Storm damage to a car in July 1912.
Unusually for an old photo, the year of the scene being portrayed is known in this example - 1912, the location is the Norfolk/Suffolk border area. I'm told that the date was 26th July 1912, however records elsewhere online point to terrible storms occurring on the 26th August 1912 across eastern England, so perhaps this is fact the date, not July. A bad storm wrought havoc across Norfolk and Suffolk, causing rivers to flood, bridges to be washed away, and trees brought down. This vintage touring car was another casualty of the highly inclement weather. No doubt the car's owner was confident that the car was stored away in a safe place for the duration of the storm, but sadly this wasn't the case.
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What happened exactly isn't known, but clearly events led to the garage's roof collapsing on top of the car, with inevitable results. To me it looks like a river had burst its banks, washing mud etc into the building which may have led to the garage's timber structure becoming fatally weakened. The photographer is stood in a more substantial, brick-built, section of the building. A temporary prop appears to have been brought in, to try and raise the roof from the top of the car prior to its extrication.
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Can anyone positively i.d. the car? The registration - AH 1130 - ran for a long time in Norfolk, from 1904 right through to 1923 in fact. It sports very narrow wooden-spoked wheels, with removeable rims. Maybe the transverse leaf spring at the rear - Model T Ford style - will act as a clue?
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