Need help to identify a car

Hi!

A friend of mine post me this old photo of his grandfather (a Canadian guy) going to England in WWI. She's asking me if someone can identify the car on the background

Thnak you very much for any input

Yvan-Martin

 

This might be really tough!!!

It looks to me like an old passenger coach being used as a camping coach, (basically as a holiday cabin) or maybe a house? The picture is a bit close to tell how long, or what roof style it was. It seems to have been what we would call a brake coach (that is, one with a compartment for luggage and the train crew, kind of like a combine) as the doors to the right look like double doors.

Do you have any idea as to whereabouts it was, maybe we could find someone local to the area?

 

From a little bit of playing round & blowing up the image, there's a sign hung on the inward opening door to the right, unfortunately It's slightly too fuzzy to read, is it any clearer on the original?

 

Hi, I'm the friend in question. This picture was taken during WWI between August 1918 and July 1919. The sign in question reads as follow: Private No Admittance W/T Office (Wireless Telegraphy Office). So this is a telegraphic station. It could be in a train station in England or in Canada. I know that he went to Aldershot in England. That's all I know.

 

Hi Renee, I have an idea!

It might be the Longmoor Military Railway, this was a separate railway off the main network used as a training line for army engineering people in how to operate and maintain a railway under wartime conditions.

1st world war military railway history

Longmoor was relatively near Aldershot, so it's a possibility, other than that it could possibly be an internal railway at one of the miltary camps.

I'm fairly convinced by the look of the coach that it's not in Canada, and I think that a temporary telegraph office like that would be less likely on one of the main railway companies in the UK at that time (though I'm certainly not an expert with things that old!) because the UK didn't suffer damage in the same way as it did in WW2.

[ 30 May 2002, 07:00: Message edited by: Martyn Read ]

 

Pulled this quote from the following page:

Railway operating Division (ROD)

A Railway Construction Troops Depot RE was established at Longmoor in December 1914, which was to train a total of 16,723 men before being stood down in 1919. In addition to the Depot, a further influx of railway troops occurred in the summer of 1915 with the arrival of the Canadian Overseas Railway Construction Corps (CORCC), a unit comprising 20 officers and 500 men, organised into 4 companies. (I have a brief note of two Canadian units, 239th and 257th Infantry Battalions, apparently assigned to the CORCC - I presume these were later labour units within the Corps, plus a Railway Bridging Company.)

Do any of those bits of info help?

[ 30 May 2002, 08:33: Message edited by: Martyn Read ]

 

Thanks a lot for the inputs. I've searched many website with the info I received but there are not pictures that I can use to compare. Is there a book that you would suggest that could help me?

 

I don't know of any personally, but then it's something that's a bit outside my main interests, so I wouldn't...

This link may be of some use, it's a big transport/military bookshop in London, if there is a book on those subjects, they may be able to help you.
Motor Books (railway menu)

There may be an easier/cheaper place for you to buy from, but they should be useful for finding out if such a book exists.

I hope you do find the information you're looking for, don't forget to let us know the good news if you do!

All the best.

[ 01 June 2002, 00:10: Message edited by: Martyn Read ]

 

Just a few ideas on this-I would say it is the Longmoor Military Railway;several Canadian units where there during the Great War,some units were employed on logging work.
Asto the coach body,it may be an ex LSWR or GWR brake end-like a combine as was mentioned earlier-the style of pannaling seems to suggest those companies; the GER had higher door arches.
Best wishes
Steve