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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: lordb on Monday 28 September 15 11:14 BST (UK)
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Is there an achieve holding records of issued driving licences does anyone know
Byron
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I wouldn't think so ..... but..... What part of the world are you referring to?
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If I remember correctly, Did the counties and County Boroughs administer vehicles and drivers licences before the DVLA was set up?
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They were issued by the Local Taxation Officer/department of the relevent local authority, counties or county boroughs.
Stan
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Is there an achieve holding records of issued driving licences does anyone know
Byron
Is this to help you research a family member? Or is it to look up your own driving records?
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Hi Scouseboy, it's to research a family member which I hope will give addresses between census
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Many thanks for all of your replies, Weston super Mare is the area I'm interested in. I doubt if local taxation office records are in the public domain, but I'll have a dig, thanks for the pointer
Byron
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I doubt whether the local authority has even kept the records if it's anything like the one where I passed my test.
A few years ago, I had to fill in a form for my then employer in order to drive one of the company pool cars on business. One of the questions was date of passing driving test. I couldn't remember exactly- definitely knew year and could make a stab at the month. My colleagues said it was on my driving licence (this was just pre the two part one with photo on). But there was nothing on my licence. So I contacted DVLA at Swansea and asked them why the date wasn't on my licence. They told me they had no records for test dates for people who had passed their test prior to the system being administered by them computerised and suggested I contact the local authority who had issued my first licence. But when I did that, the local authority said they didn't have the records and referred me back to Swansea. So I never found out exactly.
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Hi Scouseboy, it's to research a family member which I hope will give addresses between census
You are going back to circa 1910 are you?
I don't even know the date when driving licences became compulsory?
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Compulsory testing was introduced in 1934.
Stan
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Hi Scouseboy, about the 20's
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Licences existed before compulsory testing though but I'm not sure who issued them. Somewhere we have my grandfather's which was issued c1905.
Brie
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First introduced by the Motor Car Act, 1903.
Cost was 5/- (5 shillings), which is 25p today.
They were issued by the County Council or County Borough Council, and were sulphur-yellow in colour.
But I'm sure we have all heard of stories of people who learned to drive "during the war" and never officially obtained a licence! ::)
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I've had a licence for over 50 years, and never did a test.
Ireland only brought in driver testing in 1965/66, though you had to buy a licence to be legal.
. . my brother just about squeezed in by buying a motorbike licence aged 16!
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Driver licences were first introduced in Britain by the Motor Car Act, 1903, purely as a means of identifying vehicles and their drivers, however there was no test required, as I posted compulsory testing was introduced in 1934.
Stan
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But I'm sure we have all heard of stories of people who learned to drive "during the war" and never officially obtained a licence! ::)
My great uncle, who was born in 1916, did. ;D It was well known in the family that he never sat a test and he only stopped driving about five years before his death in 2013.
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Thank you all for your responses
Byron
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Hi there
Just for background (...and with a bias towards Scotland ::)) some notes on history www.scan.org.uk/knowledgebase/topics/vehicleregistration.htm
Monica :)
Added: Some early transcripts from Dundee area here www.fdca.org.uk/Vehicle_Registrations.html Not sure if all areas followed this type of format.
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But I'm sure we have all heard of stories of people who learned to drive "during the war" and never officially obtained a licence! ::)
Yep -- my Grandfather "learnt" to drive during WW1 by being told to "take this lorry to Catterick"
But he did take a test and get his license post-war