Boy racers as they were
We have no record of when this photo was taken. We can say with certainty it was after 1908 when the Model T was introduced.
The ladies’ apparel (right background) suggests Edwardian era. There is a cross section of the public – what was the occasion? Military uniforms and what appear to be two boy scouts on the left mix with bowler hatted gents and an ancient looking cleric (behind the military officer).
As now, people stand about admiring motor cars (not the ladies) and the chaps in the car sit proudly above the onlookers. The motorcar however is a bit of a mess – no headlamps so you can bet no warrant of fitness.
That didn’t really matter though – a WOF was not yet a requirement so your Model T could be a car one day and powering a saw bench the next and lose a light or two because, after all, who would drive at night in those days.
It is a glimpse of the past that looks so much like now – social gatherings still happen but just don’t look quite the same.
By Perry Rice
