A Century Ago

R

Russell Hall

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It was a century ago that Peugeot enjoyed a short lived bright period on the Australian market that gave the impression Peugeot had at last become firmly established in Australia. It began with the appointment of A.W.B. Mather and the French Auto Company as sole concessionaire for Australia in 1921 and was to decline after his bankruptcy in 1925. Alfred Mather was a remarkable, high achieving individual. His activities in business were controversial, sailing close to the legal wind. The young barrister Robert Menzies did not like him. Mather certainly liked Peugeots and knew how to advertise and promote them. His whole family was involved in selling and promoting the cars. Not only cars but trucks. There is no knowledge among Australian truck museums of the Peugeot four tonne truck with solid wheels listed at a considerable thousand pounds. But we do have confirmation at least two were sold. Even if there are no pictures. I lose trace of Mather in the late 1930's when he was heading overseas with investor money to bring a European car factory to Adelaide.
When research is begun within a lifetime of a period there are always valuable personal recollections and opinions. The last people who knew dealers like Alec Chapman are going. My valuable contact for pre-war motoring who trained in the 1930's and could describe the distinctive exhaust note of a Cottin has passed. There are family archives and memories that are not always willingly shared.
People rightly complain about the performance of modern Peugeot importers but their troubles are minor compared to those after 1925. You really know a make is in trouble when their stock turns up on the floor of an auction house.
 
Mather may have claimed to have made 10,000 pounds from selling Peugeots but his business folded over a debt of 2,000 pounds. Most likely because sales did not support the size of the operation. The 1920's was a boom time for Australian car sales. Sellers of popular makes made serious money. But all the Continental makes were marginal, unable to match the falling prices of the large scale American makers. An indication that nobody made money from selling Peugeots in the 1920's is that not one agency took up the dealership again. Norman Agate refused to take on the role of sole Peugeot agent for Australia. The energetic Peugeot company man Auguste Menard had to book a Peugeot stand at the 1930 Sydney Motor Show under his own name. I wonder what happened to Menard. Peugeot enthusiasts would have liked him. I hope the company appreciated his efforts but he is long forgotten. One can understand Agate's lack of enthusiasm when the beautifully made but hopelessly overpriced 201 from the show stand was still in his yard awaiting a buyer a year later. After the Peugeot exit in 1932 Agate discovered how easy it was to sell Austins and became the biggest dealer in NSW. When he lost the dealership following the BMC merger in the 1950's he didn't turn to selling Peugeots again but Fords. If we go through the list of Peugeot dealers of the 1920's we find none of the names in the list for the 1950's.
Sometimes there is a positive result for requests for help. A historical society in Ashfield has been very helpful in information on Norman Agate's car yard, the second to be set up on Parramatta Road and until recent years still the site of a car yard.
The Australian War Memorial has not been able to help with info on the WW1 Peugeot ambulance.
 
It is unlikely the background of the Type 17 recovered from the sands of Calotte will ever be discovered except I am certain it was not present in SA in 1899 or indeed 1900. Quite a lot of research has been put in by others into the few Edwardian Peugeots in Australia without a lot of result. Probably one off imports by wool exporters and traders. Foreign exchange was not easy. If exporters to France wished to be paid in pounds they sold through British agents. To avoid the fees some accepted payment in francs and bought goods to be sold in Australia. E.W. Brown's motor bikes were paid for through a British agent. On the other hand there was an organised import business for Lion Peugeot. Perhaps organised by Fauvel but unconfirmed.
To find detail is difficult indeed particularly for Victoria. Even after 1914 when the cars were officially imported. There is a story repeated in Power Without Glory that John Wren escaped the fatal 1917 Trades Hall burglary by fleeing in a large Peugeot owned by the Builders Labourers Federation. A historian was researching the period and trying to ascertain if the BLF had actually bought a Peugeot in 1915 but with little result.
 
As my contributions to this forum are now mocked by those who contribute nothing but bile I shall not put up my material but save it for print.
There is some interesting new material on the 203 period such as Johnston's visit to Sochaux in 1950, the 1950 pricing deal, the relationship between Peugeot and the importers in the 1950's (CCM in particular), the Chrysler assembly of the 203, the relationship between Simca assembler Northern Engineering and Continental and General, the flawed 404 launch and marketing and so on. Some Renault Australia stuff that escaped the commercial in confidence shredder. Only of interest to a few. Best in print. New larger updated edition of my book underway. Addition of a lot of 203403/404 material up to the printers limit. Covid has not been kind to booksellers. Manuscript will only be published in a very small library and top shelf edition with only a handful to Automoto.
 
These days on internet forums, it is difficult to avoid those who mock.

There are many here who value your input here, Russell, so please don't be put off by the others. They are very much in a minority.
 
I've been looking into small print runs for a 300 page book and price isn't impossible. A lot of associated problems, a new cover would be good. I'll work on the manuscript with no pressure to finish and see where it goes. New info comes to light all the time. I try to have multiple sources before putting something in but sometimes you have to run on a small snippet, a casual reference.
I'll think about staying and avoid some areas. Like North Wharf at night.
When you research you have to become absolutely involved in the period you're working on. Accounts from people who lived in the time were just so valuable. Even if it's hearsay and might not be accurate. There's a skill in interviewing. It comes down to listening. Start to interrogate and the result will be what they think you want to hear.
 
Sign me up for a book too

You are dead right about interviewing too - the secret is to shut up and listen. In my game this is all too rare.

People who were there are invaluable and fascinating. HAd a very interesting chat on the weekend. Local horticultural society were visiting our garden. Fell in with an old bloke ( also very cluey about plants ) It began pissing down and we decamped to garage, one thing led to another and he told us of his experience doing Nasho after the war, his job being to strip down and service the Merlin engines, which were by then used in a variety of applications. He drew interesting comparisons between the RR made Merlins and the Packard Merlins from Mustangs etc. “No wear at all on the RR Merlins. Packard ones boat anchors after not much use “

Must get better at noting such chats properly, not that I’m qualified to write books about anything engineering.

Please keep writing/posting

Andrew
 
Russell, while North Wharf at night sounds fascinating ... i vote we save that for later ...
"The question must be asked as to how large the market for the 203 is now we are well into generational change. The number of people with a motoring background that involves early Peugeots is diminishing."
We can see Aussiefrogs presently have several Tadpoles who are going to need all the help you ( amongst others ) can give, let alone my cohort and my own constant need for 203 content.
 
With all those kind comments I'll stay around. Just some housekeeping.
"Vanity, vanity, all is vanity".
Some posters chose to put down the quality of my work. Now every performer and writer rushes to read the reviews even if they say they don't. Fortunately mine have been favorable. The opinions of the perennial internet experts should be ignored but when read are corrosive of the soul. The intent is to drag the writer down into the basement in which they reside. I don't wish them to have the last say in assessment of my work on this site.
So in my defence in an act of vanity I'll put up the review of my book from the Chairman of the Australian Motoring Heritage Foundation who understood perfectly well what I was aiming to do. To leave "an authoritative work that will endure".
I certainly hope my work isn't the last word and others will come along to add to it and produce grander volumes. That's the way we move forward.

motorheritage.org.au

PEUGEOT AND AUSTRALIA: 1888 TO 1975 - Australian Motor Heritage Foundation

This is a slim (soft cover,176 page) self-published volume that excellently fills a gap in the knowledge of Australia’s motor heritage. The author Russell Hall …
motorheritage.org.au motorheritage.org.au
 
In my last job prior to retirement we had a rather caustic boss who frustrated most of the other mechanics and apprentices,my response was to try and ignore his bs and to tell the younger guys that we are all judged by absent experts who believe their own bullsh$t…..jim
 
Reluctant writer being returned to the keyboard
van.jpg
 
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