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).
Development and implementation of an easy change gearbox with synchromesh for various car models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 13\7\ 07-page104 | |
| Date | 21th October 1931 | |
| Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} X7310 To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} re Easy Change Gearboxes. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}8/E21.10.31 Copy to Mr. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Referring to the above you will remember that in R1/M26.9.31 you said you had decided that you would ask DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/Hdy{William Hardy} to make the necessary arrangement drawing for P.II gearbox with synchro mesh and silent third. We discussed this whole matter when I was at Derby on the 30th September and we all agreed that, in view of the urgency of the matter, it was the right course to scale up the gearbox for the P.II which has been designed for the 20/25. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} wrote to you in or7/T1.10.31, suggesting that the matter might be expedited if BY's department were allowed to tackle this work as we know that we were very busy with J.III, etc. I have just been reading Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}'s memo. to you on this subject and I thoroughly agree that we are going to be in a very invidious position if we are unable to offer at least as good an arrangement of gearbox with easy change and silent third on the 40/50 as on the 20/25. It ought really to be the other way round and you will doubtless remember that, when I began pressing for an easy change and silent third some two years ago it was in connection with the 40/50, but unfortunately we have nothing which we look like being able to offer. Apart from the fact that the 40/50 is the expensive luxury car which ought to have the latest improvement, there is also the fact - as Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} points out - that it is the car on which it is most needed from the point of view of the difficulty of changing gear. This matter is of such vital importance to the Company that I do hope to hear from you that you have either instructed DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/Hdy{William Hardy} to proceed with this work as quickly as possible or alternatively adopted Wor{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}'s suggestion of allowing the scaling up work to be done by BY's department at Derby. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||