In a message dated 97-03-13 17:24:19 EST, bleckstein@monmouth.com (Leckstein)
writes:
<< I shutter that Terry would answer first. . ...MOWOG is something to avoid
saying , on this list, as it is the most repeated thread. >>
Well Mike, I was doing my best to refrain from jumping in on MoWoG again but
now you have laid down the challenge!! If any one is interested in
reviewing the MOWOG
thread, I saved most of it in a file and I'll be happy to fo to you....Now as
to M.G. and what it stands for, I'm surprised that Scotty in Oz hasn't jumped
in and corrected all of you because it does not stand for Morris Garage(s) as
most folks think.
This is straight from the horses mouth or as close as you can get given that
Mr. Cecil Kimber who came up with the initials died in 1945 in a railway
accident.
His daughter Jean Kimber Cook has told this story to many of us over the
years. She sez that M.G. does not stand for anything, it is M.G.
period....with the periods after the initials. Of course the fact that Cecil
Kimber was general manager of the Oxford branch of Morris Garages....leaves
little doubt at to the origin of the name. Scotty tells this part of the
story better than I can so below I've appended some of his message from
before:
From: scotty@dove.net.au (Scotty)
>>>>>>>>>>original follows<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>What does MG stand for - this is a question that has annoyed me for quite
>awhile!!!?
>
>>>>>>>>>>end of original<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
G`Day Gillian,
you have asked a controversial question! which has been asked
many times before, people either choose to believe that MG "stands" for, or
was "derived" from Morris Garages. In the early 80`s I took a look at this
subject and discovered the following.
In an article in "Veteran and Vintage" October 1975 titled "The Cars
That Kimber Built" F Wilson McCombe wrote that it was either Lisa Kimber or
her sister Jean who told him that nothing so annoyed their father more than
the glib statement that M.G. means "Morris Garages" IT DOES NOT! he would
thunder,
M.G. means M.G.! In Thoruoghbred and Classics Car Magazine, March 1982
Johnathon Wood looked into the M.G. Insignia and told this story. Ted Lee
was Kimbers accountant and tells that he was in his office one day and using
a ruler he had bought from school, drew out this badge which he took into
Kimber who said "Thats just the thing" the new badge was shown to William
Morris and Ted remembers him saying "It was the best thing to come into the
company and that it would never go out of it" Ted was asked if he had chosen
the Octagon for any special reason and he said, no it was a typical 20s
motif, an example of what we now call Art Deco. The badge first appeared in
an advertisament in The Morris Owner, May 1924, for a two seater Raworth
bodied car with Kimbers wife Rene at the wheel. Ted took the initials of the
first busness owned by William Morris and enclosed the initials in an
octagon to make the M.G. badge.
Now, having shared this with you all, IMHO, M.G. "stands alone" as
the name of the company and the cars, M.G. was derived from the name of the
first business owned by William Morris but does not stand for anything other
than M.G. The full stops in the name M.G. were put there by Kimber himself,
because he thought it looked better on the company letter head, with full
stops, [Dick Knudson wrote a detailed article on this subject some years
ago, I believe]
FWIW if any of the above is not correct I will gladly stand
corrected in the quest for historical accuracy, I look forward to
constructive comments and any corrections that can be substantiated as fact.
Cheers,
John[Scotty]Scott.
Wearing his flameproof head-to-toe garments when next visiting the list!
Adelaide.Australia.
Cheers and thanks to Scotty for this bit of M.G. history...........
Terry
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