(Pages 1 & 10 missing)
First registered London 15/2/57. Stamp of Secretary of State for the Home Office on P6, but no signature. Taxation Class rubber stamped as ‘Goods’. Make (Rover), Colour (Deep Bronze Green), Type of Body (Van), Propelled by (Petrol) and Manufacturer's Type or Model (Land Rover) written in in black fountain pen. Chassis Number given as 11170 1640, and Unladen Weight as 1 ton 3cwt 28lbs. [Engine No 111704920, not given]
Transferred 16/10/57 to ‘Manchester Corporation’ (but all rubber stamps say ‘Manchester CBC’), and signed by Town Clerk. On P8 ‘Goods’ is crossed out, and ‘Civil Defence’ written in black ink. ‘Exempt’ has also been added alongside, and in the ‘Rates of Duty’ box at the top of the page) in red ink in a different hand. First ‘Nil Duty Paid’ stamp on P9 — these continue from Manchester CBC until regular entries ceased Dec 1967 ‘on instructions from Ministry of Transport’.
Returned 17/10/68 to Secretary of State, Home Office. Rubber stamp, no signature. Put into store?
Transferred 8/6/70 to Peter Ward. Lealholm, N.Riding and re-classified on P7 as ‘Private’, with ‘N.R.Yorks CC, Northallerton’ stamp. On 18/6/71, reclassified as ‘Reduced Goods’.
Transferred 11/10/71 to Anthony Sayers, Westerdale. On 3/10/73 (year unclear), re-classified as ‘Private’. There is also a stamp from Castleton Post Office dated 10/12/73, probably when being re-taxed.
Transferred 12/6/74 (by ‘North Yorkshire CC’) to Anthea Aldous. Reclassified ‘Private & Farmer's Goods’ 13/10/75 — this was because the general Goods rate was higher than the Private rate, and strictly speaking should have been paid for carrying items for non-private use. However, the Farmer's Goods rate was lower than Private, so paying the Private rate also covered carriage of farm-associated items. This distinction was removed in later years when the current ‘PLG – Private Light Goods’ classification was introduced at the normal Private duty rate. [At other times the Rates of Duty box showed annual rates of £25/-/- (£7/3/- quarterly) and £43.00 (£15.75) — dates unknown]
When all vehicle registrations were centralised at DVLC in Swansea (in 1976?), and the computerised system was introduced, all brown logbooks had to be returned to the current licensing office, and a V5 issued. If the logbook was precious, one could ask for it back. When our V5 arrived from Northallerton, there was no logbook, but an urgent phone call was made. We were told that the current batch of old logbooks were in a bag at the back door, waiting to be shredded. Staff managed to retrieve ours, but minus the first page. Any delay in making that call and we'd have lost an important piece of the vehicle's history.
To view what remains of the Log Book, click here.
NOTE THAT there is a mystery regarding the Chassis Number. The bulkhead plate gives 111701199*, but research via John Riley (Project Engineering Traceability at Solihull – 0121 700 4806) and British Motor Industry Heritage Trust archives at Gaydon (01926 645076) shows that this number was a vehicle which was dispatched to Charles Hurst Ltd of Belfast on 1/11/56. A phone call to Dick Best (who has researched the history of Charles Hurst) confirmed that any vehicle received there would have been for civvy sale, and the company had no involvement with Home Office supply, or specialist fitting. However, Solihull and Gaydon confirm that 111701640 was built 26 days later (on 27/11/56), and delivered 17/12/56 to the Ministry of Supply at Hereford, and so this is almost certain to be the correct number. How it came to bear the bulkhead plate of a vehicle which has probably never been on the same land-mass is a mystery. Without drastic paint removal, any number that may be stamped on the chassis can't be found — there was no sign on the FOS spring hanger where it should have been, and that area of the chassis has now been renewed. Peter Ward can shed no light on the matter. Anthony Sayers no longer lives in Westerdale (3/12/99).
*THE MYSTERY DEEPENS! The above was written some years before 'Fido' was restored in 2007, and a (second) replacement bulkhead fitted. We were now able to fit a replica plate (from the Land-Rover Series One Club) with the correct number stamped on it. However, removing the original plate from the bulkhead, and cleaning it up, revealed that in fact the number stamped on it was 47101199, and not what had been misread previously. So all the information about Charles Hurst Ltd of Belfast was duff gen anyway. But 47101199 would be an appropriate number for a Home Market 86" built in the 1954 model year, which 'Fido' most clearly isn't. There is no explanation at all as to how this plate came to be on this vehicle.