Matt Bacon Posted March 18, 2019 Posted March 18, 2019 (edited) The Reverend Mrs B took a funeral this morning at her church in Kildwick. A gentlemen called Tony, who was a leading light of the vintage car scene in the north of England, and the Model T enthusiasts community across the country. We were expecting it to be well-attended, and some people to come in classic cars. As it turned out, the very large church was packed to overflowing, and every nook and cranny of the village was packed with parked cars. Tony was clearly well-known and loved in his various old-car worlds -- various people said he was always the man to stop on vintage car outings and rallies to help out others, always ready to dive under the hood and tinker... I was recruited as parking marshall, and took a bit of time to photograph some of the gems that people brought with them. Some of the older cars were trailered to a meeting point ten or so miles away and then driven to the church, but a number of people travelled up to 300 miles in their old-timers, and were still there an hour early, catching me by surprise! More or less in chronological order... 1901 Albion... genuinely a horseless carriage, with an engine that looks as though it should run on steam... 1912 Wolseley -- anyone who though vintage cars were small, well, this one ain't. It's a car built for the Empire, and barely fit through the church car park gate, which admitted modern Range Rovers no problem... A Dodge, not sure from when... A couple of Model T's of varying vintage. A well-travelled Talbot that had come a a fair few miles today as well... My personal favorite: a gorgeous 1931 Lagonda Though it was a close run thing... I might have chosen this 1925 Bentley! Definitely a candidate for most stylish conveyance - 1956 Citroen Though this was pretty good, too... Hope nobody needed this on the way over, though it was super cute... A few youngsters in the crowded car park as well... As an elderly gentlemen walking past through the village as people arrived said to me "Well, they're giving him a reet good send-off, if nowt else..." RIP Tony. Some more pictures here: https://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/Tony-Chesters-Funeral best, M. Edited March 18, 2019 by Matt Bacon
bbowser Posted March 18, 2019 Posted March 18, 2019 I agree, that Lagonde is outstanding! Obviously the man was well respected. Sorry to see such people pass on, thanks for sharing the pictures.
plastic trucker Posted March 18, 2019 Posted March 18, 2019 Nice to see these old cars fixed up and not hot rodded.
Mike999 Posted March 18, 2019 Posted March 18, 2019 Thanks for the photos, and it's great that so many of Tony's friends showed up. (Human and automotive.) The Dodge roadster may be a 1916 model or thereabouts, though I'm certainly not an expert. I'm guessing that because it looks like the 1916 Dodge touring car in this photo. This was a staff car for General John "Black Jack" Pershing. The general ordered 6 Dodge touring cars for his "Punitive Expedition" to Mexico, chasing Pancho Villa. Pershing never caught him, but those Dodges must have impressed the famous outlaw and revolutionary. Pancho was shot to death in July 1923, while riding in his favorite car - a 1919 Dodge.
espo Posted March 18, 2019 Posted March 18, 2019 Great pictures and thank you for sharing them. Sorry it was such sad circumstances.
Tom Geiger Posted March 18, 2019 Posted March 18, 2019 What a great send off! We should all be so lucky! A testament to the man and his reputation!
Khils Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 Seeing the man filled " his " purpose in life. I can only hope to "maybe" at least scratch that surface one day. .......respectfully.... RIP Sir! I am humbled!
Gramps46 Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 Thank you very much for sharing the photos and your link.
Bainford Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 Sorry to hear of the circumstances, but thanks for posting the photos. I’m super digging that Lagonda. RIP Tony
Greg Myers Posted March 20, 2019 Posted March 20, 2019 (edited) On 3/18/2019 at 2:47 PM, Mike999 said: Thanks for the photos, and it's great that so many of Tony's friends showed up. (Human and automotive.) The Dodge roadster may be a 1916 model or thereabouts, though I'm certainly not an expert. I'm guessing that because it looks like the 1916 Dodge touring car in this photo. This was a staff car for General John "Black Jack" Pershing. The general ordered 6 Dodge touring cars for his "Punitive Expedition" to Mexico, chasing Pancho Villa. Pershing never caught him, but those Dodges must have impressed the famous outlaw and revolutionary. Pancho was shot to death in July 1923, while riding in his favorite car - a 1919 Dodge. and now there's a monument to him in down town Tucson. Edited March 20, 2019 by Greg Myers add photo
Greg Myers Posted March 20, 2019 Posted March 20, 2019 Used to be a bunch of these cars in the Barrett - Jackson auctions back in the seventies.
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