Landships II

Great War Truck · Brigadier

Seabrook

Ironsides · Legend

According to this book...see page 16

http://soldatinidicarta.altervista.org/WW1%20-%20Early%20Armored%20Cars.pdf

some problem with the link reverting to the homepage, paste the above link to your web browser...

Seabrooks used a 5 ton truck chassis from the Standard motor Truck Corporation of Detroit....

Cheers

-- Edited by Ironsides at 12:40, 2008-12-06

alfisherjr · Colonel

Ironsides wrote:

Tried Early Armoured Cars�and ended up on an Italian auto site.� What's going on . . .

Al

Great War Truck · Brigadier

Ironsides wrote:

Seabrooks used a 5 ton truck chassis from the Standard motor Truck Corporation of Detroit....

Cheers

-- Edited by Ironsides at 12:40, 2008-12-06

Thats interesting. I have seen an early advert for Seabrook where they were described as "Seabrook Standard". I assumed that the two companies had merged and had not considered that Seabrooks were built on Standard chassis. It is�curious to see that in all the books i have on US trucks, the name Standard does not feature in any of them. I presume it is one of those companies that came and went in a very short time and left no discernable trail.

You have added a bit more to the story of the Company so many thanks.

Tim

Great War Truck · Brigadier

Having reread that, i get the impression that Seabrook was just the name given to that particular type of truck manufactured by Standard and was not a seperate company.

It may well be that Standard did not want its name associated with the manufacture of army trucks for the British so changed the name to Seabrook for that model. I see that no more�came into the UK from 1918.

Tim

philthydirtyanimal · Commander in Chief

Does Companies House have anything on file about Seabrook?

And I think you have the correct meaning; I have always understood that it was an ordinary Standard Truck, imported and re-badged by a British company called seabrook.

B T White adds that it had a "32.2hp Continental engine with chain drive transmission to the rear wheels... The first Seabrook heavy armoured car was delivered by the Portholme Aerodrome Ltd., Huntingdon on 5 February 1915." Five squadrons, of 6 heavy armoured cars each, were formed, and the first squadron was sent to Egypt in November 1915 and joined the Western Frontier Force in operations against the Senussi. The other squadrons went to France.

David Fletcher, in War Cars page 21, says the Standard was "marketed in Britain under the trade name of Seabrook." Which would mean there was no company called Seabrook, just a trade name. He corroborates that 30 chassis were sent to, and equipped by, the Portholme Aerodrome Company, Huntingdon. The fitting was done under the supervision of Lieutenant Wilson, who then joined the RNAS, and that's how he got chosen for the Landships projects, and subsequently invented the Tank.

Ironsides · Legend

Heres an ad from 1915�I came across, it refers to the trucks in question Seabrook-Standard the address at the bottom says "Seabrook Bros (est 1896) 57 Gt Eastern St London E.C" so it would appear it was an actual company perhaps they had exclusive import rights for Standard Trucks...
It may be that they were only importing chassis and building the bodys themselves as it mentions a modern factory. It also says�"It is an ideal war chassis" the add came from this site....

http://www.automobileadshop.com/a-z-commercials-miscellaneous-80-c.asp

I came across this thread talking about long gone factorys in detroit it has a photo of the Standard Motor Truck Co which was at 1111 Bellevue, aparantly this building dates from 1912 so presumably this would be where all the seabrook armored lorry chassis originated....

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/40389.html?1111462014

Cheers

-- Edited by Ironsides at 23:05, 2008-12-07

Ironsides · Legend

Here is a link to a book published in 1917 called :

Story of the Automobile

Its History and Development
From 1760 to 1917

With an Analysis of the
Standing and Prospects of
the Automobile Industry
By H. L.BARBER

in it is an entry for Standard:

"Standard," Standard Motor Truck
Co., Detroit, Mich., 3 models. Chain
and Worm drive. 2 to 5 2300 to 8700

On a futher note checking the satelite image for 57 Gt Eastern St seems to show a long roofed building with sky lights......

Cheers

-- Edited by Ironsides at 00:10, 2008-12-08

Ironsides · Legend

A short history of Seabrook Bros (Est1896) can be found here..

http://www.britishmm.co.uk/history.asp?id=801

Heres the full text:

Percy and Herbert Seabrook established their company (Seabrook Brothers) in 1896 to manufacture parts for the cycle industry and by 1901 had branches in Berlin and New York. From 1911 to 1915 they imported the Regal, built in Detroit, and marketed it in England as the RMC (Regal Motor Car Company) or the Seabrook-RMC from their premises at 57 Great Eastern Street, London EC2. The Regal ceased production in 1920.

During the Great War they imported lorries made by the Napoleon Motors Company, Michigan and Standard Motor Truck Company, Detroit and marketed them as Seabrooks.

Seabrook's own Light Car should have been at the 1919 Olympia Show but was delayed by strikes. The 1920 show lists a Seabrook-RMC, this was not similar to any Regal model and it is likely that a mistake was made in the show catalogue and this was Seabrook's Light Car. In 1926 the company moved to 107 Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW3.

No cars were made after 1928, by now Austin and Morris were dominating the market. The brothers both retired in 1926 and Frank Burgess took over the company and the last two or three years production may have been built from existing stock.
Possibly the only survivor is a derelict example.

Cheers wink

-- Edited by Ironsides at 11:40, 2008-12-08

Ironsides · Legend

Sorry somehow the post was duplicated
Cheers confuse

-- Edited by Ironsides at 13:32, 2008-12-08

Ironsides · Legend

Sorry again the post was triplicated....
Cheers confuse

-- Edited by Ironsides at 13:32, 2008-12-08

Ironsides · Legend

On the Napoleon Motor Car Company,�Traverse City,�Michigan....

text comes from this article...

http://www.yourplacegrandtraverse.org/automobile.asp

"In� 1917, the Napoleon Company of Ohio moved its car manufacturing operation to Traverse City and was welcomed with open arms by the community.� Initially four types of autos were offered by Napoleon: a six passenger touring car, a four passenger touring car, a four passenger roadster, and a � ton truck, ranging in price from $1,085 to $1,285.� In truth these vehicles were only assembled and painted in Traverse City.� The parts were made elsewhere.� In spite of this, the factory was an important employer in the city, as well as a point of pride.� However, a financial recession in 1921 spelled the end of the company, which closed its doors in 1923."

they dont appear to have produced a 5 ton truck during WW1

dont know if this relevant..

Cheers confuse

Ironsides · Legend

Seabrook Bros�seems have imported cars and trucks from a number of US companys and there may be an explanation for all this, in order to avoid the taxes and import duties the vechiles were shipped as parts and assembled by Seabrooks at their "factory", at the time this appears to have been a tactic used by at least some US manufactures in order to sell there Vehicles at competitive local prices......hence the name Seabrook-Standard, Seabrook-RMC etc......

Cheers

-- Edited by Ironsides at 13:52, 2008-12-08

Great War Truck · Brigadier

That is very interesting. Many thanks as you have solved several long running questions on this Companies name. Thanks again.

I will see if i can post a picture of a WD one for you later.

Tim

Great War Truck · Brigadier

Great War Truck · Brigadier

These have often been mistaken for a Peerless, but it is certainly a Seabrook. It does have some similarities to the Peerless but the chain sprocket is the give away. Quite a handsome and sturdy looking truck. A great shame that there are no survivors (that i am aware of).

Tim

Ironsides · Legend

Tim Thanks for posting the pic, would you happen to have any pictures of the Standard(Motor truck co)Lorry as I was wondering what the difference was if any bettween Seabrook and Standard lorries , I imagine that the body on�the Military�truck would be built to�WD requirements........I'm interested to know the extent to which Seabrooks were producing their own bodywork..

Cheers

Ironsides · Legend

I just found this article which says..."I have seen references to Standard Motor Truck building chain-driven trucks into the 1920s. During World War I, they apparently packaged the components for trucks and sent them to the Seabrook vehicle firm in London where the parts were assembled and the trucks sold under the Seabrook mark".....

You can find it here http://www.detroit1701.org/Standard%20Motor-Letts%20Industries.html

It also appears that�Standard had premises at 496-500 Bellevue & Kercheval detroit as well....

Cheers

-- Edited by Ironsides at 12:36, 2008-12-10

Great War Truck · Brigadier

I would expect that all bodywork was done away from Seabrook by coach builders to the�usual WD design, but you never know. You have set me a challenge to find a picture of a civilian Standard. I will have a look and see what i can find. A job for Boxing Day perhaps.

Ivan · Field Marshal

Captured Seabrook trucks (ex-British troops in Nord Russia) �in Archangel, 1922.

Runflat · Lieutenant-Colonel

Ivan, I don't think these are Seabrooks.� They look much more like Clydesdale lorries.� (See Wheels and Tracks magazine #72)

Ivan · Field Marshal

Runflat wrote:

Ivan, I don't think these are Seabrooks.� They look much more like Clydesdale lorries.� (See Wheels and Tracks magazine #72)

�In city-archive of Archangel wroten Seabrock (total was 5 Seabrock-trucks). Clydesdale was not by British trooops in North Russia.