1914 Dennis N type pump 1921 Dennis N type pump/escape fire engine
2001 LONDON to BRIGHTON COMMERCIAL VEHICLE RUN
Two intrepid Surry Vintage Vehicle Society photographers trudged up Pease Pottage Hill at the crack of Dawn on a cold misty Sunday, while other more sensible folk were still in bed, to observe the arrival of the Commercials at their midpoint fuel/tea/watering hole.
Several interesting photos were taken, which you may have seen in black & white in the SVVS Magazine. These and others you can now see in full glorious technicolour.
‘G129 DU 179 – 1914 Dennis N type pump This Vehicle was new to the City of Coventry Brigade and was their first motorised Appliance, Whilst with them it saw 22 years of service it was sold to GEC’s Stoke works, where it saw another 22 years duty. Before being re-acquired by its makers for 35 pounds in 1958. The Vehicle is completely original apart from the pneumatic tyres. Which was a Dennis conversion in 1936..
Entered by G.N. Greenside of Goldalming, surrey’
The Historical Commercial Vehicle Society 40th Annual London to Brighton Run. Official program says
‘G131 FA 1075 1921 Dennis N type pump/escape fire engine. This vehicle was supplied to the Bass Ratcliffe and Gretton brewery at Burton on Trent and remained in service there for 45 years. The Brewery firemen workers from within the brewery were paid an additional shilling (5p) for each call out, which could be up to a radius of ten miles from their station, to assist the local fire brigade. It is fitted with a 10 Litre White & Pope 4-cylinder side Valve engine and a 3-stage Gwynne 900-gallon per minute pump. The wheeled escape ladder by Merryweather extends to 50 feet
Entered by Dr B.A. Hutchinson of Ponteland. Northumberland.
The photos above, taken by SVVS photographers, show the sort of engines that were the pride of the many fire brigades ..
BRIEF HISTORY of DENNIS
John Dennis Started a bicycle-building business in 1895. Raymond, his brother, joined him in 1898. They branched into making cars, and it was not long before the two brothers created the first Dennis Commercial vehicle in 1903. By 1904 the brothers had formed Dennis Brother Limited.
| BRIEF HISTORY of DENNIS The engines for these Commercial vehicles were supplied by the Coventry company of White and Poppe, and Dennis Brother took over the Company in 1918. This became the Dennis engine plant until the early 1930s. Dennis built 1700 ‘Subsidy’ trucks that were supplied to the British War Department during the 1914 – 1918 great war. At the end of www1, Dennis introduced new 2.5-ton trucks and, in 1926, had expanded the range to Payloads that covered 4, 5, and 6 tons. This was quite a large range of trucks and became quite a common sight on British roads. Mostly powered by 347 cubic inches 4 cylinder petrol engine. (5.7 litres) |
The first commercial vehicle featured the earliest worm drive rear axle in Britain – with success in the early commercial vehicles,s Dennis Bros concentrated their efforts on heavier vehicles and in 1908, were building a five-ton lorry with worm drive.
Specialty applications such as fire engines were to become dominated in England by the name Dennis, and by 1913 Dennis Bros Settled into a well-defined Niche of commercial vehicles and commercial applications.
The engines for these Commercial vehicles were supplied by the Coventry company of White and Poppe, and Dennis Brother took over the Company in 1918. This became the Dennis engine plant until the early 1930s.
Dennis built 1700 ‘Subsidy’ trucks that were supplied to the British War Department during the 1914 – 1918 great war.
At the end of www1, Dennis introduced a new 2.5-ton truck, and in 1926 had expanded the range to Payloads that covered 4, 5, and 6 tons. This was quite a large range of trucks and became quite a common sight on British roads. Mostly powered by 347 cubic inches 4 cylinder petrol engine. (5.7 litres)
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