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MG MG Y Type - New evidence of MGCC Y Register History

NEW EVIDENCE OF MGCC Y REGISTER HISTORY

This is posted on the MGCC Y Register website.

When I acquired my first Y in 1972 I joined the MG Car Club and also Harry Crutchley's Octagon Car Club. At the Car Club Y interests were 'represented' by the T register. I use that word with care as Y's were then seen more as a source of spares for T's than anything else.

I do recall the late Barry Lacey-Malvern (the T Secretary of the time) forwarding me an information sheet with the body and trim colours of Y. Other than that I got very little from them other than a very thin monthly Safety Fast.

I sold the Y to a dealer in Belgium in September 1979, ceased my membership of MGCC and was unaware that a register representing had been formed and was indeed recognised by the Car Club.

However, Brian Moyse helped to compile a history of the MGCC Y Register prior to MG90 earlier this year. During his research he came across a reference to a Y Register formed by Paul Grafham and his wife Maggie. They had set this up after becoming disenchanted by the T Register's lack of appreciation and awareness of the Y - sounds familiar!

I understand that Paul and Maggie ran the newly formed Y Register for a couple of years but then business commitments prevented them from carrying on with it. Eventually it must have been 'reacquired' by the T Register until Dennis Doubtfire, Colin Rae and others formed the new Y Register in 1991.


Paul Grafham has sent in a copy of a registration form from 1979. It shows a red ink rubber stamp referring to the then Y Register. It was previously thought, that prior to the present Y Register starting in 1991 Ys were part of the T Register.
Look out for the full story of our research into the history of the Y Register in our 4 page spread in the December ‘Safety Fast’ issue.

If you visit the Y Register website (www.mgccyregoster.co.uk) you will find more information and some photographs.

Paul and Maggie still own their two Y types!

All the best
Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Hi Jerry,

Talking of 'red ink rubber stamps'....do you remember this one?

Rob

Rob King

Hi Rob

I acquired one like this a couple of years ago on eBay. I think they are still available from time to time. Great to own and personalize your notes with! I think I have them on the Collectibles page already!

Paul
Paul Barrow

Yes I do Rob though I have only noted them on Paul's site.
J P BIRKBECK

...this little stamp was used by Dave Mullen at the top of all of his correspondence in the 1990's...I think he was 'spares' secretary.....

Rob
Rob King

I still have that stamp Rob.....yes for a while I was spares secretary of John Lawson's Y type register during the 80s/90s. I also recall Paul & Magie Grafham as they had apparently been in touch with John. I understand that their childrens names all had M G as the first part of the christian names (or so John told me if I recall correctly)..as far as I recall they had an M G A Grafham, M G B.... etc etc...maybe that was just folklore but you never know...not sure what happened to the Grafham's but John said they had been side tracked and were unable to continue. John Lawson still lives a few miles from me in Liverpool (same address as usual) last time I heard although I never see him these days. Crikey time flies..to think I was only in my 20s when I bought my YB in 1980!
D MULLEN

^^ That is a great post Dave. Did the Graftons have 25 children - they could have stopped when they got to M G Y LOL!!

Paul
Paul Barrow

Some may remember that Paul Grafham posted on this forum last March pointing out that there was a MGCC Y Register back in 1979 before the present one was set up in 199I. We have been following up this lead through the year and I met up with Paul and Margaret a few weeks back. They still own 2 Ys and a WA although I don't think they are on the road. Jerry intends to include an article about the early register in our 4 page spread in the December SF issue.
Peter
P W Vielvoye

Previous post.

R E Knight

John Lawson's newsletter published 1977-2009 ish would have details of the attempts to have Y register in the MGCC I think...as I recall the copyright was sold to an MGCC member? I still have a full set of newsletters I think...good to hear the Grafhams are still ok and have two Y types (can anyone confirm the childrens M G names or was John getting carried away with his tales) ...the attempts
to set up a Y register...mostly it was John L and the Grafhams from what I recall. Its also true that Y types were seen by some in the MGCC at that time as spares for T types...I knew of many a Y going down that sad road almost into recent times..
D MULLEN

Its interesting how rumours abound- Yes our three children had the initials AMG, BMG, and JMG, My wife and I are PMG and MG - We really could not be interested in any other marque although my son now owns a 1938 Standard Flying 12 ( No accounting for taste).

We recall well when John Lawrence came to see us back in the late 1970s when he was writing his book. At the time we lived in West Wycombe.

At the time we did not fit the profile of the traditional Y type owner - ie we were young then!

Group gatherings of Ys wre rare then but we did achieve some success - see attached picture

Paul & Maggie Grafham




P M Grafham

Paul

Thank you for being such a good sport and entering into this thread. Hope you continue to enjoy Ys irrespective of profiling :)!!

Paul
Paul Barrow

This thread was discussed between 13/10/2014 and 21/10/2014

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