Vintage postbag, October 1970

Talbot ambulances

J. Saner enquires whether there are any Talbot 25, MAB and Roesch Talbot ambulances surviving. So far as the STD Register is aware no 25s or MABs have made the grade, but the London Ambulance Service apprentices keep a 1935 Talbot 95 and a W & G of 1927 in very presentable condition. Both these behicles are to be seen on the Annual Commercial run to Brighton and no doubt at other events. The Talbot was brought to our London Rally in 1969. The Register is also intending to rebuild a 1930 Talbot 70 ambulance to use as a mobile office. Another 95 was reported to be in Berkshire but this remains unconfirmed, and remains of one lie in a certain yard in Wandsworth as is widely known. We know of a source of double reduction back axles and also of a field where lies a complete axle.

It would be very interesting to read an informed account of the comings and goings of W & G Du Cros Ltd. A letter sent to Australia to the only survivor of the family, according to our information, has remained unanswered and very little seems to have been recorded so far.

K.J. Fidgen – Wimbledon
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Petrol cans

Sir,

Do we have an authority on Pratts among our readers ?

Well, what I mean is, can someone kindly supply information regarding Pratts two-gallon petrol cans ? One sees a good number on vintage cars these days and all cans seem to vary in their colour scheme. I think it fairly safe to say that they were originally basically green, but what colour was the lettering ? The examples I have cleaned seem to have been green all over except for the last, which had a silver top ! In one publication I read some time ago it instanced “Pratts famous green and red cans”. Green cans and red cans or green cans with red lettering ? Others have suggested that the lettering should he in gold, however, one sees modern reproductions in black with “Pratts” gold transfer.

In dating these cans, the legend, i.e., “Valor 10 24” embossed on the underside, indicates in this case, I presume, October, 1924, produced by The Valor Co. Ltd., of Birmingham, who, incidentally, seem to have been turning out these cans for something like 30 years or more and may still do to this day ? I always thought that the earliest examples had the name lettering in the well-known script, but on cans which I have, the early one, dated “10 24”, has block capitals “PRATTS PERFECTION SPIRIT”, whilst an example dated “7 30” carries the stylised “Pratts” script and a further specimen dated “5 33” has just “PRATTS” in block lettering between horizontally parallel lines bisecting a circle. One two-gallon can, by the way, even has an apostrophe “PRATT’S” on its top—surely an ungrammatical odd man out ?

P. F. G. Wright – Oxford