This, sole surviving 5/7cwt Singer Nine van, was originally bought early in 1934 by the gentlemen’s outfitter and tailoring, business of Samuel Barrett Cole of 5&6 Regent Street, Swindon, gentleman’s outfitters ‘for father and son’, and registered on 7 November as WV 6506 with Wiltshire County Council. Traditionally, commercials left the factory with their wings and wheels finished in black, and the body left in grey primer for the new owner to have brush-painted in the gloss colour of their choice. So, it duly got blue bodywork and a cream painted radiator grille (only saloons came with that chromed). It was used for just four years making local light deliveries for the shop before being sold to a local general building contractor, Harry Kilminster.
Repainted in his livery getting a green body with yellow waistband and wheels, a rather rougher life followed, making site visits and delivering materials and men allocated to small painting and decorating jobs, and building reconstruction. This type of work continued throughout the war years during which the van was taken to London to help with making safe and habitable again war-damaged buildings. At that time, all commercial vehicles leaving the capital empty were commandeered to remove building rubble to the city outskirts; this small van had to take part in that. The van continued to work well into 1949; when it again changed hands but was kept in ‘the family’, the new owner was Harry’s brother Frederick!
He ran a small local garage called Brittany’s on Devizes Road, the van was used as a general runabout both for the garage and privately. Having survived the London blitz, one night, when the van was parked
