mystery cord #1

I got a phone call from SPPN images. The newsreel film does not exist. So It must have been lost or damaged.

I called back about the newsreel. No new information but they promised to call me back after they check to see if it is still usable.

From the way it is written I would think the "H31918-
USA SC" is a reference number for the photo. USA SC might be United States Army Signal Corps. I'll try to check that out.

charles. nice work on the newsreel. keep us posted.

here is what i found on page 4 of the April 1955 ACD newsletter while i was doing some research on cord phaeton H31918.

i found it strange that this number (which appears to be a correct phaeton serial number) was in brackets behind the caption.

there was no photo of the Shanghai cord in the newsletter. but i did obtain a copy of the original photo that mike brady (brian's son) still has in his possession which was my first post and it provides no further information and does not list this phaeton number.

"AT THE HEAD OF THE CROWD Brian Brady has a photo of Shanghai's
first post war victory parade and it is being led by a Cord convertible
bearing Brig. Gen. Frederick W. Boye. (AP wirephoto) (H31918-
USA SC) 1945."

can anyone think of why this number which just happens to be the same as a phaeton serial number would be written behind this caption in the April 1955 newsletter?

the mystery continues.......

ps. H31918 is currently configured as a left hand drive supercharged phaeton and was never a right hand drive car according to my conversation with the previous owner of this car. in addition, according to this owner, the only known H31918 was originally a 1936 phaeton and was later supercharged and assigned this number. so perhaps the original H31918 is still in existence somewhere. or perhaps the number behind this photo is just a coincidence. but it seems hard to believe......however the car in the photo does not seem to be supercharged.

pss. there are not too many right hand drive cords......this cord must exist somewhere.....i wonder where? does anyone have a listing of how many right hand drive phaetons were produced. i can only find one 1937 listed in the current members handbook and it appears to be non supercharged and in the UK.

Just found this photo printed in the ACD Newsletter 1988 No. 5 on page 14. It says it was submitted by none other than Henry Denhard and the caption reads "Cord enters Shanghai - Brig. Gen. F. W. Boye leads Shanghai's first post-war parade, Sept. 7, 1945, in a right hand drive, 812 convertible."

Anyone with the newsletter archive DVD can look this up. Anyone without it can order one here: shop.phpstack-1081784-3880776.cloudwaysapps.com (end shameless plug).

Perhaps the photo still exists in an editor's archive somewhere with helpful additional notes?

Justin

I would like to get back to the car. Do we know how many RHD phaeton were made? Do we know where they were shipped to? I was wondering if this car made a trip to England or other RHD country before going to china or if it was direct shipped to the orient. Do we know which year it is?

Update on the newsreel. It has not been digitized. They are checking to see if it still exists.

I just called ( (818) 717-9200) SPPN images. They are checking to see if it has been digitize and will call me back.

Wow! Thanks for the great research, guys!!

Charles, are you investigating the possible survival of this newsreel? It appears to include the ride thru Shanghai, and even identifies the formerly anonymous third person as the vice-mayor.

I'd be happy to help in any way. Anybody out there who might have an "in"?

and another:
www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo ... -in-parade

now this is something, there may be a newsreel of the parade:


SPPN Images (Grinberg)
Send Email Request for Clip Information Add item to Lightbox
Paramount
FOR NEWSREEL USE ONLY CHINESES COMMANDER OF THE SHANGHAI AREA SHANGHAI, CHINA SHANGHAI WELCOMES LIBERATORS GV OF CROWD AT THE KIANGWAN AIRFIELD IN...
Hide Details

Visit SPPN Images (Grinberg) web site
Collection Paramount
Negative C-9319
Release Date 09-00-45
Issue NR
Cameraman WAR DEPT
Description FOR NEWSREEL USE ONLY
CHINESES COMMANDER OF THE SHANGHAI AREA
SHANGHAI, CHINA
SHANGHAI WELCOMES LIBERATORS
GV OF CROWD AT THE KIANGWAN AIRFIELD IN SHANGHAI, WAITING ARRIVAL OF CHINES TROOPS OF 94TH ARMY. PLANE TAXIING ON FIELD, CROWDS OF CHINESE AROUND. FV PLANE TAXIING ON FIELD, WITH CHINESE CROWDS IN F.G. GV OF MOBY OF CHINESE CROWDING AROUND PLANE. SV OF BRIG. GEN.FREDERIC W. BOYE, COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE CENTRAL COMMAND OF THE U.S. ARMY AND MARSHALL TANG EN-PO, CHINESE COMMANDER OF THE SHANGHAI AREA, DESCENDING FROM PLANE WITH OTHERS. GEN. BOYS AND AIDE WALK PAST CAMERA. V OF GENERALS IN CAR. GV OF CROWDS AND TRANSPORT PLANE ON AIRFIELD. EL V OF SHANGHAI, CROWDS IN STREETS. CU TRUCK WITH CHINESE TROOPS ALONG STREET TO CAMERA AND PAST FOLLOWED BY CAR CONTAINING GEN. BOYE, MARSHALL PO AND MR. WU SHAO-SHU, VICE-MAYOR OF SHANGHAI, THRU STREET. HIGH EL V OF CAVALCADE. EXT. SIDE CU OF TRUCK WITH TROOPS PAST. GV & STREET LEVEL V WITH STRUCKS OF TROOPS PAST. GENERAL STREET SCENE OF PARADE. HIGH EL V OF CROWDS IN STREET AFTER PARADE.
POSITIVE.
CROSS REFERENCE
TAN EN-PO (LIBERATION OF SHANGHAI)

www.footage.net/Cache/Cache_Boye.html

I found the photo on several other websites.

"GENERAL TANG EN-PO, Commander, III Army Group, China (center), and Brig. Gen. Frederic W. Boye (waving), former Commanding General, Central Command, Chinese Combat Command, drive along the Nanking Road in Shanghai. (Photograph taken 7 September 1945.)"

www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA ... me-11.html

"Allied victory drive along Nanking Road in
Shanghai. (U.S. Army Military History Institute)"

www.history.army.mil/brochures/c ... hinoff.htm

As previously noted in several posts on this Forum, this is an AP Wirephoto. I have the original cut someplace. AP titled it, if I recall correctly, "Cord enters Shanghai". Since the Cord had only been out of production for eight years at the time, it was of course well known to most people including AP headline writers.

studying the picture some more, i think mike is right. it must be a phaeton with the seats removed. the three gentlemen appear to be standing. and i would think that standing behind the driver and passenger, as is the case in this photo, in a cabriolet would be very difficult if not impossible....has anyone tried it in a cabriolet?

justin

thanks for helping us out, as i did not realize the picture had been posted elsewhere in the forums.

i had a look at this area, but many of the questions were not answered in that link either. i think that more information is available.

the one answer found in the other forum is the man waving his hand.

i have been able to confirm that the man waving his arm is Brigadier General Fredrick William Boye, Commander Central Command of the U. S. Army. Chinese Combat Command.......a lot of "commanders" in that title......ha ha.

here is a nice link to read more about the general.

www.arlingtoncemetery.net/fwboye.htm

note that according to arlington he served in china in 1944-45 and became a brigadier general in march 1945. so charles's dating of the photo in september 1945 makes good sense.

and his son, Fredrick William Boye Jr. who also served in the army.

www.arlingtoncemetery.net/fwboyejr.htm

according to my information, the photo was taken in Shanghai China. i do not know about Nanjing, perhaps those more familiar with china can enlighten us.

i think this name Nanjing does have a close resemblance to another part of the question.....

lets focus on the name of the street. do the pictures of the street below look similar to the one in the photos? if so.....what is the name of this street?




and who are the other individuals....and where is the car now?

and i am pretty sure its a phaeton.....what do the others think? do we agree that its a right hand drive phaeton?

brent

As Jack points out:

forums.phpstack-1081784-3880776.cloudway...viewtopic.php?t=4530

Justin

Charles,

If you enlarge the photo, it appears that the 3 in the rear of the car are standing behind the front seats. Even with the seats moved as close to the dash as possible, it's rather tight for three in a phaeton. I would think a cabriolet would be even tighter, even with the spare removed. I'm also presuming that not all the original RHD cars either still exist or are not all listed in the directory.

Ladies/Gentlemen:
For those of you who are following this thread under the Cord 810/812
Forum I would suggest you look under the Cord 810/812 Archive Forum
and pull up the thread entitled "One of My Favorite Pictures " posted by
club president Bill Hummel on 4-28-2010. There followed an extensive
discussion about this historic Cord photograph. It seems that most of
the questions have been answered/clarified regarding the time, location
and subject matter. Perhaps these two threads should be consolidated.
Best Regards, Jonathan (Jack) Richards at Red Oak, Iowa aka <a href="mailto:[email protected]][email protected][/url]

Can anyone tell if it is a phaeton or cabriolet? There is one 1937 RHD phaeton and one 1936 RHD cabriolet listed in the membership directory. Since the right side cover is open, I assume it is a vent. When did that happen? Late 1936 or 1937?
From the bumper guard orientation, is it a 36? If they weren't changed.
I could be mistaken but it looks like the steering wheel has finger bumps which would be 1937.

Photo is from The Allied victory parade in Nanjing, China, Sep 1945

ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=3749

It was submitted by C. Peter Chen. There is a contact if you want more information.

ww2db.com/credits.php

This is very interesting. The people on the street don't look English but there appears to be a union jack on the side of the car. The sun flag on the front of the car could be Chinese.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_th ... c_of_China

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Sky_with_a_White_Sun

I can answer two of the questions. It is a right hand drive and the photo is not reversed. Note the printing on the sign. I have seen the photo many times and didn't notice it was right hand drive. I thought I saw it on Josh's website but it is not there now. By knowing it is a RHD car should make it easy to find it now.

What can you boys tell us about this interesting photo?

Who is the man waving on the right?

And the man to the left of him?

Who is the third man standing?

And the driver?

And the passenger?

And is the car right hand drive?

Or could the picture just be reversed?

And if it is right hand drive......why would a right hand drive Cord be here in this city?

Supercharged or not?

What city are we talking about here?

And what street are they on?

What is this parade all about anyhow?

And of course the biggest question....where is the car NOW?