From the archives of Bob Montgomery, motoring historian
A PIONEER REMEMBERED: When Richard W Archer died in 1972 at the age of 97, his death truly brought to an end the pioneering era of Irish motoring.
Archer grew up on the family farm on the shores of Lough Dan in Wicklow. He enrolled in Ringsend Technical School with the intention of becoming an electrical engineer. Facing a daily 36-mile cycle journey to the school, he built a motor bike around the turn of the last century. The machine proved troublesome and was soon replaced with a proprietary Phoenix motorcycle.
However, the die had been cast and thereafter he concentrated his efforts on becoming involved in the motor trade. In 1904 he set up in business with his friend, Arthur Hopkins, repairing cars, motor cycles and cycles. The first years were very hard, but the turning point only came in 1907 when the Irish Automobile Club ran the first motor show at the RDS in Ballsbridge.
There, Archer's cousin, R J Mecredy, editor of the Motor News magazine, drew his attention to the Ford Model being displayed by Ford's London agent. The Ford had not received a good press, being perceived as "too weak and spidery" to survive long on the rough Irish roads of the time.
Archer and Mecredy, however, saw the Ford in a different light. "It was a constant source of wonder to me," he said, "that other motor engineers did not appreciate the very important advances Ford had made in the construction of cars. The wooden frames used weave terribly on the bad roads of the time and the chains were always falling off.
"I realised at once that this was a tremendous advance and managed to get the agency for Leinster with a contract for six cars - later in the week I had this extended to 12 cars when I managed to have Connaught thrown in to enable me to sell the extra cars."
Selling the cars turned out to be a slow task and eventually the first car was sold to a Mr Ferris. Little by little things improved and by 1912 when Henry Ford came calling, the corner had been turned in the sale of Ford cars in Ireland.
Henry Ford visited Archer's garage, then in Clare Lane, and the two got on famously. Their similar backgrounds and interests probably had a lot to do with their getting on so well - both came from a rural farming background, both became interested in mechanical engineering at an early age and both had electrified their own home farm from water-powered generators.
One result of the visit was an invitation for Archer to visit Ford in the US, an invitation taken up soon afterwards.
During the first World War, Archer got the agency for Fordson tractors and sold a staggering number, over 600.
With his extensive range of contacts in the early motor trade, Archer knew many of the great pioneers, perhaps most notably, John Boyd Dunlop, who had developed the pneumatic tyre. Today, Richard W Archer is rembered as a pioneer himself - the man who introduced Ford to Ireland.
THOU SHALT NOT SPEED! The very first motorist to be convicted of speeding in either Britain or Ireland was Walter Arnold, a miller of East Peckham, Kent, who was charged at Tonbridge Police Court before CW Powell on January 28th 1896. He was accused of breaking the speed limit of 2 mph in a built-up area while driving through Paddock Wood some eight days previously.
It appeared that Arnold had been spotted passing the local police constable's house just as he was about to have his dinner. The constable immediately left his food, grabbed his helmet and gave chase on his bicycle. After five miles, the constable managed to stop the car and booked Arnold for speeding. At the court, it was alleged that Arnold was travelling at about 8 mph. He was found guilty and fined one shilling and costs. Evidently the defendant was not to put off motoring, for he was later to become the first man in Britain to manufacture petrol-engined motor cars.