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MG MGA - Orginial Registration in UK

My Uncle Bought an MGA new in England in May 1956. He crashed his Fighter in the WASH right after the purchase so the car was given to my father. He was a Navigator out of Shepherds Field. The car was Registered in england With plate RXH200 Is there any way to get a copy of the registration some where in England. Thx Ron
REB Bissland

What do you mean by "copy of the registration"?

You can buy a new registration plate easily enough or you could try ordering a heritage certificate. I do not believe there is any legal way of getting a copy of the registration document. These are now reissued at each change of ownership and have changed quite a lot over the years.

That said you can ask the DVLA for a list of former keepers and if they still have a copy of the original registration document (green or buff log book) they will include a photocopy of the part of that with the owners names and addresses on. Unfortunately only some of those records were retained so it is pot luck. I guess that would be a nice momento if it exists as it would have both your uncle and father on.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206691/V888.pdf



Neil McG

Thanks you for the information. I have contacted the DVLA to see if they have any of the orginial documents for the Plate number I have. Thanks again for the information. Ron
REB Bissland

REB,I am intrigued.Did your uncle fly out of Shepherds Grove in Suffolk.If he did ,during USAF usage they only ever operated single seat fighters there.Or, as a Nav, was he visiting in another type of a/c before ending up in the Wash?
M Blencowe

My Uncle was an F84 Pilot.. flying for the 78th Tactical Fighter Squadron USAF. Yes it was Shepherds Grove. at the time he was LT. Donald Edward Bissland. My Father (LT. Alexander Charles Bissland) was a Navagator in some sort of super plane that took Pictures and monitored radio transmissions from the air. Do not ever know too much what he did cause he never told us and we did not ask. I was not born yet but my Brother and Sister were both in England.. I beleive Wellingboro. Snapon-Tools ( where I work ) does have an office in Kettering and I have been able to visit there old house, It was fun to see.
Now that I have the Car and am doing a complete frame off restore, I promissed myself and my late father and Uncle i will put this car back together as it looked the day it was delivered to him. I then will pass it to my boys who have never been able to meet there Grandfather. He was a GREAT man. Thanks for asking and let me know if you know anything about the Air Base. Our Family tree started in England somewhere but the last name was Bisland. Then Changed to Bissland when they moved to the US. There are still quite a few Bisland's in England and Scotland and My older brother stays in contact with them.
Thx
Ron
ron.bissland@snapon.com
REB Bissland

Nice story Ron hope it works out for you
gary starr

The Kithead Trust hold some vehicle registration records, apparently.

http://www.kitheadtrust.org.uk/vehicle_records_5.html
Dave O'Neill2

RXH 200 was issued by London County Council in 1956. The London records no longer exist. They were destroyed when everything was centralised by the DVLA.
Malcolm Asquith

Ron

Have you contacted the US DoD for information about your uncle? There will almost certainly be a historical research department that has access to crash reports etc.

I frequently go up to our National Archives at Kew Gardens in London. On behalf of an Australian guy who often reads this forum I spent several days there earlier this year researching his uncle who completed 30 bombing missions over Germany in WW2. It is just possible that this accident may be recorded in our archives. All USAF bases in the UK had a nominal RAF military presence but no legal authority as all USAF bases were nominally USA territory. But as he crashed on UK territory (the Wash bombing ranges - Wainfleet and Holbeach or the Wash air defence manoeuvring range) there might be something. I will have a browse next time I am up there; it's just 30 miles up the road from me. Research is free; printing out any records is about 30 cents a page.

I found my accident there from when I ejected in 1977!

Cheers

Steve

Steve Gyles

Malcolm, are you saying the records probably are not around anymore? I sent a email to Kithead Trust to see if they can help. Thx
REB Bissland

Steve, Thanks.. are family has tried many times to find information on my uncle's crash and always seem to come up empty handed. His F84 was never found nor any pieces of the plane. All we know was that the plane went into a high speed dive.. hit the WASH and disappered. If you ever get the time to check out what you said then that would be very Nice.. Let me know. thx
REB Bissland

Steve, Thanks.. are family has tried many times to fins information on my uncles crash and always seem to come up empty handed. His F84 was never found nor any pieces of the plane. All we know was that the plane went into a high speed dive.. hit the WASH and disappered. If you ever get the time to check out what you said then that would be very Nice.. Let me know. thx
REB Bissland

In the UK vehicle registration was the responsibility of county councils. When it was centralised in 1965 to the DVLA the records were transferred to the new database and the councils were told to destroy all original records. Not all obeyed and so some still exist either in local archives or at groups like the Kithead Trust. Alas London obeyed orders and all their original records were scrapped.

Malcolm Asquith

Update: My Uncle Crashed in the Dengie Flats. It’s the Essex coast, almost part of the Thames estuary. Attached Orginial Pic of car bought in late March 1956.

Ron Bissland

From My understanding the top was orders in ICE BLUE, and from the Pic I would agree.
Ron Bissland

I have received information back from DVLA.. There is no information on RXH200 plate. But good news is My Mother and Brother have said they have seen the License plates somewhere in her house. Now the search continues. Wish me luck..Knowing my Dad I am sure there in the house somewhere.
Ron Bissland

Ron
If you cannot find it you can order a pair of plates mail order from the UK; the numbers are issued by the state, but the plates are manufactured by a host of unrelated companies and new sets can be ordered no problem
Dominic Clancy

This thread was discussed between 16/10/2013 and 07/02/2014

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