-long celebrations at Ullswater and Macclesfi eld. My intention will be to arrive at around 1800 hours (in time for supper) having left Southend (Sutton Hall) at 1800 the previous day. Charles Tabor read and verifi ed the milometer thirteen years ago and is prepared to do so again. I shall be inviting a well known motoring magazine to send a writer along with me. The late Phil Llewellin accompanied me in His last article was for the magazine Octane and they have said they would be proud to cover the event. I shall again plan a route and write to the RAC for confi rmation of distance. KEITH L KENTISH NUMB NUMBER When I added 1928 Rolls-Royce 20hp GKM7 (Windovers owner-driver 6-light saloon) to my small Rolls-Royce and Bentley collection in 1995, I gave little or no thought to the fact that the original UK index number YX2775 had no documentary proof whatsoever of its validity. The car had resided in South Africa since, I believe, the 1970s, but it came to me directly from Monaco, where its (now deceased) South African owner had one of his many residences. The only registration papers accompanying GKM7 were those relating to two successive registrations in SA. I managed to obtain those papers from the solicitors in Johannesburg, who were handling the sizeable estate, but not one single document relating to the previous Greater London registration was to be found anywhere, not even a VED disc. The current position is that I will be unable to reclaim YX2775 from the DVLA should I wish to bring this Rolls-Royce back to the UK at any time, unless I can comply with the regulations which stipulate that I must adduce acceptable documentary proof that the aforesaid number was offi cially issued to the vehicle. To date, this task has proven impossible, despite much searching of the South African records with the aid of good friends in the UK with close SA contacts. No UK registration documents were deposited or recorded in SA and, of course, the London records themselves were destroyed long ago, presumably in the appalling Blitz, so no hope there. Staff at The Hunt House have gone to great lengths to assist me, but nothing tangible that would keep the DVLA happy has been discovered, yet! However, a single ray of hope lies in the person of one D B Thompson, who is recorded in John Fasal s magisterial book on the 20hp as the then current owner (presumably up to 1979) of GKM7. If any member knows where the said gentleman might be contacted I would be most grateful, and I would be intrigued to know if any members recall seeing this car out and about on rallies etc in, say, the 1960s and 1970s. The slightest clue could well help me with my enquiries! Please help me to get it sorted at long last. FINBARR FRANK CORRY (Editor s Comment: If any reader can assist with information, please write to me and I will forward the information to Finbarr.) STONED IN MOROCCO The article in B275, A Bentley R Type in Morocco, inspired me to put pen to paper. From , before the hike in petrol prices, we covered 11,000 miles at 13.1 mpg touring Morocco with our 1963 Silver Cloud III drophead (SEW63) towing an 18ft caravan (much to the horror of John Blatchley!) on four separate occasions. We shipped either to Casablanca or Lisbon and then crossed to Centa. We went as far as Ton Ton in the south, watching camel racing and visiting a camel market held every week, some 250km south of Agadir. The roads were good except one to Sidi Ifri which was virtually a river bed and we were lucky to survive. Once when crossing the river bed we had a sharp incline down and an equally sharp rise up again and we got stuck between the two sides! We also crossed the Tizi n Tidina in the snow. We were arrested by the police for allegedly signalling messages out to the Israelis with a projector (John was emptying

83 83 the elsen in his sarong!) We had two simultaneous tyre bursts on the caravan which I had overloaded with tinned food. There was no bottled water in those days so we fi lled up as and where we could. We were stoned once outside a police station in some village, otherwise we had no trouble. We hit a dog in the dark between Agadir and Marrakech. The last year we drove the 2,000 miles all the way home having a police escort through Malaga and racing the snow from Bordeaux to Dieppe where the French AA man told us that our car had hit a cow during 1963/4 when it was owned by Sir Hugh Fraser of Harrods! The car survives in Scotland with my son having covered 218,000 miles plus older members know all this! Our involvement with the Club all began in 1978 when we saw in the local newspaper that there was a fête at Eridge Park. Having a guest to entertain we decided to attend. To our surprise we found ourselves ushered straight in and subsequently heard Eric Barrass pontifi cating, as he was want to do. On enquiry from Michael Spence (1934 Bentley 3½ B148CR) we heard of the RREC. Now, some 200,000 miles and twenty eight years on, the 1963 Silver Cloud III is still raring to go when time allows. JEAN CAMPBELL CJ AND HOLST (1) I read with interest the article concerning CJ and Holst in Archives B276. I had always regarded it as fact that CJ had given Holst money to enable him to continue composing. My source for this information was my father, FJ (Frank) Allen, also known as Prof Allen, who worked for Rolls-Royce and was a keen and serious musician. He joined Rolls-Royce in the Experimental Dept in 1920, working for Fowler Clark on car electrics. He transferred to superchargers in the late twenties, moving on to compressors until he retired in My father related the Holst story to me when talking of his early days in Derby. I have no idea of his source for this information. However, he was a careful man, unlikely to spread gossip, and was certain to remember anything to do with good music. TIM ALLEN CJ AND HOLST (2) The article in Bulletin 276 about composer Gustav Holst and Claude Johnson was read with great interest, as I too have a keen interest in Johnson s artistic side. There is no doubt of CJ s having assisted Holst; one of the numerous accounts can be found in The Music Makers: The English Musical Renaissance from Elgar to Britten by Michael Trend, in which the author wrote on page 112: After the war Holst was fortunate in being given a large sum of money by a secret patron (Claude Johnson, a director of Rolls- Royce) who has been impressed by his [opera] The Perfect Fool, and Holst was able to cut down his teaching by half. For several years the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust at Derby had a very important collection of Johnsoniana on loan from Hugh Riddle, the son of Joan Claudia Johnson (CJ s younger daughter) and her husband (also Hugh). Numerous items in that collection were invaluable as I prepared an article for Organists Review about Johnson s patronage of the French virtuoso organist and composer Marcel Dupré photographs, diaries and a typescript CJ wrote to his brother Douglas (a canon at Manchester Cathedral) describing in detail his adventure with the Dupré family. Apropos of Gustav Holst, Johnson made a diary entry for 28 June 1923 which chronicles what may be his fi rst connection with the composer: Savitri & Perfect Fool at opera. Capell to lunch to discuss Holst concerts in autumn. CJ undertook to guarantee fi nancial results. Savitri and The Perfect Fool are operas by Holst, the former having been revived at the Lyric Theater in Hammersmith in 1921 and the latter premiered at Covent Garden on 14 May Capell was Richard Capell, author and music critic for the Daily Mail (one of Lord Northcliffe s newspapers yet another Rolls-Royce connection). Three years earlier, Johnson had approached Capell for a second opinion about Dupré, eager to know whether (in Johnson s own phrase) his... swan was really a goose. The mention of 1500 is the fi rst I have seen naming an amount for the large sum, as it is usually described. To say that Johnson authorised a grant, as written in the Bulletin, suggests that the funds came from the company; surely the gift was Johnson s private benefaction. Finally, the Miss Johnson who sent Holst the telegram about CJ s death would have been Johnson s older daughter, Iris Elizabeth ( Betty ), in her early twenties at the time of her father s death. The younger daughter, mentioned above, would have been only twelve. It is worth noting from the pages of Johnson s diary at this time that his life was decidedly on a fast track. The day before he wrote the entry about Holst was 27 June, the day of the Royce statue unveiling at Derby. On the 28 June CJ travelled to Paris for the inauguration of the Conservatoire Claude Debussy (on 1 July). On 2 July he returned to England, travelling with Arthur Rubinstein, and on 3 July he attended the William Byrd Tercentenary at St Paul s Cathedral, about which he wrote simply: Most beautiful. Can someone say when and how Holst discovered who his secret benefactor was? THOMAS MURRAY (Editor s Comment: I am grateful to Club member Tom Murray for providing the photograph of Holst, CJ and Tink. Tom is Professor of Music at Yale University School of Music.)

84 84 CJ AND HOLST (3) I enjoyed the article about Gustav Holst (Archives B276). It is interesting that he was music master at St Paul s Girls School, and that CJ went to St Paul s (boys) School. I was at Colet Court, which is the prep school for St Paul s, and was located between the two senior schools. Colet Court and the girls school are, I believe, still there, but the boys school moved some years ago to Mortlake - very close to the home of the Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce plc, Sir John Rose. As we know, CJ was a man of great sensitivity with interests in music, art and women, and he had enormous circles of friends and acquaintances. According to the late Bill Morton, who was my apprentice tutor, CJ had an entertainment account before WW1, which no-one was allowed to query - the X account - 27,000 per year. That was serious money then, and, apart from parties and specially hired railway trains, doubtless paid for sponsorship of the Arts. We know about Ambrose McEvoy, Charles Sykes and Marcel Dupré. Only quite recently has it come to light that he was well acquainted with other composers. I will come to that. The story of how CJ heard Dupré play in Notre Dame, and how he brought him to world fame through the concert at the Albert Hall which outsold Dame Nellie Melba is pretty well known and was well covered by John Oldham in The Hyphen. However, in the 1990s, Dr Mary Berry, head of the Schola Gregoriana in Cambridge, and a World authority on Gregorian Chant, decided to bring the pieces CJ had paid Dupré to write down back to life. The music for Dupré s Les Vepres de la Verge, Op 18 were found and recorded at Notre Dame. They had to wait until the middle of a snowy night for the recording, when traffi c noise was at an absolute minimum. The Grand Orgue was played by Professor Philippe Lefebvre, who I think had the same role at Notre Dame as Dupré had, and the choir organ was played by someone else. The happy outcome of all this was a CD, sponsored by Rolls-Royce plc - to my great surprise and delight - on the Herald label HAVPCD 170, released in 1995 after a launch which I attended near Regents Park. I took CJ s nephew as a guest. I subsequently borrowed the few papers of CJ which remain in the family. Then along came an American Professor, Tom Murray, and, with the family s blessing, we gave him access to the papers. He immediately began recognising famous composers among the photographs. He also found that, not only did CJ pay for electric air pumps to be installed on the Grand Orgue at Notre Dame, but that, faced with the plea What has Notre Dame got that we haven t?, Rolls-Royce also had to install similar equipment at Saint Sulpice! An enthusiastic young French member of the RRHT has been into the organ lofts at both cathedrals, and no British electric compressor installation survives. MIKE EVANS Above: Left to Right, Holst, Tink (nickname for Joan Claudia) and CJ ROLLS ROYCE MOTOR CLUB Further to the Editor s Notes in Bulletins 273, 274 and 275 referring to the Rolls-Royce Limited Motor Club, I can add the following information. When the club was formed in 1953, I was working as a fi tter in the experimental department at Derby. I joined the Motor Club and entered my Triumph Roadster 2000 in what I believe was the fi rst event, a navigation and treasure hunt. Mainly due to a good navigator, we came third, and in due course received our trophy. The trophies for this event were the only ones to be engraved, as the lettering cost considerably more than the trophy. The lettering on the trophy is: ROLLS ROYCE MOTOR CLUB TREASURE HUNT 3RD PRIZE S W JOLLY Note: no hyphen between Rolls and Royce and no Limited The club tie is dark green with the letters M & C either side of the mascot. What is more rare, is the Motor

85 85 Above: Rolls Royce Motor Club trophy and tie Above: Motor Sport Member car badge Sport Member badge. This was additional to the winged badge, and was issued for a small fee, when a certain number of events had been entered and points gained. I was co-opted onto the committee only after complaints were voiced of the number of staff members, and no representatives from the Workers! STANLEY W JOLLY TRICKLE CHARGE As a female member of the RREC, I would like to register my disappointment at the behaviour of some gentlemen who attended the South of England Rally, Woldingham School, on 14 May Despite the organisers spending over 1000 on toilet facilities, these gentlemen decided to relieve themselves in the bushes behind the display of motor cars. I would have hoped our members were above this unsocial behaviour, but obviously not. I trust the persons concerned will be suitably ashamed of themselves. KATE MEACHEM ASH, FRAME AND LALIQUE WHERE IS IT NOW? I sometimes give a slide talk on the life of Graham Baron Ash, who lived from and, in the 1920s and 1930s, restored Packwood House in Warwickshire. In about 1930 he bought a Rolls-Royce from a lady in Sutton Coldfi eld and had it modifi ed by two gentlemen who lived or worked in West Bromwich, Staffordshire. They altered the boot of the car to give it a boat-shaped rear end. Ash also replaced the standard fl ying lady with one made from Lalique glass with a blue element that shone in the dark. That was all I knew until, last week, a couple from the audience at my talk approached me to say that they remembered this car very well as it had been in some kind of concourse or display at The Lynton Lodge Hotel in Oxford. They were also very certain of the date of 2 July 1994 which was their actual fortieth wedding anniversary. They believe the owner came from Southampton and he told them he had taken the car to Packwood House and photographed it outside, with permission of the National Trust, the owners of the property. I would be delighted if you could suggest any avenue I might approach to fi nd this car, and of course, a photograph of it, for incorporation into my slide talk. MIKE MILES (Editor s Note: 2 July 1994 was the fi nal weekend of the Club s three-week Round Britain Tour in celebration of 90 years of Rolls-Royce. This took place at Christ Church, Oxford so there would have been numerous Rolls-Royce motor cars from all over the world in Oxford on that day. I will pass on to Mike any information a reader may be able to provide.) UK 2 OF ARABIA I have recently returned from what has probably been a record-breaking journey for any 20hp! I drove my

86 86 Above: UK 2 of Arabia 20hp (GOK65) in Jerusalem 20hp (GOK65) through 13 countries and covered 3448 miles between 13 May and 31 May. We had 4 non-driving days so the mileage was covered in just 14 days. I suspect that this is a new record - unless someone knows differently! There were no major problems - just a recurring irritation with the coil. Driving through the Judean desert was my major worry - but I was surprised to fi nd that UK 2 fl ew up the 20 miles from The Dead Sea (1300ft BELOW sea level) to Arad (a town 650 ft ABOVE sea level) without a falter even though she had 4 adults on board as well as much luggage. Sir Henry would have been proud particularly as the ambient temperature was 109F! Overall, the fuel consumption was 19.25mpg and 1 pint of water was used per 363 miles (the temperature across Europe was well over 85F ). Oil consumption was 9.5 pints and as the majority of this was used when in very hilly conditions like The Simplon and the St Bernadino (we had to use the old road for miles and it was tough!), I suspect the majority was thrown out through the rear of the engine. Consumption on the fl atter sections was negligible! I am attaching a picture taken when UK 2 was parked on The Kotel in front of the Western Wall (aka The Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem with the Al Aaska Mosque in the background. Where s UK 2 now? On a sea-cruise from Ashdod, Israel to Felixstowe UK in a container! I fl ew home. ANDREW M SINGTON THE FINNISHED ARTICLE I was interested to read the article Cars and their Owners, No. 135 in Bulletin 276 referring to Silver Shadow chassis number SRX17910 now domiciled in Finland and owned by Mr Olavi Tupamäki. This particular car was initially ordered in late 1973 and its country of sale was to be Germany. However, owing to the Middle East confl ict that took place in October 1973 and the resulting massive increase in oil prices, there was a slow down of sales into Continental Europe during early Hence, the destination of the car was switched to Saudi Arabia which, by then, was becoming a growing market. However, returning to Rolls-Royce cars in Finland, I wonder how many cars like SRX17910 found their way into the country as an already pre-used car since no new Silver Shadow or, for that matter, its derivatives were actually built for Finland. Nevertheless, I can inform you that a Silver Shadow, SRX3453, was actually built for a customer in Finland in the November of I well remember the car during its assembly as I was in the area, at that time, that assembled rear axle assemblies and one that I built was actually fi tted to this particular car. During its assembly sequence SRX3453 was fi tted with snow tyres obviously to suit the severe winters in Finland. SRX3453 was passed to Sales in December 1967 but did not get despatched from the factory until February 1968 by which time its ultimate destination had been changed from Finland to the USA. The reasons for the change are unclear but reading the Bulletin article the expensive Finnish import taxes could have been prohibitive even in 1967/8. On the topic of Scandinavia as a whole the best market for Silver Shadow cars was Sweden. Both Denmark and Norway ordered very few cars in comparison. TONY FLOOD SENIOR SERVICE RIGGED With reference to Tony James interesting and informative article, Spares Corner in B275, I wish to correct the fact that Mr Maudslay (note spelling) owned a company in Portsmouth that supplied pulley blocks for the Royal Navy. The suppliers were in fact, Samuel Taylor of Southampton. The machines that Tony refers to were built by Henry Maudslay of Maudslay, Sons and Field in Lambeth, London to the designs of Marc Brunel, father of the more famous Isambard Kingdom Brunel and were installed in Portsmouth Dockyard. For what was perhaps the fi rst example of mechanised production in the world, Marc was paid by the admiralty the sum of 17,000. More detailed information on this remarkable man and his achievements may be found in Isambard Kingdom Brunel by L T C Rolt (ISBN ). LEONARD OAKLEY

87 87 OBITUARY Jack Baker Mr Rolls-Royce of South Africa It is with deep regret that we must advise that Mr Jack Baker passed away peacefully during the evening of Sunday 7 May He was 92 years of age. Jack was born in Croydon on 5 December 1913, and on leaving school joined W O Bentley at Cricklewood as an engineering apprentice. After the demise of Bentley and subsequent purchase of that Company by Rolls-Royce, Jack was able to join Rolls-Royce working at the Hythe Road works in London. There he worked in the Final Drive Assembly rising to the position of Foreman. It was once reported that the workers, on occasion, hid his feeler gauges which, without fail, used to upset Jack somewhat! During 1935 Jack joined the Royal Auxiliary Air Force at RAF Hendon. When war broke out in 1939 he was called up and posted to No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron. The Squadron was equipped with Blenheim night fighters and saw active service both during the Battle of Britain and also in Europe. At some point when the Squadron was based at Middle Wallop, Jack gained the rank of Flight Sergeant. No. 604 Squadron was a big part of Jack s life and, like many others, he never forgot his war experiences although he rarely talked about them. After the war Jack returned to Rolls-Royce, and this time joined the Service Department based at Hythe Road, London. Eventually, in 1954, he emigrated to South Africa with wife Phyllis and daughter Gillian as he could no longer tolerate the actions of the trade unions in the UK. On arriving in South Africa, Jack found that the job he had been promised did not exist and he quickly found work at the Castle Beer & Wine Co. It rapidly became local knowledge that a Rolls-Royce mechanic had arrived in the Johannesburg area and Jack found himself with plenty of spare time work. In 1956 Jack received a letter from Mr Stanley Bull, the then Service Manager of the Service Department at Hythe Rd, advising Jack that the Company had received information that Jack was working on the Company products in South Africa and asked if he would confirm this was true. Jack obviously confirmed this, and his destiny was set for all time. Over the years that followed he was to be known as Mr Rolls-Royce of South Africa. Jack in his own very special way earned this title. On joining Grosvenor Motors he rapidly rose from being a mechanic to the position of Service Manager. He then embraced sales and eventually he became Sales Director. He knew virtually every car in the Country by chassis number bearing in mind that at some point he had probably sold it to someone! During the period Rolls-Royce motorcars were on the embargo list in South Africa it did not deter Jack and he kept the Company name alive, such that when the embargo was lifted the market existed as if nothing had ever happened. Jack had a passion for the Rolls-Royce Company and its motor cars that was absolutely awesome. He also had a zest for life and certainly he lived his life to the full yet he always kept his family in the forefront. Jack was one of those men who once met, you never forgot. Whilst he might be best described as slight in stature, there is no doubt he was a great man. Finally, Jack was sadly the last of the W O Bentley apprentices; however at the Bentley Dealer s facilities in Johannesburg you will find The Jack Baker Service Centre. Our deepest sympathies go to his daughter Gillian and grand-daughters Samantha and Bronwyn. MIKE HILL

88