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).
Private letter concerning the quality of hood patterns and doping from coachbuilder Freestone & Webb's.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 96\1\ scan0021 | |
| Date | 11th October 1938 | |
| 374 PRIVATE. D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} 11th October 1938. Dear Alan, Many thanks for your letter. I have spent the whole morning at Freestone & Webb's with Withers and his man Woodall. The patterns of hood were produced and I told Webb that I had a letter from you and you asked me to ask him as to quality. I mentioned the fact about your doping every year, and also at the beginning of the first year. I regret to say that Webb was not enthusiastic. He did not seem to know anything about doping, and he thought I had made a mistake as to your information !!!! Pip ! Pip !! We came back, and I took Withers to lunch and he doubted very strongly the doping remarks. I told them both straight out that I did not care what either of them said, but I had known Mr. Alan Chambers for many years, and I preferred to believe what he told me, and I wanted to know something about the proper dope with which to dope the hood each year, so that my hood would last four to five years as per A.C. Just before we left the Works Webb came to me with the patterns and said, of course, he could not recommend this pattern (the one you and I and Mrs. had chosen) as he said that it would not be nearly good enough. “But”, I replied, “you sent me the pattern as for my hood”, and he then said it was much too light and he must have a much heavier | ||