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Topic: Colonel Jacynth D'EWES FITZ-ERCALD COKE and his Sunbeam 25 h.p. (Read 2010 times)
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AstonDB6
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Yes, that'll be his application to become CC in Yorkshire.
I've made another deduction (good word for this wild speculative guess).
1919 to 1929 chief constable of the West Riding in Yorkshire
1929 to 1931 Chief of the British Police Mission to the Greek Govt.
1932 to 1937 Chief Constable of West Suffolk
The car was first registered in September 1928, presumably when he bought it. Sunbeams of that period could be fitted with a flat radiator, or optionally, a larger V fronted colonial radiator. The colonial cars also had cooling fans fitted. The car I've bought has a vast colonial radiator (the cooling system takes five and a half gallons of water) and fan. I wonder if he took it with him to Greece?
Alan
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suffolkmawther
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Henry - our new twiglet
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Just to let you know that your letter appealing for more information is in today's East Anglian Daily Times 
I hope you might hear something very soon.
Suffolk Mawther ...
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Every time I find an ancestor, I have to find two more !
Pendle, Stygall, Pipe, Fruer, Bridges, Fisk in Suffolk
Bridges in Derby
FULKER in Berkshire then Hammersmith/Barnes LND
Murray, Clancy, Broker, Hoskins, Wilson, Sale in MDX/LND
Gt-Grandfather Michael Wilson born Cork, lived Fulham LND - arrived Boston USA 1889 - what happened next?
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AstonDB6
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Thanks for letting me know 
I'll post a summary of any info I get. I'll go to their website and buy a copy of the paper. Did they print a picture?
UPDATE: They have an online edition which for a hefty £1 I was able to download! No picture, but I'm delighted that they published the letter. Here's hoping...
Alan
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AstonDB6
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Hi Annie
The letter I wrote to them is copied below. It's about the car, but I mentioned the Colonel in the hope that one of his family might get in touch. I've written letters to local papers with genealogy questions, and I've never had one published yet.
They didn't publish a picture, but if someone gets in touch and we meet up, they might!
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Sir, - I'm researching the history of a 1927 Sunbeam 25hp that I've just bought, registration number SY3688.
The earliest known owner was Colonel Jacynth d'Ewes Fitz-Ercald Coke, who became Chief Constable of West Suffolk in 1932 and was living somewhere in Thurston in 1935. I have also been told that the car was in Walsham-le-Willows for many years. It was stored in a lean-to at the Sideways Garage during the war. At some point after the war, the roof of the lean-to collapsed, and the car was converted into a breakdown truck with a wooden cab and crane.
I would very much like to hear from anyone who can confirm any of the above, or tell me more about the car's time in Suffolk.
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AstonDB6
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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I've had a reply
I've been in touch with a gentleman who drove her just after the war. He told me a wonderful story about how he used her to pick up concrete tank traps and drop them at the side of the river to strengthen the banks in '48/'49.
At that time she had a cab from a Morris Commercial lorry, and the crane was made from a Harvey Frost hoist and parts of a lorry tipper and lorry chassis.
I'm arranging to meet him, and there might be a follow-up story in the paper. When a date is arranged I'll post it here in case any of you want to come along.
Alan
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Wendi
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Posts: 2838
Peeking into the past
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How wonderful Alan
At that time she had a cab from a Morris Commercial lorry, and the crane was made from a Harvey Frost hoist and parts of a lorry tipper and lorry chassis.
Could not do that with one of todays cars could you !!!
Please do keep us up to date, it's so wonderful
Wendi
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"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it! No matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and with your own common sense" ~ Buddha SCOTT ~ Monmouthshire & Glamorgan BUCKLEY ~ Cork & Manchester FRANKLIN ~ Clerkenwell, London BRADY ~ Kildare & Manchester DERICK ~ France FRIEND ~ Kent & Portsmouth TYLDESLEY ~ Lancashire http://www.themanchesters.org________________________________________ Census information posted here is Crown Copyright, from www.nati |
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AstonDB6
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Dave
Not heard from any of his family yet, and I never found a marriage. Having said that, perhaps I should try writing to Country Life or similar.
What I really need is to browse a few copies of Who's Who for later years. Then I'd find out if he'd married and how many children.
I'll keep you all informed of any progress.
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AstonDB6
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Amazingly, I've had a second reply.
This time it's from the son of the man who, early in the Second World War, converted the car into a breakdown truck (A friend spotted the article in the newspaper, then gave it to him a few days ago).
Apparently his father, who owned the garage, needed a prestige car to use as a taxi and bought the Sunbeam for that purpose. This would have been in the late thirties.
The conversion to breakdown truck happened early in the war as they needed one and couldn't get one (for obvious reasons!)
Now that I know the car was in Walsham-le-Willows for quite a long time, and as a taxi, not just as a tow truck, I have contacted the Walsham-le-Willows history society to see if they have any photos I could look through. It might have been used for weddings etc. etc.
Alan
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AstonDB6
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Just in case anyone's still following this, I thought I'd let you know that I have now had a third letter about the car from a man who rode in it as a child in the 1950s when it was still a breakdown truck and being used to collect cars for scrap. The car was still running in 1964 when the garage was sold. Not bad, 1927-1964. Not many modern cars would last that long!
I still haven't managed to trace any of Jacynth's family. Not even sure he had any children.
Alan
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