The early years
Ernest Siddeley had been technical director of Armstrong-Siddeley Motors and before that had been responsible for finding the Marmon, on which the first Armstrong-Siddeley car was based. He had masterminded all the models for ten years from the mid 1920s including his finest achievement, the Siddeley Special, a worthy rival to the Phantom II. I had naturally assumed that he would have continued to drive Armstrong-Siddeleys when he left the company with £100,000 from the proceeds of its sale. However, there must have been some bitterness because it was not to Armstrong-Siddeley but to Bentley that he turned for his first new car in 1937. He did, however, keep a 1937 17 hp Armstrong for another couple of years for his wife to drive.
Whilst at his father's firm he had tested a 3½ and a 4½ litre Bentley and found the former to have better balance. However, in July 1937 he took delivery of a brand new 4½ with sports saloon coachwork by Park Ward. The chassis cost £1,150 and body £360 plus extras and the grand total came to £1562 12s 3d, less a discount of 15 per cent because of who he was and presumably for the capital that Bentley could gain by pointing out their sale to a former rival. EHS presumably did without a radio as Bentley, in a letter, commented plaintively 'if you decide to go in for a Phlco or any other radio set, we would ask the makers to carry out the installation as we are, unfortunately, quite unable to take any responsibility in the fitting of radio sets to our cars.' Incidentally, they also advised him to get loose covers made by his local furniture store as Park Ward would use their skilled upholsterers and charge accordingly!
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| Enlarge A. Siddeley's record card | Enlarge a letter from Cecil Kimber |
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| Enlarge E. Siddeley's driving licence | Enlarge a letter from Bentley |
It was not long before another car joined the household in March 1939. This was a 2.6 litre MG TA Salmons Tickford Foursome drophead coupe bought to replace Mrs Siddeley's 17 hp Armstrong-Siddeley, which was sold to University Motors.
MG's managing director Cecil Kimber wrote personally on 21st November 1938 – 'I feel extremely flattered that anyone of your knowledge of motorcars should have decided on one of our new 2.6 jobs'. He must have slightly regretted having such an experienced and precise customer who sent reams of instructions on the precise specification that was required, including having the front seats raised by 1½ inches. In the end MG suggested that Ernest dealt directly with Allan Salmons! Delivery of the maroon car finally took place in March 1939 at a cost of £505 5s 5d, less £110 allowed on the 1926 Armstrong Siddeley which did have a Philco radio. University Motors felt that this would make it easier for them to sell the car!
The MG had 8 gallons of petrol aboard, which accounted for 12/8d of the total, and the retention of the registration cost £5. A six-month guarantee signed by John Thornley came with the car along with a little envelope stating 'British Cars are best in the long run'. In this envelope are two transfers of the Union Jack. You may care to affix them to the bonnet of your car to indicate that you take real pride in having purchased a British car built entirely of British materials and constructed by British labour'. EHS did not, and the surviving envelope still contains these flags.
EHS soon complained of a stiff gear change, faulty chrome on the sidelamps, squeaking brakes, prop shaft vibration and inoperative windscreen wipers. All was promptly rectified at Abingdon and chassis numbers WA 0398 seems to have gone on to behave admirably apart from stiffness in the steering, eventually cured by a new steering box, and more minor hiccups that EHS methodically chronicled to either University Motors or the MG factory. Even in the difficult war years when MG had gone over to tank production they managed to locate useful bits and pieces for the WA. Every gallon of petrol bought for the MG was systematically recorded and it appears to have been laid up in August 1942 with 8,920 miles recorded and then to have been used again briefly by the Siddeleys from mid 1945.
Continue Ernest's story into the war years
