Two Bicycles and a Caravan.

[Richard]

While I was researching another topic the other day I came across this little article from the Brisbane Courier Mail. It appeared on Monday the 10th of April in 1939.

The bit that "pricked" my interest was the last paragraph that mentiones "two stalwarts harnessed to a caravan".

It got me thinking, what were these two people doing harnessed to a caravan. It seemed to be a bit of an extreem to go on holidays towing your van with two bicycles. Or was it a full sized caravan ?

[griffin]

This sounds like hard yakka, one could only imagine it would be a lightweight van. Pushing it up hills is one thing, what happens on the down hill, throw yourself under a wheel as a brake. Pity there's no photo.

Maybe they should have followed the lead of the Dutch in this article from the English magazine, "The Caravan" from October, 1947. Just goes to show you only need one horsepower to go caravanning and far superior to two bicyclepower I'm sure.

A nice style caravan to boot!

George

[Richard]

Oh you want photos do you, well all you had to do was ask.

I received an email form Shirley last week who had been searching the internet to find someone that would be interested in some photos of her father, Reg More, that were taken in 1939. Shirley doesnt have a lot of information on the little caravan that Reg built other than he was 16 years old at the time and it was in the 1930's.

[griffin]

Hi Richard

No doubt about it you are a tinny so and so what are the chances of getting those photos great stuff saved for posterity It's a great little van with plenty of style too

George

[Richard]

I know, I know George.
I do feel privileged that Shirley has taken the time to share these photos with us, but this is one of the reasons I started the website, which was to have someone to contact and to encourage others to share their stories and information.

This article is the original clipping that Shirley emailed about Reg, and after seeing the clipping at the very top of this post a few days before, I was able to give Shirley a date of when the article was printed.

[Richard]

I got a bit excited when I saw the photo below. Shirley doesnt know much about this van either, other than it was built in the early 1940's. Which is pritty amazing in itself as Reg would have been 19, 20 or 21 when he built this van.
It looks to be a big van on 16" rims and tyres, which was common for that time, but it also looks as though Reg has used a large car or truck chassis to build the body on, the two ends of the chassis can be seen sticking out the back. The van also has a simmilar styling to that of a Don Caravan, which again would have been a popular van seen on the roads in the 1940's

Shirley also emailed photos of every car that Reg owned, but this one shows the rear of the big van.

[griffin]

Hi Richard

I think you are just trying to bait me now with a picture of a Vauxhall looks like a pre war 10hp H model Nice van too, love the style of the paintwork It would be a slow haul towing it with the 4 cylinder Vauxhall I should imagine

George

[Richard]

Hi George.
I thought the photo of the Vauxhall would get you in.

[donricardo]

Fascinating thread Richard. And thanks too to Shirley for sharing the photos of her father.

Don Ricardo