District Nurse in a Ruby

[Peter Naulls]

Whilst researching the possibility that our car was originally owned by a nursing association I found this video with a very brief appearance of another Ruby:

https://qniheritage.org.uk/film/

[Tony Griffiths]

Thank you Peter. Four lovely films.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Rosemary Knight used my parents’ RK saloon (BME 180) for her daily transport as a District Nurse in the 1980s.

[Peter Naulls]

That must have delighted her patients! I'm full of admiration.

From my research so far it seems that nursing associations started providing cars for nurses in rural areas in the mid '30s and at least two regional associations used Rubies. Prior to then they had supplied bikes or motorbikes! and post war they all seemed to use Morris 8s. There is more detailed information to be had but website problems mean this is unavailable at the moment.

Our car is a fixed-head saloon and over the years several people have told me that these tended to be bought by "fleet" buyers or organisations (most private buyers would pay the extra and have a de-luxe saloon) of which nursing associations would be an obvious one. I find these bits of historical context quite interesting.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

It did, she was very well known, not least because of the car!

[AustinWood]

At university in 1965 a friend and I persauded my friend George to buy a 1934 box saloon. It had the registration document from new, which in those days was stamped every time it was taxed. This showed it had been on the road continually from when it was first registered and all through the war until he bought it. Because they were economical many Sevens were run all through the war years.
George kept the car for the whole of his life and it was still continuously on the road well into the 80s/90s until it had a spell off the road having the body restored. It had been on its side at some time and was narrower than it should have been.
When George died in 2020 it was in the best condition it had been since he bought it.
The mileage it had covered was unknown, but was a lot!

[Andy Bennett]

Somewhere around I have a copy of a picture taken of a row of RP saloons purchased by Essex Police.

[Reckless Rat]

It's in the grey mag somewhere, before 2001.