VOLUME 13, NUMBER 3 MAY-JUNE 2008 INSIDE THIS ISSUE UPCOMING EVENTS EDITOR’S BIT Autojumble......................................6 Fri., June 27, 9:00: BRBC ferries to What a pleasure it is to be mobile British Truck Racing ......................6 Swartz Bay for lunch with the SIB; again and back participating in OECC Chinese Restart MG TF .................3 CVB pig roast at 5:00 in Comox. activities! I sincerely want to thank all Could it have been?.........................1 Sat., June 28: AGM hosted by the CIB of my OECC friends for all of the sup- Join BRBC at Porteau Cove...........6 in Nanaimo (details on website) port and encouragement during my Nigel Muggeridge Park Bench.......6 Sun., June 29: Join BRBC at Porteau recovery. Whether it was a call, a Peking to Parks Evening................4 Cove for a picnic (see page 6) card, or a visit, it all helped boost Tue., July 8: Meeting, 7 pm (note morale. This club is fantastic! Spanner Archives Index .................5 date), Buck and Ear Bar & Grill, As I go to press with this issue, I’m VanDusen 2008...............................2 Steveston (come at 6:00 to eat!) putting the final touches on a 26 page You Dump It, You Drink It ............3 Tue., August 5: Meeting, 7 pm, Stew- BRBC Tour Guide and looking for- Welcome to OECC...........................6 art Historic Farm. Bring a picnic! ward to 1,600 miles in Beautiful BC! the avenue were a Could it have been … ? number of small tea Brian Lees houses once used by the hotel guests, but My father who was a sea-going captain were now used as class rooms with the shipping company of Elders & Fyf- for art studies. fes, Ltd., began his sea-going career as an One day in 1940 after apprentice deck officer at the tender age of school had finished for the 16 during the First World War. He quickly day a group of approximately rose through the ranks and in the early twelve or so students, myself years of the Second World War was captain being one of them, were walk- The Seymour Hotel (Brian’s in command of his own vessel. In 1940 he ing back down the avenue boarding school in Totnes was promoted to managing director of the when our attention was Devon) and the nearby bridge company and was brought ashore to take drawn to a loud sound of a over the River Dart in 1924 up his new position in the company’s head high speed low flying aircraft. office located in London’s Bow Street. We all peered skyward, but due to the thick finished its strafing attack and turned for One evening my father and others were foliage of the trees which lined the avenue home it was intercepted by two Spitfires working late when the air raid sirens we were unable to determine the direction and shot down over Tor Bay on the south sounded to alert everyone of a pending the sound was coming from. As the sound coast of England. That must be the end of German air raid. Before my father and oth- became louder and louder and more men- the story. But no! ers could safely evacuate the building for acing, our Art Master realized this to be the In 1970 fishermen bringing in their nets the safety of the air raid shelters, a 500 lb. sound of a hostile German aircraft rapidly in Tor Bay snagged something very heavy. German bomb scored a direct hit on his approaching our position. He immediately They struggled for hours before being able building. My father and fourteen other em- ordered us to take cover behind the trees. to land their nets aboard their fishing boat. ployees were killed. For once we all obeyed his orders, this time To their surprise their nets were not full of Due to the long standing association our without question. As the avenue erupted in fish but the right hand wing section of a family had with Elders & Fyffes shipping cannon fire as a German aircraft screamed German Focke-Wulf FW-190 complete with company, it was agreed that the company over our heads at tree top level, its cannons a 20mm cannon and a full magazine con- would hold themselves responsible for the blazing as it strafed us and the school. The taining 90 rounds of high explosive ammu- financial cost of education and future ca- school suffered serious damage, but luckily nition. reer training for myself and my elder for the quick thinking of our Master none The news of this find quickly spread brother. My brother, age 10, and myself, of use were injured. When the danger had age 7, were enrolled at Reed’s Boarding passed, we slowly emerged from behind the School which at protection of the trees. We couldn’t believe that time was what had just happened, and couldn’t wait located in the to get back to school to tell our friends of former Seymour our adventure. Hotel in the For 69 years I thought that was the end town of Totnes of this story until in March of this year South Devon. while having lunch in a local pub following This location for a old English car event. I got to talking to a our school was member sitting next to me. I asked him chosen to Focke-Wulf which part of England he evacuate school was from. To my surprise children to be he said South Devon. So I safely away Brian Lees, age 7 told him I went to school from the bomb- FW-190 in Totnes South Devon ing. and told him the story of The Seymour Hotel is a four story flat how we boys were machine gunned y a Ger- roof building located on the banks of the man airplane. He looked at me with a smile River Dart. At the rear of the school was a on his face, and said, “Do you want to hear tree-lined road referred to as the “avenue.” the rest of that story?” I said that I didn’t This avenue ran parallel with the river for know there was a “rest of this story.” “Oh, approximately 1/4 of a mile. At the end of yes,” he said. After this German aircraft had (Continued on page 4) VanDusen 2008 Walter Reynolds / Photos by Chris Walker And the Rain God said, "Lord." Now, hang on a min- ute, it didn't rain at this year's ABFM at VanDusen Gardens. I guess that the Rain God's calendar was turned around because of the extra day in February. Yes, for all those not able to attend this year's ABFM on May 17th, it was a scorcher. Two cloudy periods dur- ing the day helped give us some cool-down time, but other than that it was sun block and shorts for the day. Even the folks presenting awards complained that they 2008 OECC AWARD WINNERS BY CLASS were having to look into the sun during the Awards (No club had more winners at VanDusen than OECC!) Ceremonies. Stephen & Josie Watkins (CVB), 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite, 2nd in Registrations totaled 587 British vehicles for this Class 5 year's show, though we were not given the number of John Gordon (SIB), 1954 Jaguar XK120, 1st in Class 6 vehicles that actually arrived. The usual locations were Doug & Judy Unia (CIB), 1977 Jaguar XJ6C, 1st in Class 9 reserved for the usual marques—Morgans in the Rodo John Fitzgeorge-Parker (SIB), 1989 Jaguar VDP S3, 3rd in Class 9 Garden; Jaguars low on the north side; Rolls, Bentley Rick & Penny Freestone (VCB), 1996 Jaguar XJS, 2nd in Class 10 and Aston Martin tucked away at the north end of the Mike & RoseMarie Powley (VCB), 2003 Jaguar X-Type, 3rd in Class 11 top field. Bill Rathlef (CIB), 1963 Lotus Elan 1600, 3rd in Class 12 Alvis and MGB were the featured marques this year Ken Boyd (CIB), 1971 MGB GT, 1st in Class 18 and what a good showing of both there were. MGBs are Gerry Parkinson (VCB), 1967 MGB GT, 2nd in Class 18 Bence & Helen McIntyre (VCB), 1964 MG, 1st in Class 19 always well represented, but the Alvis showing was a Steve & Liz Blake (VCB), 2008 MINI Cooper S Clubman, 2nd in Class 23 personal surprise because two years ago there was only Ric MacDonald (VCB), 1965 Morgan 4/4, 2nd in Class 24 one Alvis at the ABFM. This year there were at least 12. Ken & Pat Miles (VCB), 1960 Morgan Drophead Coupe, 2nd in Class 25 Our Branch was well represented, as usual, with Robert & Nicola Follows (VCB), 1950 Bentley Mk VI, 3rd in Class 27 members scattered all through the gardens, based on Cam Russell & Karen Trickett (SIB), 1963 Triumph TR3, 1st in Class 28 their vehicle make. Bence and Helen McIntyre arrived Tom Rivers (SIB), 1960 Triumph TR3A, 3rd in Class 28 sufficiently early to be placed under a shade tree, so Bill & Valerie Grace (CIB), 1980 Triumph TR7, 1st in Class 31 were protected from the sun for most of the day. Others Walter & Linda Reynolds (VCB), 1968 Rover P6 2000, 2nd in Class 34 were not so lucky, (Italo and I, along with the Austin John Pel (VCB), 1968 Austin Pickup, 2nd in Class 35 Seven and Farina crowds) were in the sun all day. Roy Italo Cirillo (VCB), 1960 Vauxhall Victor, 3rd in Class 35 Wilkins got things right by taking over one of the spots Steve & Liz Blake (VCB), 1930 MG M-Type, 1st in Class 38 for private vendors.