Africa | Europlate blog

West Africa – Cameroons

February 7, 2013

This Renault 750 from the (French) Trusteeship of the Cameroons was an unusual sight in the 1950 Britain, and probably France, too. 3703 C 2 carries the correct 1932-1954 oval and uses the French-designed registration format. John Pemberton archive.

This Renault 750 from the (French) Trusteeship of the Cameroons was an unusual sight in 1951 Britain, and probably France, too. 3703 C 2 carries the correct 1932-1960 oval TC and uses the original French-designed registration format. John Pemberton archive.

c. 1962 The British Cameroons, until then part of British Nigeria, amalgamated with the French Trusteeship in 1961, to form the new, independent country of Republique Unie de Cameroun. For a while, it seems that cars from both the former Cameroons used the long-lived TC oval, as witness CM 2938, from the British sector, in London’s Bayswater during the early 1960s, on a Ford 105E Anglia. The ‘ TC ‘ had been overpainted on a formally pressed ‘ WAN ‘ oval and this example was the only one ever seen in UK – (unless YOU know otherwise!). (VB)

1960 With no change to the 1932 series of (up to) four numerals, a C and a serial number – came a change of International Code, to CAM. This Fiat 1500 sports was seen in Juan les-Pins in 1960. (VB archive)

Below:

Another change of Oval is seen on Fiat 850 W 2326 A, found in Middlesex in 1963. W was the regional code for West Cameroun (Buea); the RFC abbreviation was presumably for République Fédérale de Cameroun, but has not been officially recognised. Classic stencilled French plates of the period at the rear…. (VB)

1970s:

c. 1970 This Camerounian consular corps Datsun IT 9175 CC, attached to the US embassy, lived briefly in Swiss Cottage, London, during the 1970s. Brumby archive

‘IT ‘ was the abbreviation of Importation Temporaire, whereby such medium-term visitors to the country as Consular, Diplomatic and Technical Aid/NGO personnel and others, could enter their vehicles to the country free of import and local duties, on the understanding that they were to be re-exported at the end of tour. Failing that, duties became payable and normal plates issued to the car. When the vehicle was attached to an embassy or consulate, CD or CC was added as a suffix. Other temporary imports used simple IT and up to four numbers.

Some vehicles chose a blue background , particularly in the CM former British sector. Luoma archive.

Some vehicles arbitrarily chose a blue background , particularly in the CM former British sector. Luoma archive.

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NOTES

Cameroun ALMOST holds the record for the territory which has used the greatest number of International Ovals

TC, CAM, RFC, RUC and now CMR

But Congo (Leopldville) just pips Cameroun, with CB, RCL, CGO, ZR, ZRE, and now DRC, (which, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, uses the ‘ D ‘ to refer to a political system not yet adopted by that country – though might possibly, in the forthcoming centuries…)

6 Comments | Africa, Cameroun, Consular, France, Historic, Nigeria, Temporary Importation | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

The Portuguese overseas territories-historic

February 5, 2013

In her colonial period, Portugal had two territories using ‘M’ and two, ‘G’.

It may be that to differentiate, one of each (Macao and Goa) used a full hyphen set of two dashes (in the style of mainland Portugal) and the others (Madeira and Guinea), one dash only following the code letter. Proof needed

Every one of the single-letter Portuguese territories was – and remains – amongst the rarest of sightings and even photographs or plates are unknown. (Unless YOU know otherwise????)

MACAO until 1960s,(then MA-nn-nn)

MADEIRA until 1962 (then MA-nn-nn)

AZORES until 1962 (then AR- or AC or HO-nn-nn)

TIMOR until late 1960s? then TP-nn-nn until 1976 Indonesian putsch)

GUINEA until 1974 (independence)

GOA 1930-57 (then IGA-nn-nn to 1961 when ceded to India)

Leave a Comment » | Africa, Asia, Guinea-Bissau, Historic, INDIA, Macao, Portugal, Timor | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Portuguese WEST AFRICA – Angola

February 2, 2013

Our sleuth Pemberton checked the alleys and boulevards of Oxford, London, and, once, Kopenhagen, in his quest to capture rare species for us during 1938-1957, after which he seems to have lost his camera! This London photo has come out so poorly that we can hardly read the plate at all, but print it we must, as it is perhaps the only example of Angola ‘plates-on’ we will ever see from that single-letter period (Series 1, 1930 to 1950s). Note that the numbers seem not to be separated by the Portuguese dashes – L – 7234. Can you read it?*

The vehicle is a Nash Ambassador of a model which ran from 1942 (production commenced 1945), to 1949.

L 7234 from Luanda in 1940s London. No international oval, but a cast-alloy AM}ANGOLA surmounts the plate.

L-7234 from Luanda in 1940s London. No international oval, but a cast-alloy ANGOLA surmounts the plate. Now see below. Pemberton archive

*March 2013. This is the remarkable result of special editing by Antonio Barragan of Placamundi. He thus brings to light an image of a very rare plate indeed – L-7234 Angola. Pemberton archive.

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Below: The only Angolan ever seen in Britain by the Kettering team was this Borgward Isabella Kombi (station-wagon) in 1958. Though the letters ‘PAN’ for the international oval had been allocated to Angola, only the Portuguese ‘P‘ was ever seen. The Angolan area coded here by the letter ‘T‘ has never been discovered**. The status of Angola from 1951 altered from a Colony to an Overseas Province of Portugal, and Portugal itself was then governed by the dictatorship of Antonio Salazar. A bit of a mess, one way and another…..

Some time during the late 1950s, this next plate series (National series 2) had been introduced, now comprising three letters – the first always ‘A‘, then a letter for the registration district, and a serial letter, followed by two numbers, a dash, and two numbers (in the traditional Portuguese way), all serial. So this car, ATE 01-69, was from Angolan area T, car no. E 169. ‘T’ must have been a remote, low-registry zone (see new data below).

ATE 01-69 in 1958 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington, London. The good-quality German Borgward Isabella was produced from 1954 to 1962. Brumby archive

Many expatriates fled the long civil war which ensued after the 1973 Independence, and for a time, there were a few evacuees’ Angolan plates to be seen in Europe – mostly in Portugal, of course – but this Mazda made it to Paris in 1976. As usual, its international oval ties it to European Portugal, not to the ephemeral ‘PAN’.

a 1976 escapee from the civil war, gat his car to Paris. Regional code A was for Luanda, the capital.

AAD 70-12 A 1976 escapee from the civil war, got his car to Paris. Regional code A was for Luanda, the capital. Brumby archive.

Below: A recent technical aid visitor to Angola, to mop up the millions of landmines, was Peter Renwick, who passed us these pictures of the international efforts to restore the ruined country. The green plates are given to International Agencies who import aid vehicles duty-free, perform their allotted tasks and re-export them, or pay some duty and leave them behind for re-registration.

designed to dispel explosions under the truck, these specialist vehicles are given duty-free import status during their project.

Designed to dispel explosions under the truck, these specialist 4wd vehicles are given duty-free temporary import status during their Angola project. LD=Luanda. Brumby archive via Peter Renwick

LBA-33-38 Angolan Autoroute A1. Scratched Russian ZIL truck. Newly-unemployed driver. c.2002. LB=Lobito. Brumby archive.

We can get an idea of mine-clearance from these photos from 2008.

We can get an idea of mine-clearance and equipment from these 2008 photos. Brumby archive via Peter Renwck

Leave a Comment » | Africa, Angola, Historic | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Zim or Zam?

February 2, 2013

There is surprisingly little foreign traffic to be see circulating in South Africa, so when you see something, you stop to shoot it, just like big game(!)

However, I have been confusing myself more than usually this week as I squeal to a halt, and make for a rare Zambia plate shot in the university city of Grahamstown.

Clearly a Zambian Mercedes, registered at Ndola (C) and yellow has been seen before.....

Clearly a Zambian Mercedes, registered at Ndola (C), standard font – and yellow has been seen before …..

Another Ndola-like (CO) Zambian, and this one in the right colour, too.

Another Ndola-like (CH) Zambian, and this one in the right colour, white. Seen in East London (not the Cockney one).

Now the Zimbabwean bird shows itself on ACF 5832 and ZAM look like ZIM now,

But now the Zimbabwean bird shows itself on ACF 5832 and those ZAMs look like ZIMs now. Both neighbouring countries are issuing almost identical plates!

ACD 606 IS a Zambian! Not a lot of difference, is there?

ACD 606 IS a real Zambian seen in 2000 ACO 8818 – Not a lot of difference, is there?

But to be quite fair, a REAL current Zambian does show the ZAM shield

(but then, so SHOULD the Zimbabwean.)

Current 2013 Zambian, with ‘J’ coding Livingstone registration district.

Well – I’m happy I got that off my chest…..

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Any of you willing to share any of your old photos, in particular? Magazine Editor Paul wants your new and recent ones, but Blog’s History Corner welcomes shots of plates long gone.

Why not scan a few and send some in to the Blog now…….

Leave a Comment » | Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Mozambique now and then

February 1, 2013

VB thought he would share some of John Pemberton’s limelight with this former Portuguese East Africa posting, first by showing the first new-series Mozambiquian plate I saw this morning, at the Tsetsekama Gorge viewing-point, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Luckily the car was stationary, enabling enough camera time to gather the details. The three letters and three-numbers are serial, and the final two letters are the regional code – in this case MC for Maputo (City). The lady driver thought the new series had been running for 4-5 years, though 2-3 may be more accurate. The plates are clearly manufactured in South Africa and they closely resemble current ZA practice – just as the new Swaziland plates do, too.

Car-park Find – new-ish MOC srs. from Maputo City.

The shield detail from the new MOC plates.

tax documents and all windows etched to foil thieves.

All the windows etched to deter thieves.

Below:

Tax documents for 2013 MOC.

But this is in 2013………………

65 years ago, if we had trudged round London with JP, we would have found a Lourenco Marques registration on a big American (Dodge?) car, LM 7667. This was from the original Portuguese East Africa plate type which commenced in 1930 and was issued until 1957, when the LLL-NN-NN series began – example below.

LM 7667 visiting London after the war, using the official ‘P’ which Portugal used for all its overseas territories. Although Mozambique was issued MOC no sighting has ever been reported. JP archive.

The only other photo of the LM code on a vehicle is this, and the origin is unknown….

Colour slide taken in Lourenco Marques/Maputo by an unknown spotter, perhaps in the 1960’s. VB archive.

This Beira-registered Ford Model A (c. 1932) stands in Johannesburg’s Museum of Transport and gives us our only photo of Beira plates on the car.

This BMW 3.0 SCi was captured on Madeira in 1978. MBE 11-93 was coded B for Beira, the second city and a popular holiday place before independence in 1975.

This classic BMW 2000 CSi was captured on Madeira in 1978. MBE 11-93 was coded B for Beira, the second city and a popular holiday place before Mozambique’s independence in 1975 and subsequent fall into chaos.. VB archive.

2 Comments | Africa, Ancient & Modern, Historic, Mozambique | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Pemberton’s Rara Avis – Somaliland

January 26, 2013

Of JP’s photo collection, few depict a plate (and international oval SP) as rare as his London sighting, circa 1955, of a Morris Oxford MO Traveller, on British Somaliland plates.

As the rear door sports an ADAC badge, we may assume that the car had previously run in Germany, probably on British Zone BZ plates, in which case, the owner was probably an RAF or Army officer many of whom travelled round their foreign postings with their cars…….(more info on this came along. See responses below from Mike Raine and now from Barry Scowen)

The pressed figure ‘8’ is of an unusual design…..

S 815 from the Somaliland Protectorate British zone, until independence in 1960. Seen in London;s West End.

S 815 from the Somaliland Protectorate British zone, until independence in 1960. Seen in Coventry Street in London’s Theatreland circa 1955. Pemberton archive

Of the 1941-1960 plate types (of which so few illustrations exists) two prefixes existed – S and SO. There is a suspicion arising that the Italian zone of the the Trusteeship of Somaliland issued SO, and the British zone a simple S. Mega-collector, author and international cymbalist Jim Fox has gathered one of each into his gallery of exotica, beating the sum of the Other Collectors of the World by a factor of two!

Jim Fox’ British Somaliland Protectorate S 1357 rarity.

and Jim’s SO 5611 believed to be from the Italian zone of the trusteeship territory 1941-49-60 and a bit beyond. (Fox archive)

Victor Brumby saw SO 5671 in Britain about 1961 on an Austin A50 Cambridge, driven by an English man with a huge Somali lady passenger. Stopped for interview by our spotter on his Triumph bicycle, the business card of the driver gave ‘Mogadiscio’ as his home base – then the capital of Italian Somaliland. The International Circulation Permit (ICP), which temporary imports to GB had to carry in place of a licence disc in those times, read SOM in the ‘Country of Origin’ line. The 5671 plate was painted or stencilled and the car bore no international oval at the rear.

Note that S 815 wears a ‘Visitor To Britain’ window flag, another authorised international motor-visitor accessory for new arrivals to GB in those days. To help with parking wardens, doubtless!

Another photo of S 815 from Mike Raine, up in the Somali highlands.

ABOVE: Here is reader Barry Scowen as a boy in Somaliland with the Morris which is the subject of this Blog page. His father must have been the second or third owner of S 815. See Comments below.

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Terra Incognita could describe this benighted ‘country’ from the perspective of collectors. Who knows more?

P.S. These ‘S’ plates of typical British design could just as easily have come from Seychelles, Cyprus, Fiji, Singapore, Mauritius, Southern Rhodesia, Guyana, Bermuda, Trinidad and Barbados! Absolutely identical. Fortunately in those day, car owners usually fitted the international ovals, which helped the perplexed spotter!

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Below: Sometime after the Somalilands’ 1960 independence, this Italian-influenced Somalia system commenced:

The independence of Somalia gave rise to this series, about 1960. This is seen in Nairobi in 1978, on a Benz lorry. Vic Brumby archive

When the country collapsed into anarchy, few vehicles bore any plates at all!

This plate was 'liberated' by a Reuter camera team during a newsgathering visit in about 1983. From an armoured Toyota pickup of one of the insurgent groups.

This plate was ‘liberated’ by a Reuters camera team during a newsgathering visit in about 1983. From an armoured Toyota pickup of one of the insurgent groups. Brumby archive

14 Comments | Africa, Historic, Somalia, Somaliland | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Pemberton on Libya

January 25, 2013

A Morris Minor Tourer from Benghazi circa 1951. BN 1089. (JP)

Neither Ivan Thornley nor I ever saw a Libyan like this, using “BN” as a code. Furthermore all previous examples place the arabic before the western script. Wonderful!

LIBIA T.5829, circa 1950.

Then JP saw a Sunbeam Talbot 90 with another VERY unusual plate design – and no arabic at all….. Such plates had been used in the 1930s, though this Sunbean model was produced from 1948. And it looks as if the background might have been a light shade, rather than standard black. Probably from the 1937-50 series.

Below: The mid-1950s to late 60s used the next style and many used to be seen near British Air Force bases in England in that period, when US and UK had very active bases in Libya. LB-Benghazi, LT-Tripoli. Initially made with the arabic to the left and after about 1962, the arabic to the right.

Libya-Tripoli 21331

Unofficially the international oval was LT, (Libya-Tripolitania) but I don’t think any were ever seen – unless you know otherwise? Now it is LAR Libyan Arab Republic – and still none have ever been seen! The way things are shaping up in post-Gadaafi Libya, it will be some time before they get round to worrying about international ovals!

4 Comments | Africa, Historic, Libya | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Swazi latest series – plus

January 25, 2013

My native guide tapped me on the shoulder with his panga. “Look, Massah, and approach slowly.”

A single young plate had broken away from the Manzini herd and was grazing in the beach car park outside Plettenberg Bay, ZA, only yesterday, March 24th.

Steadily, I raised my Lumix to my good eye and took a good long focus on the strange sight – the first of the species I had seen. Click – click – click – and the item was permanently recorded in my digital archive, ready to exhibit to you chaps once it had been skinned and stuffed.

HSD 305 AM Swaziland 2010 series. M= Manzini. H305A is the serial

rear plate.

Clearly the plate-makers in ZA were involved in the design of the first Swazi plate change for many years! These are an exact replica of the current ZA provincial plates.

Let us not leave Southern Africa without stepping back over 60 years to the photos taken in England at that time by hero Pemberton. They are left again, for your own identification:

Note the massive dimensions of the international ovals, which were reduced by a later convention, detailed by a most interesting forthcoming research document from Placamundi.

Thank goodness for the preservative power of film!

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Leave a Comment » | Africa, Swaziland | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

South Africa items

January 20, 2013

A fine motor museum outside Franschoek, Western Cape, reveals a few early plates which are now little seen. http://www.fmm.co.za

OB-914, Orange Free State – Bloemfontein, circa 1910 at Franschoek. This car is a Lorraine-Dietrich. Brumby archive

Below: Next, BDP 795 EC, a former series Eastern Cape plate re-registering a 1920s Ford model ‘A’, using the new EC-suffixed series, but on a plain yellow ground. Soon replaced by the multicoloured background of the current type. A handful of these are still to be seen in use.

BDP 795 EC interim plate design for Eastern Cape Province. These plain plates were issued from 1996 to Oct 1998. Brumby archive

Below: NO 85 from Kwazulu-Natal (then simply Natal) coded NO to Melmoth, a small place half-way between Durban and Swaziland.

NO 85 on a Natal motorcycle. NO is from Mtonjaneni-Melmoth

Below CC 22 FL GP – examples of the new layout of the Gauteng (formerly Transvaal) plates, showing the square version and the long.

In 2011, starting with BB 00 AA, Gauteng had exhausted its 3-letter 3-number series. Rear size.

In 2011, starting with BB 00 AA, Gauteng had exhausted its 3-letter 3-number series and changed to LL NN LL. Rear size example.

Below: GDF 116 G – Here is a central government series, always plain. background.

Dept. of Transport national issue. GG codes ‘Government Garage’. Seen 16-1-2013, Somerset West, Cape.

and finally an archive shot from John Pemberton’s album – Natal/Durban no. 20 during the 1940s in Oxford, UK., bearing a big Royal Automobile Club oval. (What make/model this American car?)

Unknown 1940s American car from Durban. ND 20 Oct. 2014 – Now identified by Andre as a 1946-8 Chrysler!

Until 1981, South African Govt. departments were allocated plates from the ‘ Government Garage’. Here is a Ford Cortina Mk 3 estate car in Grahamstown in those days. Brumby archive

DIP 123 D is of the diplomatic style of the 1970s.

1 Comment | Africa, Diplomatic, Government, Historic, South Africa | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Southern Africa historic

December 6, 2012

A fine collection of photos from former Nyasaland, Northern and Southern Rhodesia are to be found at this web-site link:

http://www.classiccarsinrhodesia.co.za/Makes/SWA.html

There are other African countries represented too, and gen on many interesting cars. Some examples are here:

L=Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia in 1956.

K 2440 is the Lusaka code in the former Northern Rhodesia which became Zambia upon independence in 1964. Unknown car. Pemberton archive

K 2440. K was the Lusaka code in the former Northern Rhodesia which became Zambia upon independence in 1964. Unknown car. Pemberton archive.

RA 790. A & RA = Belingwe & Shabani (now Mberengwa) in Zimbabwe. Peugeot 404.

RA 790. A & RA = Belingwe & Shabani (now Mberengwa) in Southern Rhodesia-Zimbabwe. Africa’s car – the Peugeot 404.

Morris Mini-Moke in police service, Southern Rhodesia 1960s.

G/T PW=Govt. Passenger car -Wee. S. Rhodesia 1960. Classiccarsinrhodesia archive

Southern Rhodesia registration 483, estimated 1905

There is not much known of the numeric-only Rhodesian plates which the first vehicles used. South Africa used identical plates at the time – note this Transvaal example below: