It is with great sadness that we heard from his family that Barry Harvey had passed away on January 17th 2022. Barry was the longstanding secretary of the Vauxhall Owners Club (1903 to 1957) and also served for many years as Vauxhall, Bedford, Opel Association (VBOA) secretary. In both roles he contributed to the formation of club constitutions and ensured business was conducted in good order, always with a generous spirit and good humour. He was apprenticed at Vauxhall Motors in the V-block engineering centre in the 1950s and recalled his Luton ‘digs’ as having ice on the inside of the bedroom window in the winter but a warm bed courtesy of the Vauxhall worker who had just vacated it to go on nightshift. He also recalled driving a Bedford onto soft ground at the newly opened Chaul End test track and being given a shovel to dig it out. He rose to become superintendent of the engineering running shop in AJ-block, responsible for turning the requests of the design engineers, reasonable and unreasonable, into a test car or prototype. He recalled that chief engineer, John Alden, wanted a Vauxhall slant-four engine installed in an Opel GT for assessment. After winning the considerable battle to get the unit into the cramped engine bay, Alden drove it home and announced that he wanted it changed back again. Latterly, as design responsibility moved to Rüsselsheim, Barry was in charge of the critical Type-Approval work.His hobbies included sailing (where of course he became club secretary), Austin 7s, Vauxhall cars and Bedford vans and trucks. He had an amazing collection of car and truck models and acted as the liaison between model-making companies and the VBOA clubs. With the love of his life, wife Vera, he was a regular at all the local car meets and steam fairs. He was always a font of knowledge and gave unstintingly of his memories and advice. They were also regulars on VBOA International events. His love of Austin 7s and flair for admin saw him work alongside Dave & Maggie Dickinson to help run several editions of the popular Austin 7 based event, The Yorkshire Experience. Most recently he was pleased to be able to help in the creation of the Bedford Enthusiasts Club. A sad loss to the Vauxhall and Bedford world. R.I.P.

Kind words from Ian Coomber