Vintage Postbag, June 1968

An Historic Landing Ground

Sir,

I was very interested to read Mr. H. Edwards’ letter about early aviation in the Manchester area. The field where Paulhan landed was, in fact, very close to Burnage Station, which is still in use, the aviator having used the now time-honoured method of “railway lines navigation”. The field, long since covered by council houses, was only a mile or so from Mauldeth Hall, where my father was born, his father being the lodge-keeper. My father often told how, as a schoolboy, he ran across the fields to see the flying machine.

Another interesting thing about this place, is that only a short distance in the opposite direction stands it cottage, which was the birthplace of another boy, well known to my father in his schooldays. This boy was named John Alcock, and he of course grew up to be a famous aviator himself, and was knighted along with Arthur Whitten Brown for the “First Across” flight of 1919. The cottage is not marked by any plaque, and is now almost in the forecourt of a filling station.

Stockport. Roy Sandback.

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The Wolseley Ten

Sir,

As a past owner of a Wolseley Ten I was interested to read your article in the March issue relating to cars of this make driven by Capt. A. G. Millar. I was a frequent visitor to Brooklands in the 1920’s and watched many of the races in which “Moth I” was competing.

A few of the details contained in your article relating to the private owner’s car do not agree with my records. You state that the Press were not able to test the Wolseley Ten until late in 1920 and production started at the end of February 1921. I purchased my car, an open two-seater, from Sam Robbins of Rugby on October 9th, 1920 at a figure of £550, I believe the £5 additional cost was for a clock. Incidentally I sold it on May 4th, 1924, after covering 24,750 miles of reliable motoring.

On the following page you mention that the standard model was fitted with coil ignition; this I think is incorrect as magneto ignition was prevalent at that time and my car was fitted with one manufactured under the name of M.L.

Salisbury, Rhodesia. E. H. Rogers.

[Mr. Rogers must have had one of the small number of Wolseley Tens that trickled through, because according to contemporary Press reports, production didn’t get into its stride until very late in 1920. The fact that it had a magneto confirms this, because the first 1919 models had this; later coil ignition was substituted for all except Colonial models. The Light Car & Cyclecar did not road-test one until July 1920, I have checked three different sources and all give ignition by battery and coil until the 11/22 all-gear version, which had a magneto.—Ed.]

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People in Glasshouses . . .

Sir,

I am an appreciative reader of Motor Sport, not least because of its accuracy in reporting; and am also a vintage car owner of many years standing.

I was disappointed, therefore, to notice in this month’s issue three advertisements thus:

No. 2776—”Vintage 1933 Austin 11.9 …”

No. 282—”Veteran Model T Ford, 1917 …”

No. 3057—”Vintage 1934 Morris Motor …”

Either the people who advertise thus are unaware of the official classifications of Veteran and Vintage. or they are trying to hoodwink others.

Could your staff edit such advertisements in future and avoid misunderstanding?

St. Annes. A. W. Hutt.

[I have previously expressed the hope that veteran and vintage cars will be correctly described in the small ads.—Ed.]