100 + years of the The Automobile Association

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They’ve been helping British motorists for more than 100 years, and during that time their vehicles have been a distinct presence and a welcome sight on roads all across the country.

The Automobile Association (AA) was formed in 1905 and so successful have they been in providing 24 hours a day motorists’ support, that their working model has been adopted by similar organisations across the globe.

In the very early years, AA patrolmen were all volunteers who used to patrol the local streets on bicycles and were known as cycle scouts.

As time moved on, motor bike riders complemented the cyclists and this enabled the patrolmen to cover much greater distances.

Moral support
In the very beginning, one of the main aims of the fledgling organisation was as much to provide moral support to motorists as there was still a lot of hostility to the new "fast", noisy cars which were increasingly appearing on the road, often upsetting other road users. They would also warn motorists of impending speed traps to help save them from getting a fine or other penalty. Their efforts were greatly appreciated and by 1909 there were nearly 1000 cycle scouts in action, all wearing standard uniforms.

A few years later motor bike side car combinations (Road Service Outfits) were introduced allowing the patrolmen to carry more tools and equipment and thereby ensure that more serious roadside repairs could be undertaken.

During much of the 1910s and 1920s, there were both cycling and motor bike teams complementing each other, but by the 1930s, the sidecar teams, with their extra speed and greater carrying capacity, proved much more useful, and by 1938, there were as many as 1500 AA side cars on patrol -although most were working in the larger towns and cities.

The early patrolmen used to have a main base from where they began their day’s work and would then set out on a predetermined route looking for any vehicle or member which needed assistance.

As time moved on, dedicated AA phone boxes were installed at strategic locations to make it easier for members to contact the organsation and thereby  get assistance more urgently.

Route Guidance
From the beginning, it wasn’t just roadside repairs which the organisation provided. They were also regularly asked to provide route guidance as new drivers were forever exploring new parts of the country. This became so popular that the AA began producing their own dedicated route maps -initially, all hand written. Many would also include places of interest in case the member wanted to take a break along their journey.

As time moved forward, the process became more automated and more routes were added. By the late 1920s, there were as many as 7000 maps in existence and overseas maps were also added for the more adventurous driver.

As the number of members increased, so did the number of requests for maps, and by the 1960s, this had risen to more than one million requests being made for the personalised mapping service every year.

Post-war
A significant development for the AA was the immediate post-war period. Peacetime meant more drivers on the road and more people joining the organisation. As such, in 1949, a large fleet of brand new Series 1 Land Rovers was purchased as part of the first main step into four-wheel patrols. The new, go-anywhere Land Rovers were believed to be the ideal vehicle for the organisation as they were able to carry much more equipment than before and were also able to rescue stranded motorists in the most remote parts of the country, as well as in extreme weathers.

The move to four wheels proved immensely popular and over the next couple of decades the number of motor cycle side car combinations was progressively phased out and replaced with enhanced versions of many of the popular cars and vans of the time.

One of the most memorable was the Austin Morris mini van, with the first appearing in AA colours in 1962. They proved so popular that within three years, they were standard vehicles.

The late 1960s saw the introduction of Morris Minor vans, although when Austin and Morris combined to form BMC, the AA favoured the Austin version of the van, even though they were almost identical.

From the 1970s, Ford became the main supplier for most of the AA’s large commercial fleet. Initially, this was in the form of the 1300cc petrol engined Ford Escort and then later the ubiquitous Ford Transit van which continued in service for years.

But a range of other AA vehicles have also been used or tested including the Morris Ital van, the Ford Anglia and the Reliant Regal supervan. There have also been many variations of motorbikes used in recent times for specialist purposes. These have included super bikes from Harley Davidson, BMW, Honda and others.

These days, the AA provides a huge range of services from car insurance to congestion avoidance, but it’s the roadside repairs which remains the most visible side of its work and they now have many thousands of vehicles on the road. So big have they become, with more than 15 million members, that in 2007, the AA attended its 100 millionth roadside incident -in just over 100 years since the service began.

As for the future, the AA has pledged to remain at the cutting edge of support to British motorists and it is highly likely they will still have a prominent presence on British roads in another 100 plus years.

Multimedia stories from history

The bright yellow colours of the AA have been a familiar sight on British roads for decades

Many of the popular cars of the post war
era have been deployed as patrol vehicles

Before the war, motor bike side car com-binations were the main vehicle for patrolmen

A replicar van with full AA livery was restored
and is now used at car shows and other events

The Reliant Regal Supervan was one of the many small vans which were tested but never brought into service

In 1949, the AA purchased its first fleet of four-wheel
patrol vehicles, the new, go-anywhere Land Rover

A number of the early Land Rovers have been fully restored and are now often taken to specialist car shows

The 1960s saw other popular British cars introduced. First came the Mini van which was brought into service in 1962

Many of the old phone boxes are now listed buildings and remain a colourful reminder of a previous motoring era

Before the war, members would often call the AA from
one of the many dedicated phone boxes around the country

The motor bike side car combinations were the
main vehicle for patrolmen before the war 

Above is another publicity picture. This time
showing a line-up of Mini vans in Colwyn Bay in 1966

The Land Rover was the first patrol vehicle which
could rescue motorists stranded in extreme weather

Modern AA Land Rovers still patrol the North of
Scotland helping members in outlying areas

The AA has always been strong on PR. Here, a  convoy
of motor bike side cars is used for a publicity photograph 

Many types of motor bikes have been in service. This Harley Davidson Electra Glide was used in Essex in the 1990s

In the early days, patrolmen would salute members but the prac-
tice was disgarded in the 1960s as it was considered outdated 

The sight of AA patrol vehicles helping stranded
motorists was a great way of recuiting members

Most of the major British manufacturers have supplied vehicles to the AA over the years. Above is an early Ford Escort van

The Anglia van was another Ford product

From the early 1960s, the popular 
Mini van became a familar sight

A typical publicity picture from the 1970s showing a correctly uniformed patrolman hard at work

Film now showing
50 Years of AA Land Rovers

Duration: 4 mins. 46 seconds

Motoring through history
Follow the evolution of the motor car with a free, online, informative illustrated history of the automobile, go to:
www.motoring-history.com

Film provided courtesy of www.auto-history.tv

(c) Universal Motoring History Enterprises

These days, the AA has vehicles
of every size in its vast fleet

The Jeep served with the AA during the war and
is now amongst is collection of historic vehicles

Early vehicles and other momentos are on show at the main museum in Basingstoke near the AA's HQ

The popularity of the AA means many of the better known vehicles have been produced as models  

One of the most popular models is the original
Series 1 Land Rover with its drop down windscreen

The start of the relay service in 1973 saw the introduction of much larger specialist vehicles 

The Bedford J3 Transporter was one of the first vehicles
to be purchased and had a huge carrying capacity

The modern AA patrol vehicle has a much
greater carrying capacity than anything before

In 2004, the AA purchased a fleet of 180 Smart cars to loan members whose cars they could not be fixed at the roadside

From the 1970s onwards, Ford became
one of the main suppliers of AA vehicles

The beginning of the relay service saw the
introduction of more specialised vehicles

The late 1960s saw the introduction
of both Morris and Austin vans