Genealogy Chat

I am all ways on the look out these days for things to help ID photos. So at the hospitel today seeing my son I spoted a poster about old cars, all from around 1900 And one of them was called a... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ...It true there was such a car. Looks nothing like the one from the film thou.

Found this on Google: Most people recognize the name Ian Fleming as the author of the original fourteen James Bond novels. But Fleming is also remembered for another work, the well-known children s book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 1921, when Fleming was twelve years old, he visited the Brooklands racetrack in Surrey, England. Racing that day was a hand-built automobile that had been constructed by one, Count Zborowski of Kent. The Counts machine weighed over five tons. It was a frankensteinien conglomeration of parts, including, a Mercedes chassis, two Zenith carburetors and a Maybach aero-engine that had been used in World War I to power a German zeppelin. All this was enclosed in a gray steel body with an immense, eight-foot long, polished hood. The Count called his creation Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. As the impressionable young Fleming gazed on, the magical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang accelerated to 101 miles per hour and won the day along with the boys imagination.

Just looked it up And it was just one Chitty. 3 cars were built and the name had nothing to do with the sound it made but becuse in WW1 soliders had to have a chitty to go to Paris and enjoy the favors of the ladys of the night. check it out www.britishmm.*co.*uk/history.asp?id=221

And this website has a lot more info on Count Zborowski and his cars (he built 3 cars called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang): http://www.brooklands.org.uk/stories/Stories%20archive/STORY5.HTM

HI PETER I HEAR YOU ARE A WHIZ AT THIS KKIND OF STUFF, SO HERE GO'S THIS IS MY GRAND DAD NAME-CHRISTOPHER COONEY NATIONALITY-UK RANK-SERJEANT REGIMENT-ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS UNIT-1ST BN DATE OF DEATH -05/07/1915 AWARDS- DCM CASUALTY TYPE-COMMOMWEALTH WAR DEAGRAVE-SP.MEM.B.63 CEMETRY-TWELVE TREE COPSE TURKEY I'V BEEN LOOKING FOR MY MOTHER FAMILY CAN'T FINED THEM ON CENSUS OR ANCESTRY MY MOTHER WAS MARY HOLMES NEE COONEY BORN 09 DEC 1912 DEAD 10 OCT 1979 MARIED WM HOLMES 1936 I'D BE VERY GRATE FUL FOR ANY HELP THANKS MARYCLARE

well there you go.....I've learnt something tonight !

thanks tracy, you'll be pleased to hear i got to work today ,not easy the traffic was a mess , canadiens cant drive when it sunny cant drive when it rains cant drive in the snow just cant drive!!! lol

Sorry Maryclare You have alredy coverd the type of thing I deal with (Army matters) The only thing I can add is that, Your Grand father was a very brave man. The DCM was only just short of a VC, it was known as the poor mans VC by some troops in WW1. He died in Gallipoli and that was one of the toughest war zones so to win it there was quit an achevment. Have you applied for his medale card and service records from Kew they will give you more info on how he won it. all you need is proof of kinship and his service number. ( a lot of records from WW1 were destroyed in WW2 so keep your fingers crossed his were not.)

hi peter thanks for your reply and your kind words about grand dad, i'm sorry i did'nt know him .my mum was a child when he died and would never talk about him.i will pursue this as far as i can, i never knew all this about him untill i started this family search. HE DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED. maryclare