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M.M.E.C.


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#1 Hse289

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Posted 09 March 2014 - 11:56

Hi,  can someone please help with my research, does anyone know what the abbreviations M.M.E.C. stand for and if the club is still going? I think its Midland something. Thanks.


Edited by Hse289, 09 March 2014 - 11:56.


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#2 Tim Murray

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Posted 09 March 2014 - 12:37

There was the Midland Motor Enthusiasts Club, who apppear to have organised at least one race meeting per year at Silverstone from the late '40s until the mid-'60s. They seem to have vanished a long time ago - perhaps they merged with another club. Here's their club badge:

 

http://www.coltautob...s/badge_951.php



#3 Allan Lupton

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Posted 09 March 2014 - 12:47

Yes Tim I found the same but got confused and locked-in when this site wouldn't allow the Club Badge photo as an image so I gave up and started again.

The RAC MSA no longer lists affiliated Clubs in its Blue Book so it's not easy to say if a club still exists as it is even a bit less than clear on their website: however I can now say that MMEC is no longer listed.



#4 Vitesse2

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Posted 09 March 2014 - 13:14

The Midland Motor Enthusiasts' Club was one of several regional 'enthusiast' clubs formed during WW2 as a way of 'keeping in touch'. The London 'Rembrant' meetings, which started in 1940, are the best-known, but the difficulty of wartime travel meant that in 1942 two others were set up: firstly the Enthusiasts' Car Club, based in Manchester, and then the MMEC, based in Birmingham.

 

In its early days the MMEC seems to have had close ties to Raymond Mays and Pingo Lester. The leading lights of the club were Graham Dix and Stuart Forrest and they were much involved in wartime politicking regarding the future of the sport - although virtually nothing that they proposed ever happened and they seem to have decided to just become an 'ordinary' car club once the war ended.

 

Their politicking makes interesting reading: see particularly an article by DSJ and WB in Motor Sport January 1945 and the subsequent correspondence!


Edited by Vitesse2, 09 March 2014 - 13:16.


#5 D-Type

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Posted 09 March 2014 - 14:15

I've had a look in my copy of the 1970 RAC Blue Book.  It includes the MMEC as one of the "Motoring Organisations Recognised by the RAC. But not Registered For the Promotion of Motor Competition" under "Midland Motor Clubs".  Hence it does not feature in the list of "Motor  Clubs Recognised by the RAC. And Registered to Promote Competitions".  (Their capitalisation - not mine!).

 

Edit:  On re-checking, the club is listed twice and appears in both lists.


Edited by D-Type, 22 September 2017 - 21:39.


#6 Hse289

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Posted 09 March 2014 - 15:41

Thank you very much guys for your responses, any idea how I can find out a list of members back in the 1940`s?



#7 RAP

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Posted 09 March 2014 - 19:16

AS the club no longer exists you have little chance. The only thing I have that might help is from their 1951 programme

Sec of Meeting Miss J Angell, 30 Ivy Road Sutton Coldfield

RAP



#8 Hse289

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Posted 10 March 2014 - 09:40

RAP, thanks for digging your program out,  is there any mention of Ken Miles in it?



#9 tsrwright

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 12:23

I think it was Midlands with an ess but I have seen both in the press. Can anyone confirm eg by one of their many programmes?

#10 bradbury west

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 14:06

With an S and no apostrophe, and with an apostrophe at the end of Enthusiasts  '  . Started in 1943, according to the prog here,  with speed events  at Cofton Hackett, ie where the Longbridge factory is/was, when it extended post war, IIRC.

Paul, it may be useful to find the local newspaper/s for that area and put a letter in there. Northfield is the area of Brum nearby, IIRC. Local evening papers seem to be trawled through by the older generation I believe.....

Perhaps ensign14 knows of local societies which might have leads..

Roger Lund



#11 Vitesse2

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 17:02

The original announcement of the club in Motor Sport, March 1943, suggests that it was founded as 'The Midland Motoring Enthusiasts' Club' - no S on Midland.

 

 

THE MIDLAND MOTORING ENTHUSIASTS' CLUB

Enthusiasm for the Sport is certainly in a most encouraging state, even to the formation of yet another club, the Midland Motoring Enthusiasts' Club, which has as its aims the following : (1) To maintain contact between enthusiasts during the war ; (2) to enable members to exchange ideas and spare parts to their mutual advantage ; (3) to hold debates from time to time on various motoring subjects : (4) if sufficient enthusiasm can be raised and maintained, to try to induce wellknown motoring personalities to give lectures and talks ; (5) to visit members who have interesting cars and, with their permission and co-operation, to browse over them to their enlightenment; (6) to co-operate with similar clubs in other towns ; (7) to endeavour to bring about normal motoring as soon as possible after armistice ;. (8) to enable members to loan to one another motoring books, periodicals, textbooks and instruction books which they may have in their possession ; (9) to look after enthusiasts' interests, whether members or not, who are in the Forces. This new club was formed at the suggestion of Stewart Forrest, and it is hoped that monthly meetings will be held at the " Bull's Head," Bishopsgate, Birmingham ; two meetings had already been held by the end of January. Mr. Forrest was elected chairman and D. F. Mallalieu secretary, at a meeting on 18th January. The annual subscription is 5s., and all enthusiasts are welcome, members of the Services being invited to join free of charge. It is hoped to hold meetings on the third Wednesday in each month, and co-operation is being sought with D. L. Gandhi, secretary of the Enthusiasts' Car Club. A clubroom at the aforementioned hotel has already been acquired, and we wish this new organisation well. Hon. Secretary D. A. Mallalieu, 81, Olorenshaw Road, Sheldon, Birmingham, 26.
 

The discrepancy in Mallalieu's initials is as in the original.



#12 tsrwright

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Posted 13 March 2014 - 02:51

I would go by any club programme as being correct but that is not to say MS didnt get it right initially.

There isn't a place called Midland but there is one called (the) Midlands so that would make most sense to me.

Mind you there was a London Midland Scottish Railway wasn't there, but hang on I'm just not quite sure ...

Oh dear, lunch is over ...

#13 tsrwright

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Posted 13 March 2014 - 02:53

Mind you, there is a Midland in Western Australia

#14 Ray Bell

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Posted 13 March 2014 - 03:31

Isn't there also one in Texas?

 

And with a motor racing connection?



#15 Allan Lupton

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Posted 13 March 2014 - 08:31

I would go by any club programme as being correct but that is not to say MS didnt get it right initially.

There isn't a place called Midland but there is one called (the) Midlands so that would make most sense to me.

Mind you there was a London Midland Scottish Railway wasn't there, but hang on I'm just not quite sure ...

Oh dear, lunch is over ...

By the time they had a car badge it was Midlands (see post no 2 link)

Linguistically and in England I would say that on the whole Midland is an adjective and Midlands a noun - but in both MMEC and LM&SR neither Midland nor Midlands would be wrong but in the latter case, as Terry wrote, it was the London, Midland & Scottish Railway.



#16 Hse289

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Posted 13 March 2014 - 10:15

Thanks Roger, I will follow up your suggestions.

 

Paul



#17 Salsin

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 10:09

Hello,

The club was still organising competitions as late as 1970.

My report of their Curborough sprint appeared in MN 19/4/70 - see attached.

 

http://Salsin.zenfol...69497/e96c91bb5

 

Mike Dodman, Bromsgrove.

 



#18 Salsin

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 10:15

Hello,

Re. the reference to "Cofton Hackett", a chap called John Baker runs a massive website called Austin Memories".

He may have further info.

I think this is the email link:-

info@austinmemories.com

 

Mike Dodman, Bromsgrove.



#19 D-Type

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 12:50

Another tenuous lead:  The 1970 RAC Blue Book gives the Secretary as  G P Hames, 28 Poolfield Drive, Solihull, Warwickshire.  Phone:021-704 9366

Contrary to what I posted before, it is listed twice - in the "Not Registered for the Promotion of Motor Competition" list as M.M.E.C. and in the "Registered to Promote Competitions" list as the Midlands Motoring Enthusiasts Club.  My apologies if I caused any confusion.

 

And to muddy the waters further, it lists the club with an "s" but without any apostrophe - but no club has an apostrophe so we can put that down to the RAC house style, probably best described as "being consistently wrong".



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#20 RogerFrench

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 15:26

Why would Midlands be possessive?

#21 D-Type

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 21:41

Why would Midlands be possessive?

You haven't followed the discussion above - there were two questions:
(1)  Was it Midland or Midland?
(2)  Was it Enthusiasts or Enthusiasts' ?
 



#22 Salsin

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Posted 23 September 2017 - 14:54

Hello,

I appreciate that Hse289 started this topic in 2014 and may now have finished his research and moved on, but in the interests of providing historical research information for the wider community, here is further information.

I am grateful to my friend David Middleton who in 1969 was the founder and editor of a monthly newspaper "Midland Motorscope", devoted to covering motor sport in the Midlands; and who has given approval for this article from the newspaper to be reproduced here.

Apologies for the crease across the middle but the newspaper has been folded in my files for nearly 50 years and no longer wants to lie flat! However, I think the text should still be legible.

I was one of his merry band of friends who contributed reports and/or photos (both in my case) for publication in the journal, which folded in 1970 when lack of adequate cash-flow made it untenable.

 

http://Salsin.zenfol...69497/e96e37c20

 

(It may help if you download the image to your computer and then zoom into it.)

 

 

MikeD



#23 Vitesse2

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Posted 23 September 2017 - 15:34

Very interesting, Mike! I wasn't aware of Ken Wharton's involvement in the MMEC.

 

However, that bit of the club's early history is a bit sanitised. I have a feeling that if they hadn't been so closely associated with Mays they might have been taken a bit more seriously by 'that London'.

 

I'm also surprised that Stewart Forrest's name is mis-spelled throughout.



#24 Salsin

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Posted 23 September 2017 - 16:03

Hello,

I too noticed some mis-spellings and other typos.

I didn't write this particular article, nor was I involved in the proof-reading!



#25 Doug Nye

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Posted 29 September 2017 - 21:19

I think that another of the luminaries of the MMEC was a Midland enthusiast - I believe from Essendine in Rutland - named Harry Hallam. I have been told that he was certainly one of the organisers of their later '50s/early '60s Silverstone club meetings.  

 

In the early 1950s he built himself a pretty little sports car powered initially by a Fiat engine - the Hallam Special. The Fiat engine was later replaced by a Lea-Francis unit, but it wasn't a successful transplant. I have owned this Hallam Special for around 30 years now, and still haven't got around to putting the pile of bits back together...

 

Essendine, by the way is passed by a straight and level section of railway, including Milepost 90ΒΌ - which is where on July 3, 1938, LNER locomotive No 4468 'Mallard' set the land speed record for a steam locomotive - unbeaten to this day - of 126mph. Poor old 'Mallard' was in truth pretty much on her last legs and knackered by the effort, but she made it - just...which I regret to report is more (so far as I know) than the Hallam Special ever achieved. 

 

DCN



#26 Rupertlt1

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Posted 11 May 2021 - 08:20

The Midland Motoring Enthusiasts' Club held their 14th meeting at Silverstone, Saturday 23 June 1962.

"Good weather and a full entry list provided an interesting day of mixed events."

I have found a set of results that in most cases does not identify the cars involved.

Does anybody have a programme/report/results for this event?

I am particularly interested in P. E. Richardson (Castle Garage Racing Partnership) - third in the 15-lap Formula Libre Event?

1st. Richard Attwood, Cooper, Midland Racing Partnership, average 85.58 m.p.h., 2nd. W. Bradley, 3rd. P. E. Richardson

 

Also: 15 laps scratch race for sports cars of any capacity:

1. F/O Clydesdale, Lola, 80.49 m.p.h.

2. G. N. Richardson

3. M. Pendleton

 

For P. Richardson see Great Auclum, Saturday 11 August 1962 here: https://forums.autos...dpost&p=8545610

 

Is this the same person?

 

Where was the Castle Garage?

 

"G. N. Richardson escaped when his Ferrari 3-litre rolled over several times at Maggotts Curve. The car was badly damaged, but he was uninjured." Silverstone, Saturday 22 June 1963, 15th annual Midland Motoring Enthusiasts' Club.
Maybe no connection to P. E. Richardson?

 

RGDS RLT 


Edited by Rupertlt1, 11 May 2021 - 11:21.