Paulerspury People January 2013

January 2013

The Newsletter of The RRECPaulerspury Section

Paulerspury eople P

2 Paulerspury People - January 2013

3Paulerspury People - January 2013

eople

Not a Lot of People Know That 4

The Chairman’s Bit 5

Annual Picnic at Wimpole Hall 6

Little Gransden Air and Car Show 8

Somerset House Party 11

Autumn Road Run and Lunch 16

Visit to The Colchester Oystery 19

Bedfordshire Lunch 21

AGM and Christmas Lunch 22

Secretary’s Notes 25

Cheerio from Chairman Minimus 26

Our Committee Retirees 26

Technical Corner 27

Forthcoming Events 29

Committee Contacts 30

January2013

The Newsletter of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club - Paulerspury Section

Front Cover Photograph:Taken at the Marriot Hotel, Northampton, following the 2012 RREC AGM

Contents

Paulerspury P


One of John Mills’ earliest films was ‘Car of Dreams’ (1935) with Robertson Hare.In it he plays the lucky hundred thousandth customer of a firm, who wins a beautifulRolls-Royce Sedanca de Ville. The film ends on a note of fantasy with a tripthrough the clouds in the Rolls-Royce.

In ‘The Great Gatsby’ Robert Redford drives a Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Tourer.

In ‘Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines’ Robert Morley is featured asthe driver of an old Rolls-Royce. It was in fact the most famous Rolls-Royce of all,the original Silver Ghost

In ‘The Abominable Dr Phibes’ Vincent Price kills David Hutcheson by freezinghim to death in an ice-making machine installed in the back of his Rolls-Royce.

Not a Lot of People Know That


You may have noticed the face of the Chairmanhas changed. After four years in the chair, ChrisBall chose to stand down from the chair as well asretire from the committee, at the AGM in December.The forthcoming committee meeting brought aboutthe election of a new chairman. My name is BarryGallafent and I am delighted and honoured to takeup the post. Chris has done a sterling job over thepast four years and will be a tough act to follow butI shall endeavour to do my very best for the sectionat all times. Chris and Linda will now have a littlemore time to enjoy some of their other leisure

The Chairman’s Bit

pursuits but assure me they will still be attending many Paulerspury Sectionevents and organising the odd event or two in the future. I wish them well.

The Section starts the year with a full calendar as always, some events aretraditional and some new. It is the aim of the committee on-going, to providevariety in its programme, encouraging more members to join us at events, meetwith friends old and new and to get the most from their club cars. In 2013 we willtry to include some more technical visits, something a little out of the ordinary,affording a wider appeal to members. Whilst we cannot yet be certain when, weare on the waiting list to visit both the Bentley and Rolls-Royce factories and assoon as details and dates are available they will be circulated to members via thePaulerspury People and on our website.

The Paulerspury Section makes use of all electronic and social media to conveywhat we are doing and what we have done, as and when it happens. This enablesmembers to keep up with news and events between the quarterly printedpublications. A lot of time and effort is spent by committee members in providingthese facilities for you and I would encourage you to take a look at what has beendone. Our website address is www.rrecpaulerspury.org.uk our Facebook Pageis www.facebook.com/rrecpaulerspurysection and our Twitter feed is@RRECPaulerspury. When visiting our Facebook Page, do please, click on the‘Like’ button and we will know you have seen us. Furthermore, you will automaticallybe made aware each time the Section posts anything of interest to it. It will alsokeep you informed of the main club activities and those of Rolls-Royce MotorCars and Bentley Motors.

Any Section is only as strong as its membership and we are delighted to havecurrently, 237 on our list. Throughout the year we will seek to review that list andto make contact with many that we do not see in order to ascertain theirexpectations of the Section, should it be that there is something we are notproviding that we could perhaps, in order to attract more members to events.

Barry Gallafent - Chairman


Throughout the lighter evenings, the committee will be looking to come ‘downyour way’, where one or two committee members and I will visit a local pubinviting any members who wish, to come along and meet us for a beer and a chat.Details of venues and dates will be published in the March edition of the PaulerspuryPeople, on the section website www.rrecpaulerspury.org.uk and on ourFacebook page www.facebook.com/rrecpaulerspurysection.

All that remains is for me to wish you all a happy and prosperous new year and tosay I very much look forward to seeing you at an event soon.

Barry M GallafentChairman

Wimpole Hall Picnic - Sunday 19th August 2012

The weather makes or breaks these outdoor events, and after months of rain anda number of earlier in the year cancellations, the day started out in warm sunshineand remained so for the rest of the day, save for a few drops at lunchtime.

I went, this time as a passenger in a Rolls Royce Corniche convertible instead oftaking one of my own toys. We arrived a little later than intended and found that

Maginificent Wimpole Hall on the hottest day of the year


there were already of a mixture of some 20 plus Rolls Royce and Bentley cars ofvarious models, together with their proud owners milling around, all arranged infront of Wimpole Hall in an almost complete circular display, the cars, not theowners.

Shortly after arrival, we assembled in an allocated room to celebrate the occasionwith a glass of champagne, some of us spilling outside to enjoy the sunshine,both renewing and making new acquaintances.

A veritable feast for some NT vistors admire the cars

Just part of our splendid line-up


Little Gransden Air and Classic Car Show August 26th 2012

Lunchtime was soon upon us and unpacking the chairs and table which we placedon the grass near the car in front of the House, not realising at the time thatremarkably, the grounds stretch to about 3,000 acres, and the House, the largestin Cambridgeshire, has been there for about 370 years, all of which imposed acertain elegance and privilege to the proceedings.

After a pleasant lunch, we availed ourselves of the opportunity to inspect theinside of the House before departing at the end of a very pleasant way to spend aSunday.

Thanks must go to David Davis for his efforts in organising a splendid day.

Sean O’Connell

This was a first visit for the Paulerspury section to Little Gransden Air and carshow. It was the 20th Anniversary of the event. There were over three hundredexhibits including Classic Cars, Motorcycles, Forces Vehicles and Tractors. The

There was a great deal to hold your attention

weather although chilly and overcastinitially bloomed into an amazing latesummer sky with lovely puffycumulus clouds and a brilliant bluebackdrop which enhanced thespectacular show we witnessed.

We set off early in the morning withstrict instructions to be at ourdestination by nine thirty or we wouldnot gain admittance. We wereindividually supplied with a route mapdepicting mileage and the expectedtime to cover the distance, suppliedby the event co-ordinator Barry Gallafant. We arrived at our destination, on time,where we saw the RREC flag fluttering in the breeze and were duly marshalledinto our positions by our host. Eleven club cars arrived dating from nineteen thirtynine to two thousand and eight. They made a wonderful sight and engenderedmuch interest from the public.

There were many things to see before the start of the air show at one o’clock. Itwas hard to estimate the number of people who attended but by midday it wasevident that a large number of people were present to see the flying display andenjoy the many classic vehicles on show.


A Fearless Wing Walker

Two Pitts Specials (one, upside down!)

Has something caught Bert’s eye?

The last Vulcan still flying

Augusta Bell Helicopter in M*A*S*H livery

A very good turn out of Club Cars

BBMF Lancaster

The Austin Healey Owners Club


We all chatted, renewedacquaintances, peered under bonnetsbefore we wandered around the largedisplay field to view a vast array ofClassics, old and not so old! A picniclunch followed with a glass of wine (ortwo) before the flying displaycommenced.

There were twenty one separate flyingevents for the afternoon. It was breathtaking to watch the skills of the airmenunfold before our eyes. The air show ran for four and a half hours. There were toomany aircraft in the collection to name them all but we must mention the displaysby a B17 Flying Fortress, the BBMF Lancaster of the Royal Air Force Battle ofBritain Memorial flight which is the type of Aircraft that flew on Pathfinder Missionsand the fabulous Vulcan Bomber. This Vulcan is the last still flying after a recentrestoration. It was truly magnificent. Made a long time ago, yes, but it still madeus very proud to be British.

A Memorial Service was held midway during the display and prayers said forthose lost during the two Great Wars followed by the last post and a minute’ssilence.You could hear a pin drop. It was a very memorable experience.

We departed late afternoon and expressed our warm thanks to Barry and Ruth forintroducing us all to such a fantastic show, commenting that it would be nice if itbecame an annual event. Next year strongly recommended for those that missedit this time.

Stella and Charles Holford

‘Sally B’ A B17 Flying Fortress

The SWIP Teamin action

David Morgan telling a story

Editor’s Note: I took over 700 photo’s at Little Gransden, many of each of The Lancaster,The Vulcan and The B17. If you would like any of them, I will be happy to provide themfor a donation to the individual trusts keeping these fantastic aircraft flying.


Somerset House Party - Porlock - 21st to 24th September 2012

Day One - Friday

In our briefing notes, Derek and Sylvia had advised us that we should not arrive atPorlock until 5.30 p.m., and therefore we did not need to leave home until afterlunch. “Nonsense” said her Ladyship, “we’ll make the day of it and have a trip outsomewhere on the way down”.

And so, having cleaned and polished the car the day before, we set off bright andearly to head to one of our favourite British cities, Wells. The sun was with us allthe way down and we arrived in Wells in time for mid-morning coffee and for herLadyship to explore every nic-nac shop in the town. (In the family we call themPippa shops – you know the sort of places where it is knee-deep in candles,smelly things, cushions, table lamps, enormous curtain tie backs and all mannerof things that are essential to most women but surprisingly unessential to mostmen !). Naturally, we managed to part with cash for two enormous wrought ironcandle stands (apparently, just what you need if you live in a barn) and had greatfun getting them back to the car.

By now, my feet were aching and my stomach was in need of serious sustenance,so we managed to find a very pleasant Italian restaurant set in a picturesquelocation in the heart of the city for an exceptionally good lunch at a very reasonableprice. After lunch, we strolled along the path that follows the moat around theBishops Palace and then up around the cathedral and its grounds. If you havenever been to Wells, it really is a quite lovely little city and well worth a day out atany time of the year.

Back in the car, the sat-nav appeared to be having one of its joke days, and toldus that although Porlock was only 53 miles away, it would take 1 hour and 46minutes to get there via the A39. Confident that I would easily beat that, and thatwe would have time for a coffee stop on the way, we reluctantly left Wells andheaded off along the said A39. Exactly 1 hours and 46 minutes later, we arrived atPorlock Weir, just a few minutes before Derek’s arrival time. My God, the A39must be one of the worst roads in the UK and probably the most frustrating if youhappen to be driving it in a Continental GT.

After such an infuriation, it was good to be amongst friends again and we wereenthusiastically greeted by both the Freemans and Chairman Minimus and hisLady. By the time we had unpacked the car (taking great care to repack thecandle stands, of course) the bulk of the motley crew had arrived and amid thehugging and kissing, the usual Paulerspury banter and good humour was afoot.In seemingly no time at all, Chairman Minimus had declared the bar open –somewhat earlier than planned - and the rest of the night unfolded to the well-worn


ritual. A splendid evening meal followed, somewhat marred by my appointment tothe role of wine monitor. Apologies to those there present about the wine stains –I am sure they will wash out in time !

Keith Davies

Day Two - Saturday

After a bit of a grey day on Friday, we awoke to a beautiful sunny day. Chris wentoff to clean the car, as he does, and I went down to the kitchen to make a cup oftea, to find things in full swing for breakies.

The plan for today was to take a gentle jaunt across Exmoor, through prettyvillages and to end up for lunch at Hunters Inn.

Chairman Maximus and his Lady joined us in the S1 and we set off on the routeexpertly typed up by Sylvia.

We drove along some very narrow, windy roads and got to Hunter’s Inn in goodtime. Some decided to go for an early lunch and a pint, whilst the rest of us wentfor a lovely walk to Heddon’s Mouth.

The group walked to the limekilnssituated at the Mouth and some of uswalked on the beach. We then madeour way back to the pub, some via thestepping stones placed in the fastflowing stream, while other scardy-catstook the route over the little bridge.

Disaster struck when we reachedHunters Inn there was a wedding takingplace and lunch service had stopped at1pm. However, as we’d had a splendidbreakfast back at the Vale, the decisionwas taken to carry on with the gentlejaunt and return back for afternoon teaand eat some of the delicious cakesand biscuits on offer.

The return trip took in the majesticValley of the Rocks, including thebeautiful Lee Bay. Perfect for smuggling!This small rocky cove, with its imposingcoastline on either side, is regarded by

Minimus checks the stones...

...and others consider it safe to follow


some as the jewel in the crown of Lee.It is a refreshing change to find such aspot that has, as yet, remaineduntouched by the hand of time. Therewas a little chapel hewn into the rockface and we entered through a huge oakdoor and found a barrelled ceilingstructure with a little altar and gas lampin the walls. Not sure who worshipedthere, perhaps it was the fisherman andtheir families.

Maximus however, is not so sure

We then made our way back to the Vale via Lynton and Lynmouth. Driving upCountisbury Hill and taking in the magnificent views of the North Devon Coast andthe Bristol Channel.

Once back at the Vale we had our afternoon tea and then relaxed in readiness foranother superb dinner.

Linda Ball

Day Three - Sunday

What a contrast to Saturday...gone were the bright blue skies replaced now withdark low clouds and rain!

As we gathered on Sunday morning there was much discussion as to what theday had in store for us weather wise and it looked like today’s gentle jaunt overDunkery Beacon onto Wimbleball Lake then onto Raleigh Cross was going tohave to be put on hold. Derek had kindly ‘offered’ to pick up the Sunday papers onhis way to Porlock Vale House so after breakfast we settled down to read for anhour or two in the hope that the weather would brighten up.

By late morning most of us had decided to brave it and we went our various ways,some to visit Cleeve Abbey or Selworthy village or to acquaint themselves withPorlock before returning to watch the Formula One at lunchtime.

Being a bit of a steam buff myself, the lure of West Somerset Railway wasirresistible even on a bad day like this so we donned our wet weather gear and setoff for Minehead. The station is like stepping back to yesteryear and as the enginepuffed its’ way down the line we were amazed to see so much rolling stock , mostof it restored, as we left Minehead and headed for Dunster. We had opted to takethe trip to Watchet stopping at Dunster, Blue Anchor and Washford enroute. Onarriving at Watchet..... in pride of place parked right next to the ticket office was


Hector! Our illustrious chairman had had a ‘do you know who I am ‘ chat with thestaff and they had been only too willing to allow the Bentley to be parked there....we should have known!

The torrential rain didn’t relent as we made ourway to the harbour so we headed for a harbourside pub for some lunch followed by a walkaround the town before going back to the stationfor our return journey and who should alight fromthe next train in from Minehead? Yes, youguessed it, Chris and Linda had done the samejourney as us but in reverse ...a bit like the clock(right) in the platform waiting room.

Back in the warmth of our country house hotel we settled down with teaand cakes in front of the cosy log fire to exchange stories of the day and thechampagne that evening was provided by the chairman to celebrate Linda’sbirthday.

Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway 7F Class 2-8-0


Day Four - Monday

Monday morning dawned looking as wet and miserable as the day before. Weexpected our planned Exmoor Safari to be called off. Not a bit of it. Exactly ontime, down the driveway of Porlock vale house roared this four wheel drive. Outjumped our guide, Richard, a larger than life chap who just knew the weatherwould get better. And it did! So, six intrepid travellers, the Flemings, the Davies &the Nightingales climbed (literally) into the beast. Richard then gave us a talkabout Exmoor & the things to be seen. Safely strapped in we were off. As wepassed through Porlock, Richard gave us some of its history. Then we started toclimb and climb the substantial hills .The route followed much of the journey of thestagecoach era into Porlock before the roads were rerouted and the infamousPorlock Hill came into existence. Many of the tales Richard had to tell about thehazards of those journeys. Many were the swings off the road to see onemagnificent view after another. Poor Pat and Pippa, seated in the back, were veryglad of seatbelts. A group of running deer with its stag was seen early on.

On to Dunkery Beacon at the highest point on Exmoor. The mount was coveredwith purple heather and was the inspiration for the famous hymn “all things brightand beautiful” written by a Porlock lady who rode her horse up there. We saw a“river running by” as we were taken to the hidden reservoir where the heavy rainshad caused the water to flow over the Damn wall like a miniature Niagara, verybeautiful. (The hydroelectric power generation feature is now unused as Nuclearis close by)

On again and suddenly not 100 yds. from us the most magnificent red deer stagwith his harem of hinds. His antlers were a glory to behold and there was a youngstag just showing a small set. We were off again on the old stagecoach road with100’s of wonderful views of the hills all the way down to the Bristol Channel.

After 3 hours we were back at Porlock Vale House. Shaken but also stirred by theadventure.

Many thanks to Richard (the driver) but also to Derek and Sylvia for creating,arranging and looking after us all on this great House Party.

Audrey Nightingale

Our thanks to Derek and Sylvia for organising our return to Porlock Vale, asalways it’s the people that make it work...who cares about the weather.

Janet Dolan


Autumn Road Run and Lunch - Sunday 21st October 2012

After such appalling weather for so long perhaps everybody was on a prayer matof some kind leading up to this event, in a way it worked, as although it was dampon the ground when we set off, at least we managed most of the Road Run withoutfurther rain.

Most found Sarratt without trouble, and then found somebody local who was pleasedto give a direction to The Boot. We arrived early and managed to park easily, butgetting out of the car park was another matter. We were 22 cars (43 people) intotal. Thank goodness it was not too cold or wet because the small marqueewould have been hard pressed to cope.

The tea and coffee were very hot and biscuits a plenty, some said we had to “keepspace for lunch” so most of the biscuits remained.

On leaving The Boot we aim for TheGolden Eagle in Ashley Green whichis north of Sarratt, so as we leave TheBoot we turn left, which just happensto be south. My navigator reassuresme there is method in the madness,she also thinks it will be a good ideato go just a little faster to catch up withthat dark blue Arnage in front whichmight make her job a lot easier, “goodthinking that man”.

As we leave Sarratt we come to the Holy Cross Church on our right, the drivinginstructions we have been given give a good historical rundown on the church, buttoday we feel a need to keep pace, however the information we have been given issufficient to encourage us to return at a future date.

The Chenies, Flaunden and Latimer villages turn out to be very attractive,particularly the latter, which I feel certain has at some time appeared on the top ofchocolate boxes, probably in the 1950’s. We had been warned of a dragon in thisarea, but obviously St. George got here before we arrived.

We were advised that there would be a lot of cyclists and hikers, which was true,but at times there were so many one wonders if anybody has a lie in on a Sunday.Is this the “Olympic effect”?

Hang on a minute! We have been on the road for about ten miles now and we seea sign off to the right to Sarratt. Are we going round in circles?

Destination, The Golden Eagle


We have been following an Arnage for some time, so why is it going straight on,when the remainder of the convoy in which we now find ourselves are all turningright, I am assured by memsahib that a right turn is correct, so we go “right”. Wedrive for a few miles when, as though it had never been away, the dark blue Arnagejust reappears from a road on our left and takes up station as though synchronousdriving were part of the day.

We come to a T-junction and my navigator says “left”, but my antenna says “right”for The Golden Eagle. Left wins because that is where the sheet tells us to goand we just follow the leader. Now it looks as though we are in for some InitialTraining at RAF Halton, that could be funat our age, disappointment as we drivepast without even a salute, but wait aminute, something even better. We haveto stop at a zebra crossing for a youngman with his little son, it is obvious thatdad is telling son that something specialhas just stopped for him, they both turnwith a big grin and wave, I respond, howcould I not?

Now we are aiming for Hemel Hempsted,is that the place you go through to get toSarratt? Less than three miles later wearrive at Mornington Crescent, sorry, Imean The Golden Eagle, Ashley Green.Phew, where is the bar…? We filled the cosy dining room

The Paulerspury fleet all neatly arranged. Steven wouldn’t have it any other way.


One amazing thing, there are plenty of staff on duty in the bar, all lined up to takeour order, some just go straight through to the loo without even giving an order. Itwas not really that long, was it?

Can you remember what we ordered for lunch? My navigator remembers everything.We sit next to Bert and Wendy Gladwin and Bill and Irene McGregor, there is a lotof laughter and interesting serious conversation, only interrupted by food arrivingfollowed by, “can you pass the mint sauce please” or “have you got the horseradish”.

We learn about owning a racehorse, sponsorship of a University, unhappy carbreakdowns, the multi-coloured odd sock society and much more, the time passesquickly and before you know it, coffee is being passed round.

Barry Gallafent addressed kind words to Mia on behalf of us all for her organisationof the whole event, and in particular the map and driving instructions, and toSteven for being Doyen of Car Parks for the day.

We all say our good-byes to excellent lunch conversation partners and expressour wish to join them again soon.

David Wells

Barry Gallafent seems to have caused a titter


Visit to the Colchester Oystery - Friday 2nd November 2012In 1189 King Richard 1 granted the Borough of Colchester the fishery rights to theRiver Colne in return for sending Colchester men to help build Dover Castle. In1964, following a disastrous period of disease in the oyster beds, the ColchesterOyster Fishery Company bravely took on the lease. Since then it has built up areputation as one of the premier suppliers of native (Colchester) and rock oysters,clams, lobsters, langoustine and crabs to select London restaurants, marketsacross the UK and to countries as diverse as China and France.

The Fishery is based on Mersea Island, 8 miles south of Colchester and is connectedto the mainland by a causeway that is covered at springtides. Overlooking thePyefleet Creek and surrounded by unspoiled salt marshes and a bird sanctuarythey grow, grade and store shellfish.

When we read about an RREC trip to the Oystery we decided to join up as itsounded a great venue and apart from a couple of Autumn road runs we hadn’t gotvery connected with the Club in the two years we had owned an appropriate car.Thoughtfully, for those travelling a longish way, organisers Linda and Chris Ball(who seems to have the nickname of minimus – I didn’t like to ask why in case itwas too personal) had arranged a special overnight dinner and room deal atSeckford Hall in Woodbridge near Ipswich. 22 people took up the option and itgave us a great opportunity to meet members over afternoon tea, later at dinnerand later still in the bar.

The next morning there was frost on the cars but at least it had stopped raining.The excellent route instructions then took us into darkest Essex and over thecauseway to East Mersea. At the oystery we were joined by another 10 people sothe RREC contingent numbered an impressive 32 people and 11 club cars. Arrivinglate morning we were just ahead of the tide but were warned there was little pointin leaving before 3.00pm as the causeway wouldn’t be open! A good excuse for anamazing lunch comprising the oystery’s best products, all enjoyed with winechosen by Chris and Linda and served in a room with views across the river andsalt flats.

But first we enjoyed a conducted tour of the Fishery with its state of the art lobstertanks and oyster purification process. The outside tanks were stocked with allkinds of shellfish and apparently a stock check the day before valued the tankcontents at £30k. The mind boggled at how one could count the stock as it wasn’texactly static and apparently lobsters have a bad habit of eating their dead ormerely weak colleagues. Sounds like some car club committees I have known.

A huge hairy man, who predictably rejoiced in the name of Tiny, fished out severalspecimens for our inspection. However, Tiny’s main role was packing the liveoysters into seaweed lined boxes for the start of their journey to a consumer’splate via a busy fleet of vans. Prior to this, they spent 42 hours in special boxes


with filtered seawater from the adjacent lagoon flowing through to remove anytoxins that might be present on the river bed. In the tour we learned a lot aboutshellfish - if you weren’t that keen on them in the first place then this would haveprobably done for you completely. For, instance, oysters are asexual and fertilisethemselves in a process known as spatting, lobsters breed in a slightly moreconventional way by fertilising eggs carried under the rear shell of the females andthe crabs have a key tendon snipped when caught to stop them taking fingers offwhen handled in the fishery. Even so, one man’s rubber glove didn’t look completelyfull to me.

Apparently top class lobsters are about 25 years old but can live to over 100 bywhich time they are useless for eating. So the old ones get their tails “notched”and if caught again are returned for breeding purposes which is one benefit ofgetting old not apparent on dry land. Female lobsters are recognisable by havingbroad flat bottoms which of course passed entirely without comment.

After a starter of smoked salmon, the lunch gave us the opportunity to try nativeand rock oysters, the aficionados trying to guess who didn’t like oysters and sitnext to them. Then platters of half lobsters and dressed crabs were brought to thetables, entirely for research purposes of course.

Having arrived in cold but sunny conditions we were treated to a downpour ofBiblical proportions and some attendant spectacular double rainbows across theriver. The causeway was clear as we headed back to Colchester but the journeyhome gave us a great opportunity to try out our MkV1 in a number of new conditionsincluding, but not limited to, heavy rain, flooding, darkness and bitter cold. From

Section Member’s cars outside the oystery


Bedfordshire Pub LunchWoburn Golfand Country ClubSunday 16th December 2012

Deep in the woods and high over BowBrickhill can be found the Woburn Golfand Country Club. It is a most renownedGolf Course as you may be aware butis also a beautiful venue at which toenjoy Sunday lunch.

Members gathered from 12.00 noon inthe car park allocated to us exclusivelyand a myriad of club cars began toarrive. Some we had not seen before!There was much renewing ofacquaintances as well as admiration ofvehicles by the gentlemen but manyladies now feeling the cold, moved insideto the bar.

Albeit our Sunday lunches are usuallyinformal affairs, dress rules at the golfclub caught one or two membersunaware and they found themselvesbeing pursued by the duty managerwaving spare pairs of the Duke ofBedford’s trousers in his hand for themto change in to!

We were called in to lunch at 1.00p.m.,taking up the seating arrangements as

this experience we have concluded that serious attention needs to be given to thelights, wipers and heater, or alternatively, move to the South of France.

We certainly had a great time and were made very welcome by the other members.Our thanks go to Linda and Chris for organising such an interesting trip and wewill certainly be back for more. But if it’s in November, then only once we’ve fixedthe lights, wipers and heater!

Ian & Margaret Coomber

The Woburn Golf and Country Club

An impressive turnout of Club Cars

Some walkers fascinated at the contentsof the car park, being enlightened


AGM and Christmas Lunch – 2nd December 2012

Our AGM and Christmas lunch were once again held at the Mitchell Hall Cranfield,a super venue for the purpose. Being centrally located, the venue provides excellentfacilities, including a private meeting room for the AGM, and very good value.

The AGM was very well attended; we were joined by Club Chairman Jim Flemingtogether with his wife Pat and Trevor Baldwin from the Management Committeeand his wife Patsy.

The meeting was chaired by Chris Ball at which he announced this would be hislast AGM as the chairman as he was standing down after four very enjoyableyears. Not only did Chris stand down from the chair but he has retired from thecommittee too, in order to allow himself and Linda to spend some more time

shown on the table plan. There followed a three course carvery lunch with even thevegetables being served by the chefs. The dessert table had members spoilt forchoice and there was cheese too, should you have been able to manage it.

Formalities were kept short but it would not be right if the chairman did not addressus at least once. His words were few as he explained this was actually hispenultimate address as the chairman and that he would be standing down at theforthcoming AGM.

After lunch, one or two retired to the bar as others headed for home, making thebest of the light.

In all, another very enjoyable section outing which was very well supported bymembers, producing a super turnout of club cars, undoubtedly encouraged by theweather on the day.

Our thanks are due to Kathy and Mike for organising this event.

Barry and Ruth Gallafent

Keith and David admiringa new Club Car (Keith’s)


enjoying their other hobbies andinterests. The membership presentwished him well.

Other retirements after many years’service on the committee were MiaMurray (events co-ordinator) and RobertKennedy (secretary).

Peter and Audrey Nightingale wereawarded the Tom Shanks’ Rose Bowlfor attending the most ecvents.

When committee business had beenconcluded, Club Chairman Jim Flemingspoke, thanking Chris and wishing himwell. Trevor Baldwin followed, who filledus in on the latest between the RRECand the SHRMF, as well as the 2013Annual Rally and Concours. Themeeting concluded and those presentretired to the bar area for an aperitifbefore Val Yates called us all throughto lunch.

The usual Christmas joviality unfoldedin quite short order, as Adrian Denhamscattered a good supply of flyingballoons amongst us. Several‘engineers’ amongst us manufacturedpaper aeroplanes from whatever lookedsuitable and the waiting staff took theirlives in their hands as they set aboutdelivering our meals. Some hadtraditional Christmas fayre and others,the meat pie. There was of course, avegetarian option. The food was enjoyedas the wine, provided by the committee,gradually diminished.

Club Chairman Jim interuptedproceedings briefly in order to presentSection Member, Andrew Beer, with hisfifty year badge.

Peter and Audrey receivingthe Tom Shanks Rose Bowl

Members chatting in the bar pre-lunch

Nice hats!

Jim presents Andrew with his Fifty Year badge


Shortly after our meal, Santa arrived.No elves this year unfortunately, theyhave grown a little too tall to qualifyand were very kindly substituted byVal’s grandchildren. Each lady presentreceived a small gift and somechocolates. Our very own Santa (PeterParsons) was not happy to find ayoung rascal had stolen his workclothes!

Purely for fun, a quiz sheet had been placed on each of our tables. The sheetlisted some twenty-five sets of letters representing the first letters of a each wordin the title of a nursery rhyme. It had been a long time since many of us had heardany and this made it quite tricky. I cannot say who but it had been drawn to theattention of the organiser that an element of cheating had occurred involving theuse of the internet on mobile phones. Despicable! Undercover agents working forMitchell Hall had spotted this activity and conveyed its happening to Val. Theculprits were immediately disqualified. Rather unfair I thought as all eight on ourtable had got every answer right!

In all, we had a very enjoyable time and the suitability of the same venue for nextyears AGM was endorsed. Our thanks are due to Val Yates for organising anothersplendid event.

Barry Gallafent

The Two Santa’s

Section Facebook PageWhat is this? It’s The Section Facebook Page and it needs more ‘Likes’ please.Simply find us on Facebook and click on ‘Like’ as I have highlighted below.


Secretary’s Notes

A hearty welcome to the new Paulerspury Committee. Many of you will haveheard who is doing what in the new line up and those who have consulted thePaulerspury Website, (easily accessible via the main Club website,www.rrec.org.uk), will have seen the new photographs and contact details. Youcan also go directly to the Paulerspury website at http://www.rrecpaulerspury.org.uk.

For you all, the complete list is as follows: Chairman, Barry Gallafent (also Editorof the Paulerspury People), Secretary, Stephen Dolan, Treasurer, Kathy Martin,Events Coordinator, Ruth Gallafent, Membership Coordinator, Mark Warnock

The supporting Committee members are Val Yates, David Davis and Derek Freemanand ensure the smooth running of the Section, so rest assured, we will all bedoing our utmost to ensure the high standards of the Paulerspury Section arecontinued. Please contact any of us with any Club related bits and pieces, we willbe pleased to help.

I don’t expect to be writing any great amount in this, new look, Paulerspury Peopleas there are many far better than I at this particular skill. I intend to restrict myselfto the more technical details of the Club and how any decisions taken by theManagement Committee may affect the sections. Chairman and Editor Barry willhave written a more newsworthy report and I can only recommend that you readthe PP and look at both the main Club and Paulerspury Section Websites asoften as you can as there is a wealth of information on there about what has andwhat is happening in this wonderful Club of ours.

Stephen DolanCheerio from Chairman Minimus

Having been on the Committee for over eight years, including Chairman for four, Igreatly enjoyed my time but felt it was time to move on. I therefore decided to stepdown and retire just before Christmas. I would though, like to take this opportunityto thank you all for supporting the Committee and me during that time.You will have seen earlier in this publication that the section has a new Chairman,Barry Gallafent, and I hope you will support him and the Committee in all theirendeavours.There are some great events lined up for 2013 and I hope to catch up with many ofyou at these. For now, Linda and I are ‘resting’ from organising events, but whoknows what will happen in the future.

Warmest regards to you all and happy motoring.

Chris Ball


Chris Ball - Retiring Chairman Mia Murray - Retiring Events Coordinator

Robert Kennedy - Retiring SecretaryLinda Ball receives a bouquet

Technical Corner

Bentley Continental GT Scuttle Drains

We have now had numerous instances of the scuttle drains becoming blocked onseveral of the Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur models that we service andmaintain. Despite this not being part of the scheduled service procedures we nowroutinely make sure that these drains are properly cleared every time that a carcomes in for service.

The drains are situated under the heater box in the engine compartment and areall but inaccessible. We have made a special tool up to allow us to access andclear the drains and allow us to further clear them with compressed air. You maywonder why it is of such importance to clear these drains. Well, the fact is thatmost of the important electrical equipment for the engine management and airconditioning systems is located in our around the scuttle area. We have seen, inthe most severe cases, several inches of water covering some of the electrical


equipment and components which has resulted in costly and time consumingrepairs. So, by keeping these drains clear you avoid unnecessary and avoidablehassle. As the old saying goes “Prevention is better than cure.”

Twin Distributor Drive Belts

If your car was built between 1988 and 1993 it is most probably fitted with atandem Bosch distributor system. The distributors run four cylinders each, onedriven directly by the engine and the other remotely via a toothed drive belt. Thisbelt should be changed every 36,000 or 3 years whichever is the sooner. In fairnesswith the relatively low mileage covered by most of the cars nowadays this scheduleis often held over for a longer time period or mileage interval. However, we havehad a number of cars recently where the bearing inside the distributor casing forthe belt driven distributor has seized or partially seized thereby causing the drivebelt to break.

Scuttle filled with water Water drained from the scuttle

The symptom of the broken belt is a majorand fairly instantaneous power loss as youare effectively running on four cylinders!

The cost of the drive belt is only £7.37 andit takes around 2 1/2 hours to change itand retime the ignition. Once again a lotcheaper and more convenient than callingout a recovery truck!

A shredded distributor belt

Radiator Warning Sign

If your vehicle runs hotter than you would expect then the chances are your radiatormay need a rebuild. We have had instances where the flow rate is withinmanufacturers specifications but the core is partially blocked.


Although it is not very easy to make an external judgment on radiator condition, agood guide can be found by looking at that radiator core from inside the enginecompartment. You can often see a white line across a proportion of the corewhich is indicative of the area below that line being blocked or partially blocked.

We had one memorable occasion where a customer with a Bentley Arnage RedLabel had complained that his car seemed to be running a little hot only to findwhen the radiator was checked that the core was 70% blocked! In essence hewas trying to cool his engine with a third of the required cooling capacity. Wereplaced the radiator, filled it with the requisite antifreeze/inhibitor and distilledwater and he has gone on to complete many more miles without incident.

This principle applies across the board to all models of Rolls-Royce and Bentleysas well as your everyday vehicles. Once again - prevention is better than cure!

Ray Hillier

The Final Hurdle

The Empress had arranged a surprise present for Her husband of a visit to theBoxing Day Meet at Towcester Racecourse. After a very pleasant afternoon, disasterstruck in the carpark. Over 50 cars had got stuck in the mud including our awardwinning Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit III. The light was fading and the Towcester tractorappeared. “I’ll attach a rope to the Mascot” cried the driver, “I don’t think so” saidthe Empress. There is no obvious safe place to attach a rope. It was now pitchdark and raining! I rang the insurers 24 hour rescue service “Oh that requiresspecialist equipment and that’s not covered”. The RAC also said they could nothelp. The car was sinking deeper and deeper, despite the best efforts of cardboardand umpteen carpark attendants pushing, it was now alone, cold and wet.This is when a mobile phone with a built intorch is a gamesaver. Ray Hillier (Hillier Hillin Olney) was reached at home and was ableto direct the tractor driver, who was now onthe floor in the mud, as to where to safelyattach the rope. We were all out in minutesbut what felt like hours as the car was driveninto the dazzling headlights of the tractorfor what seemed an eternity. and then wewere home with an awful lot of mud.

We would hate for this to happen to anyone else with a modern Rolls Royce orBentley, but now you have the answer.

Miss Bigley

Safe to attach a rope here


Obituary - Michael MaskellMichael was the owner of H Maskell& Sons engineering company, awell-known section member and aBedfordshire businessman who washighly regarded in the engineering/boiler making industry.

Sadly, Michael passed away inOctober 2012 at his home inScotland. His loss is deeply felt byhis friends and members of thesection and our sincere condolencesgo to his wife Carol and son Richard.

Christopher Ball

Sunday 24th February - Northants LunchThe Red Lion - East HaddonOrganiser: Kathy Martin

Sunday 24th March - Herts LunchThe Rising Sun - Halls GreenOrganiser: David Davis

Sunday 21st AprilSt George’s Day Run and LunchHighgate House Hotel,Creaton, NorthantsOrganisers: Margaret & Alan Fuller

Sunday 28th April - Thurs 2nd MayCotswold TripOrganisers: Rodney & Carole Gunn

Sunday 19th MaySignals Museum Visit and LunchRAF - Henlow, HertsOrganiser: David Davis

Friday 14th - Sunday 16th JuneRREC Annual Rally and ConcoursOrganisers: Hunt House

Sunday 23rd JuneDriving Day and PicnicBroadwell House, WarksOrganiser: Adrian Denham

July - Midweek (TBC)Visit to Hook Norton BreweryOrganiser: Derek Freeman

Sunday 18th AugustAnnual PicnicVenue: (TBC)Organiser: Steve Dolan

Forthcoming EventsSunday 25th AugustLittle Gransden Classic Car Showand Vintage Air DisplayLittle Gransden, Cambs.Organisers: Barry & Ruth Gallafent

Sunday 20th OctoberAutumn Road RunOrganisers: Barry & Ruth Gallafent

Sunday 17th NovemberBedfordshire Pub LunchVenue TBCOrganiser:David Davis

Sunday 8th DecemberAGM & Christmas LunchMitchell Hall, CranfieldOrganiser: Val Yates

PLEASE NOTE:The Club’s standard terms andconditions of entry apply to allevents and these can be found onthe back of all event booking forms.


Chairman and Media EditorBarry Gallafent (Ruth)222b Wolverton RoadBlakelandsMilton Keynes, MK14 5ABTel: 01908 216804Mobile: 07785 [email protected]@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk

SecretarySteve Dolan (Janet)191 Baldwins Lane,Croxley Green, RickmansworthHertfordshire, WD3 3LLTel: 01923 778207 (Home & Fax)[email protected]

TreasurerKathryn Martin (Mike)Tel: 01234 [email protected]@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk

Events CoordinatorRuth Gallafent (Barry)Tel: 07900523152 (Mobile)[email protected]@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk

Membership CoordinatorMark Warnock (Kay)Tel: 07792 906771 (Mobile)[email protected]

Committee MembersDavid Davis (Diana)Tel: 01462 [email protected]

Val Yates (Danny)Tel: 01234 [email protected]

Derek Freeman (Sylvia)Tel: 01234 823255 (Home)[email protected]

Paulerspury Section Committee

rrecpaulerspury.org.uk

Attention Smart Phone UsersScan any of these QR codes to find outmore about what the section is up to.


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Paulerspury People January 2013

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Transcript of Paulerspury People January 2013