Europlate blog

Maroc-Tangiers MT international zone

January 12, 2013

Another notable photo-capture of member EU83 is of the short-lived issue to the international settlement of TANGIERS, an enclave in Morocco, facing Gibraltar across the Straits. The plates followed the British style of the times (and might have been made across in Gibraltar, half-an-hour away on the ferry.)

T-4145 is seen here in 1940s London.

(From 1661-4, TANGIERS was a possession of the British Crown.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangier

Daimler(?) T-4145 from Tangiers, in Oxford durin 1947.

Standard 14 or Daimler(?) T-4145 from Tangiers, in Oxford during 1947. Also bearing a British Foreign-Visitor’s registration, QC 8825.

An example of a territory which was not party to the treaties permitting free circulation of foreign vehicles, was the TANGIERS international enclave, and to visit Britain after the WW2, this owner was given QC (foreign visitor to Britain) plates to permit his entry. Q-C was allocated to, and handed out by, the the Royal Automobile Association (RAC), as were Q-D and Q-H. The RAC and AA auto clubs assisted travellers with the considerable documentation required for international travel in those times – Motor Insurance, Carnets (partly to prevent the sale of cars in foreign countries), supply of International Ovals (seldom available in the originating countries) and so on.

BELOW

T 50 & T 11259. Evidence of diplomatic activity in TANGIERS is given by these pictures below, 11259, circa 1953.

The system existed until 1956, when the TANGIERS internationally-administered zone was re-incorporated into the Kingdom of Morocco. You have to be fairly elderly, by now, to have seen one of these in circulation!

Most interesting explanatory notes are given below, by Thierry Baudoin, who studies the Conventions regulating international vehicle movement. (See Comments).

An early Tangiers number T 50, used by a diplomat

T 11259 from the MV archive.

5 Comments | Diplomatic, Historic, Tangiers Free Zone, Temporary Importation | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

The Straits Settlements

January 12, 2013

Will sharp-eyed viewers note the apparent error in this picture of N 3138?

The Straits Settlements were originally named for the coastal enclaves ceded to Britain by the sultans of the independent states of Malaya – lands facing the Straits of Malacca, in the Bay of Bengal. N was the code for Negeri Sembilan state from 1948, (from 1932 it had been NS), when all the states of Malaya combined to form the Federation of Malaya (international oval FM.) Thanks to EU83 John Henderson for this historic picture/puzzle.

Q. Is this a German-built Ford Taunus 12M (built from 1952)?

A. (No”), responds David Wilson “It’s an 1949 (American) Ford, with the right-hand part of the trunk- (boot-) lid piece broken off. With RHD, this was likely made in Australia by Ford Australia”. (That would tie in with its presence in ‘nearby’ British Malaya and the lower duties applied to Commonwealth-built vehicles.)

Negri Sembilan N 3138, in Harwich (GB) during the early 1950s.

The rare SS oval is shown twice in the Pemberton album, this second one being from Penang island, and seen in London, probably 1949. An MG YA is parked alongside, built from 1947.

Ford Eight from Penang, Straits Settlements, London 1940s.

1939 Ford E04A Anglia from Penang, Straits Settlements, in London, 1940s.

7 Comments | Historic, Malaysia, Straits Settlements | Tagged: Malaysia | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Fancy a Chinese?

January 12, 2013

One of EU38 Pemberton’s rarest sightings is shown below – a US Dodge from Chinese region 03 (or perhaps embassy 03?) with only four numbers, not five as expected via the para. x) in RPWO. Thought to have been taken 1947-1952, certainly in London. The characters on the shield have been sent off for identification*. Any thoughts, members?

The photographer, John Pemberton, notes that he believes the plate to be from Inner Mongolia… RPWO gives 03 to have been for Nei Mongol (I.M.) from circa 1949-86. We suspect that this photo is from about 1946, but it could actually be pre-war………

American Dodge sedan from postwar China.

* A quick answer from Yun Li in Hong Kong today reads:

It depends on the context, the most common meaning can be

-messenger

-ambassador

-a certain title for soldiers / officer, used only in the past

The numbers below the character may be related to the context too. It reminds of something like a signpost in the old china, 1850-1900, or even older

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So perhaps it IS a diplomatic series yet undiscovered?

Leave a Comment » | China, Diplomatic, Historic, Taiwan | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Pemberton Quiz January 2013

January 9, 2013

Who can identify the plate on this 1950 Hillman Minx, taken by Member EU83 John Pemberton c. 1951?

January quiz M-3139 Pemberton archive

He though it was Madeira, yet HOPED it might be Macao! I cannot agree with either – but cannot offer an alternative.

The separator dash is odd…….

Answers/ideas, please, in the box below.

FEBRUARY 2013 UPDATE M-3139

NO-ONE CAME UP WITH AN ANSWER ON THIS, BUT MORE RESEARCH BY THE WRITER HAS ESTABLISHED THAT IT IS A NORMAL MADEIRA PLATE FROM THE POST-WAR SERIES, WHEN THE NUMBERS WERE NOT DIVIDED BY THE CLASSIC PORTUGUESE DASH, BUT THE SINGLE LETTER ‘M‘ WAS! AZORES USED ‘A‘ IN THE SAME WAY AT THAT TIME.

Leave a Comment » | Historic, Portugal, Portuguese Territories | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

SIAM until 1939, then Thailand, but SM oval kept until 1956

January 8, 2013

Which of us ever thought we might see a photograph of a car from pre-1956 Thailand, when the international oval was ‘SM’? Well, Europlate member no. 83, John Pemberton, started noting strange plates when he went up to Oxford University in 1937 and though his thousands of records of the intervening years are in written logs, he did take some black-and-white photos from time to time, many of which are now important historical records of plates never to be seen again.

John, who is in his nineties, and still spotting whenever he goes out in a car, has passed his album to the RPWO Blog for scanning, so that we can all share his gift to the recorded history of our odd pursuit.

Let us first show his Siamese picture, taken in Denmark in Amalienborg, Copenhagen in 1947. The style of the plate is exactly as described in RPWO:

(y) 1940s plates were 390×110 mm (or 270×90 mm for motorcycles) and the registration consisted of two small Thai letters vertically aligned being a code for the province (see Table 1, column 2), followed in Bangkok and Chon Buri by a Thai letter and four numerals, or in other provinces, by five numerals.

Postwar Siamese plate on an unknown car type.

Postwar Siamese plate 2663

The 2 Thai letters abbreviate Krung Thep, the short-form Thai ceremonial name for Bangkok – and meaning City of Angels according to King Rama III.

Siamese car of unknownmake, in Denmark 1947

Siamese-registered Hanomag 1300 ‘Autobahn’ model, made between 1938 and 1941, seen in 1947 Denmark by member Pemberton. Note that unique oval!

The same day, John saw a 1947 New Jersey plate off Radthusplads, also bearing Stockholm reg. A 34351. It seems that it was then common for foreign tourists to carry both their home plate and a visitor plate during their tour in Europe, as several of John’s shots depict such doubled plates.

Addendum It transpires that countries which were not signatories to the International Traffic Convention, could not circulate freely on the roads of the member countries while using their own plates. Among others, the USA and Canada were late to join and until about 1955, had to obtain some temporary plates of the country they were visiting, as they entered at a port or other frontier. Britain had its ‘Q’ series, France its TT. Sweden and Switzerland gave them normal plates. Full details of the Conventions are being assembled currently, by our former president, Bernt Larsson.

Below: Another example of doubled plates is Zurich 28560 with 1946 Virginia, too,on a new Oldsmobile, in 1946 London. Possibly from the US consulate/embassy in Switzerland…

More of John’s sightings will be coming to the Blog shortly.

5 Comments | Asia, Historic, Siam, Thailand | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Indian plates using Hindi

December 30, 2012

1965 Delhi sight of (part of) a Hindi-scripted plate – uncommon at that time.#

In support of a member’s sighting of an Indian Jeep in London in the 1950s, bearing Hindi scripted plates, we see another example in 1965 New Delhi, snapped just as a camera came to the end of a roll of film. The Jowett Javelin was quite a rare car in Britain, using a flat-four water-cooled engine and many advanced features. It would have been very difficult indeed to keep a 1951 car like this, still running in India in ’65!

The sight of an Indian car in Britain was – and remains – a rarity. Of the handful I saw, royal household red plate with silver letters ‘PALITANA 1’ was on a red Ford Mustang belonging to Prince Shiv and was shown in the Daily Mail circa 1957, though no photo by me. This Hillman Minx however was captured in Plymouth one day in 1964

Madras-registered Hillman in 1964 Plymouth.

and a Bihar-registered early Rolls-Royce in a London mews:

BRQ 734 - one of the last grand cars to be permitted to leave India for international collections.

BRQ 714 – one of the last grand cars to be permitted to leave India for international collections.

and a type never reported before or since, seen in Earls Court, London, in the 1960s, using West Bengal plates in white on red and marked with (TRYP).

WBD 6714 – VW Kombi overlander in 1960s London, with an unexplained plate type .

I have concluded that an Australian overlanding team was arriving by ship at Calcutta (WB was for West Bengal until 1973) and was required by the customs at port of arrival to mount temporary transit plates, perhaps because they could not show documentation proving paid-up overseas licencing. (Bad luck!) They might have had to buy a carnet to transit India and the abbreviation TRYP on a red numberplate (rear only) might have indicated the temporary nature of the registration. It was all painted in the exact style of the period, the letters shorter that the numerals…..

The only red plates in India then were those of the princely states’ ‘royal family’ and the trade plates for dealers, of which DLH 267 M appears in RPWO/India/Historical Notes http://europlate.org.uk/countries/hai-kyr/ind/ind-hist.htm

Leave a Comment » | Historic, INDIA, Temporary Importation, vanity/special issue | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Pemberton quiz

December 19, 2012

Member John Pemberton saw a Jeep in Piccadilly, London, in the 1950s, and having no camera, transcribed its Bengali/Nepali/w.h.y. script. Can one of our specialists identify that plate?

John Pemberton’s unidentified spotting.

Nepal has been suggested. A Nepali looked like this:

Surprisingly, at March 2013, no readers have ventured any more suggestions – where are those accumulated years of experience???? (VB)

Now see a good suggestion from EU 575 below….

added 30/8/2015:

J&K 68 -- The dual-plated lorry on which the writer hitch-hiked from Patna to Kathmandu in 1965, carried Nepali and Jammu & Kashmir commercial plates.

J&K 6831 — The dual-plated lorry on which the writer hitch-hiked from Patna to Kathmandu in 1965, carried Nepali and Jammu & Kashmir commercial plates.

AQ failed photo of a Jowett Javelin in New Delhi in 1965 shows Hindi script, then most unusual. VB archive

A failed photo of a Jowett Javelin in New Delhi in 1965 shows Hindi script, then most unusual. VB archive

2 Comments | Asia, Nepal, QUIZ, UNIDENTIFIED | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Zambia re-plating

December 14, 2012

This Bentley S1 picture has been sent to us by non-member Wayne Kennerley, an avid student of old cars in Southern Africa.

1950s Ndola District re-made in current style.

EU 1850 – 1950s Lusaka District re-made in current Zambian style.

We see an example of the original Northern Rhodesia series which ran from the inception of registrations there in the 1920’s, up to 1963. This 6-cylinder Bentley S1 model was built from 1955-59 so if brought to Rhodesia new, this S1 would have received it’s EU (Lusaka/Mumbwa) 1850 plates in the original British style – but this car has replaced its plates in the format of the new 2000 > Zambia system of black on reflective white, pressed alloy.

Contemporary Lusaka motor-sportsmen with their Triumph TR4s on EA (Lusaka) plates.

Early 1960s Lusaka motor-sportsmen with their Triumph TR4s on (almost consecutive) EA (Lusaka & Mumbwa) plates, in the original design.

Thanks, Wayne. Rare pictures.

** Any interesting Zambian items available from RPW members??

Leave a Comment » | Historic, Southern Africa, Zambia | Tagged: historic, Zambia | 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:

465 is a Transvaal issue, 1900-1910 approx.

And, from Western Australia:

1900s numeric-only Western Australia’s 4140

It seems that many (Empire) jurisdictions didn’t expect the expansion of motorcar populations, and thought a simple numeric format would suffice!

Evidence that Britain also influenced early China plates is shown here:

China 1928, reg. 808

Enjoy the Classic cars in Rhodesia website! http://www.classiccarsinrhodesia.co.za/Makes/SWA.html

7 Comments | Africa, Australia, China, Government, Historic, Northern Rhodesia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Southern Rhodesia | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Colony of North Borneo ((CNB) until 1963)

November 17, 2012

Member John Pemberton EU83, a venerable nonagenarian from Suffolk, has reminded me that he has a plate, J 3500, from one of the the little-seen British colonial enclaves of Borneo island, now known as Sabah state in Eastern Malaysia. Independent in 1957, Malaya later combined with the former British territories in Borneo island, Sarawak and (then) the Colony of North Borneo to form Malaysia in 1963. To see a plate from British Borneo (or from Labuan Island – a onetime Straits Settlement) in those times was a rare sight indeed.

I have written to him thus:

Mr. P. – You write of having a ‘CNB’ numberplate, J 3500 – the CNB only identifying the Colony of North Borneo as it was designated between 1955 and 1963*, when it assumed (PTM) – six years after Malaya’s 1957 independence from Britain. After another ten years, in 1967, the Malaysian (PTM) international oval changed to (MAL) and vehicles from (by now, Sabah) would show the (MAL) oval IF they ever travelled outside Borneo or mainland Malaya – most unlikely.

British North Borneo 1950s-60s. J=Jesselton (now Kota Kinabulu).

You sent me a photo of J 3500, and I have it my Sabah archive as above: Glorious! You say that the late Roger Anderson passed it to you in 1976. Did he ever say what vehicle it came from? Did he see it in Britain? John P replied verbally that a very old friend and an early spotter obtained it ‘out East’ in the 1950s, but was unsure of its origin.

The writer DID see Sabah once in London on a Mini, in 1963*, and fortunately, photographed it for posterity:

J 6186 1963 sighting in London of Jesselton (J) Morris Mini-Minor. Showing the new Perseketuan Tanah Melayu (PTM) oval, which, since 1958, had replaced (FM) (Federation of Malaya). Until 1963 the oval for this region would have been (CNB) Brumby archive

I have now visited Sabah twice and collared quite a few of these earliest plates on photo – it’s a jurisdiction where old cars are kept running, and, happily, the authorities don’t force owners to shed their original plates whenever a system change occurs.

Although, when Mainland Malaysia recognised that it’s newly-acquired Bornean territories, Sabah and Sarawak were already using regional codes identical to their own, Sabah hurried to add a suffix ‘S’ to their existing registered vehicles, (and Sarawak added a ‘Q’ suffix) to distinguish them, should vehicles move between Peninsular Malaya and north Borneo (now East Malaysia). The Mini above would have adopted J 6186 S.

Newly-registered cars in Sabah first adopted an ’E’ (for East Malaysia) preceding their town code (E J-Jesselton, E S-Sandakan etc.) In Sarawak, they added a ‘Q’ suffix to existing plates and a ‘Q’ prefix to new registrations. The ‘J’ for example, which could have come from Johore (Peninsular Malaya) or from Jesselton (Colony of North Borneo/Sabah).

Until these changes had been implemented, at that confused time, a PTM-ovalled car seen abroad after 1963, registered ‘K’ nnnn could have been registered in Kedah (Peninsular Malaya), Kudat (Sabah) or Kuching (Sarawak)! ‘T’ could come from Trengganu (PM) or Tawau, and ‘S’ from Sandakan (Sabah), Singapore (old) or Sibo (Sarawak).

Little wonder the licensing authorities had to act!

The post -1963 Sabah plates had an ‘S’ suffixed to their original registration. K=Kudat, S=Sabah. Most plates were re-made from scratch, for appearance. Brumby archive

NEW vehicles were issued with the usual codes and a new ‘E’ prefix:

The Sabah system from 1963. Later, having issued to 9999, a serial suffix A and B would be needed, in three of the Sabah registration districts – EJ-A, EJ-B, ES-A, ET-A. Brumby archive

Eastern Malaysia – Sandakan – with serial suffix A 3024. Brumby archive

There are still, dumped in kampongs, a few of the single-letter plates to be seen. And photographed. Some plate collectors would buy them off the village headman and take them away, but I like to leave them in their context, in case another member should chance by in years to come!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mr. P – It is so evocative to read that in your early spotting day, you saw Danzig Free City plates – and India, including Jammu & Kashmir! Did you take photos of any of them in those times?

LATER (John Pemberton passed his album in January 2013 to the Club, as a result of this enquiry, and the 80 or so pictures will be progressively released on the Blog.

Any other unseen material out there, readers????

BORNEO ADDENDUM

The remarkable sight on two Jesselston-registered VW 1500s in London in 1969. Note their numbers.

The remarkable sight of two Jesselton-registered VW 1500s in London in 1969. Note their numbers. Brumby archive

p.s. Does anyone have a picture of a Colony of North Borneo oval (CNB) or a State of North Borneo oval (SNB)???? We assume a few were made.

3 Comments | Borneo, Historic, Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak | Tagged: Borneo, historic, Malaysia | Permalink
Posted by Victor Brumby

Europlate blog

Maroc-Tangiers MT international zone

The Straits Settlements

Fancy a Chinese?

Pemberton Quiz January 2013

SIAM until 1939, then Thailand, but SM oval kept until 1956

Indian plates using Hindi

Pemberton quiz

Zambia re-plating

Southern Africa historic

Colony of North Borneo ((CNB) until 1963)

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