Draft:Brotherhood-Crocker

SUMMARY The Brotherhood was a premium quality Edwardian car powered by a 20hp four-cylinder T-head motor. It was initially manufactured by Brotherhood-Crocker Motors Ltd, which was a syndicate of Stanley Brotherhood, the Earl Fitzwilliam, the mysterious Mr Crocker, and the ex-Daimler manager Percy Richardson. The cars were assembled at a dedicated factory at West Norwood in London from 1904 to 1906. It was very similar to the Mercedes Simplex car produced by Daimler but incorporated several distinguishing innovations that received sensational press coverage on its February 1905 marketing debut. The three models initially produced were differentiated only by wheelbase length. In late 1905 these had an engineering refresh and a fourth model with a 40hp motor was introduced. Few cars were made due to limitations of the production facilities. By September 1906, the company name was changed to Sheffield Simplex Motors Ltd to reflect a change in ownership to the Sheffield based Earl Fitzwilliam, but the cars continued to be sold under the Brotherhood marque until London manufacture ceased at the end of 1906, when the West Norwood factory relocated to larger premises in Sheffield by March 1907. There is no evidence to suggest that production of the Brotherhood designed cars continued in Sheffield under either Brotherhood or Sheffield Simplex marques. DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Percy Richardson had extensive experience in the nascent motor industry and had a holistic understanding of shortcomings in vehicle design, reliability, and logistic support. “There are still a number of points in design, construction and use that leave much to be desired and are open to improvement in regard to complication, inaccessibility of parts, difficulty in quick delivery of spare parts, repairs, cost of upkeep and putting (the) car out of use unnecessarily.”  Further, the “excessive number of controlling levers necessitated considerable experience (to competently operate a car) and increased the likelihood of an accident.”  Accordingly, Richardson designed the new car using automation and minimum number of controls. For ongoing logistic support, all parts were numbered to enable resupply or remanufacture of obsolete parts, and the engine and gearbox were designed to allow easy access. (Country Gentleman 18 Feb 1905. “Motor and Motor Topics” by the Rev. Arundell Whatton) The Motor magazine of 14 Feb 1905 (The Motor 14 Fb 1905) opined that “The Brotherhood production is nothing less than of a masterpiece in the way of new design, and besides being one of the sensations of the (February 1905 Olympia) Show, may be said to equal, if not surpass, in many respects the celebrated German Mercedes…The striking departures from the orthodox in the Brotherhood-Crocker car have… elevated the position of the British designer..”

MARKETING On 30 January 1905, about 15 months after the Brotherhood-Crocker syndicate was formed, Percy Richardson invited the motoring press to the West Norwood works to examine a chassis and two completed cars from first production batch. (p.157 The Autocar 4 February 1905). Richardson recognised the importance of the motoring press to establish reputation and market position, and a bare chassis was utilised to point out the car’s innovative engineering features. (Cars of Sheffield Stephen Meyers). Magazines such as The Autocar, The Car, The Automotor Journal, The Motor-Car Journal, Motoring Illustrated, The Motor News, Engineering and The Engineer contained articles densely packed with Brotherhood drawings, photographs and technical information provided by Richardson, and were serialised over several weeks throughout February and March 1905. Given that many potential wealthy customers may have been put off by the complexity of operating and maintaining a car, Richardson recognised that major selling points were simplicity of operation and reliability. Accordingly, he emphasised the Brotherhood car’s ease of operation by reducing the number of controls to two pedals, a gear lever, a handbrake lever, and an adjustable height steering wheel. Ignition advance and retard was automatically managed by a flyweight governor in the distributor, and the clutch and footbrake were operated by the same pedal. (The Autocar 4 Feb 1905). The reliability pitch was based upon the vehicle’s unique technical innovations and the solid engineering reputation of the well-established Peter Brotherhood firm. The first car to leave the West Norwood works in October 1904 was known as “Brotherhood No.1” and was driven extensively by Richardson. He stated that “it took… 14 months from the commencement of the designing of the Brotherhood car to have designed it, built it and tested it over a period of several thousand miles…”. (The Court Journal 5 Aug 1905) making it a true Veteran. A review of the Brotherhood history published by The Car on 22 Sep 1909 also referred to an extensive program of refinement and testing before the car was released for general sale. (The Car 22 Sep 1909)  The motoring press continued to be updated as to the milage recorded by “Brotherhood No.1”, which had covered 9,000 miles by May 1905 “without trouble”. (Car 31May 1905) The new marque was displayed at the Olympia Motor Show in February 1905 at Brotherhood-Crocker Motors Ltd stand number 9. Although the car is often referred to as the “Brotherhood-Crocker” in the contemporary press, the stand was under the “Brotherhood” banner. A table of British car makers published in the May 1905 edition of The Magazine of Commerce (The Magazine of Commerce May 1905) similarly makes the distinction between the name of the company and the car itself, and this is confirmed by a surviving car carrying only the Brotherhood name on its brass hubcaps and driver footboard brackets. The Brotherhood Crocker stand exhibited the Countess Amhurst’s 20hp Landaulette along with Richardson’s Brotherhood No.1, (The Court Journal 5 Aug 1905) and a chassis without bodywork for an unobstructed viewing of the car’s mechanical innovations. Richardson’s media saturation campaign was apparently effective as several newspaper and magazine articles refer to the Brotherhood car as being the sensation of the show and demonstrating the ability of a British made car to hold its own against foreign rivals. Motoring Illustrated’s comment on 11 Feb 05 (Motoring Illustrated 11 Feb 1905) was typical, stating that “This car will cause quite a stir on this its first appearance”. The Truth of 23 Feb 1905(The Truth 23 Feb 1905) observed that “Of the new cars exhibited, the most noteworthy by far were the those of British firms. For any radical developments of design, the day has now gone past, but many important matters of detail such as new British Cars as the Rolls-Royce and the Brotherhood-Crocker go far to show that the last word has not yet been said by any means.” The Brotherhood car was displayed at various motor shows throughout England and Scotland until its last known display at the Olympia Show in November 1906. Thereafter, there are no references to the advertising, showing or sale of new cars of the Brotherhood design under either the Brotherhood or Sheffield Simplex name.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The Brotherhood car is sometimes referred to as being designed upon Mercedes lines, which is unsurprising given Richardson’s recent background. The similarities between the Brotherhood car and the 1904 Mercedes Simplex are striking, but the British car incorporates several unique innovations that set it apart. The extensive “press packs” of technical photographs and drawings widely distributed by Richardson make the Brotherhood one of the best described cars of the era and show differences in detail between cars in the prototype and early production stages, as well as improvements made during 1905. The engine, gearbox, distributor, and some other components were manufactured at the Brotherhood’s Westminster Bridge works. Over 270 chassis sub-assemblies (examination of surviving car) were manufactured at the Bortherhood-Crocker’s “temporary” workshop at 158A Norwood Road, West Norwood. where the vehicles were also assembled and tested. Brotherhood-Crocker Ltd’s retail address was 19 Hanover Square, London W (Motor News 2 Dec 1905). The 1904 Brotherhood-Crocker design (referred to as the 1905 model in marketing) was built in three chassis wheelbase lengths to cater for different body styles.(p.352 The Car 1 Feb 1905) The 1906 model 40hp (first produced in late 1905) was slightly longer and wider. Model A	Model B	Model C	Model D of late 1905 (1906 Model) Body type	Tonneau with rear side door	Landaulettes and six seated wagonettes	Double side entrance or 10 seater wagonettes Wheelbase	8ft 3in	 9ft 3in	9ft 9in	9ft 10in Tyres*	870 x 100mm	875 x 105mm	880 x 120mm Weight	16 ¼ cwt	17 ½ cwt	19 cwt Track	4ft 6 ¼ in	4ft 6 ¼ in	4ft 6 ¼ in	4ft 7in Cost	£675	£700	£735 The 251 cubic inch 4-cylinder motor used two cast T-head cylinders cast in pairs bolted onto a cast aluminium crankcase. Speed range was between 200 -1150rpm, but optimally between 900-1100 rpm. Engine speed was controlled by variable lift of the inlet valves. The inlet valve lifters incorporated jack screws that were operated by a rack and pinion arrangement connected to the laterally operated accelerator pedal. (Engineering p147 2 Feb 1905) Nominal power is 20hp at 900rpm but developed 24hp at 1150rpm and 28hp on the brake. (p.132 The Automotor Journal 4 Feb 1905) A large heavy flywheel also provided the female half of the cone clutch that engaged a short shaft to the separate gearbox slung between the chassis rails. There were four forward gears and one reverse driving the differential contained at the rear end of the gearbox. The differential shafts are attached to the chain drive sprockets. (The Automotor Journal Feb 4-11 1905) The ignition system was of comparatively modern design, using a battery, high tension trembler coil and a distributor rather than a magneto. The coil was an advanced design allowing it to be dismantled into three main components for maintenance and quick change out of defective parts. (pp.257-259 The Automotor Journal 25 February 1905) The distributor itself was a 165mm diameter glass faced aluminium dial in the dashboard, allowing the driver to observe the rotation of the rotor and diagnose any problems with the high-tension circuit by sighting a spark gap on the rotor arm. The distributor is connected to the exhaust cam shaft by a 90-degree shaft linkage. A pair of flyweights varied the position of the distributor’s vertical drive shaft to adjust ignition advance and retard automatically. There was no provision for a generator to recharge the battery while driving, requiring exchange with a spare charged battery for long trips, or recharge from an external power source while the car was not in use. Engine cylinder lubrication was provided by a dashboard mounted oil pump driven by a belt drive to the inlet cam shaft. (p.287 The Automotor Journal 4 March 1905). A laterally operated accelerator pedal was intended to avoid inadvertent jerking of the more usual push pedal design on rough roads. Another innovative control feature was the combined clutch and brake pedal, where the first pressure de-clutched the engine, and the second pressure actuated the brake bands on the drive shaft (“countershaft”) sprockets. The rear wheel brakes are actuated by a hand lever mounted on the same quadrant as the gear stick. (pp.344-345 The Automotor Journal 18 March 1905) The rear mounted rectangular fuel tank was unique - made of transversely corrugated tinned brass sheet for lightness and strength (p.352 The Car 1 February 1905), although the endplates would have been time consuming to make and solder in place. Fuel is force fed to the carburettor by pressurising the fuel tank with filtered exhaust gas, rather than a using a vacuum or mechanical pump in the engine bay. Prior to starting the engine, the fuel tank is pressurised by a dashboard mounted hand pump. (PP.177-108 The Motor News 4 February 1905) As the engine speed was changed by the variable inlet valve lift, the carburettor is automatically regulated by engine vacuum demand rather than a throttle connected to the accelerator. (p.195 The Autocar 11 Feb 1905) To maintain constant drive chain tension, an adjustable radial shaft is placed between the chain drive sprocket and the rear axle to maintain a constant distance during normal movement of the rear axle suspension. (p420 The Motor 21 November 1905) Another novel feature of the Brotherhood car was the suspension leaf springs, which were drilled and slotted to allow a constant supply of oil to lubricate between the leaves. This prevented the tendency for leaf springs to lock solid with corrosion. Each spring set was enclosed in a leather or canvas boot to prevent ingress of dirt and minimise the loss of oil. (p.351 The Car 1 Feb 1905) In November 1905, The Automotor Journal (p.420 21 November 1905) and The Car (p.20 The Car 22November 1905) reported an engineering refresh of the original 1904 design to become the nominal “1906 Model”. Changes included improved radius rods between the drive sprocket housings and the rear axle, and the use of Hoffmann ball bearings in the gearbox to replace the splash lubricated white metal bearings. A sprag-ratchet arrangement was used on the offside rear wheel’s brake drum to prevent the car from rolling backwards, which was disengaged when the reverse gear was selected. An improved high tension coil box upgraded the ignition system. The brass fuel tank was altered such that the corrugations ran longitudinally rather than transversely. This made the soldered endplate joints easier to attach and seal but required more effort to bend the corners of the tank. Examination of a surviving car shows that the spark plugs were relocated from the sides of the combustion chambers to a more conventional position at the top, and a belt driven fan was mounted on the front cylinder block. The same articles also reported the introduction of the 40hp model. Its four-cylinder T-head engine with variable lift inlet valves was a refined version of the 1904 motor with a 471 cubic inch (7.88 litre) capacity and enclosed timing gears. The clutch arrangement for the 40hp car was a metal-to-metal type in an oil bath. The Brotherhood Archive at the NMM contains an undated drawing of the Brotherhood 40HP engine which indicates manufacture at Westminster. The wheelbase of the 40hp chassis was extended by an inch to 9ft 10 in, and track widened by ¾ inch to create the “Model D” chassis. (Country Gentleman 18Nov 1905). The width of the 40hp motor (and therefore width between chassis rails) remained the same as the 20hp motor at 24 inches. There are no known references to indicate that the 20hp and 40hp cars were upgraded further before the demise of the Brotherhood marque at the end of 1906.
 * Solid tyres (such as on the Countess Amhurst’s car) limit speed to 25mph. (The Court Journal 5 Aug 1905)

PRODUCTION The 2019 Peter Brotherhood Ltd official history states that only ten Brotherhood cars were made but specific company records are not referenced. (pp.89-91Brotherhood, Eng…) These ten cars were listed by the customer and body type only. For publicity, the press was kept informed about the cars and their new owners as deliveries progressed. Starting with the completion of Percy Richardson’s prototype, in October 1904, the other nine production cars in this list can be identified in newspaper articles up until September 1906, which spans almost all the car’s production life at West Norwood. However, a further eight cars have been identified from other press reports as well as a surviving vehicle. If the publicity conscious Percy Ricardson had announced the delivery of the majority of Brotherhood cars produced, the overall number made between October 1904 and late 1906 may have been somewhere between 20 and 40. A photograph of the West Norwood works shows that each car was assembled individually in an allocated floor area rather than on an efficient production line. The low production rate for this factory was a motivating factor for a larger and more efficient premises where all components could be made and assembled on one site. As described by The Car in 1909 (p.215 The Car No.383 22 Sep 1909), “Having surmounted the initial difficulties and produced the car…it became evident that the method of manufacturing and assembling hitherto adopted would prevent the completion of any appreciable number of cars per annum.”  The production difficulties must have been well known for the satirical social commentator “Miss Teerius” of the Whitehall Review 2 Dec 1905 to quip “…Brotherhood, which stood for the makers of a car that the faster they make the faster (ie, the more stuck) they are. At least they cannot take orders, for their orders take them so much time… I mean the orders come so fast that the time for making the cars must be slow…”. An appreciation of West Norwood’s limited production capacity appears to have been understood at the outset, with the “temporary” factory used to develop the prototype and build the first small batches of production cars - until a planned larger factory could be built in London. This was soon to be addressed by the Earl Fitzwilliam facilitating the transfer of production to the larger and better equipped works in the Sheffield suburb of Tinsley. With hindsight, the low production rates, a crowded market and a low return on investment made it unsurprising that Stanley Brotherhood decided to withdraw from the business. Although there is no evidence that the Brotherhood design was made at the Tinsley works, production capacity appears to have remained modest with Percy Richardson making a virtue of low production numbers. “Our policy is not that of a number of leading car makers- to manufacture in exceptionally large numbers in order to produce economically, but rather to moderate our output and simplify the design of our cars…” (Sheffield Simplex Catalogue 1 November 1907).

CORPORATE HISTORY The Brotherhood marque was created circa September 1903 with the registration of “Brotherhood-Crocker Motors Ld” as the automotive subsidiary of the long established, and still operating, Peter Brotherhood engineering firm. (The Car No.383 22 Sep 1909) Peter Brotherhood’s works was situated between Belvedere Road and the Thames River at Westminster Bridge. The site is presently occupied by part of London County Hall and the London Eye. (pp.91-92 Brotherhoods, Engineers for Power, Transport and Weapons. Sydney A Leleux, 2nd Edition 2019. The Oakwood Press 54-58 Mill Square, Catrine UK). Amongst other things, they manufactured reciprocating engines and compressors, and were well known for their iconic three-cylinder radial design. After the death of the company’s founder Peter Brotherhood in 1902, his son Stanley, an ardent motorist, assumed the directorship. (p.85 Brotherhoods, Engineers….). The rapid growth of the automobile market presented Brotherhood with an obvious commercial opportunity for a new and lucrative product line that was well within the company’s technical capabilities. The opportunity was realised when the Daimler Motor Company’s London manager, Percy Richardson, resigned and joined Brotherhood with the design for a modern large four-cylinder car. (p.88 Brotherhoods, Eng…) An important driver of the automobile project was the Earl Fitzwilliam, (pp89-91 Brotherhood, Eng..) who was on the Brotherhood board of directors. Like Stanley Brotherhood, he was a dedicated automobilist and became the major shareholder in the venture. (p.349 The Car 1 Feb 105). Mr Crocker’s contribution is presently unknown, but he was evidently important enough to warrant the inclusion of his name in the company title. Around the time that the Brotherhood-Crocker syndicate had been formed, London County Council was negotiating with Brotherhood to buy out their long-term lease on the Westminster site. The land was prime real estate next to the UK’s seat of government and was required for the proposed London County Hall, forcing Brotherhoods to consider relocation options. (p.91-92 Brotherhood, Eng…) Peterborough was selected, but planning approvals could not be obtained for car manufacture. As a Brotherhood board member, the Earl Fitzwilliam suggested moving the automotive concern to Sheffield, close to steel production. This was publicly foreshadowed as early as March 1905, when the Sheffield Daily Telegraph reports the proposed Brotherhood-Crocker factory move to the suburb of Tinsley. (Sheffield Daily Telegraph 9 March 1906) Brotherhood had intended to establish a dedicated car factory on a larger scale in London. When the decision was made to vacate London altogether, these factory plans were immediately available to be used to commence building at Tinsley, thus facilitating rapid start of the works. (Sheffield Daily Telegraph 9 March 1906) The factory was designed to have five long (240ft) bays, smith’s forges, pattern making shops and a tool room for the production, assembly and testing of all drivetrain and chassis components. (p.30 Cars From Sheffield by Stephen Meyers) On 14 May 1905, Earl Fitzwilliam signed Articles of Agreement to erect the new Brotherhood-Crocker Tinsley factory. Percy Richardson was interviewed in London in March 1906 and optimistically stated that the construction in Tinsley had commenced and would be “ready by July next”, only four months away. Construction of Peter Brotherhood’s new Peterborough factory commenced mid-October 1906 and the move out of Westminster was complete by November 1907, (pp.93-94 Brotherhoods, Eng…), while the erection of the new Tinsley factory spanned March 1906 to March 1907. In about September 1906, when the Tinsley factory was halfway through construction, Stanley Brotherhood decided to pull out of car production. Earl Fitzwilliam then took over the business in its entirety, with Percy Richardson to continue as the General Manager. The Express of 20 Oct 1906 states that “the (Brotherhood-Crocker) works have been built on the most up to date lines and they are now equipping them with the most modern machinery…” The same article announces that the company will be renamed “The Sheffield-Simplex Motor Works (Ltd)” and that Brotherhood and Crocker will have no further interest. Further, “The cars to be produced at the new works will be named “Sheffield Simplex”. Such press statements, and those made by Paul N Hasluck in his popular books (pp.25-33 The Automobile by Paul N Hasluck, September 1906 Edition Cassel & Co.Ltd) may have given the impression that the Brotherhood car was re-named the Sheffield Simplex with the change of company name in September 1906. However, other press reports of vehicle deliveries and the November 1906 Olympia Show confirm the continuation of the Brotherhood marque until at least the end of production at West Norwood two to four months later. Advertisements for a new clerical position for the Tinsley works on 22 December 1906 (Sheffield Daily Telegraph 22 December 1906) still listed the West Norwood works as Sheffield Simplex’s company address, indicating that the probability that West Norwood was not vacated until early 1907. The November 1906 Olympia Show articles refer to the Brotherhood cars at Stand 89 being displayed by Sheffield-Simplex Motors Ltd of 19 Hanover Square and Tinsley Sheffield, (East Anglican Daily Times 16 November 1906). (Belfast News Letter 16 November 1906) (The Graphic 17 November 1906), even though the Tinsley factory would not be ready until March 1907. The Evening Standard of 21 November 1906 made the additional comment that stand 89 “has on view the drawings of its new Sheffield Simplex car”, the proposed 45hp LA1. Stephen Myers states that the LA1 drawing pack still exists (now at the Kellam Island Industrial Museum, Sheffield), and the earliest drawing titled “FOR 40HP SHEFFIELD SIMPLEX” was dated 10 September 1906). (p.31 Cars From Sheffield, by Stephen Meyers Sheffield City Libraries 1986). The design, tooling up and prototyping for the new car in a new factory would have put Percy Richardson and the Sheffield Simplex company under considerable pressure to establish commercially viable production as soon as possible, especially since the Tinsley works had the larger and more complex remit of producing and testing its own new engine and gearbox designs. The Sheffield Simplex 1908 catalogue was released in November 1907, featuring the new Tinsley produced 45hp LA1 design. The LA1 was a substantial departure from the original Brotherhood-Crocker designs but retained unique features such as the laterally sliding accelerator pedal and the two stage clutch-footbrake pedal. This effectively completed the transition from Brotherhood-Crocker to first wholly Sheffield Simplex design. An unresolved question is whether the Brotherhood designed cars were produced at Tinsley after the closure of the West Norwood works. The pressures of getting the new factory and new LA1 Model up and running would mitigate against this. Further, by 1907, the chain drive Brotherhood design of 1904 was now a dated despite the Brotherhood car’s innovations, sensational debut in 1905 and 1906 updates. Although previous reporting that the order books were full, the Sheffield Simplex Ltd stand at the November 1906 Olympia Show had a new Model C chassis for sale to all comers at the discounted price of £560 (Sheffield Daily Telegraph 16 November 1906), perhaps analogous to the modern “run-out clearance” of last year’s models. No primary written sources or photographs have been found to indicate that the Brotherhood 1906 models were made at Tinsley or sported the Sheffield Simplex SS badge. The first Tinsley made car had been commenced by late March 1907 (Sheffield Daily Telegraph 23 March 1907), but this was most likely the prototype LA1. Percy Richardson consistently used the press to publicise car sales and Tinsley progress throughout 1905 and 1906, but there is no mention of any Brotherhood car sales beyond November 1906. Seven months of relative silence about the factory during 1907 until 1 November was only broken when the first Sheffield Simplex catalogue was issued, announcing “Our New Works” and introduced the new 45hp LA1 – the first vehicle to sport the new superimposed SS badge. (p31 Cars from Sheffield, Meyers.) The catalogue did not offer any of the original Brotherhood designs. SURVIVING EXAMPLES Only one surviving example of the Brotherhood car is known. It is a 20hp Model B incorporating the “1906 model” modifications photographed in the press in November 1905. It is clearly marked “BROTHERHOOD” on the brass hubcaps and drivers foot board brackets. A Brotherhood 20hp motor is fitted in a 1905 Brown Brothers car, although this is different in several details to the motor installed in the Brotherhood cars. It does not use variable inlet valve lift to control speed.