Miscellany, June 1964

Miscellany.—The 1½-seater streamlined Singer Nine raced at Brooklands by F. W. Carr and others came to light in Berkshire recently, and has found a new owner. The Sky Fame Museum at Staverton Airport keeps a D.H. Mosquito, a 1938 Avro Anson I and an Airspeed Oxford in flying trim and can supply them for displays, etc. The Mosquito costs around £110 to for a landing and take-off visit but the others are less expensive. Details from D. F. Ogilvy at Elstree Aerodrome. The Armstrong Siddeley O.C. has been reformed, with A. Langley, of Parkside, Seascale, Cumberland, as Secretary and B. Cryer as Editor of its journal Sphinx. The fire station at Belsize, capital of British Honduras, contains three American La France fire engines, two in magnificent condition and in regular service. The V.M.C.C.’s 16th Banbury Run takes place on June 21st and is a splendid opportunity to see a very large number of veteran and vintage motorcycles in action. A member of the V.M.C.C. is reported to have found a pre-1920 Garner lorry. Pat Bush drove his 1920 Stanley steamer in the London M.C./A.C. de l’Ouest Route De La Mer Rally. A 1917 model-T Ford with o.h.c. sixteen-valve head and a 1924 model-T push-rod o.h.v. Ford Frontenac were amongst the 119 entries in this year’s Lancashire A.C. Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run. A circa-1924 B.S.A. combination is still in use in Herefordshire.

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Programmes.—It seems beneath the dignity of the R.A.C. Brighton Run programme to explain where some of the competing cars were found, prior to restoration, although we imagine the public enjoy such earthy details more than dull historical facts—and originally they got plenty of it. So we were glad to find this type of information contained in the excellent programme of the H.C.V.C. Brighton Run, which was also beautifully illustrated. From it we learn of a 1926 one-ton Morris Commercial which started life as a baggage van, was converted into a truck in 1937, then had the original body replaced in 1930 when the Royal College of Mines bought it as its mascot, and of a 1929 3-ton Morris Commercial six-wheeler which degenerated from War Department service to the Kent apple orchards. Also of a Raleigh 3-wheeler van last used by a baker in 1936, then by a farmer until laid up in 1961, to be restored two years later, of a 1926 model-91 Overland found derelict in Shrewsbury two years ago, and of the famous 1922 De Dion Bouton road-sweeper seen in Menton, bought by Bill Monk and driven across France to this country, etc.