Saffron Walden Crank Up

[taylor]

Originally Posted by 8_10 Brass Cleaner

I must say that I always thought that it was a more plausible explanation for the EJ registration. Particularly given the first owner was recorded in Suffolk.

The plate on 'Cock of the North' is another example AB or AH etc, also Jessetts GND convertable.

My thoughts as the owner, Alan Duke's (RLS) own records clearly state EJ 545 being recorded during 1930's, their being a number of photo's taken before my late father purchased her from Fred Harris which clearly show EJ 545 these being 1954.

When checks were made at Ipswich records office no records could be found of BJ 545 relating to a Garrett 4CD. Having known a number of the Bloomfield family including Malcolm, although the company records of those early years were destroyed it was always believed it was registered soon after WW1 with the EJ reg number

[8_10 Brass Cleaner]

It would be easy to check as the registers survive for both BJ and EJ.

The Cardiganshire Registers and card index survive complete from EJ1 to UEJ 742N at:

Ceredigion Archives, Old Town Hall, Queen's Road, Aberystwyth, SY23 2EB.

(01970 633967) (Open Mondays to Fridays)

[8_10 Brass Cleaner]

Kevin

Another thought. Assuming the Cardiganshire records draw a blank like JR suggests.

As a Garrett tractor, it will have been required by law to be 'registered' under the Heavy Motor Car act when new. I have read of no exemptions for the ministry, similarly other ministry engines all seem to be registered when new, rather than unregistered.

There would have been no need to re register an engine already registered on the HMC after sale by the ministry post war.

There are instances however of it happening in 1921 with the new rules.

This Heavy Motor Car registration was sometimes part of the general register, sometimes it was separate.

I think I have read somewhere that Norfolk used a AH 0 prefix to denote the HMC status, often seen on Burrell tractors, but I too have read about two vehicles both carrying the same 'registration number' in some counties. That is one vehicle on the general register, the other on the HMC register.

I notice that the Suffolk Records office suggest that they have : ''Registers BJ 1 - 7869 (1903-23); HMC Register 1905-23''. This is suggestive that the HMC register was separate from the general register in Suffolk.

Have you searched both registers for BJ 545?.

That said 545 is very low in the HMC series vs the other BJ registered 4CD's of similar age.

And thinking about it, they only stopped issuing BJ's in May 1925, so demand cant have been that high in 1918

I also notice that BJ 545X isnt so far away from some of the surviving ministry 4CDs of the same age. Perhaps not only the B changed to a E, but a number went missing at the same time?.

Are any of BJ 5450 - 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 in the HMC index a 4CD I wonder?

All speculation of course, and based on JRs assertion that there is no record of it in Cardiganshire.