Motor Car Accidents in 1905

Motor Cars

Several years ago I gave a talk (copy online) on The Road through Harpenden and since then the Bristixh Newspaper Archive has come into existence - making it far easier to get details of dated events. Recently Peter has asked where more information can be found about the fatal accident near Dunstable.that I mentioned in the talk and as a result I have updated the original page on Early Motor Cars to include details of both the Dunstable accident and also the earlier hit and run accident at Markyate where a 5 year old boy was killed.

Hertfordshire Automobile Club - 1904

Motor Cars

St Albans

While looking for something else I recently found that the January-June issue of The Automotor Journal was online and I have posted some extracts relating to St Albans and the Hertfordshire Automobile Club. It includes the names of some of early Hertfordshire car owners who attended a rally.

Messrs. Noel B. Kenealy (Chairman), 

E. Kenealy and Miss I. St. Leger Shervington, 

Mr. G. Malton and party, 

Mr. and Mrs. Barnet-Geake, 

Mr. W. D. Ross and the Misses Ross, 

Mr. E. J. Blain, 

Mr. and Mrs. W. G. James, 

Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Gardiner, 

the Rev. G. Bernard Gainsford, 

Dr. Gruggen, 

Mr. C. Wood, 

Mr. A. Hunt, 

Mr. W. Whittall (Hon. Sec.) with Mrs. Whittall.

A 1904 De Dion Bouton in Hertfordshire

Last Saturday I visited Jim Mullary, who lives in a house built on the site of Heath Farm, Bernards Heath, St Albans, to see his collection of photographs (which mainly came from one of my cousins, Beryl Grove, and from Ron Walsh, a former employee of Heath Farm Dairy). A number of pictures will appear on this site in future, but this is the first.

This picture show a 1904 De Dion Bouton 6HP Two Seater, (Identified by the Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society) and the registration number shows it was registered in Hertfordshire in the later part of 1904. The driver looks like Arthur John Reynolds, my great uncle, and son of Jacob Reynolds of Heath Farm. Arthur farmed Cheapside Farm, Sandridge, which adjoined Heath Farm.

New Year Bargains (1914 style) at Hemel Hempstead

 Get the latest music centre for less than £1.50 and the latest songs for £0.05 each.

Buy a piano for a mere £21.

The latest Humber car is ready for you to collect at a bargain price.

See the original Adverts 

A very unusual car in Hertfordshire

In January I asked if anyone could identify this car, and also passed a request on to the Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society who are skilled in the identification of old cars. This proved a challenge but one of their number  reported that it was a 1908 GC Light Car with Sultan 8HP engine made by Automobiles G. C. ,  H. Guyot et Cie, Paris, - and only in 1908.

There were two other cars on my Motor Car page and they kindly identified these as well. The car on a postcard in Colliers end was also a French car - a 1925 Citroen 5CV Model C - but made in Slough, while the bullnosed Morris was a 1925  Morris Cowley  Two-Seater with Dickey. [SVVS Identification Page]

In each case the date of car manufacturer can be identified to the year - which shows how useful cars can be in identifying the earliest possible date for a photograph.

Early motor cars in Hertfordshire

For those interested in family history, as opposed to simply pinning names on their family tree, the question of when your ancestors first owned a car - and what model it was - adds to the story. Often a car may be seen in the background to a family photograph, or you may have a snapshot of that new car, perhaps with its owner also in the picture. 

In addition cars and their registration plates can provide useful clues as to the date of the street scenes, etc.

For this reason I have set up a subject page for cars, to include some examples and links to pages that can help you identify them. Any pictures of old Hertfordshire family cars - or links to sites you have found particularly useful - will be welcome as they will allow me to make the page even more valuable to other visitors to this site.

Can anyone identify this car?

What make of car?

I am currently digitizing the Stagenhoe photographs (see Stagenhoe Park Photographs saved for Posterity). This photograph is the only one in the part of the collection that has been saved which shows a motor car. It was taken in August 1910. Can anyone identify it?