From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Details and settlement of a road accident in France involving a company vehicle and a cyclist.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 181\M10\ img146 | |
| Date | 13th February 1933 | |
| 84199 To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Copy to D-L. From GWH.{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux} Hotel de France, Chateauroux, France, 13.2.33. We received a memo from D-L.15-B.10.2.33. re. accident with 3 PER. 11 on the 7.2.33. We have sent you a receipt for the payment in clearing up this accident. There was no question about whose fault it was, but the accident would not have occurred had the dipping Lucas headlamps not failed. their failure with only the two side lamps giving light and two oncoming cars with brilliant lights, made it impossible for the driver to see more than a few feet ahead of him. He had as stated slackened down to approximately 15 mph. We are foreigners in a foreign country and our job is being run under peculiar circumstances, therefore the less the police are mixed up in such occurrences the better it is for us, and also the firm. Had we not amicably settled up with the man the police were going to be called in on the job which we did not want. As stated in our previous memos, we asked the advice of our Paris depot before coming to a decision and we were advised under the circumstances to settle up. We obtained the assistance of Monsieur Bigetat our hotel proprietor who graciously went over and interviewed the man in the best of our ability. The law as regards cycles in France does not call for a rear light or reflector and there are many occasions in the country when they have no light at all. The claim for three days was because his cycle was smashed up and he could not get to his work, only by cycling. His occupation was a travelling joiner and apparently he had no fixed address, therefore we could not obtain one. There is also the attitude which these French peasants take in a case of this sort, that it is a Rolls Royce car involved and they immediately say "You are foreigners, you own a Rolls Royce car and I am going to make you pay." We know that this can be over- ruled, but that is going to involve expenditure far exceeding the amount we paid. The question of time is also a difficulty. It takes two days for you to receive a report, probably a day is lost in replying, making it five days in all before we receive a reply. This man would have gone to the police had we not seen him during that time as naturally he would have come to the conclusion that we were evading the responsibility. We gave the name of the insurers as the Caledonian. This was obtained from Mr. Lomas himself, but not any address. | ||