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Week Commencing 8th October 2007

Site Note: It was our intention to include our normal wide range of articles in this Chat Column. However, some items have taken much longer to investigate that we anticipated. We have therefore restricted the page to one topic - The George Fitt Motors Group of the past. Other topics will appear in our next edition.

George Fitt Motor Group - We Need Help!

If you have been following discussions in our Visitors Book, you will know that we have been taking an interest in the George Fitt Motor Group of the mid-twentieth century. It all started when Paul Ryan wrote to us and asked if Fitts ever manufactured cycles on a commercial basis. As a former employee, he had spotted some odd creations in the Fitts workshops of the past (including unicycles and a four seater 'tandem') and, as a member of a Veteran Cycle Club, he had recently come across an adult tricycle bearing the Goerge Fitt badge. 

All this prompted us to consider a permanent page on the Fitt Motor Group for our Days Gone By section... and we appealed for information. Now, we have started to receive some goodies and, before outlining our overall findings on the company, we'll use this Chat Column to discuss some of the contributions of our readers. 

We kick off with the most remarkable discovery to date and add responses from readers at the bottom of the page....

John's Discovery in Oz....

A few days ago, John Wraight wrote from Australia with an amazing message and photo collection..... 

It looks as if those trikes were commercial models and we now know that they continued to be produced until at least the 1940s. 

We still don't know whether Fitts produced other general forms of cycle. They may have done so purely for a local market in the very early years but I rather doubt it bearing in mind the massive competition from much larger companies based in the heartlands of British industry - such as Raleigh (which had operated successfully in Nottingham from the late 19th century) and Hercules (based in Birmingham).

John's explanation seems more likely - ie that Fitts focused on specialist markets and tricycles formed part of their range of  invalid products. Trikes were used by some elderly people well into the 1950s as they provided stability and had space for carrying shopping and other goods. In fact, I have a feeling that some trikes had a car-style boot welded between the rear wheels. 

The photos above show a basket on the front but I wonder if this is an original component. It seems far too small in relation to the size of the trike and its capacity would be insufficient for an adult expedition to the High Street shops!

The link between a trike and an invalid carriage may surprise some of our younger readers. However, there were some key similarities. In the first half of the twentieth century, invalid carriages were three wheelers and chain driven. They resembled old 'bath chairs' and, as such, they were 'open' to the elements apart from a waterproof cover that could be pulled up to the waist. I suspect that the 'self-propulsion' was originally by means of hand operated 'pedals' mounted on a joy stick arrangement. 

As yet, we do not know when Fitts became involved with invalid products but, by 1948, the company was producing 'open, chain driven' carriages powered by small 200 cc engines. (I wonder if anyone was ever tempted to upgrade one to 2 litre!). By then, the National Health Service was with us and I suspect that Fitts negotiated government contracts for the production and maintenance of the vehicles. I seem to recall lines of 'open' carriages surrounding the company's works in Westmeads Road. 

By the 1960s, Fitts were involved in producing very distinctive, fully enclosed vehicles but I am not sure whether they were petrol or battery powered. They were lightweight and usually light blue in colour. Ranks of them surrounded the garage in Tankerton Road (opposite the junction with Manor Road and alongside the car park).

I doubt that Fitts were involved in the design of those "blue meanies" as they were probably issued nationwide by a network of 'government approved' manufacturers/distributors. It seems more likely that the machines were the result of general blue print issued to manufacturers by the Ministry of Health or other government agency. At the time, there was quite a discussion over their stability. Of course, stability was never an issue with the tricycle shown in John Wraight's photo!

My main concern is that John and Dave Hurdman decided not to buy on the basis of a missing reflector. Come on lads.... one careful owner... a member of the cloth? It was a snip!

Any information that our readers can add would be much appreciated. Possibly, the most fascinating piece of data might arise from the notice pinned to the trike in Oz. This suggests that a past owner was a Kent clergyman. If he was Whitstable-based, we should be able to come up with a name. My mum would have known! Sadly, she is no longer with us.

Just think. If we do manage to associate more data with that trike, the Galileo antique emporium may be able to up its price tag and we could negotiate commission? After all, wasn't it the trike owned by Thomas à Becket and sold to Raleigh (Walter) before..... Stop me somebody... I can see £-signs galore 'ere! We could get away with anything if we hide Australia's history book and avoid mentioning the Rugby Union World Cup Quarter Final. ;-)

Ian's Wallet.... from Fitts

Up in Yorkshire, our Visitors Book discussion had Ian Johnson scampering through his family keepsakes.... to locate this....

It is a George Fitt Motors Ltd complimentary car license wallet.... dating from 1937 and originally belonging to Ian's dad. 

It could be quite a collector's piece as it may contain some proof reading errors. The phone numbers have been placed under the wrong locations! 

An Institution..... and Exotic Creations

In starting up our discussion, Paul Ryan mentioned that he had seen unicyles and a 'four seater' tandem on Fitts premises. These were NOT commercial products. They were very much the result of the community spirit, generosity and skill of George Fitts and their staff.... because they were engineered for Whitstable and other local carnivals. Apart from the cycles, they also created tiny working motorbikes (approx 1ft tall).

Those carnival entries didn't just require engineering ability. The staff had to learn to ride them before the carnival season arrived. As yet, we do not have the names of all those involved but we do know the identities of two..... Bill Wood and Ben Crouch.

Relatives of Bill Wood have supplied some valuable evidence. Firstly, Sue Pidford (nee Dancer) has located this lovely shot of Bill and Ben on those unicycles....

It was taken at a Whitstable carnival - at the junction of Cromwell Road and Railway Avenue. The buildings in the background are Weatherley's bakery and shop. Bill Dancer has written to confirm that the costumes are based on the famous children's TV programme Bill and Ben The Flowerpot Men!

Fitts were more than just a local company and major employer. They were a bit of an institution and they contributed to local life in a number of different ways. This included sponsorship of the Whitstable Regatta Firework Display.

Bill Dancer also recalls another service that Fitts provided at local events....

The Fitt Establishments....

As you will have guessed from the discussion above, The George Fitt Motor Group was quite an empire and one of the largest of local employers. What is more, it was jampacked with skilled people. I have this feeling that Fitts could virtually create anything!

Let's just summarise things a bit. The group included several local petrol stations, the car maintenance garage (Tankerton), car show rooms (both at Tankerton and at the foot of Borstal Hill), a car body repair/coachwork shop (Northwood Road), an invalid carriage works and an engineering works (Westmead Road). They also owned garages in Herne Bay, Faversham and Margate. 

On top of all this, we understand that other members of the Fitt family owned and managed some famous and highly respected local establishments - such The Marine Hotel and Wheelers Oyster Bar. There was also a business called Fitt Caravan Distributors but I am not sure whether they actually built caravans. They certainly had the staff to do so but it may not have been a viable business proposition. It is possible that they sold the vans of the large manufacturers.

Thank You...

I would to thank John Wraight, Dave Hurdman, Ian Johnson, Sue Pidford, Bill Dancer and Paul Ryan for taking the time to collect and forward the information.

Responses from Our Readers...

Our discussion of the George Fitt Group has generated a number of responses..

Thanks, Jack. The name 'Mr. Panther' certainly rings some bells in connection with the George Fitt Group. It is also possible that he continued in the business after the company was sold off. I believe several elements of the 'empire' may have continued independently under new owners. Certainly, the Northwood Road body repair shop traded well into the 1970s and, possibly, 1980s.

Thanks, Penny. I don't think any of us will forget Ben and Bill and the efforts that they put into their carnival entries. It's all a far cry from modern times when a £25,000 grant is handed out so that a Folkestone based art company can create a Whitstable giant that doesn't even bother to turn up to our carnival! Goodness, I suspect  Fitts would have been happy to create a Colossus of Whitstable - driven by community spirit, designed locally, celebrating local skills and carrying a genuine Made by Whitstable badge.

I knew Bill because his parents lived close to us in Railway Avenue. His dad, Jack Wood was also into bikes as he owned a motorbike and sidecar for many years. His mum (Agnes I think!) was one of the kindest ladies I have ever met. They were the first family in our part of the road to have a TV and half the street moved in on a Friday night to watch Take Your Pick (Michael Miles), Double Your Money (Hughie Green) and the Army Game (Alfie Bass, Bill Fraser and Michael Medwin). I watched my first FA Cup Final there in 1959 - Nottingham Forest 2 Luton Town 1.

Thanks, Ian. I have a feeling that the invalid carriage department may have carried on after the main motor garage closed. Government contracts were like gold dust because they were usually regular. Furthermore, although payment could be delayed by 'red tape', companies knew that it would arrive. Bank managers liked that sort of security! I suspect that one reason for Anderson, Rigden and Perkins being Whitstable's last operational boatyard may have been the fact that they produced inshore patrol boats for the government/armed forces.

After government contracts, the next most sought after were those involving major companies. I seem to recall that Woodman's clothes factory (wedged between Beresford Road and Stream Walk) may have produced output for Marks and Spencer. The only problem was that if a large contract terminated, a small local company could hit bad times very quickly.

The invalid carriage market must have nosedived as the twentieth century progressed. Trikes and invalid carriages were replaced by normal cars with adapted controls. This reflected greater affluence and the desire for those with disabilities to be treated as normal people rather than oddities in funny vehicles. Growing doubts about the stability of some invalid cars may also have played a part as traffic volumes increased. 

My brother 'part owned' an old Amstrong Siddeley back in the 1960s while in the army. It wasn 't the more modern model as it had mudguards and headlights mounted like ears on the bodywork. It achieved about 10 miles to the gallon! The Armstrongs were typified by two tone coachwork - usually two hues of grey or blue. They seemed to be regarded in the same way as Bentleys and Daimlers . 

Thanks, John. Most people will regard trikes as old fashioned BUT my enquiries on the Internet have located a number of sites that show that these vehicles are still produced by a handful of small companies. The modern versions really are quite whizzy with drop handlebars, lightweight frames and modern brakes. Although more stable than bikes, it is said that they do require some adaptation by the rider as it is necessary to move the upper part of the body to negotiate corners etc. Most sites mention the advantages for people with disabilities and this ties in with the Fitts operations of the past.

Incidentally, if anyone is wondering about your reference to Haywards, it was a popular cycle shop in Canterbury Road. In those days, there were at least two main cycle dealers in the town. The other was Herberts in the High Street and this is still in business.

Many thanks, Barry. It's interesting that Fitts covered such a wide area on the 'invalid carriage' front. As far as car sales are concerned, things have changed so much. In those days, most main makes could be purchased locally. Fitts sold a number of different names and there were other garages (such as Crosslands - selling Rootes cars such as Hillman, Singer and Sunbeam) and Quineys (selling Yugos before the manufacturer switched to making bright yellow army tanks that didn't go very fast!). Someone can correct me if I am wrong but I have a feeling that only one supplier has a dealership in Whitstable now - ie Kia at Harbour Garage. Nowadays, it is necessary to take a trip to Canterbury for a new motor.

I would love to see that booklet. I suspect that copyright will prevent us from including it on site but we may be able to quote from it.

Thanks for the extra details, Paul. I wouldn't write off that four seater tandem just yet! I don't know if it is a figment of my imagination but, after reading your original message, I have this vague reollection of several people riding such a device and waving at the carnival crowds.

Somewhere, there must be photos of those Fitts carnival entries.... but where? 

There certainly isn't, Audrey. My first was a second hand Hillman Imp. The capital cost was £180 whilst the running cost was approx £500 pa for new gearboxes. 

As people will recall, the Imp was a rear engine job but the engine compartment had NO lock on it and provided free access to all. I parked it at the railway station overnight and, when I next used it, the electrics were dead. Suspecting a duff battery, I opened the boot to find no battery at all. Mind you, I considered myself lucky as one of the selling points of the car was that the engine/gearbox could be removed within a few minutes. So, the loss of just the battery was something of a relief. However, I still don't know why the engine compartment lid didn't have a 'help yourself' label.

Despite all the problems, I loved that car - superb to drive for the time and really nippy. I even recall the number plate... whereas I have to look at my current Mazda whenever I use one of those Purple City car park machines that ask for the registration to be keyed in.

There is no disgrace in living in Herne Bay, Dave.... but it's best to say that you were a missionary!

Your clergyman could be the answer. Funnily enough, I have this vague recollection of a Whitstable member of the cloth driving one of the open 'bath tub' invalid carriages back in the 1950s. However, I wouldn't like to swear on the gospels!  

Request from Tricycle Association...

Chris Hewitt has been in touch from the Thames Valley Tricycle Association.....

The most likely source of technical information might be Ben Crouch who was involved with Bill Wood on the construction of the carnival unicycles. We believe that he may have worked in the Fitts Invalid Carriage and Engineering works - the most likely source of the tricycles. If anyone can help, please get in touch.  

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