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).
Trip to America to research rust prevention and ventilation for all-steel bodies.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\1\ scan0066 | |
| Date | 19th November 1935 | |
| X1021 To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to C.Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}E. (text has been struck through) C.W.E. Steel.Bodies. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}11/E19.11.35 Thanks for Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}1/MJ.14.11.35. I have to-day had a long interview with Mr.Roberts. He has agreed that some one should go to America. They cannot spare Mr.Ward but it will probably be Mr. Thomson and he will probably go this week. As Mr.Thomson has never been to America before and would not know his way about as to how to get the desired information I have promised that we will help. Mr.Ward and Mr.Roberts will give me the date of his arrival and the name of the hotel in New York to which he will proceed. I have promised that, on receipt of this information, we will cable our people, telling them that Thomson arrives on --- date, proceeding to --- Hotel and is desirous of obtaining information regarding the latest American practice for preventing rust on steel bodies, requesting them to make contact and have a letter waiting for him at the Hotel instructing him where to join them so that they can help him to get the requisite information. I have told Mr.Roberts that we are very keen to go ahead with the all steel body but that we must have a guarantee from them regarding the rust problem and that a guarantee for one year is quite useless. We want one for about five years. I thoroughly agree with what you say about the difficulty of opening and shutting the doors on our cars and have had some very bitter experiences of exactly the same thing. I am also asking Mr.Roberts to see that Thomson studies the American ventilating schemes to see where and how they differ from what we use over here. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||