Rover Sports Register Forum

Hello All.
I purchased my sad 1939 12 Sport Saloon last month and like Mike B would love to trace her earlier life. She is registered HPU515. I have a buff Logbook for ownership from 1949 to 1966 ? She resided in Romford and Hornchurch in Essex then. I believe her life for the last 30 years has been in a shed where copious amounts of Isopon P45 and underseal were consumed, along with forgetting to add antifreeze or drain engine coolant etc ! At least she provided sanctuary for local Mice populations. Any help in adding to my history file would be greatly appreciated as restoration commences.
Thanks Mark

Hello there Mark

Unfortunately
we have not got much on the RSR archive database to help you as car only first appeared in the RSR in 1995 when it was owned by Mark Mercer who lived in Steeple, it had Black bodywork with Red interior and he described it as cond F i.e. off the road in need of restoration.
Then you are the next owner with the RSR. The registration HPU was issued by the Essex licensing authorities in April/May 1939 so looks as though she was in the Essex area until 1966???

Sorry I can't be more helpful
Best of luck in your search
Andrew McGovern
Pre 1950 RSR archivist

Many thanks for the information Andrew. I did indeed buy her from Mr Mercer in Steeple. She is still condition F , but hopefully this will improve over coming months. Thanks Mark

It is possible to trace the history of a vehicle, it takes a lot of detective work and sometimes a simple clue opens up a world of information. From my own perspective, my Rover 10 1934, ' Snowdrop ' which I have owned since 1980, for over 30 years I tried to find the Mullens / Hayman family who were the first owners. The car came with two diaries from the 1960s and a buff log book with Beryl Mullens and Stanley Hayman entered as previous owners, so I had that to go on.

This forum was instrumental in finding the Hayman family, we are now in touch and have met up, with both Graham Hayman and his sister Clare Joslin ( nee Hayman ). I now have photographs of Ernest Mullens, their grandfather, and other Mullens / Hayman family members. Now I have the complete history of ' Snowdrop ', why she was repainted white in 1936, why she was repainted blue again in 1940 and how she became white again in around 1965.

I have learnt that Snowdrop was licenced for use during WW2 under schedule G and Ernest Mullens was in the Home Guard, he siphoned off a little of his ' official ' ration so he could visit his family in West Bridgeford, from his home in Reading. Clare said that she could remember her grandfather weaving in and out of the army truck convoys on their way to West Bridgeford.

The information is out there, don't give up ! A history lesson its itself

Chris

Sorry to hijack this post but I also would like to fill in the gaps.

My car BG728 was registered on 6th Dec' 1938
I have owned it since 11th May 2003
Previous owner 20th April 2002-11th May 2003
Previous owner 1972-2002
Finally buff log book 1955-1965

Iain

Hello there Iain

I think there is a 0 missing from your Registration No, BG 7208 is the correct one???

This car first came into the RSR in 1981 whilst in the ownership of Paul Nethersole in Ledbury, not sure from when he first owned it but he sold it in 2002 to Ray Bardsley in Ledbury, who then sold it on to you in May 2003.

That is all the history that the RSR has on its Pre 1950 Archive data base, and I am sorry we can't help you with earlier ownership

Regards
Andrew McGovern
Pre 1950 RSR archivist

I'm try to trace the history of my P2. The RSR has nothing earlier than 1978. I've got no paperwork earlier than 1993. I wrote to the DVLA but they didn't reply. Next step is approach previous owners. Then I thought I might send a request for info and a photo to the Liverpool Echo as my car (DWM 608) was registered in Southport in November '38.

If you want to trace the original owner, go to your local County Council Records Office
(Births Marriages & Deaths) for Southport. They should also have copies of the original
vehicles registrations filed on a yearly basis. On that vehicle reg record, it should have the
names and address of the first owner. They normally keep them on microfiche reels.
I've just got the original data for my 1939 Rover 14 from the Oxford Records Office.
Good hunting, Chris C.

Thank Chris. The Southport office no longer exists but I might try Liverpool.

Merseyside Records Office is in Liverpool, see attached link
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.u ... ?_ref=1072