MEN OF LETTERS

The DNY registration number on the Rudge – mentioned in the letters in RC239 – denotes an issue from Glamorgan in South Wales in 1938/39. When breaking down two or three letter sequences by issuing authority one doesn’t use the first two letters, but the second and third.

The D relates to the period of issue. The registration authorities worked through the alphabet starting with A and going through to Y. Z was reserved for Northern Ireland, with Q and I not being used, for administrative or clarity reasons. Any combination such as spelled a ‘rude word’ like SEX were weeded out, but CEX was allowed and indeed was issued by Great Yarmouth c1958. With three letters, they would be followed by three numbers from 1 to 999, and Glamorgan would have gone on to ENY next. It took Glamorgan, with its sparse population, from March 1938 to July 1959 to use up its 999 issues. Populous areas could do that in a couple of months. The Rudge however, is clearly of the type current from 1937 to 1939.

Nigel Stennett-cox, member

That Rudge was actually was registered in Glamorganshire. In the pre-1963 local authority registration system of three letters, it was the second and third letter which identifies the local authority. Leeds was UA, UB, UM; Sheffield was WA, WB. Rotherham was ET, Doncaster was DT, Barnsley was HE, Wakefield HL, York was DN.

I lived in Barnsley until 1991 then Doncaster to the present day and at 77 years of age was driving at this time and can remember all the letters within Yorkshire.

Tony Pearson, member

Reference the piece in the latest RC regarding the Rudge with the partial VRM of DNY visible.

DN was indeed a York VRM, but that’s not the bit that counts! In this particular case NY is the bit that indicates the issuing authority, which was Glamorgan until 1974, when it became a Cardiff identifier.

Martyn Hillier, member

Thanks for the info, folks. That all makes perfect sense as the photo was taken in Cardiff. I suspect the next stop for info about that actual bike would be the machine registrar at the Rudge club: machineregistrar@rudge.club