I sat the 1935 driving test (and I couldn't stand upright after)
When Mr RE Beere left home on 16 March, 1935, he could have had no idea that his name would one day become a footnote in motoring history. Likely starting the day with a hearty breakfast and listening to the BBC National Programme on the wireless, he must have sneaked a final look at the new Highway Code and then bravely set out across London.
It was a Saturday in Kensington and Mr Beere, having read that the Ministry of Transport would implement a compulsory driving test on 1 June, hoped to beat the rush by sitting a voluntary test instead.
He had paid his 7s 6d – the only issue now was finding the examiner. There were no test centres in 1935, so candidates often met a man from the ministry outside a pub or railway station.
The public was naturally nervous about the introduction of the new test but road deaths had soared and Ramsay MacDonald's government took decisive action. To quell fears, Ford drafted in land-speed record-holder Sir Malcolm Campbell to narrate a public information film.
With perfectly enunciation, Sir Malcolm offered a few tips. 'A good start increases the possibility of a good finish – it is an examination, not an inquisition. Avoid the perils of a jerky start and never drive like this chap', he intoned, and, 'Remember, don't flick your cigarette ash outside, it's very misleading to other motorists.'
Plus ça change
Although you might expect significant developments over time, the 1935 exam wasn't much different from today's. The Theory Test wasn't introduced until 1996, but 90 years ago candidates still had to make a hill start, conduct an emergency stop and know the Highway Code, including whip signals given by the driver of a horse-drawn carriage.
It's unlikely any motorist who sat the test in 1935 is still alive, so to relive the experience I've donned sensible driving gloves and borrowed a car from the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire.
Beside me is Andy Nixon, a senior examiner for road safety charity RoSPA. The former traffic officer for West Midlands Police has every car and motorcycle advanced qualification known to humanity, including commendations.
Our Rover 12 dating from 1935 is part of the permanent collection at the museum and carries a fresh MoT. As our stand-in examiner, at least Nixon's 6ft 2in, 19st frame is easy to find in the car park.
To shoehorn him into the cosy passenger seat, first we need to lower the hood. Fortunately, Nixon doesn't have to squeeze behind the steering wheel because that would require removing the driver's seat squab.
Readers of a certain vintage will notice that CGH 837 bears little resemblance to a 'sit-up-and-beg' Rover 12 P1 (produced from 1934-36), which was good for about 70mph. A plaque on the dashboard stating 'Reavell's Garage, East Horsley' offers a clue.
In 1950, the original saloon was seriously damaged in an accident. Surrey garage owner Claude Reavell bought the wreck and set about a major restoration. Incredibly, the chassis was simply shortened by 19in and a fresh aluminium body transformed the car into an open-roof, two-seat tourer.
And the test begins...
I've chosen Royal Leamington Spa as our 'test' centre, with the Regency town's wide boulevards increasing my chances of executing a perfect three-point turn.
En route, despite Nixon's not inconsiderable proportions on my left, I note the Rover is drifting right towards the oncoming traffic, or in the general direction of Birmingham.
While I've passed the eyesight test, the steering is best described as blurry. A four-speed 'crash' gearbox is making life miserable without synchromesh but the four-cylinder engine still happily chugs through the countryside at a comfortable 50mph on the flat.
Hills, admittedly, demand more legwork, plus verbal encouragement for the 1,496cc engine and a crunching gear-change down to third.
My examiner Nixon isn't saying much – he tells me later that driving without a safety belt makes him feel uncomfortable. Clipboard in hand, he also talks in examiner-speak: 'I want you to continue straight ahead unless traffic signs direct you otherwise.'
I reassure him that I was a member of the Tufty road safety club and passed first time, although that wasn't in a vintage car with directional issues.
Basic competence
The original 1935 test lasted 30 minutes and candidates simply had to prove they were competent drivers. As Nixon explains, a key part of the exam was the correct use of arm signals, as pop-up trafficators (or winkies/winkers) were still in their infancy.
I practised my signals on a ride-on lawnmower beforehand although braking, operating the gears and waving an arm at the same time is mind-bogglingly complicated.
Nixon's pen wavers over the clipboard as I try to keep the Rover within a 20mph speed limit. The 30mph limit was implemented in built-up areas on 18 March 1935 after a spate of road deaths, although speedometers weren't compulsory for another two years.
Having been restyled in the 1950s, our Rover has a speedo but it flickers to-and-fro like an angry Geiger counter, very much to my benefit.
An old-school ratchet handbrake (remember them?) ensures a smooth hill-start, but I'm grateful that the hood is lowered for my three-point turn, especially as there's no power steering. We are spoilt by the reversing cameras and proximity sensors of modern cars; the 1930s equivalent was the bumper. A minor impact during the original test was probably overlooked.
At this point, the Rover suddenly starts to cough exhaust smoke, running like a three-legged camel. Glass windscreens and wiper regulations first came in during the 1930s and in a bid to clean the glass I've inadvertently pulled and pushed the choke lever, trapping the leather key fob, which has enriched the fuel mix.
Pass or fail?
As I'm doing little for the health benefits of a famous spa town, I decide to turn the car east and steer, vaguely, for home.
Nixon has given me a pass, adding reassuringly: 'At no point did I feel uncomfortable.' A blatant fib, since neither of us could stand upright after an hour in the Rover.
Mr Beere was likely feeling euphoric at this point, signed off with his Certificate of Passing the Test of Competence to Drive, no. 0001. Back home, he might well have celebrated with a light sherry and half-an-ounce of shag in his pipe.
We should be happy, too. Since records began in 1926, road deaths have fallen by 80 per cent – no small beer indeed.
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