Hearses

I will have a few more to add to this theme (including one from my first HCVC rally). Although this is a Rolls Royce hearse, I am starting a new thread rather than placing it with Bentley and Rolls Royce utilities. I have already found an Armstrong Siddeley hearse, and a modern Ford one.

There are many links by googling for motorbike hearses, eg
www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://w...u/3-image05.jpg&img\
refurl=http://www.thefinalride.com.au/0-hearse.html&h=200&w=200&sz=23&tbnid=t_9w\
1z8LOETBZM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmotorcycle%2Bhearse%26tbm%3Disc\
h%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=motorcycle+hearse&usg=__LjPYu4H3SIUZC7IQTlE6fTyzl6U=&sa=X&e\
i=5KmmTbKrFcXtrQeIufTzCQ&ved=0CC8Q9QEwBQ

www.flickr.com/photos/rosco500/4152343382 shows an antique Fiat hearse, still in use in Cloncurry (Qld).

This one was at the funeral of a friend.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Here is the Armstrong Siddeley hearse, also at the funeral of a friend.
There is another good photo on Selwyn Allen home page:
www.selwynallenfunerals.com.au/home
However, the page doesn't mention the range of vehicles available, and the brochure shows only the modern Ford.
www.selwynallenfunerals.com.au

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Here are two of the one modern vehicle, taken this year at the funeral of a friend.

The company's website mentions everything about funerals, except the choice of vehicle.
www.wdrosefunerals.com.au

John Allison Monkhouse does make a feature of its specialist hearses (horse drawn, 1926 Rolls Royce, a chinese pagoda on a tray truck):
www.monkhouse.com.au/afhearse
IIRC, it has exhibited at an HCVC rally.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

id be happy to "go out" in a leyland P76 or if my family cant afford that a wheeliebin?

I had in my last instructions that I wanted to be at my funeral in a biodegradable papyrus coffin (cremated only a few minutes later), but they are now outlawed in Australia.
I do not want my bereaved family to be attacked by a voracious director, when buying the cardboard coffin: 'What, didn't you love the deceased? Do buy the executive model with silver-plated handles'. My legacy is going to grog for the wake.
If you can't afford a carriage, while heading to raise daisies, try a tricycle built for two:
www.google.com.au/imgres?q=motorbike+hea...r:18,s:0&tx=67&ty=65

When I was in year 8 (a long time ago), the joke was: Why are there only two pallbearers at xxx funerals? There are only two handles on a rubbish bin.
Now: Why is there only one pallbearer? That's all a wheelie bin needs.

My younger brothers could load my coffin onto the billycart which I built for them when they were 10, and tow me by hand.

Meanwhile, the purpose-designed large boot of a P76 has great merit, or resequence to have the service after the cremation, and have a single funeral-director on rollerblades, carrying a recycled vegemite jar of ashes.

Despite all of the frivolity, hearses have been an important dimension of commercial vehicles for over a century: horses before the motor era. They have their own needs and designs, and many are now in preservation hands to be taken to rallies, along with police vehicles, ambulances, fire appliances, icecream vans, RACV rescue vehicles, baker vans, newspaper vans: every one was built for an honest purpose; their time may be over, but mechanical people with a sense of history can and do preserve their era.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Heres a rare one (only pics i have)


1939 Ford Mercury


"Built in 1939 by Martin & King, Melbourne for Lester & Son Funeral Directors of Albury, NSW. Purchased by Tuckers Funeral & Bereavement Service, Geelong in 1995 from Leahy Funeral Directors in Rutherglen.

Hundreds of hours were spent on completely restoring this vehicle and the timber used on this vehicle is Victorian Ash. It has V8 engine and is petrol driven with a manual transmission."



I carried out the signwork when the hearse was refurbished by Advance Coaches in Geelong..

Chocs

This B model was bought by a funeral mob on the Sunshine Coast about 18 months ago, not sure if they used it in the business.

That Mack is just great for those disasters with multiple fatalities.

There is a great deal less solemnity with modern funerals: partly because a lot of attendees are not religious, and partly because a funeral has to cater for multi-faith work colleagues who don't need any one dogma. A popular playoff tune now is the deceased's football-club theme song.

Very much today, a funeral is not weepie wailie, but a tribute for what the deceased did for our lives or our hobbies. Particularly for technical hobbies: we were baby boomers, and we built up this hobby; will generation X, Y, Z or whatever follow in our footsteps and keep the equipment and traditions alive for your children to enjoy?

My favourite is the little old lady who provided money to hire an Elvis impersonator for her funeral, and had him play 'Return to sender'.

I am now pondering which hearse to specify in my instructions. Certainly, I am not dead yet. I had a junior neighbour knock on my door one afternoon, doing a survey for a school project: 'Mr Smith, have you lived in this suburb all your life?'. I put on my best creaky voice and croaked raspingly: 'Not yet sonny'.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Big Cam

Just looking at that old B Model - and remembered if one disconected that black hose running under the bonnet, from the air cleaner end, they would gain another 25HP.

That was a pretty common trick when running on tar. One bloke forgot and left it off on the dirt. It lost that new found power along with another 50HP after a couple of bull dust holes.

Oldfulla

I know a lot of blokes that used to pull the element out of the air cleaner on the 184 Inter's .It was ok if you could put up with the noise as it was under the dash on the left hand side of the cab.