For the rest of this week we’re keeping this message up, for all Australian readers of our Register Blog:

Gooday Boys
Next Sunday is the Historic Commercial Vehicle show again. We are looking for a better than last year’s 7-vehicle show. If we all turn up we will make it – so here is the call to arms!
The show opens 9.00 am, so if we all make it around that time or soon after, and see if we can get the same spot as last year, we can make history: THE BIGGEST J VAN DISPLAY OUTSIDE THE UK…
That should also get us a front page on the J-Register website, so we will be world famous.
It is also the 65th Anniversary of the J Van so it will be a fitting culmination for the year.
Well done for last year – we will get some better pictures of a bigger display this year
See you there, John Brooksmith

And now to Classic Motor Show matters…

We enjoy organising our yearly stand at the NEC, but the reason for doing it is not to bring in new members (as is the case with many other clubs) as we realise that a lot of potential members are put off by a: the lack of vans for sale, and b: the prices that they fetch.

Our reason for all the effort is to see what comes out of the woodwork, such as this photo. It is of a Morris~Commercial milkfloat, working with Alton Dairies many years ago. A coachbuilt cab and interesting roof-mounted posterboards. The Hampshire registration dates from early 1951. The gentleman in front of the float is Arthur J Amory whose son spoke to us at the 2011 NEC show, and brought along this scanned print to the 2013 event.

We also had hints of other possible survivors which we can chase up, and conversations with one or two new owners of vans which have recently changed hands.

All in all, a great show!

The job’s done. Four vans in place, some info boards including photos of the three big J-gatherings this year, in celebration of the 65th. Thanks to Peter Bateman for the two Australian photos.

Thanks too to Mike Herritts, Gordon Wilson and Gary Sumner for bringing along their fine vans. It’s great to see them together.

Today is the day for the J-types to converge on the NEC. Hopefully all will be in place by mid-afternoon. We’ll post a photo later!

Last year’s set-up day…

Wow! This fab tin turned up at Register HQ today, courtesy of Peter Bateman. What a mad addition to any collection of ‘all things J-type’.

Cadbury’s chocolates tin in the shape of a Morris J-type

Cadbury’s Joyville J-type van!

We’ve recently added some photos to the History section of the website (see History button on top bar, or click this link http://www.jtypevan.com/history/specialised-vans/ice-cream-vans/) showing surviving genuine ice cream vans.

We’ve also photos from our archives of vans that are believed not to survive, click http://www.jtypevan.com/history/archive-photographs/ice-cream-van-archives-2/

There is an historical significance in being able to compare the various styles of the different coachbuilders around in the ’50s and ’60s which is our reason for creating the galleries.

Whitby Engineering’s modern-day recreations are not included in either of these galleries, but do appear in galleries under the Morris and Morris~Commercial buttons.

Heres’s a taste of what’s to be found…

Please support the Poppy Day appeal.

Thanks to Roland Turner for use of OBL photo

Peter Bateman sends this taster, with the promise of more details to follow. It shows a V6-powered J currently in the final stages of build. Looks like it’s going to be a fantastic ambassador for the J-type cause!

A week from now the Register stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show should be in place, we’ll put a photo on the blog…

Searching the internet for more info on the Australian book ‘I’ve an Uncle Ivan’ by Ben Sanders, I came across this photo of balloons at a Press Launch for the book. Great, eh!

Not content with taking over London’s ‘tourist’y places, Whitby Engineering’s modern-day recreations are getting on the telly too! This van appeared on ITV’s This Morning programme, starring Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, over the summer.

Whilst in London recently we came across this ice cream van working for a living. It was parked up in St James’ Park near to Buckingham Palace, and appears to have been there every day over the summer. This is another of Whitby Engineering’s modern-day recreations that seem to be cropping up in all sorts of touristy places, such as the Embankment.

In its previous life 942 BYY was a GPO Planning van, which appeared on Ebay in reasonably sound condition but with its side windows panelled in.