The Parade of Wagons and Tractors.
Page 13
Page 14
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The first parade of lorries and tractors, in connection with "THE ConMERCIAL MOTOR" prize scheme for good driving, took place on Saturday last, on the Thames Embankment, when seven Foden, six Straker, six Thornycroft, two Leyland, two Yorkshire, two Foster, and one Coulthard, machines were officially present. It was in every sense a success, the only unfavourable circumstance being the weather, which was extremely stormy and wet, with the result that only a few hundred spectators witnessed the mus ter. The organisation of the parade was in the hands of a judges committee appointed by the Commercial Motor Users' Association, and consisted of : Colonel R. E. Crompton, CB, (Chairman of the Association, and President of the Incorporated Institution of Automobile Engineers); Captain R. K. Bagnall-Wild, R. E., M.I.Mech.E. (Secretary, War Office Committee on Mechanical Transport); Mr. F. C. A. Coventry, M.1.A.E. (Great Western Railway); Mr. W. G. Lobjoit, J.P. (Hounslow); Mr. H. Thomson Lyon, M. I. E. E. (Chairman, Highways Committee, Westminster City Council); and Mr. Douglas Mackenzie, M.I.
Mech. E. , M. .A. E. Mr. Shrapnel] Smith acted as Honorary Secretary to this committee, and Mr. Rees Jeffreys (Secretary of the Association) had pre pared an excellent programme. Prior to the parade, Mr. Edmund Dange.rfield
Winner of Colonel Crompton's prize.
entertained the judges and other gentlemen, at luncheon, at the Savoy Hotel.
The conditions have been published by us, and we will not take up space in recapitulation. The schedule for completion by the owners of the vehicles and tractors was published in.our issue of the 7th ultimo (page 235 ante), and the names of the entrants, together with a summary of the vehicles' performances, were published by us last week. It is, however, of interest that we should emphasise the care which was exercised by the judges committee in the process of elimination : marks were allotted under various headings, upon seine of which we make brief comment on the opening page of this issue. It was only left to the judges, on Saturday afternoon last, to allocate the marks for appearance and condition, except for the fact that, somewhat out of order, half a dozen drivers, who had been prevented from attending the verbal examination on the 7th instant, were, in order to save them from disqualification, subjected to a course of questions between 2.30 and 3.30 p.m., this extra work slightly delaying the legitimate part of the afternoon's work.
A most gratifying feature was the attendance of every entrant, without exception, and we particularly commend some of the drivers for the personal inconvenience to which they were put, by foregoing their midday meals, and by working specially long shifts, in order
to get to the meeting place, This particularly applies to Driver A. Carter, of the Thornyeroft lorry owned by Searcy, Tansley and Co., Ltd., the well-known ball furnishers and caterers. So far as any one company's contribution of vehicles to the parade is concerned, we should specially mention the support given by Colonel Mark Mayhew, whose company, Mark Mayhew, Limited, of Battersea. Flour Mills, was represented by the whole of its fleet of six wagons, whilst Colonel and Mrs. Mayhew themselves took a deep personal interest in the chances of their employees, and were in attendance during the whole afternoon. Another interesting feature was the voluntary dispatch to the meet, by the managing director of Allen and Hanburys; Limited, of that company's latest. sixton Yorkshire wagon with vertical engine, whilst a splendid example of the latest Straker-Squire, five-ton, tractiontype lorry was also an object of considerable interest.
It was not until 4.15 p.m. that the judges were in a position to make the awards known, and these were indicated by the distribution of large, coloured cards : red indicated a first prize of L,-5; yellow a second prize of ; blue a third prize of ,z;-t; and green—most appropriately chosen as the emblem of caution—Colonel Crompton's special prize of; E:,5 for the best recorded act of adroitness in avoiding an accident. Owing to the closeness of their markings for the two drivers first-named below, the judges very generously made up the second prize to the sum of ,L5, by each contributing ins., and the awards proved to be as under (approximate total mileage of each machine in brackets) :
FIRST PRIZES.-5 each to Frederick Gunn, Foden wagon owned by Seabrooke and Sons, Ltd., entry No. 21 (24,383) ; and Patrick Driscoll, Thornycroft wagon owned by the Westminster City Council, entry No. 25 (63,000).
SEcoNin PRrzEs..—;62 each to Albert Smith, Foden wagon owned by Chislehurst Mineral Waters Co., entry No. 6 (26,boo); and John Troughton, Straker lorry owned by French Asphafte Co., Ltd., entry No. 9 (28,000).
Tninn PRIZES.--Li each to William Winn, Thornycroft wagon owned by Allen and Hanburys, Ltd., entry No. 2 (39,200); A. Brown, Coulthard wagon wned by Baker Bros., entry No. 4 (18,40o); J. H. Simpson, Leyland wagon owned by Eley Bros., Ltd., entry No. 8 (29,900); Thomas Lewis, Foster tractor owned by W. J. Lobjoit and Son, entry No. II (13,000); John Norman, Straker lorry owned by Messrs. Mann and Sons, entry No. I2 (33,700) ; J. Ward, Thornycrott wagon owned by Mark Mayhew Ltd., entry '
No. 13 (42,900) D. iVoodh am s, Foden wagon owned by Mark Mayhew, Ltd., entry No. 17 (46,500); M. Geraghty, Leyland wagon owned by Mark Mayhew, Ltd., entry No. 18 (30,600); and C. Hills, Straker lorry owned by Messrs.. J. and M. Patrick, entry No. 19 (22,000). COLONEL CROMPTON'S PRIZE.--4:5 to Driver A. Brown, entry No. 4. This man, by a splendid piece of self-possession and quick action, saved the life of a woman, who endeavoured to commit suicide, by throwing herself down in front of the wagon, in the Chiswick High Road.
The money awards will be posted to the drivers by early mail to-morrow (Friday), and we hope that this practical recognition of their devotion to duty and care for their machines will prove specially acceptable at Xmastide.