Austin Sevens on St Helena

[Timothy P]

Whilst browsing pictures of Austin 7's this RK popped up.

   

The image took me to THIS website, with the story of the car.
In short this was the first car registered on the Island St Helena in 1928 (Motor vehicles were prohibited on the island prior to this).
The car was imported by entrepreneur Humphrey Soloman, who sold the car to a Mr Withecombe. The car registered with number "1" (Subsequent registrations have simply counted up from there), and the car became known as 'The Number 1'. The website had other pictures of 'number 1' over the years. The above picture is dated 1935.

This one 1962


  theaustin7in1962.jpg (Size: 34.34 KB / Downloads: 359)

And this later one, thought to be some time in the 70s.


  theaustin7later.jpg (Size: 44.47 KB / Downloads: 359)

There are also 2 more photos of Austin Sevens on the island both pictures dated 1961.

   

   

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Fascinating Timothy - would make a very good story for the Association Magazine.

[Timothy P]

Fascinating Timothy - would make a very good story for the Association Magazine.

I think your right Ruairidh. I will try to find out some more info with the view of putting something together. I would have thought if 'number 1' was still around in the 70s, it would have been considered significant enough to still exist. It would be nice to be able to confirm it's whereabouts.
Meanwhile here is another from the web, and a St Helena Stamp.


  AT_STHE.jpg (Size: 74.64 KB / Downloads: 299)


  St Helena 20p.jpg (Size: 48.48 KB / Downloads: 298)

[Derek Sheldon]

I have just found reference that it was still on the road in 2002

[Reckless Rat]

[quote pid='1507' dateline='1505247114']


To paraphrase Jack Hawkins in "Ben Hur" - your eyes are full of hate, forty one. We keep you alive to serve this island so roll well and live...






[/quote]

[Nick Turley]

Whilst browsing pictures of Austin 7's this RK popped up.



The image took me to THIS website, with the story of the car.
In short this was the first car registered on the Island St Helena in 1928 (Motor vehicles were prohibited on the island prior to this).
The car was imported by entrepreneur Humphrey Soloman, who sold the car to a Mr Withecombe. The car registered with number "1" (Subsequent registrations have simply counted up from there), and the car became known as 'The Number 1'. The website had other pictures of 'number 1' over the years. The above picture is dated 1935.

This one 1962



And this later one, thought to be some time in the 70s.



There are also 2 more photos of Austin Sevens on the island both pictures dated 1961.



Fantastic thanks for posting this.

[Oxford Jack]

I visited St.Helena in 1999, at the time only accessible by sea. I remembered that in fact nearly all the shops belong to the Soloman enterprise. I looked out the photos and here is one of those premises named after him I suppose.


  st.Helena 1.jpg (Size: 141.32 KB / Downloads: 159)

The only public transport on the island was this 1929, I believe, Cadillac charabanc, which seated 12 plus driver. I did not think to ask about Austin 7's.


  st.Helena 2.jpg (Size: 144.61 KB / Downloads: 159)

In 2009 when travelling through Argentina by Austin 7, we stopped in Ushuaia for a few days and frequented a bar and restaurant that had been a general store in times past, it is still there, serving Cape Horn Bitter Beer and is called Soloman's Bar, I wonder if there is any connection?
Following our three day stop in St.Helena, we sailed on to Ascension Island, about a week away and spent two days, the maximum allowed, exploring the island and visiting the Museum there. There were photos of an Austin 7 which had been there in, I think, the 20's and had reached the highest point on the Island and explored widely in the rather desolate and rough interior. This story was I believe the subject of a former thread on the Forum, I tried hard to find the whereabouts of the car, through the Museum email address, without success. I have a hazy memory of it having been bought/snaffled and repatriated by Service Personnel, perhaps someone will know the answer to that.
As an aside, most of the help on the domestic staff on Ascension are from St.Helena.

[Steve Jones]

The story of the Ascension Island cars was told in Association Mag 1990C. The 1930 Chummy was restored by Steve Hodgson and remains in the UK with its long time and very active Yorkshire based owners.

Steve

[Oxford Jack]

The story of the Ascension Island cars was told in Association Mag 1990C. The 1930 Chummy was restored by Steve Hodgson and remains in the UK with its long time and very active Yorkshire based owners.

Steve

Thank you Steve, I wonder if 1990C reveals how it was removed from the Museum and returned to the UK?

[Steve Jones]

Yes it does Jack. Acquired by an RAF Squadron Leader during the times of the Falklands War and flown back to Blighty in a Hercules!  Also how Steve and Mike Hodgson came to buy it once in the UK. However, given the photograph of the 'as found' cars on Acension Island, they don't seem to have been in any museum!! There was also a '33 Tourer that the Hodgsons sold on in as found condition.

   

Steve