Young Pemberton collared two odd Greeks on celluloid, during his forays into the capital during the days of rationing. A 1950s American Buick Eight convertible parked in Upper Regent Street in London bears a baffling, plain, T 38 plate, unlike anything we know. John was certain it was Greek.
Was it a Thessaloniki Port tourist entry plate?
May 31, 2019 Yes – this transpired to be just that, and our Stoel albums provided another example from the same period – T 62, carried by a 1949-ish Hillman Minx.
Any ideas about this ‘Greek’? JP archive
May 31, 2019 Yes – this transpired to be just that, and our Stoel albums provided another example from the same period – T 62, carried by a 1949-ish Hillman Minx.
Well – there’s another series we had not known of! Thessalonika Temporary Importation registration, free of duty.
Below:
A Morris Oxford MO was the choice of transport for this 1940’s-era British diplomat in Athens, seen on leave in UK. Embassies were not coded in those times.
CD 277 on leave from Athens. in Britain, circa 1949-50. Pemberton archive
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Below; Not many years later, in about 1958, the rare Greek diplomatic was photographed in Earls Court by VB. Also on a Morris Oxford, but the later, Farina-designed 1960s version.
A Farina-designed Morris Oxford from GB Athens embassy, in about 1958. VB archive.
The 56 on these plates gave the year of their first issue only. 56 continued to be issued until they were replaced in 1969 with similar (green) plates, but now showing ‘69‘. This ran until about 2011, still marked ‘69‘! So the date meant nothing.
The DS transliteration of the Greek dip. plates abbreviates ‘Diplomatikos Somos‘ or ‘Diplomatic Body‘. Greeks are not keen to use Latin-based words (Corps), when they have their own, older language!
At last, an attractive new turquoise plate design has replaced the 1969 series:
The latest Greek CD.
Posted by Victor Brumby 
