Celebrating Forty Years of the Jersey Old Motor Club

© The Jersey Old Motor Club Limited 2006

Compiled by John Boothman

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S P E C I A L I S T S I N

VETERAN VINTAGE CLASSICCARS AND MOTORCYCLES

As all pre-1950 car enthusiasts living in Jersey surely know by now, 2006 marks the fortieth anniversary of a very special occasion: the formationof the Jersey Old Motor Club.

From modest beginnings, the Club has grown insize and influence, organising such prestigious events as the annual Festival of Motoring and the much-loved Boxing Day Run, encouraging theconservation and enjoyment of old cars, lobbyingagainst unnecessary restrictions on their use, andproviding support and fellowship for their owners.

Those of us who enjoy driving, tinkering with or simply contemplating ancient automobiles – foreven the youngest eligible cars on the register arenow approaching their sixtieth birthdays – owe adebt of gratitude to the three musketeers who setthings in motion forty years ago, and to the manyother old car addicts who have helped make theClub what it is today.

This souvenir brochure attempts to capture some ofthe highlights of the past four decades. Thanks tothe efforts of those scribes who over the years havediligently recorded the Club’s goings-on in theGazette and, later, the monthly newsletter, the

amount of material at my disposal has been prodigious. To avoid producing a 300-page tomethat the Club could not afford, and that no-onewould want to read, I have had to be selective. Ihave tried to include a representative assortment ofevents, cars and owners, but inevitably there aregaps and omissions, both deliberate and accidental.So if your favourite JOMC anecdote or character ismissing, please try to show forbearance!

I should like to thank those Club members,past and present, who have kindly shared their recollections and photographs with me, or provided help and guidance in putting this accounttogether, with special mentions for Barry de laMare, Michael Pinchard, Michael Guerrier,Michael Hannigan,David Haddon and our currentPresident Judith Genee. Without their efforts itwould have been far less complete, and far moreerror-prone, than it is; for the errors that remain, Ialone am responsible.

Thanks also to our advertisers who have generouslysupported this publication.And last but not least, aspecial word of thanks to Andy Manson of BarnesPublishing, who has done a great job of translatingsome rough ideas into a very classy production!

Introduction and Acknowledgements

Do you remember 1966? If so, you are probablyapproaching your own fiftieth anniversary – orperhaps you have already left it far behind!

For the British people, it was a year of highs andlows. The world’s first low-cost airline, LakerAirways, started operating in February. In April thefirst hovercraft service began between Ramsgateand Calais, and a month later Graham Hill won theIndianapolis 500 in a Lotus-Ford at an averagespeed of 144 mph. The first British credit card –the Barclaycard – was launched on 29th June.And on 30th July England clinched the World Cup by beating West Germany 4-2 in the final at Wembley.

The “swinging sixties” were – well, in full swing.The most famous model in the world was a 17-year-old called Twiggy, and the Beatles were at theheight of their popularity. British films were making waves at the box office. “A Man for AllSeasons” collected three Oscars at the AcademyAwards. But it was a year of tragedy too. In China,Mao Tse-tung unleashed the brutal “CulturalRevolution”, while in Wales the Aberfan collierydisaster cost the lives of 116 children and 28 adults.

Here in Jersey a small group of vintage car enthusiasts used to meet to discuss their hobby in convivial surroundings. It was a propitiousmoment for the old car movement. Immediatelyafter the war, demand was such that vehicles ofalmost any age were sought after, but within a fewyears, as the supply of new cars for the home market improved, prices began to tumble.

A few far-sighted British collectors, like LordMontagu, Stanley Sears and John Sword, keptinterest in Britain’s motoring heritage alive, and thestalwarts of the Veteran Car Club and the VintageSports Car Club organised rallies and trials. Butmany bread-and-butter saloons built in the 1930swere ineligible for VSCC events and unloved bythe connoisseurs.Moreover, the MOT (Ministry ofTransport) test introduced in Britain in 1960required cars that were over ten years old to havetheir brakes, lights and steering checked every year.This administered the coup de grace to many tired

old machines whose market value had droppedwell below the cost of making the necessary repairs.

By the mid-1960s, however, things were starting topick up. With a few exceptions like Volkswagen and Morgan, manufacturers had long since movedon from pre-war designs. Cars of the 1920s and 30s were sufficiently different in concept and appearance to capture the interest of a new groupof enthusiasts for whom the flowing lines, separateheadlamps and running-boards, and relativelystraightforward engineering made a refreshingchange from the look-alike three-box saloons ondisplay in car showrooms across the country.Piloting such motors required skills that were seldom needed to operate their modern equivalents.And the fact that so many old cars had by nowbeen consigned to the scrap-heap helped to redressthe balance between demand and supply.

The disposal of the Sword Collection at two auctions, in 1962 and 1965, marked an importantturning of the tide. Huge numbers of enthusiastsattended both events, and by the standards of thetime some high prices were achieved.Rolls-RoyceSilver Ghosts were in particular demand, and thetop price of the day at the 1965 sale, £7,200, waspaid for a 1908 model – an unprecedented sum atthat time. At the other end of the scale a 1925Morris Cowley fetched just £205.

Sports models, of course, were particularly sought-after, as they always are. Open tourers and dropheads – especially by top makers like Bentley,Alvis, Lagonda and Talbot – commanded relativelyhigh prices too. But there were plenty of humble1930s saloons – Austin Sevens and Morris Eightsamong many others – that captured the hearts ofyoung (and not-so-young) men who couldremember their parents or grandparents drivingsimilar cars in the years before and after the war –or who were just attracted by the simplicity, andintegrity, of pre-war designs.

Although their prices had risen from the rock-bottom levels reached a few years earlier, when anAustin Seven could be bought for just a fewpounds, most vintage and post-vintage cars were

A Year to Remember

2

still cheap by modern standards. Two or three hundred pounds would have bought a decent 1930ssaloon or coupe, four or five hundred a smart sports-car.This was roughly the price of a new Mini. Onlythe most exotic machines – Bentleys, Bugattis andthe like – breached the £1,000 mark.

Needless to say, most enthusiasts paid a great dealless money than this. In Jersey a young man namedDeryk Haithwaite learned that a tired LagondaM45 saloon was about to be sold for scrap.Hurrying to St Helier, he struck a deal with theowner: if he promised to re-commission and,in due course, restore the car he could have it for nothing!

The next problem was how to convey his newacquisition to the Haithwaite home in St Ouen. Ithad not run for five years but the only modern carsavailable to assist were a Ford Anglia and aVolkswagen Beetle, neither of which seemed verysuitable for hauling two tons of Lagonda; so thebold decision was taken to start it by the time-honoured method of running it down a slope – inthis case, Wellington Road – and letting in theclutch when sufficient momentum had beenobtained.After several unsuccessful attempts on theway down the hill, almost at the bottom there wasa loud detonation and the engine burst into life.

The journey back to St Ouen via Grands Vauxseems to have been an epic in its own right, andincluded a nasty accident on Mont Neron whenthe escorting Anglia was forced to stop suddenlyand the Lagonda ran into the back of it, causingserious damage to the flimsy Ford but not,happily, to the Lagonda!

Of course, motoring in Jersey in the mid-1960swas far more care-free than it is today. To beginwith there was much less traffic.The all-Island 40mph speed limit had been introduced a few yearsearlier, but there were few subordinate limits – a1966 motorist would be perplexed by our plethora of 15, 20 and 30 mph zones. New carswere not subject to purchase tax as they were inthe UK. Annual road tax was much lower here,and petrol was a lot cheaper too.

In town, traffic wardens had first appeared in theearly 1960s but parking restrictions were less onerous than they are nowadays. (In fairness therewere also fewer car-parking spaces.) There werenot many one-way streets and it was still possibleto drive up King Street and Queen Street! Thepolice were tolerant of minor traffic infractionsand even driving under the influence of alcohol,except in extreme cases, was often treated quiteleniently.Those were the days!

On 22nd November 1965 a short piece, headlined“Still Going Strong”, appeared in The Evening Postcolumn “Under the Clock”.

“Parked side by side on La Braye car park,St Ouen’s Bay yesterday afternoon were three fine examples of a more peaceful and sedate motoring era: a 1929 Vauxhall, a 1932 Austin Ten and a 1932 Humber.These cars, all in excellent condition both bodily and mechanically, must have brought back to many who saw them memories of a time when it was enjoyable to motor in Jersey.”

The three cars (all of which incidentally remain inJersey to this day) were owned by Bob Kirwan,Barryde la Mare and Derek Bonhomme, and the smallinformal gathering at La Braye was to prove pivotal inthe establishment a year later of the Jersey Old MotorClub.The idea of forming a club essentially for pre-war vehicles had been under discussion by the threeenthusiasts for some time.They knew of a number ofother old-car owners living in Jersey, and inSeptember 1966 it was agreed to circulate everyonein the Island who was known to have a pre-1940 carwith an invitation to attend an informal get-together.

This turned out to be a prescient move.As we haveseen, the MOT test had led to the disappearance ofmany decrepit cars from British roads, but there wasno comparable requirement for annual tests in Jersey (although since the mid-1950s it had been obligatory to maintain vehicles in a roadworthy condition). This, and the innate conservatism ofmany Jersey motorists,meant that the survival rate ofold cars was higher than on the mainland.

Many pre-war and early post-war cars remained inregular use, and some were still in the custody of theiroriginal owners.To these redoubtable characters theidea of according special status to vehicles that werein some cases little more than twenty years old musthave seemed slightly eccentric! Yet if nothing hadbeen done it seems certain that many more such cars,like their owners, would eventually have faded away.

The circular invitations resulted in a very successfulgathering on 16th October 1966 at the car-park on

the Route du Nord in St John, and it was this thatprovided the impetus for the formation of the Club.The inaugural meeting took place on Wednesday2nd November at the Harvest Barn pub in Vallee desVaux. The minutes record that the meeting wasattended by fifteen people. John Oldham was elected the first Chairman (the title was changed toPresident a few years later) and Barry de la Mare thefirst Honorary Secretary. The annual subscriptionwas fixed at ten shillings (50p).

The first Club event, described as an “OutdoorGathering”, took place just four days later.At 2.30pmon Sunday 6th November a small group of membersassembled with their cars at La Braye slip and about45 minutes later set off to drive to Greve de Lecq.Some five or six cars took part in this historic run.The next event was a 31 mile drive round the Island,culminating in tea at l’Etacq; evidently the disappointing weather did not dampen members’enthusiasm!

Right from the outset the JOMC has been clearabout its aims and objectives: to promote the ownership and enjoyment of old cars, to stimulateinterest in Jersey’s motoring heritage and to encourage the conservation (and, where necessary,restoration) of vehicles that might otherwise haveended their lives on the scrap-heap.

A Club is Born !

Barry de la Mare poses with his 1933

Austin 10/4

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Michael Hannigan and his 1948 Morris 8E

Haddon family outing:Michael, Verity Jane and Veronica

with Austin 10

A youthful Geoffrey Grime at thewheel of his 1930 Austin 7 Special

Newly restored 1937 Austin Taxicab (Ken Waddillove)

Fine vintage: Chris Forster’s immaculate 1926 Morris Oxford

Norman Armstrong’s 1926 MG 14/28

5

David Payn at the wheel of his 1932 Alvis Firefly

Action stations! John l’Ecrivain with 1939 Peugeot Cabriolet

Club outing to the National Motor Museum, September 1979

Commercially minded: 1931 Chevrolet truck (Ken Taylor)

Tony Porter’s superb 1932 Rolls-Royce 20/25

Gentleman’s tourer: Derek Bonhomme’s magnificent 1928 Lanchester 40

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Michael Wilcock’s fabulous 1931 Bentley 8 Litre

The perfect setting. Club cars parkedin front of St Ouen’s Manor

Making whoopee: Club members enjoying down-time in France

Michael Guerrier at the wheel of hishandsome 1922 Sunbeam 24/60 sports

David Haddon with his 1928 Lagonda Two Litre speed model

Vive le Patron! Michael Pinchard’s Type 57 Bugatti

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Edwardian splendour. Tim and Pat Scott dressed for the part in their 1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50 London-Edinburgh (Rallye Paris-Deauville)

Centenary Ball. Sue and Margaret Boothman with John Dick’s fabulous GP Itala

Centenary Ball. The scene at St John’s Manor

Nunc est bibendum. Members relax over a well-earned lunch

Wilson de la Mare in his 1933 Austin 10 (Boxing Day Run 1999)

1902 Gladiator (Geoffrey Grime)

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From these small beginnings the Club grew at asteady pace. Pub meetings – mainly during theevening – became regular occurrences.As HonorarySecretary, Barry de la Mare individually signed theevent notices in those early years, and memberswere “cordially invited to attend”! It was also decided to publish a quarterly Gazette “so that allmembers… may be aware of the Club’s activities”,and indeed back numbers of the Gazette haveproved invaluable in compiling these recollections.

The first annual dinner, with a film show, was heldat the Hotel Savoy on 6th March 1967.Tickets were25 shillings (£1.25) per head.The first edition of theGazette also appeared in March. It reported on theformation of the Club and its first few events, andnoted that the membership had already risen fromfifteen to thirty-six. On the financial front, theHonorary Treasurer John Sweeny noted that Clubfunds had been boosted by a small profit on the dinner and by the rescue and subsequent sale of astraight-eight Essex, which had realised the princelysum of fourteen pounds!

The second edition of the Gazette, published inJune, included a list of members whose numbers hadnow grown to forty. Some of those named –Michael Guerrier, Deryk Haithwaite, Barry de laMare and Derek Bonhomme among others –remain active enthusiasts to this day.

Early editions of the Gazette were printed on ahand-cranked Gestetner machine whose antiquitywas comparable to that of some members’ cars.Barry de la Mare recalls that the production processwas messy but frequently hilarious. A team ofCommittee members – Norman Armstrong,Michael Wilcock, Peter Bisson, Barry and others –would get together once a quarter for the purpose,adjourning afterwards to the Royal Yacht Hotel fora well-earned pint!

On 21st June the Club held a very successfulevening meeting at Bel Val Bay near St Catherine’sBreakwater.The cars assembled on Victoria Avenueat about 7pm and set off half an hour later. Cookingfacilities at journey’s end were provided in the formof a half-oil drum filled with glowing charcoal but

it seems this served to incinerate rather than merelygrilling the members’ sausages; fortunately MrsOldham saved the day by producing “a portablecharcoal range”, and as the Gazette reported laterthat month, “soon everyone was enjoying sausageswhich had been cooked on the more scientific andmodern apparatus” – early evidence that the JOMCis not always behind the times when it comes totechnological progress.

An evening treasure hunt organised the followingmonth by Mrs Oldham and Mrs Bonhomme wasequally successful, and again ended with a barbecueat Bel Val. Incidentally, perhaps the most remarkablefeature of both events from a modern perspective is that they took place on weekdays – it seems unlikely that today’s members would be able to finish work, return home and then assemble withtheir cars by 7pm, even in summer, but perhaps itwould be worth a try!

The September 1967 Gazette reported on theevents that had taken place during the late springand summer and for the first time included two carsfor sale: a 1931 Morris Cowley for which £250 wassought (but with the carrot that “hire purchase canbe arranged”); and a 1931 Rover 10/25 offered byBob Kirwan for the modest sum of £65 (o.n.o.).

The first Annual General Meeting of the Club following its foundation took place on 4th October1967 at the British Hotel in Broad Street, St Helier.Total membership had risen to 41, sixteen of whomwere full members and the remainder associates.Although there was a healthy bank balance of£22.1s.10d. (£22.09p), the Committee decided toincrease the subscription for full membership to oneguinea (£1.05p) and for associates to 10s.6d (53p).

The AGM took an important decision on the cut-off date for cars to be admitted to the Club registerand thus take part in events. The original intentionhad been to support the ownership and conservationof pre-war cars only. But a group of owners with1940s vehicles pointed out that many of the modelsproduced immediately after the war were still based on pre-war designs, and in some cases were virtually identical to their 1930s predecessors.

Early Years

9

After much discussion, it was agreed that cars builtbefore the end of 1948 should be allowed onto theregister and a few years later this was extended by afurther two years to 31st December 1950. Thesechanges were not without their opponents – itwould be hard to argue for example that a JaguarXK120, Morris Minor or early Porsche 356 owedmuch to pre-war design trends – but by and largethe 1950 watershed has served the Club well,although at the time of writing (October 2006) it isonce again under review.

From an early stage the Club insisted that post-1939cars – and then a little later, all cars – should be scrutinised by a member of the Committee beforebeing granted a certificate of eligibility.This was notonly to verify compliance with the dating rule, butto ensure that vehicles were roadworthy and properly maintained. Often this process coincidedwith an application by an associate member for fullmembership; following a test-drive, the nervousowner could expect to receive some helpful adviceon how his pride and joy might be improved!

At about the same time Robert Julier was commissioned to devise a Club badge. The finaldesign was approved in February 1968 and thebadge, handsomely finished in enamel and chromium plate,was offered to members at a cost of30 shillings (£1.50). Later a Club tie was producedand other regalia added to the range.

Another significant decision was taken at anExtraordinary General Meeting held in February1969. Having first debated a proposal to change theClub’s name (which was defeated), the membersvoted for affiliation with the Royal AutomobileClub.The RAC had been founded in 1897 and wasat that time the foremost motoring association inBritain, being responsible for the regulation of allmotor-sport including such iconic events as theannual RAC Rally and the London-Brighton Run.The RAC required affiliated bodies to meet highstandards both in terms of eligibility and in the running of events, and over the years this professionalapproach has helped the JOMC to maintain its pre-eminence over other old car clubs in the Island.

As well as helping the Jersey enthusiast to meet like-minded devotees,the newly-formed Club also enabledhim (and,with increasing frequency,her) to participatein organised events.Few owners at that time were ableto attend the rallies held on the mainland by the VSCCand the various one-marque clubs.The advent of roll-on roll-off ferries was still some years in the future and cars that were being shipped to England had to be lifted on and off by crane, a lengthy, costly and sometimes nerve-racking procedure.

The JOMC provided an opportunity for its membersto exercise their cars without leaving the Island. Forsuch a small place, there is an extensive network ofroads and lanes, and over the years these have providedthe perfect setting for runs, rallies and treasure-hunts.All the early events were held in Jersey although it wasdecided to arrange a visit to France in spring 1969.Sadly, the ferry company was declared “en desastre”and the trip had to be cancelled.

Of course some members were more adventurousthan others. In April 1967 John Oldham embarked ona tour of Britain in his Rolls-Royce Phantom III.He visited various southern counties before headingnorthwards to Perth in Scotland, returning via Wales.The total distance was 3,514 miles and the overall fuelconsumption 12.5 mpg. Interestingly, the car and itsdriver were transported to and from the mainland byair ferry – well-heeled motorists with long memorieswill recall the joy of being able to take off from Jerseywith their car safely installed in the cargo hold, land atHerne Airport and drive away with minimal delay.

Two years later, Michael Wilcock reported on an expedition to France to take part in a speed trial atGhent in Belgium with his very fast Eight Litre Bentleyspecial.The car and driver were shipped from St Helierto Le Havre,suffering various delays,and once in Francehe was obliged to drive at a steady 90 mph to make upfor lost time,“with occasional bursts to 110 or so to passthe odd Porsche or Mercedes”. After arriving in onepiece, he covered the timed kilometre at an averagespeed of 199.2 kph, setting a new record for Bentleysand coming fourth overall – a remarkable achievementfor a fully roadworthy car already nearly forty years old.

Such foreign forays were however the exception

rather than the rule. Already by the late 1960s Clubevents were settling into a pattern that can still beobserved nearly forty years later. Local runs wereorganised mostly at weekends, but sometimes afterwork on weekdays, with participants and their carsassembling either at some convenient public car-parkor at the home of a member.There would be time toinspect and admire the various cars before setting offon a predetermined route through the Jersey countryside. Sometimes there would be a mid-point“pit-stop” at which refreshments could be taken, andthe run would often culminate in lunch or (dependingon the time of day) afternoon tea or dinner.

Occasionally, the Committee would organise something a little more ambitious, such as a treasure-hunt. In August 1968 a timed run was held, starting atVictoria Avenue and finishing at the restaurant at Wolf ’sCaves at Fremont in St John. Unfortunately the weather was dreadful and the Honorary Treasurer, JohnSweeny, lost his way, but spirits were restored by “anexcellent three course meal”. In November a timedrally and hill-climb took place,with cars departing fromCoronation Park and driving to Waterworks Valleybefore undertaking two timed runs “up a fairly steeplane, which leads to the residence of our Vice-Chairman [Norman Armstrong]”. Those taking partwere rewarded with “tea and toast”.

Bel Val Bay remained a popular destination in thoseearly years.The December 1968 Gazette reported that“the last barbecue was held too late in the Season, wefear”.Attendance was low but the handful who turnedup seem to have done justice to the provisions,althoughthe claim that two-and-a-half hundred weight ofsausages were consumed must be taken with a pinch ofsalt! Luckily the rain held off until the well-nourishedautomobilists were on their way home.

A rally was held on Boxing Day 1968 and this was the forerunner of what was soon to become the mostpopular and prestigious event in the Club’s calendar,the Twelve Churches Cavalcade. Unfortunately theGazette did not carry a report at the time, although inan article many years later Peter Bisson recalled that participants had followed a route from John Oldham’shouse in Grouville to Wolf ’s Caves,“where a modestlunch was served”.

Events, Dear Boy…

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The only contemporary reference to this event was asmall snippet in the March 1969 Gazette explaining theapparent disappearance of two participants. “A well-known member in a white car [whom we now knowto have been David Scott-Warren] came along to seeeveryone off. He himself drove off before we had alldeparted, and the last two members, thinking his wasthe car to follow, did so; only to find themselves someten minutes later at the General Hospital!” A salutarylesson to all navigators who are tempted to follow thecar in front instead of studying their route instructions.

A year later, the event assumed the form we are stillfamiliar with today. Departing from the Weighbridgeat 10.45 am, the nineteen participating cars followeda carefully plotted route through each of the Island’stwelve parishes, ending up at Les Arches Hotel – a distance of about forty miles. Thanks to some pre-publicity in The Evening Post (as it was still known inthose days) there were quite a few spectators. TheGazette noted that “the idea of covering the twelveparish churches was a sudden flash of inspiration byBob Kirwan”, and it has certainly stood the test oftime.After “an excellent cold lunch”Bill Jones of JonesGarage judged a condition competition, awardingfirst prize to Michael Wilcock’s car (the identity ofwhich is not recorded). Everyone then dispersed.

In October 1970, John Oldham stood down asPresident after four years, and was succeeded by theVice-President Michael Wilcock. At the Club’sAGM, held as usual at the Hotel Savoy, it wasreported that no fewer than ten events had beenstaged during the preceding year,“the most successful having been the Boxing Day Cavalcadeand the Annual Dinner”. By now the membershiptally had grown to sixty and with some membersowning several cars the Club was going fromstrength to strength.

The third Boxing Day Run, following the same format as the second, took place two months laterand was again most successful.The spectators wereeven more numerous than they had been the previousyear, despite freezing weather and a snowfall whichcontinued all day. Apart from one minor mishapinvolving the presidential Talbot and a modern car, all went well and the intrepid participants enjoyed a well-deserved lunch at Les Arches Hotel.Unfortunately,both Anne Port and Gorey Hills frozeover during the afternoon and much man-handlingwas needed to coax Club members’ cars up the slippery slopes as they headed for home in the gathering gloom.

The first Boxing Day Run1969: 1912 Talbot (MichaelWilcock and John Sweeny)

leads 1927 Vauxhall 30/98(Frank Kennington) and 1930

Austin 7 (Geoffrey Grime)

The Club’s fifth Annual General Meeting was heldat the Apollo Hotel on 30th September 1971. Nofewer than twelve events had been held in the pastyear and membership had increased to 75,although only fourteen of these attended theAGM itself – a turnout the Honorary Secretaryunderstandably described as “most disappointing”.There was also an appeal for more members tostand for election to the Committee – a pleawhich will no doubt strike a chord with somelater presidents! On the bright side, the Clubfinances were in good shape and there was ahealthy bank balance of £209.74.

Throughout the 1970s, successive committeescontinued to build on the strong foundations laiddown in the early days.Timed trials, driving testsand hill-climbs were interspersed with gentlerruns and some purely social occasions. The barbecue at Bel Val Bay had by now become anannual event. Picnics and tea-parties were oftenheld at members’ houses.

At the New Mediterranean in September 1971, agroup of twenty members were treated to musicby the Tony Charles steel band, culminating inwhat the Gazette describes as “a fine display oflimbo dancing”; sadly history does not relatewhether any of the JOMC attendees were tempted to give it a try. A tour of RandallsBrewery was arranged by Managing Director (andClub member) Paul Clubb, with visitors beinginvited “to sample the various products of the brewing process” before driving to Les FontainesTavern for a buffet supper.There was no mentionof anyone being breathalysed!

Another innovation that was to stand the test of time was a joint meeting in March 1973with the Jersey Horse Driving Society. Followinga (cars-only) morning run, and lunch at theGreenhill Country Hotel, the rendezvous tookplace at Jardin d’Olivet in Trinity. Prizes were awarded to Michael Wilcock for his 1912Talbot and Ken Waddilove for his 1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25; among the JHDS participantsFred Jehan took first prize with an immaculatemaroon trap. This event seems to have been

very successful and attracted a large crowd of spectators.

In June 1973 Jersey’s first ever Motor Museumopened in St Peter under the aegis of MichaelWilcock and Richard Mayne. Among the manyexhibits were a 1936 Rolls-Royce Phantom IIIused by Field Marshall Montgomery and a magnificent Eight Litre Bentley. The presidentialTalbot took pride of place on a revolvingturntable. Before arriving at its new home following a long period of storage in Sussex, theRolls took part in the maiden sailing of Jersey’sfirst roll-on roll-off ferry, the S.S. Falaise, fromWeymouth on 1st June. The introduction of thisservice was to make a big difference to JOMCmembers and other local motorists wishing totake part in events on the mainland, or just to givetheir cars some additional exercise!

Onward and Upward

13

In the same month fifteen members with theircars took part in a “shake-down” voyage to St Malo in the Fleur des Iles ferry newly assigned to the route by Channel Island Ferries.This outing seems to have verged on the chaotic– the car deck was crammed to capacity withvehicles ancient and modern, there was no spacefor turning or manoeuvring, the free bars onboard were crowded with gate-crashers, and bythe time the cars were unloaded in St Malo nearly two hours late for the planned cavalcade it was almost time to re-embark for the return journey. To cap it all thirty passengers, including a Club member, were left behind when anotheranticipated delay failed to materialise! Despite this Ken Waddilove reported that “all in all we had a marvellous day with sun, fun and experience in abundance” – a generous assessmentin the circumstances.

Following his very successful term MichaelWilcock stood down as President in 1975 and wassucceeded by John Sweeny. Ken Waddilove tookover from Neil Dangerfield as Vice President and assumed the presidency two years later. In July 1976 the Club took part in a promotionalexercise for Black Cat cigarettes in conjunctionwith a local tobacco wholesaler; although somemembers objected to this brush with commerce,the fee of £400 (nearly £5,000 in 2006 money)provided a welcome boost to Club funds.

On 2nd November 1976 the Club celebrated itstenth anniversary with a dinner and dance at the Atlantic Hotel in St Brelade. Over seventy members and their guests attended. Barry de laMare wrote a piece for the Gazette highlightingsome of the achievements of the past decade.

Whether it was because of the inauguration ofdrive-on ferry services to the UK and France, orbecause of the arrival in the Club of memberswith deeper pockets and more powerful cars, ishard to say but by the late 1970s the Gazette wasrecording more audacious exploits in foreignparts. Neil Dangerfield and Mervyn Frankel tookpart in a rally in South Africa; the latter also drovefrom Land’s End to John O’Groats in a day in his

41/2 Litre Bentley; Geoffrey Grime and MichaelWilcock were regular participants in the annualLondon-Brighton Veteran Car Run; and therewere frequent reports of outings to Brittany,Normandy and beyond.

Closer to home, things did not always go according to plan. Four months’ preparations wentinto the first Anglo-French Tour Maritime deJersey, scheduled for 8th April 1978.The idea hadbeen conceived by Emeraude Ferries as a way ofpublicising their service and bringing French oldcar enthusiasts – and their cars – to the Island, anda number of UK owners also entered their cars.Allwas set when at 5.45 on the evening before therally Barry de la Mare was told that the ferrySolidor had struck a rock outside St Malo and was taking in water. Fortunately the ship was ableto limp back into port and all the passengers and cars were eventually disembarked from the waterlogged car deck, but there was now no possibility of getting any of the French cars to Jersey.

Despite this inauspicious start, the visitors made it the following morning, minus their automobiles, and the event went ahead withJOMC members chauffeuring their Gallic counterparts. Over thirty cars took part and followed the coast road clockwise around theIsland, with prizes being awarded at the end to the two best cars from England and Jersey.This was the first of many visits to the Island by French old car owners.

Less taxing events included a drive and picnic at St Ouen’s Manor in July of the same year.This attracted an entry of thirteen cars, and the perfect summer weather combined with anidyllic setting and a warm welcome from theSeigneur to ensure a memorable day for thosewho attended.

In 1979 Barry de la Mare, one of the foundermembers of the Club, took over the presidencyand David Scott-Warren became Vice-President.In June that year members visited Guernsey for atour of the Motor Museum which at that time

Alarms and Excursions

14

featured some impressive exhibits including a1908 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and two magnificent Hispano-Suizas.The party then wenton to inspect the Channing collection of cars,including pre-war Rolls-Royces and Bentleys,which had deteriorated as a result of being storedfor many years in unsuitable conditions.This wasrecorded in the Gazette as the first formal contactbetween the JOMC and its opposite number, theGuernsey Old Car Club; happily it was to be theforerunner of many joint events organised overthe years.

At this point it should be put on record that, whilepre-1951 passenger cars have from the earliest daysformed the preponderance of Club vehicles, therehas always been a warm welcome for motorcyclesof the same period – indeed the sight of shiveringbikers riding their pre-war machines on BoxingDay has always attracted the enthusiastic applauseof spectators! Equally, members with militaryvehicles, in particular from the World War II period, have made a distinctive contribution especially to events like the annual commemorationof Liberation Day.

Bevy of Beauty! TheBlack Cat cigarette

promotion (with NeilDangerfield’s BMW

328 in the background)

Ever since its inception in March 1967, Barry de laMare had edited the Gazette, combining this for atime with the Club presidency;but following pleas foranother member to take over, in March 1980 PeterBisson stepped into the breach. For many years theGazette had been the main source of information andadvice for members, featuring not just reports of Clubevents but erudite marque histories, accounts ofrestorations (including a series of articles by KenWaddilove on the renovation of a derelict 1937 AustinTaxicab), cars and parts for sale and wanted, and helpful hints on fault-finding and maintenance.

Reading these articles today one is struck not only bythe wealth of information provided but the entertainingand readable prose style adopted by contributors.Andthe high standard encompassed production as well ascontent, the photocopied inner pages being boundbetween glossy covers, with a specially-designeddepiction of a vintage car appearing on the front andan advertisement (often for beer!) on the back.

The successful Tour Maritime held in 1978 encouragedthe Committee to explore the possibility of stagingmore joint events with overseas car clubs. In May1980 members of the Yeovil Car Club arrived witheleven vintage and classic cars to sample the joys of a long weekend in Jersey. At the concours d’elegance first prize among the visiting cars went toan immaculate MG PA-type Midget while KenWaddilove took Jersey honours with his Rolls-Royce20/25.Oldest of the visitors’ cars was a 1910 Renault,but even this was eclipsed by Geoffrey Grime’s recently-acquired 1903/4 Oldsmobile 5 hp which drewa spontaneous round of applause from the spectators.

The following month the Oldsmobile was in Englandto participate in a rally to mark the fiftieth anniversaryof the Veteran Car Club. Bearing in mind that manypre-1905 cars struggle to accomplish a single sixty-mile run from Hyde Park Corner to Madeira Driveeach year, the route was quite ambitious – London toBrighton on day one, then on to Winchester (daytwo), Oxford (day three), Stratford-on-Avon (dayfour) and back to London.The last leg was blighted byengine seizure in the Olds, which was (as is often thecase) immediately followed by a downpour of biblicalproportions, but even before disaster struck the Grimes

had covered some 261 miles in five days – a splendidachievement in such a venerable and low-powered car.

At the Annual General Meeting of the Club held in February 1981, a proposition was tabled by Peter Bisson to relax the cut-off date for eligible cars from December 1950 to December 1957 for “such models… as are accepted by the classic motoringmovement in Great Britain as thoroughbred or classicvehicles…”,with intermediate dates in 1951 and 1954for certain other categories. It was, perhaps, an undulycomplex solution to the perennial problem of risingprices among pre-war cars and the growing popularinterest in more affordable 1950s vehicles. The proposal was strongly attacked by two of the Club’smost influential members, Michael Wilcock (whodescribed it as “terrible”) and Derek Bonhomme, andwhen put to the vote it was heavily defeated.

At the same AGM Barry de la Mare stood down asPresident and was succeeded by Michael Wilcock, theonly member so far to have held the office twice.Another Tour Maritime was held in torrential rain inMay and seems to have been much enjoyed by the participants, despite the atrocious conditions. Luckily,the weather was glorious for a static display in July puton at St Ouen’s Manor, in aid of St John’s Ambulance.The previous year’s Miss Battle of Flowers, dressed inEdwardian costume,arrived aboard Tommy Boothman’s1904 Norfolk (lucky chap!) and the cars were inspectedby the Lieutenant-Governor. Deryk Haithwaite’simmaculate MG TC took the prize for best car.

Club members have over the years acquired some vehicles of particular interest from a historical perspective. As we have seen, Michael Wilcock’s magnificent Eight Litre Bentley special distinguisheditself over the Flying Kilometre in Ghent, Belgium in 1969. The De Dion Bouton owned by theMarquess of Ailesbury, another early member, carriedthe registration number J1; some years later this car passed into the ownership of Michael Draper,before eventually leaving the Island. (The historicnumber is now fittingly attached to a 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.)

The June 1981 Gazette reported on another car withimportant Jersey connections, returning to the Island

Into the Eighties

16

Club President Judith Genee at speed in her Lagonda special

The Centenary: 1899 Jersey Benz with (from left)Senator John Rothwell, former Club President

David Acon and current President Judith Genee

Setting the pace: Chris Forster in his BMW 328

Michael Richardson in action with his Alfa Romeo 6C 1750

Goggles and Pearls: Loretta Daniels and Elaine Fenner

Sunbeam Speed Twenty Monte Carlo(Ralph and Judith Genee)

17

Taking the salute: The Lieutenant-Governor and Bailiff with Ralph Genee and Ray Ball in Ray’s handsome Roll-Royce Silver Ghost

Pinchard perfection: AnotherBacchanalian feast at Longfields

Preseidential Talbot 110 sports tourer with owners past and present,

Michael Wilcock and Ralph Genee

Low numbers: J0 (Jersey Benz – Margaret Boothman) and J1

(De Dion Bouton – Michael Draper)

Let them eat cake (1).1996 JOMC 30th anniversary

Let them eat cake (2).Mysterious French confection

18

Celebrating in style,chez Genee!

Victoria Pinchard braves the elementsin her Austin Seven Chummy

Easter Bonnet Run: John Turmel’sprize-winning Wolseley

French leave.The usual suspects

The fairer sex. Carol Wiseman, Judith Genee, Gail Draper

Claus Mollin’s elegant 1926 Rolls-Royce 20 hp

19

An evening to remember: Club barbecue at Valley View

Mike and Meg Timms in their immaculate1898 Panhard (Centenary Rally)

After the cavalcade: People’s Park1999 (Centenary Rally)

How it should be done: Club PresidentJudith Genee campaigns her Bentley

Running repairs: Chris Forster tinkerswith his BMW 328 between sprints

Centenary Ball 1999:firework display

20

In action:Deryk and Diana Haithwaite at Le Mans in Bugatti Type 37

Roger Bale with Superb Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

21

Vintage sports car (with picnic):Ian Strang’s 4 1/2 Litre Bentley

Crossing the reservoir:Deryk and Diana Haithwaite in their Alfa Romeo 6c

22

40th Anniversary Rally:Club President Judith Genee with the Talbot

Looking its best:1939 4 1/4 Litre Bentley (John and Sue Boothman)

23

Pre- War magnificence:John Oldham’s Rolls-Royce Phantom III

Journey’s end:James and Mark Boothman at Brighton in 1904 Norfolk

24

for the first time in many years.The “Jersey Benz”hadbeen built by the Raffray brothers in 1899 at theirpremises on the Esplanade,following closely the designof a similar car imported earlier the same year – thevery first automobile in the Island.The Jersey-built carwas acquired at auction by Tommy Boothman andmany years later, after a lengthy restoration,was to playa prominent part in the centenary celebrations.

Following a suggestion from a member, in April 1982the Club arranged an informal Sunday morning meeting at the Moulin de Lecq Inn. This proved very popular and had the great merit (from theCommittee’s viewpoint) of requiring minimal organisation! “The third Sunday in the month” swiftlyestablished itself as a not-to-be-missed rendezvous,which it has remained ever since.

More ambitious from an organisational point of viewwas a visit to France the following month with ten carstaking part.The touring party based itself in Dinard,with excursions to Mont St Michel, Rennes and the cottage in St-Helen owned by Mervyn and Jenny Frankel, who laid on a buffet supper for the

visiting automobilists. It was described in the Gazetteas “a most successful and enjoyable weekend”, and was followed by many more French raids in the coming years.

Another innovation arrived a year later. In July 1983the Honorary Secretary,Michael Pinchard and his wifeVictoria hosted the first Breakfast Run at Longfields,their beautiful home in Trinity. Participants enjoyed ahearty breakfast before setting out on what was billedas “a leisurely run through the sun-spattered lanes ofJersey”, returning to Longfields for a barbecue lunch.

Sadly the weather gods had other ideas and the roadswere spattered more by mud than sun,but an excellenttime was had by all – including David and June Scott-Warren, who took shelter from one downpour bycrawling under a table, much to the amusement of the other participants. JOMC members are made ofstern stuff and not even a drenching could spoil the occasion: the fruits of the barbecue were consumed inone of the Pinchard barns.The Breakfast Run becamean annual fixture,and went on to rival the BDR as oneof the best-supported events in the Club calendar.

A Jersey car from new:1924 Austin 12/4Harley All-Weather

Tourer (Brian Parker)

In April 1984, following a very successful fouryear stint by Peter Bisson, the editorship of theGazette was taken over by Mervyn Frankel. In hisfirst editorial he characteristically exhorted members to really use their old cars and not simply treat them as static exhibits or investments– a topical theme at a time when vintage andclassic car prices were rising steeply. “Let us try,”he urged his readers, “to make Jersey a placewhere lovely old motor cars abound daily on theroads.” The same issue carried a generous andentirely appropriate tribute to Michael Wilcockwho at the AGM had stood down as Presidentand accepted the honorary position of ClubPatron, the Presidency being taken over by BinksDarling. On the debit side, publication of theGazette was reduced from four editions a year to three.

Later that year Jersey was the venue for a rallyorganised by the Veteran Car Club of GreatBritain, with the JOMC playing a prominent partin proceedings. The oldest car was an 1899Panhard with hot-tube ignition, the most powerful a 1904 chain-driven 40hp Berliet, andthe most prolific marque was Rolls-Royce,with no fewer than nine Edwardian examples of the immortal Silver Ghost visiting the Island. The Pinchards played host to another successful Breakfast Run in July, the weather onthis occasion behaving itself; Mervyn and JennyFrankel won first prize in the treasure hunt.

Spring editions of the Gazette, which appearedon 1st April each year, were enlivened by spoof announcements dreamt up by the editor aboutforthcoming events designed either to entice or outrage gullible readers. In 1985 memberswere invited to book a drink-driving holidayarranged by the proprietor of the Three Tuns Inn at Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis,with roads being closed off for the purpose.The following year, a dire warning was published of a plan by a States Deputy to ban all cars over 25 years old from using the Island’s roads. History does not record how many people were taken in.

Membership had been rising steadily and by mid-1985 there were no fewer than 99 members owning between them 162 vehicles.These encompassed everything from RonHickman’s magnificent V-16 Cadillac to the little Austin Sevens that were then, and remain today, the bedrock of the British vintagecar movement.

Many Club members – and cars – turned out forthe Festival of Transport organised by BinksDarling in May 1985 to celebrate the centenaryof the petrol-engined car. Sadly the weather wasdreadful, the Gazette recording that “an arcticgale” took away much of the pleasure from the occasion. Weather-wise it seems to have been a disappointing season as the Breakfast Run in July was also blighted by rain. Fortunately,things had improved by September and six Clubcars took part in a tour of Normandy organisedby the indefatigable Michael and VictoriaPinchard, the weather throughout beingdescribed as “superb”.

Another event which has become popular withClub members over the years is the annual Paris-Deauville rally organised by Club de l’Auto. SixJersey cars took part in the 1986 event, includingthe Drapers in their De Dion, the Guerriers intheir Lagonda and the Bales in their Rolls-Royce. The Gazette described it as “tremendousfun and a must for someone who likes driving oldcars” – sentiments which seem just as appropriatetwenty years later. As it ended its second decade,the Club was in good shape.

Sadly, in 1987 the JOMC lost two of its foundingmembers: John Oldham, who had served as thevery first President between 1966 and 1970, andJohn Sweeny, who was President from 1975 to1977. Each had played a pivotal part in the Club’searly history as the Gazette noted in its tribute.On a brighter note, Michael and VictoriaPinchard clearly enjoyed themselves on the Paris-Vichy rally and Mervyn Frankel reported with hisusual enthusiasm on the Great American Race,an epic event which began in Los Angeles and

On the Record

26

finished in Orlando, Florida – an average dailydistance of some 400 miles. It seemed fitting thathe won the award for best international car withhis beloved Bentley 41/2 litre.

Although few members ventured quite so farafield with their cars as Mervyn Frankel (whomanaged in 1988 to take part in both the MilleMiglia and the Great American Race), trips to themainland, to France and even to Guernsey wereincreasingly common as the 1980s drew to aclose. Unfortunately at that time the market for old cars had fallen into the hands of investors and speculators, with the prices of even quite ordinary vehicles being bid up tounprecedented levels. Happily, this financial exuberance does not seem to have turned the

heads of JOMC members who, egged on byMervyn Frankel and other members of theCommittee, continued to campaign their cars asenthusiastically as they had always done.Correspondingly, when the bubble burst in the early 1990s the sharp fall in values had little or no effect on Club activities.

Foreign fields: ClubPresident MichaelWilcock campaignshis 1912 Talbot

While the JOMC had always harboured a competitive streak – witness the many treasure-hunts, driving tests and other good-natured contestsheld over the years – members had by tradition tended more towards touring, and the social side ofmotoring, rather than out-and-out motor sport.This was reflected in the Club calendar and in itsregister which, despite accommodating a widerange of automobiles, recorded a preponderance ofluxury cars like Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lagonda,Talbot and Lanchester, as well as more prosaicsaloons, tourers and dropheads by lesser makers; full-blown sports-cars on the other hand were relativelythin on the ground.

Things had begun to change in the 1980s but thesharp fall in prices from 1990 onwards encouragedother members to seek out more overtly sportingmodels. Cars like Michael Pinchard’s Aston MartinUlster, Chris Forster’s BMW 328, Mervyn Frankel’sblown Bentley special and Deryk Haithwaite’s AlfaRomeo 6C and Bugatti Type 37 were clearly capable of far more energetic use than a gentle tourof the parishes or even a leisurely trip to France.

Since its establishment in 1920 the JerseyMotorcycle and Light Car Club had provided itsmembers with the opportunity to take part in competitive rallies, sprints and hill-climbs on theIsland. Some old car owners belonged to both clubsand indeed the JOMC awarded an annual trophy tothe member who had put up the best performanceeach year in a JMLCC event. But away from Jersey,the 1990s also brought about a rise in the numberof events organised specifically for vintage and classic cars. Sometimes these were revivals of pre-war events that had fallen into abeyance – the MilleMiglia, the Rallye des Alpes, the Liege Rome-Liege;in other cases, including the now-famousGoodwood Festival of Speed and the later Revivalmeetings, the Monaco Historique and the Le MansClassic, they were designed specially to appeal to anew, and for the most part younger breed of owner.

Increasingly, JOMC members with sports andsports-racing models took advantage of these eventsto exploit their cars’ performance to the full. Car-ferries had improved in speed and frequency sincetheir belated appearance in local waters in the

1970s, and it had by now become practical to takethe car to England or France purely for a weekend’smotor sport, either as participant or spectator; manydid so.

After several years in the onerous role of HonorarySecretary, Michael Pinchard had taken over thePresidency in 1989 and he set a fine example toother members by actively campaigning his AstonMartin and, with his wife Victoria, undertakingambitious continental tours in their highly originalType 57 Bugatti. On the social side nothing seemedtoo much trouble for Victoria, her son and daughterand their tireless helpers who organised a successionof Club breakfasts, barbecues and other events atLongfields, each more splendid than the one before.

At the 1993 Annual General Meeting David Aconwas elected President and held the office for thenext three years. Some Club events that remainpopular today were first held around this time.TheIcicle Run was devised to encourage members to awaken their cars from winter hibernation. In 1995the Gazette reported on the Cobweb Run organised by Chris and Andrea Le Boutillier, withcars assembling and being despatched in differentdirections on what seems to have been a rather elaborate treasure hunt.

The same edition carried a report of the well-attended Easter Bonnet Run, at which John Turmeland family carried off the award for “best decoratedcar” and forty members went on to lunch at LesArches Hotel. This culminated in a somewhatuncharacteristic romantic interlude when, accordingto the Gazette, “two unattached gentlemen of theClub… espied a rather fetching young French ladyinspecting the cars outside the restaurant. She wasduly invited in for a drink and entertained by thesaid gentlemen and their table for the reminder of the afternoon…” The denouement of thisintriguing encounter is sadly not recorded!

The perennial (and largely unresolved) problem ofpersuading more members to contribute articles tothe Gazette led to a diminution both in its formatand in the frequency of publication, although itremained the principal means for the Committee to disseminate news, views and reports of Club events.

The Nimble Nineties

28

May 1995 marked the fiftieth anniversary of theLiberation of Jersey following the GermanOccupation. It was a momentous occasion in theIsland’s history and many Club cars took part inthe cavalcade held to celebrate it, which fortunately was blessed with glorious sunshine.After assembling at the Chateau Plaisir in St Ouenfor breakfast, the participants followed a routealong St Ouen’s Bay to St Brelade and then backthrough the country parishes where large crowdsof cheering spectators had gathered. Membersentered into the spirit of the occasion by donning period costume. Fortified by a welcomeglass of champagne and lunch, they gathered forthe prize-giving at which the Esso Cup for bestcar went to the immaculate 1934 Sunbeam MonteCarlo entered by Ralph and Judith Genee. It wasa fitting choice as this is one of the few Jersey carsto have survived the Occupation intact.

During the same year an ambitious joint event,the Rallye Paris-St Malo-Jersey, was held in conjunction with the Club de l’Auto. A numberof JOMC members had participated in previousClub de l’Auto events over the years including thepopular Paris-Vichy and Paris-Deauville rallies.The friendly relationship between the two clubswent back many years and the suggestion by theirPresident Jacques Orvain to incorporate a Jerseysection in the route was very well received.

Eight JOMC members set forth for Paris wherethey were joined by Deryk and Diana Haithwaiteon their way back from taking part in the MilleMiglia. Unfortunately the Jersey contingent suffered unduly from mechanical maladies on thisoccasion, the Acon Aston Martin, the Le BoutillierMG and the Genee Sunbeam all succumbing tofaults of one kind or another. The rally properstarted from Paris at 9.00am and followed mainlysecondary roads to Bourth, where an excellentlunch was enjoyed, and then on to St Malo in timefor a reception within the ancient city walls.

The Jersey leg of the event seems to have beenequally successful, with visits to the MotorMuseum, Zoo and Pottery; the highlight howeverwas a magnificent lobster lunch laid on by the

Pinchards at Longfields – “a fitting finale,” as theGazette put it, “to this most important event inboth the Club de l’Auto and the Jersey Old MotorClub calendars.”

The sudden death in June 1997 of MervynFrankel robbed the Club of one of its mostcolourful and enthusiastic members. Few will forget the sight of him at the helm of one of hisBentleys, roaring down the Five Mile Road witha convoy of similar cars driven by his three sons inhot pursuit.

Chris Le Boutillier spent just one year in the presidential chair from 1996 to 1997, and was succeeded by Judith Genee – the first femalePresident in the Club’s history and by generalaccord, one of its most successful. Almost at onceshe and her Committee, ably assisted by her husband Ralph, started to plan an event to markthe centenary of motoring in Jersey two yearslater.The story of how the first horseless carriage– a 31/2 hp Benz – was brought to the Island in July 1899 by a solicitor, Peter Falla, and its hostilereception by the local population, is too well-known to need repeating here, but it was clearlyan historic milestone that would need to be commemorated in style.

The date of the “Chasse de Centenaire”was set forMay 1999 and the organisers excelled themselves.It was the biggest and most ambitious event in theClub’s history so far. Over 160 cars attended fromthe mainland and further afield, and a similarnumber from Jersey. Sprints were held at St Ouenin conjunction with the JMLCC. Donald Day’sfamous 1937 ERA, which had taken part in one of the early post-war Jersey road races,returned to the Island for the first time in almostfifty years and put up an excellent performance.

Mike and Meg Timms brought their immaculate1898 Panhard 8 hp, the oldest car to take part.Perhaps the centrepiece of the celebration was arun through St Helier led by the oldest survivingJersey car, the so-called Jersey Benz also datingfrom 1899. Although highly temperamental, thecar behaved itself in front of the crowds of

Anniversary Antics

29

spectators lining King Street and Queen Street,eventually making its way back via the Town Hallto People’s Park where a fine array of ancientmachinery was displayed.

Even now the celebrations were not complete, fora few weeks later a Centenary Ball was held in themagnificent grounds of St John’s Manor, ownedby Seigneur and Club member John Dick.

Among other Club events inaugurated in the late1990s, two in particular have stood the test oftime: the Goggles and Pearls Rally in Brittany,participation in which is strictly confined tofemale members; and the much-loved EscargotRun which enables Jersey old car owners to dosome gentle French touring in convivial company.The third G&P in May 2000 attracted no fewerthan sixteen ladies in eight cars, and everyoneseems to have had a good time – as Judith Geneereported, it had been “a wonderful trip… theweather could have been better, but the companyand experience could not.”

Meanwhile members’ overseas exploits with theircars were becoming ever more daring.A flavour ofthese adventures can be gained from the Gazette.The Summer 1999 edition carried a report byTim Scott of his participation in the Louis VuittonClassic China Run during May 1998, driving hissensational 1903 60 hp Mercedes.At this time theChinese economy was just starting to emergefrom its long communist embrace – most of herpeople lived in grinding poverty and many of theroads were very rough. Participants were advisednot to drink tap-water or even clean their teethwith it, and the accommodation varied from comfortable hotels to bivouacs!

Despite their privations, huge crowds of enthusiastic spectators lined the roads in townsand villages to watch the strange procession passby. The route took the cars from Dalian viaChengde, the Great Wall and Beijing (where thecars were lined up in Tiananmen Square) to theForbidden City, a total distance of some 1,000miles in six days – truly a motoring expedition to remember.

Returning home from the ancient kingdom ofJordan, Roger Bale recorded his experiences therewith a 20/25 Rolls-Royce, accompanied by hiswife Sylvia. Seventy-three cars took part in a two-week rally organised by the Rolls-RoyceEnthusiasts Club, starting in Aqaba and finishing inAmman. This appears to have been a case of “rallying de grande luxe”, with royalty in attendance, cloudless skies, motorcycle outriders,superb hotels and epicurean meals, luggage magically transported between hotels, and participants whisked painlessly from one extravaganza to the next. Perhaps when one habitually rides behind a Spirit of Ecstasy onetakes such indulgences in one’s stride.

A little closer to home, Deryk and DianaHaithwaite entered the Prada Italia Classica intheir 1932 Alfa Romeo 1750.The event lasted sixdays in September 1999, with some 1,250 milesbeing covered in the first four days before the carswere put on display in Perugia. The relativelyleisurely start times, and even more leisurelylunches, necessitated what the owner in hisGazette report described as “fairly energeticmotoring”. “As so often in Italy,” he continued,“the police entered into the spirit of things with avengeance… cornering on the door handles andwaving little red lollipops at ‘moderns’ to tell themto get out of the way.” Long may it remain so!

30

The 1999 Centenary Rally had been so successfulthat it was a relatively easy decision for the Committeeto make it an annual fixture. Implementation was ofcourse a slightly different matter. Until 1999 therehad been little first-hand experience within the Clubof organising serious competitive events,nor of copingwith the large influx of visitors that they attracted.

Nevertheless, applying the lessons of the precedingyear, plans were laid for an even bigger and betterevent in 2000, entitled The Jersey Festival ofMotoring. Agreement was reached with the parishauthorities of St Helier to establish two new hillclimbcourses, one on Mount Bingham and the other onWestmount. A non-competitive run was organisedfor touring cars. Publicity was arranged, programmespublished, accommodation booked and meals andrefreshments laid on, mainly by members who voluntarily gave up large quantities of their time.

The Festival was once again highly successful and visiting participants were lavish with their praise.Among local competitors Chris Forster in his BMW328,Michael Pinchard in his Aston Martin Ulster andDavid Acon in his Aston Martin DB2 all acquittedthemselves well.A year later,Tim Scott was awardedthe Motor Museum Challenge Trophy for fastestlocal car at the 2001 event with his ex-MichaelWilcock Eight Litre Bentley special.

Over the next few years further refinements andinnovations were added, especially on the touringside, and visitor numbers rose year by year as wordspread that this was an event not to be missed. Areport by Jo Moss (driving an Invicta) on the 2003Festival appeared in the Lagonda Club Magazine andwas reprinted in the Gazette. Following a lunchtimereception and scrutineering, there was a vin d’honneurat the Town Hall and a drive across the Island to StJohn’s Manor, where afternoon tea was served in idyllic surroundings.The moonlight sprint on VictoriaAvenue was described as particularly memorable –especially as it coincided with the writer’s birthday!

In some ways the Festival became a victim of its ownsuccess, as numbers and expectations rose year byyear. In 2006, just as Judith Genee and her small bandof helpers were beginning to think it was time to take

a year off, extensive coverage in one of the classic carmagazines prompted an even greater deluge ofenquiries from old car owners determined to participate in the next year’s event! At the time ofwriting it seems likely that, following some initial hesitation, enough new support has emerged withinthe Club to ensure that the Festival will take placeagain in 2007.

Meanwhile,mainstream events continued to dominatethe Club calendar and the Committee was kept busierthan ever.The 2001 Escargot Rally ventured furtherthan usual,with base camp being established 140 milesfrom St Malo in Finistere. Among the participantswere Michael and Jane Dee,Ted and Tecla Deaconand Ray and Jackie Ball.There was the usual mixtureof touring, sightseeing and gastronomy, and DavidHaddon arranged for the 23 cars taking part to bedrawn up in front of the historic Manoir du Stang fora group photograph.An excellent time seems to havebeen had by all.

Later that year 36 members of the Guernsey Old CarClub arrived for a “return match” in Jersey followinga successful raid on the sister Isle by JOMC membersin 2000. A leisurely tour of the Island took place,interspersed with regular pit-stops for refreshment andrecuperation.The sun shone on visitors and residentsalike, and the thirty-fifth birthday of the JOMC wascelebrated with a fine dinner at the Pottery, at whichthe President cut a specially-commissioned cake inthe form of a vintage car.The next day, bleary-eyedparticipants took part in a fiendish treasure hunt, firstprize among Guernsey crews going to Michael andHeather Fattorini,while David and Tracie Acon tookthe honours for Jersey.

Members who preferred to do their old car motoring in Jersey remained well catered for. Thesuccessful Chasse des Manoirs rally held in 1993 wasthe model for many similar events. Ralph Genee’sextensive network of contacts with the farming community and other old Jersey families made it possible to organise rallies that passed through thegrounds of ancient manors and farmhouses. Oftenthere would be several generations of inhabitants togreet the automobilists and offer refreshments. Formany, these events provided a fascinating insight into

The New Century

31

a rural way of life that has changed little over the pasthundred years, before (as seems inevitable) it finallydisappears altogether.

On a sad note Ken Waddilove died in January 2000and Bob Kirwan,one of the founder members,in April2001. Together with Derek Bonhomme and Barry de la Mare he had helped to organise the very first meeting of old car enthusiasts on the Route du Nordin October 1966 – an event that had led directly to theClub’s formation. His favourite car, which he ownedfor many years, had been a 1927 Vauxhall saloon,which like the Genees’ Sunbeam was one of the veryfew Jersey cars to survive the Occupation intact.

The closure of the Jersey Motor Museum, and the dispersal of its contents,was another source of sadness.Ever since its establishment some thirty years earlier,Michael Wilcock had generously permitted membersto visit free of charge, and like all good things theMuseum had to some extent become taken for granted. Its disappearance provided a salutary reminderof the importance of appreciating, and not simplypreserving, the Island’s rich motoring heritage.

Shortly after its centenary in 1999,the Jersey Benz (withits historic registration number J0) passed into the ownership of Tim Scott. Although to the untrained eyeall pre-1905 cars look fairly primitive, in fact the pace oftechnical advance in the automotive world has neverbeen faster than it was in the last years of the nineteenthcentury and the first of the twentieth. Carl Benz however was a conservative engineer, and his productscontinued to follow the design of his 1885 prototype for many years thereafter; consequently, even by the standards of 1899 they were already years out of date,being far surpassed by more modern and reliable vehicles.

To try to coax such a frail machine from London to Brighton might be considered courageous – orfoolhardy.Nevertheless the attempt was made in 2000by its new owner, but sadly the Run had to be abandoned on account of a fractured chassis cross-member just fifteen miles from the finish. A less determined man might have decided to cut his losses,but instead a year later both car and driver, togetherwith younger son Chris, were back at Hyde ParkCorner on the threshold of a second attempt!

The journey was not exactly trouble-free – regularstops were needed for greasing and replenishment of water and fuel, a wire broke loose from the distributor, the car ran over its owner’s foot, and forwell over an hour it refused to re-start after the coffeestop at Crawley – but at 4.30pm the Benz finallypassed the Brighton checkpoint, the very last car todo so. A distance of only sixty miles,but a minor epicof endurance on the part of the car and doggedness,not to say stubbornness,on the part of its gallant crew.

The Christmas 2002 Gazette contained a report ofthe Run together with an article by Roy and JeanTherin on a marathon trip to Corsica in their MorrisIsis saloon.Corsica is well known for its steep roads aswell as its stunning landscapes, and the rally routetook the Therins “through forest and mountainscenery across the breathtaking Col de Bavella over4,750 feet high, before descending finally intoCorte”.The tour itself, and the long journeys thereand back, were entirely trouble-free, a distance of2,041 miles being covered in total. It was a fine performance by a car of a type whose virtues areoften overlooked in the adulation accorded to moreglamorous and exotic automobiles.

In the same issue there appeared an amusing accountby Bob Gueno of a visit to Normandy with hisAustin Seven Chummy, nicknamed “Noddy”. Enroute from St Malo eastwards to Lignieres d’Orgeresvia St Melier, Ambrieres les Vallees and Lessay lesChateaux, the little car and its occupants experiencedtorrential rain, gale-force winds, a dire shortage ofpetrol and an encounter with two snarling hounds.Following some misleading directions (from theowner of the hounds), they then became hopelesslylost but finally arrived at their destination as the tankvirtually ran dry.Fortunately the return journey a fewdays later was somewhat less eventful!

At the far end of the performance scale from AustinSevens, the remarkable growth in classic motor sportevents that has taken place during recent years hasgiven some members an opportunity to show theirpaces – quite literally – on a broader canvas. MichaelSalmon was a formidable sports-racing car driver in his day; now he can be seen once again at thewheel of fast pre- and post-war cars, at British and

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Le Mans Classic 2006Waiting for the start !

40 on the clock:the Club celebrates in its usual style

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Tim Scott’s incredible 1903 Mercedes 60 hp

Failure to proceed:Ray Ball’s Bentley tows his Rolls-Royce, Quiberon 2001

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Boxing Day 2004Keith and Suzie Alhers’ Morgan leads Ian Strang’s Derby Bentley

Port - Vintage thoroubred:1935 AC 16/80 (John and Clive Boothman)

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Lagonda 16/80 (Billy Reynolds)

2001 Escargot Run –some very satisfied customers !

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continental circuits, putting up lap times that muchyounger men find hard to match. Michael Dee, withhis very fast pre-war Aston Martin “Red Dragon”, isa regular and highly successful participant at the LeMans Classic event and many others. Bill Ainscoughhas an enviable collection of competition cars andcampaigns them actively from spring to autumn.Long-standing members like Deryk Haithwaite andMichael Pinchard continue to enter their cars forevents ranging from VSCC circuit-racing atSilverstone to the famous Mille Miglia – often withconspicuous success.

Yet the JOMC is just as much about potteringthrough the rural parishes of St Mary or St Martin as it is about international motor-racing or transcontinental rallying.

The nice thing about Bob Gueno’s adventure withhis tiny Austin is that it epitomises the spirit of theJOMC every bit as much as the exploits of bigger andfaster machines. From the very beginning the Clubhas been a “broad church” for enthusiasts of both

sexes, of all ages and from all walks of life, who sharea passionate interest in ancient motor cars and adetermination to continue using and enjoying themfor as long as those in authority can be induced toturn a blind eye to their limitations: problematicbrakes,tentative road-holding and a complete absenceof those safeguards – seatbelts, airbags, side impactbeams, crumple zones and the rest – without whichno self-respecting modern motorist would dare venture out onto the road.

On 23rd July 2006 a special rally was arranged to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Club’s formation, and at the gala dinner that followed –hosted once again by the redoubtable VictoriaPinchard – those present raised their glasses both tothe past forty years and the next forty. Although few of us may be around to enjoy that milestonewhen it is reached in 2046, we have every hope andexpectation that our cars, their ownership safelyentrusted to a new generation of enthusiasts, will beproviding just as much pleasure to our successors asthey have done to us.

Before the snow! Boxing Day Run1970: John Sweeny in his 1937MGSA leads Derek Bonhomme

(1946 MGTC) and VernonBouchere (1948 Wolseley)

From its earliest days, the Club has been fortunate in harnessing the talents of a succession of energetic,eruditeand industrious members to act as officers,Committeemembers and helpers.These are the people who are prepared to provide freely their time, knowledge andsometimes muscles to enable events to take place, tokeep members informed, to look after the finances andperform 101 other vital tasks.Without such people noclub can function effectively for very long.It is impossiblein a publication like this to do justice to them all, buta few of those who have truly distinguished themselvesover the past forty years surely deserve to be singled out.

The first Club Chairman, John Oldham, was elected to the post in 1966.A motoring historian and noted authority on the Rolls-Royce marque, his books included a biography of Claude Johnson published in1967 and a study of the 40/50 models – Ghosts,Phantoms and Spectres – that appeared in 1974. He himself owned a small fleet of pre-war Rolls-Royces,but his interests encompassed other marques as well,and indeed late in life he rediscovered the joys of motorcycling.Those who knew him say that he did notsuffer fools gladly,or at all, but there is no doubt that hispassion and professionalism helped lay the foundationsfor the great success the Club enjoyed in later years.

For those with long memories, the name of MichaelWilcock is almost synonymous with that of the JOMC.Following a distinguished career in the motor industry,his arrival in Jersey was perfectly timed to enable him to play a pivotal part in guiding the Club through its adolescent years (although some wags reflecting on thebehaviour of certain well-lubricated members at socialevents might say we have never left them). Quite apartfrom his two spells as President,with his encyclopaedicknowledge of vintage and post-vintage cars he has beenunstinting in the help and advice he has provided tomany fellow members past and present.The series oftechnical articles – carefully researched and entirelylucid – that he wrote for the Gazette in the late 1960sand 1970s are a model of their kind and certainly stillrepay re-reading today.

Barry de la Mare was one of the founding fathers ofthe Club and is today one of the few original membersstill actively engaged in its affairs.A kind and modestman, he acted as Honorary Secretary – a thankless task– for many years before stepping up to the presidency.

He also edited the Gazette during its formative yearsand set the very high standards that those who followedquite rightly felt obliged to maintain. I personally havecause to be grateful for his meticulous record-keeping,his faultless memory and his generosity in sharing his knowledge and recollections.

The editorship of the Gazette was in time taken overby Peter Bisson who proved to be a worthy successorto Barry. While not perhaps as prominent as someother members, before and after, he made a solid contribution to the success of the Club and to the vitaltask of keeping the Committee and the members intouch with one another – by no means an easy task!

Ken Waddilove was a forthright Yorkshireman with an interest in old cars of every kind and a special passion forRolls-Royces, of which he owned several examples.Over and above his involvement in Club affairs for manyyears, he was a keen “hands-on” enthusiast, equally athome overhauling the engine of his beloved 20/25 andundertaking the restoration of a 1935 Austin 12 taxi.

When one thinks of the JOMC in the late 1980s andearly 1990s the name that comes immediately to mindis that of Michael Pinchard. Not only did he act as an exemplary President, his house in Trinity almostbecame a home from home for those who took partin the renowned Breakfast Runs – not to mentionmany other events where the excellence of the catering and the generosity of the hosts fully matchedthe motoring part of the day’s festivities.

Like Peter Bisson, Mervyn Frankel never held office as President, although he had a long and distinguishedspell as Honorary Auditor, Committee member andlater editor of the Gazette. But of equal importancewas his infectious enthusiasm for old cars and everything connected with them. He campaigned hiscars tirelessly, whether taking part in a local treasurehunt or traversing America in the Great AmericanRace. He possessed a fine collection of motoringbooks, and was an authority especially on Bentleys –together with Ian Strang he wrote the definitive history of the 1938-9 overdrive model.

David Scott-Warren was another longstanding member who played an important part in the Clubduring its early years, and indeed for many years

Postscript: Heroes and Heroines

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thereafter. He too was a diligent motoring historian and the author of an interesting book about Jersey’s motoring past, as well as a record of the JOMC itself.He was a great character and somehow his rather old-fashioned appearance and old-world courtesy fittedperfectly with his much-loved drophead Talbot.

Binks Darling was a stalwart of the Club for moreyears than most of us care to remember! A retired navalofficer and distinguished engineer, his bluff mannerdisguised a man with a heart of gold who enjoyed theold car movement in all its aspects and for whomnothing ever seemed to be too much trouble.

The annual London-Brighton Run is still the holy grailfor many old car enthusiasts and since the 1960s nomember has shown a greater commitment to this historicevent than Geoffrey Grime. For a number of years heaccompanied another VCC member in one of his veterancars, but in due course he acquired a 1903/4 “curved-dash”Oldsmobile of his own, eventually followed by a1902 Gladiator. Each year’s Run was diligently (andentertainingly) written up in the Gazette and it is entirelytypical of his generosity that many JOMC membershave had their own first experience of veteran motoring in one of his meticulously presented cars.

For some reason the Christian name Michael seems tohave had a disproportionate prominence in Club affairsover the years. (Indeed, I remember asking MervynFrankel once whether the initials JOMC actually stoodfor the Jersey Old Michael Club; he naturally accusedme of taking the mickey.) The great contributions ofMessrs Wilcock and Pinchard have been put on record.Other luminaries include Michael Salmon (whoseracing prowess has already been mentioned), MichaelGuerrier (who not only owns two fine cars himselfbut, together with Derek Bonhomme and BarryClayden, has over many years done much to keepother members’ cars on the road), Michael Draper(formerly the owner of the ex-Marquess of AilesburyDe Dion J1, one-time Honorary Secretary and still anactive participant in Club affairs), Michael Hannigan

(owner of a fine straight-six Sunbeam and an MG, andfrom time to time honorary auctioneer to the Club)and Michael Dee (who possesses a very fast AstonMartin which he races regularly, as well as a more decorous Rolls-Royce 20/25 and a Derby Bentley).

Messing about with, and in, old motor-cars is generallyregarded as a male pursuit.Yet as many past presidentialwives will no doubt testify, in the JOMC to be the consort is almost as onerous as to wear the crown! (Forthe avoidance of doubt I am referring to the currentwives of past presidents, and not vice versa). Indeedwithout a very strong female contingent the Club couldnot possibly have operated effectively for so many years.Most are, and for reasons of space must remain,unsungheroines, but two surely require a special mention.

Victoria Pinchard has for longer than most of us canremember shouldered the burden of catering for Clubmembers in the style to which – largely thanks to her –they have become accustomed. Together with a loyaland gallant band of helpers,she has over the years laid ona succession of breakfasts, barbecues and banquets todazzle the most jaded palate – regardless of numbers,regardless of venue (as often as not the Pinchards’ ownhome) and regardless of weather–and each of these feastshas been more splendid than the one before.Come rainor shine, the show must go on – and invariably it does.

Judith Genee was elected President in 1997 and willtherefore soon celebrate her tenth anniversary in thatrole. Notwithstanding their affection for ancient cars,members are far from reactionary in other ways, andcertainly the imaginative decision to have a femalePresident has been amply rewarded.With the unflaggingsupport of her husband Ralph she has thrown herself into the job, showing a fine blend of humour,energy and that steely determination that so often characterises what is absurdly known as “the weakersex”. From the centenary celebrations to the Festivalof Motoring, from organising overseas expeditions towriting them up in the monthly newsletter, and in ahundred other ways, she has done us proud.

JERSEY OLD MOTOR CLUB– Established 1966 –

PatronF M Wilcock

PresidentJ Genee

Past PresidentsW J Oldham 1966-70F M Wilcock 1970-75J Sweeny 1975-77K V Waddilove 1977-79

B W de la Mare 1979-81F M Wilcock 1981-85L C Darling 1985-89M P Pinchard 1989-93

D N R Acon 1993-96C Le Boutillier 1996-97

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