Morris 10cwt van.
In this undated photograph is a mother and child with the family vehicle, a Morris Series Y Type, dating most probably to the late 1940s.
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This van, painted in a two tone colour scheme, has had extra side windows fitted to it, and may well have been converted to a simple camper, if the curtains at the windows are a guide. Pieces of camping equipment, including a kettle boiling on a Primus stove, are in view, so either this was a day trip to the countryside, or else part of a holiday.
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The Series Y van is a rare vehicle now, definitely less common than the popular Morris Z light commercials (such as Garry's ex-GPO Morris Z van) that are well represented in preserved vehicle circles. I did hear of one preserved Y van, resident in Australia - Ian's Series Y Morris Utilevan - and news of a British van came through recently also. I wonder if the van in the photograph survives?
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Originally this 10cwt Morris would have been fitted with the pop-up semaphore trafficators, fitted to the bodywork just behind the front doors. This van though has been converted to flashing indicators, a popular modification in the 1950s. If I find or receive any more period photographs of the Morris Y Type vans, I'll add them to this page. A lineup of classic Austin and Morris vans, including a Y Type, used for selling Pink Paraffin back in the 50s, can be seen here.
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A van in use with a dairy in New Milton.
Almost nine years have passed since this page was last updated. I'm grateful to Malcolm Bailey, who posted this snapshot of a Morris Y van onto Facebook recently, for allowing me to share his photo on OCC.
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The van in question is registered GLN 715, and is signwritten in the livery of the dairy owned by Malcolm's father, namely the Hygienic Dairy of New Milton, Hampshire. The LN (London) series came into being in October 1941. Civilian new-vehicle registrations during WW2 were few and far between, and proof that the vehicle was required for an essential service in the area was required before such a purchase would even be considered by the local authorities. The appearance of the 10cwt Y-van is very similar to that of Ford's E83W 10cwt light commercial, photos of which can be found on this page for comparison.
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The Y's back-to-basics specification is clear to see in this photo - for example, just the one windscreen wiper, no chrome plating (although the grille on this example appears to have been painted a light colour to improve the van's appearance), non-opening fixed windscreen, and no hub-caps. The single offset hole in the grille is a reminder that, like with the Ford, the Morris' engine is offset to the passenger side, hence needing a starter handle aperture set off to one side. This forward-control design enables more of the vehicle's overall length to be given over to interior carrying capacity, when compared to a van with its engine mounted fully ahead of the interior occupants.
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An interesting write-up about this dairy's origins, penned by Malcolm back in 1991, features on the Milk Bottle News website (external link).
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 6.
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