Post WarDays of Optimism-the British Export Drive....

[Graham Shaw]

Dagenham Docks.c.1949/50.Locally manufactured in Dagenham side-valve,sit- up- and- beg four-door Ford Prefects (mostly) and Anglias ( 2 door ,with small back bootlid bulge as in immediate foreground) and Fordson? tractors,destined for loading ,possibly for South Africa aboard the Glasgow registered m.v.Cape Rodney-O.N. 169487- (with Lyle Shipping 1946-1963,then with Greek interests until scrapping in 1971).

( Photo From a Facebook group page - The British Road Scene.)

FB_IMG_1650556463303.jpg

[happy daze john in oz]

Turned out by the thousands, remember them on the roads, and on the side when they broke down.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

The two years I was on the Trevose in the early 50s we carried cars to Aus, some boxed, others loose about the hoose, had to check the lashings down below weekly, looks like the same cars.
thanks for the photo Graham.
Des

[Keith Tindell]

Those cars brought back memories, i had a ford prefect and an Anglia, no heater, vacuum wipers, slowed down going up hill, and thrashed themselves to destruction going downhill. The days when you set out to go somewhere, but nothing was certain.

[Tony Taylor]

Dagenham Docks.c.1949/50.Locally manufactured in Dagenham side-valve,sit- up- and- beg four-door Ford Prefects (mostly) and Anglias ( 2 door ,with small back bootlid bulge as in immediate foreground) and Fordson? tractors,destined for loading ,possibly for South Africa aboard the Glasgow registered m.v.Cape Rodney-O.N. 169487- (with Lyle Shipping 1946-1963,then with Greek interests until scrapping in 1971).

( Photo From a Facebook group page - The British Road Scene.)

FB_IMG_1650556463303.jpg

Yes Graham, Fordson tractors, 6 cyl petrol / paraffin engines. I learned to drive on them when I was twelve. Absolute pigs to start, no throttle just a governor which kept the revs at set level, no power steering, and the ones I was allowed to drive had no functioning brakes.

[Graham Shaw]

Another nostalgic photo,this time from the FB Old British Car Club pages.

BENCLEUCH O.N 182687. 1949-1972.jpg

It depicts Morris Minors and the slightly larger Morris Oxfords destined (probably) for Malaysia,Singapore and Hong Kong aboard Ben Line's s.s.BENCLEUCH.
The date can fairly accurately be recorded as between 1949-1951. This is because the Moggies(Morris Minors ) with the headlights set low down in the grille ,as opposed to the later up on the wings position was a feature on the original Minors from production in 1949 to 1951.This was primarily changed because the lowlight position was deemed to give a poor light function,especially in export markets like the U.S. Also,the all important ship,the Bencleuch , was completed only in January 1949,and was therefore brand new,
i'm not sure of the location,possibly London Docks or maybe Southampton.The cars would have been transported from the Cowley,Oxford factory by rail to the docks.
Bencleuch put in good service with Ben Line principally on their Far East service for 23 years until 1972 before meeting the demolition cutting torches back in her country of build,Scotland. BENCLEUCH-INFOLINK

[Keith Tindell]

Another old memory , the Morry 1000, and the split windscreen. Can still see the odd one about, they were easily kept going, when main production stopped, i believe the post office vans continued for some years after, so spares could still be obtained.There was loads of room to work under the bonnet, and can remember fiddly for hours setting the points.

[Graham Shaw]

Another old memory , the Morry 1000, and the split windscreen. Can still see the odd one about, they were easily kept going, when main production stopped, i believe the post office vans continued for some years after, so spares could still be obtained.There was loads of room to work under the bonnet, and can remember fiddly for hours setting the points.

Dad had one,one of the later 'split-screen' examples,a Series 2 of 1956,just before the much improved Minor 1000 was introduced in 57.
I used to wonder what a 'split screen' Minor was,thinking perhaps it needed a glass windscreen repair,not realising it was to do with the divided windscreen !
That Series 2 which we had was blessed with a tiny little 803cc ohv engine as opposed to the earlier sidevalve job.It looked even more lost in that engine bay,but yes it was easy to work on. It was a real 'buzz-box' ,only had about 28 bhp. All Minors were easily identified before they even got to you because of their distinctive rasp (or fart) on the over-run,or slowing down for a bend.It is a well-known characteristic of the Moggy.Lovely!

[happy daze john in oz]

Yes we had a split screen Morris in the 70's, very old model.

In White Hardt lane Woolwich there was the council depot where all the garbage was brought for destrcution.
The trucks emptied onto a convey and as it went along the 'Magnatron' pulled all the metal out of the rubbish.
The remaining stuff was incinerated and the heat used to keep the radiators in the offices warm.

The metal, mainly tin cans and such was then sent to Ford at Dagenham for a small price .
It was then melted down and used in the sheet metal in the cars made there.

[Keith Tindell]

I recall coming home from sea, and having to contact the DVLA, and getting a cancellation for my driving test, as i was only home usually about ten days, took some quick driving lessons on a morris minor at the driving school. Failed the test, when dad who had a 1952 ford anglia, the old sit up and beg job, suggested i take the test in that. The older members may recall, the old Anglia and Popular only had 3 forward gears, and first gear was only for pulling away, at junctions and roundabouts etc, only required one gear change, this i did and passed. Both those models had vacuum windscreen wipers.