A LIFELONG fascination and love of vintage machinery has led me to a discovery which I am hoping Evening News readers may be able to help to shed some light on.

I have a particular fondness for American automobiles spanning the period 1910 to 1930 and I consider myself fortunate to own two examples of cars from this era.

Always on the lookout for spare parts, in particular a new distributor for my 1920 Chevrolet, I have just been over to Pennsylvania USA for their annual classic car show at Hershey. This is unlike anything we stage here in England.

I go to Beaulieu autojumble every year and that event is big - with some two thousand stalls - but the stands at Hershey stretch for more than 30 miles and there are literally acres of new and used spare parts for every make of vehicle.

On the first day of the event, I teamed up with some of the American enthusiasts who I tend to meet every year at Beaulieu. Within an hour I found my Chevrolet distributor. Yes, a new 1920 distributor "off the shelf"! Quite amazing.

I then had to restrain myself when I was offered a superb radiator for the same vehicle.

From experience, I knew the old suitcase would end up weighing half a ton and airport security - particularly in the USA - is really tight at the moment.

It was then, as I started to scour the stalls looking to add to my photographic collection that I spotted the photograph which you see here. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the English thatched cottages and the early solid-tyred goods lorry.

Then I saw the word Evesham on the rear of the vehicle. What a little gem! But what was this old photograph doing so far away from the country lanes of Worcestershire? The young gent in charge of the stall couldn't provide me with any useful information but I was still elated with my purchase.

The photograph would appear to date from the period 1917 to 1920. The registration prefix letters E T were, according to 1917 edition of the Motor, Marine and Aircraft Red Book, issued by the County Borough of Rotherham.

Passengers

A plaque above the number plate states that the vehicle is a Hackney carriage licensed to carry 14 people. Quite often at this period vehicle bodies were changed to suit the needs of the day depending whether there were goods to deliver or passengers to carry.

The vehicle may possibly be a railway depot delivery vehicle or simply a GPO lorry.

The gentleman on top of the vehicle wears a cap that appears to bear the initial EVT, but what was he delivering all those years ago and who are the recipients?

And where is the village? It is a village that must be within a 20-mile radius of Evesham.

I am sure some of our Evening News readers may recognise the cottages. If any of the people could be identified that would be the icing on the cake.