"The Son of a Javelin Owner" My Story

[Kieron]

Where do I start? I guess the beginning.

In October 2020 my Dad was diagnosed with vascular dementia "The Long Good Bye"

A little about my Dad, he was born in to this world on the 7th February 1941, he married
my Mum, Nova on the 27th April 1968, they had 5 children and were happily married for 26
years until her sudden death in 1994. It was in the May of 1968 that my Dad's love of his
Jowett Javelin GTP344 was born, this car made such a lasting impression on him that he never
forgot, something the vascular dementia could not takeaway from him and unknown to us
would take us on a journey that would create wonderful memories for our family.

Fast forward to July this year and my Dad health had sadly deteriorated, but this stubborn
proud man thought on and touched the hearts of all he met, his witty dry sense of humour
kept the staff at the nursing home smiling through the toughest of times and their memories of him
they shared with me will always bring a tear to my eyes...apologetic and a true gentleman.

It was on one of my visits in July that my Dad brought up the stories of his Jowett Javelin, I had
listened to these stories hundred times before, but they never bored me and I would never tell
him "Dad you have told me this before." I would listen as if it was the first time I had heard it and
those stories could be told 2 or 3 times over my weekend visit. Due to his health deteriorating his
memories were becoming vague, he would get confused and frustrated, this would upset him, so
I would go back to his home to collect things, that I thought would create sparks in his brain, my
Dad's home was nicknamed the "Wrinkle's Museum" it was an Aladdins Cave of everything and
anything, he'd been collecting since my Mum's passing in 1994, It was quite amusing and must have
been a site when me and my brother smuggled in to the nursing home a 4ft model of the Titanic.

I was at his home on one off my missions to collect memory jogging material, when I spotted a
Classic car encyclopaedia under a book shelf, I picked the book up and out fell this folded piece of
paper and a photo, to my astonishment it was the original bill of sale and a photo of his Jowett
Javelin GTP344, it sent a shiver down my spine, no more than an hour before this I had been with
my Dad listening to the stories of his Javelin, I phoned my brother to share this spooky coincidence.

The next morning with the original bill of receipt and the photo I set of to the nursing home, on the
way I stopped off at a charity shop to get a picture frame, if by magic as I walked in there in front of
me was a frame made for the job, I now had my amazing finds and couldn't wait to share them with
my Dad, what happened next was something I wasn't expecting or prepared for, he cried his eyes
out, proper tears, we hugged as if we hadn't seen each other in years "Come on you old bugger!"
I said what's up? "Wonderful memories" he replied. Happy memories thou Dad yeah? he replied "OH
YES!" and from that we spent the next few hours reminiscing about stories of the Jowett Javelin that
I hadn't heard before, which included touring Devon and Cornwall with my Mum, memories that had
been lost to the dementia, but had now been unlocked by his Jowett Javelin GTP344.

I left that evening (Sunday) with tears in my eyes and every time I thought about what had just
happened I choked up, I pulled in to Cherwell Services on the M40 on my journey back to Staffordshire
for a cuppa, it was while I as here that I thought "I am going to try and trace his car!" in the hope and slimmest
of possibilities that it might still be about. My mission to trace my Dad's Javelin was on, before I left the services
that evening I had wrote my plea "Please help me find my Dad's car!".

My story went viral within hours with family, friends and strangers sharing our mission to trace his Jowett
Javelin GTP344, is wasn't long before contact was made with the Jowett Car Club and one person in
particular Drummond Black "I know this cars history, I have travelled in it around parts of Scotland
and North of England." the story of my Dad's car was unfolding quicker than my brain could process it
all, Another person I would like to mention is Noel Stokoe...Thank you both.

Within 3 Days of putting my mission in to motion I amazingly had the upmost pleasure to speak to
the current owner of my Dad's Jowett Javelin GTP344, we spoke for nearly an hour, a lovely gentleman
who shared with me the cars history to the present day and what a memorising story unfolded, she was owned
by the late Duncan Laing who was the Jowett Companies first graduate trainee, his father was the first
owner of a Jowett Javelin in Aberdeen, he was also an accomplished motorsport enthusiast taking part
and successful in rallies, hill climbs and sprints. He shared with me that Duncan Laing and Gerald Palmer, the Jowett
Javelins designer were friends and that he helped Duncan with some of the modifications that he had
done to GTP344, the hand written notes of all the modifications they worked together on remain with the car, she
also spent 2 years at the Grampian Transport Museum on display... a real true life British Herbie existence my
Dad"s old car led.

My dream was to hopefully reunite my Dad with his old car and possibly with the slimmest of hopes to
own her, sadly due to the sheer distance of where GTP344 now lived (Aberdeen) the logistics weren't physically
possible due to my Dad's health, the dream of possibly owning her was touched on with the current owner, so
you never know...what a fairytale story that would be!

I had now found my Dad's Jowett Javelin, people had traced photos and video's of her, I had the kindest
offers from people who were prepared to give up their time to take their cars to my Dad's nursing home for him
to see... I was totally and truly humbled and so grateful, I was overwhelmed.

With a folder of photo's of the Javelin and a die cast model, that I managed to source I was excited
to share the news with my Dad, he was emotionally taken back, he could not believe that his car was still
around, we had tears again and sat down with some vanilla ice cream (his favourite), a cup of tea to
stories and memories of his Javelin, on leaving that evening my Dad called me across with the die cast
model of the Javelin in his hand "Kieron see if you can get me a real one of these." We hugged, I kissed his
head and thought to myself "You bugger!"

Something was now missing from my mission, a Javelin, then out of the blue and by chance I went on the Jowett Car Clubs
Facebook page and the first post that came up was by David Milsom, he was looking to sell his Javelin JSV704,
call it fate you might say, but something was steering me to this post. I made contact with David and a viewing was
arranged and a trip up to Yorkshire was on the cards, I called on the services of Drummond Black for some
guidance in what to look for, he very kindly obliged. In the meantime my Dad's health had taken a turn for the worst
and he'd been admitted in to hospital with a severe chest infection that turned in to sepsis, he was not expected
to see the weekend through, amazingly and being the fighter he was, he surprised all the consultants and pulled through,
this made the mission of getting him in a Jowett Javelin even more important to me, a deal with David was done and
a date set to pick up JSV704.

Everything was moving so fast, at times emotionally I would find myself lost, the day had come for us to collect JSV704,
I think David was expecting us to bring a trailer to get her home, madness you might say driving a car that hadn't really
covered any miles since David took ownership of her, which was 3 years prior, but I thought "I have got to
get her down to Surrey from Staffordshire, what better test, if she breakdown I have RAC cover." David kindly done
some basic checks for us oil, water etc...

Our journey from Yorkshire to Staffordshire was planned taking in the Derbyshire Dales, with my brother in the
support vehicle full of tools if required. I pulled off the drive and my first bit of road was a steep hill down to
a T junction, I am not new to classic car ownership having owned, Triumphs, MG's, Mini's and Landrovers, but this
didn't prepare me, I look back now and wish I had set up a video camera pointing at me because my face must
have been a picture, lets just say braking in the Javelin has to be thought 6 weeks in advance. After the initial
getting used to the column gear change, the brakes, the steering, finding yourself in the passenger seat due to
sliding across the bench sit when going round bends, the clutch and the driving position, oh and not forgetting the
game of turning off the window wipers on the down stroke, the drive home was the most enjoyable drive I have ever
had and thats honestly the truth. Everything my Dad had told me in his stories were true, it was like I had him by
my side the entire journey home. The sound of the 1 1/2 flat four engine was addictive as it bounced off the dry
stone walls, people were waving at me as if I was Royalty, when we stopped we were surrounded by gentleman
of a certain age wanting to look under the bonnet and sit behind the wheel, it was a bizarre and surreal the
journey back to Staffordshire, to sum it up "A smile a mile."

I had a gap of a week to check and prepare JSV704 for the journey down to Surrey for my Dad to meet her and in that
week that Javelin had so much attention from complete strangers it was unbelievable, people stopped to take pictures,
they'd stop chat "What is it?" "Its beautiful" "I love the shape" "They don't make like that anymore" "I haven't seen one of
those since the 60's" "My doctor had one of those"...I could go on. I also learnt that she was owned previously by the
late Alan Brierley the Editor of the Jowetteer, I have been in contact with his son Paul, which is nice. JSV704 was
dispatched to the Jowett agents Russell's Garages Ltd in Chatham on 31/8/51, she still has the original enamel dealers
badge in the boot, it was first registered for the road on 5/9/51 and the first owner was WH Brigden of Sittingbourne
in Kent. she was originally registered OKE588, which it must have lost prior to 2010.

On Saturday the 2nd September 2023 I set off with JSV704 down to Surrey, she didn't miss a beat, she met my Dad
and he loved her, she brought a massive smile to his face, sadly he wasn't well enough to go for a spin, We took him
back to his room as he was tied, I was just about to leave and he said to me "Kieron is that a Lancaster Bomber?"
pointing to a model in the window "Yes Dad"... "Kieron is that a spitfire? another model in the window "Yes Dad"
...."Lovely Planes" he replied, I hugged him, kissed his head, told him to rest and said goodbye. On the way home driving
through the Oxfordshire country side in JSV704 what should fly over our heads, but a Lancaster Bomber and a
Spitfire doing the victory role...Mission complete I thought....I had got my Dad a real Jowett Javelin.

On the 4th September 2023 2 days after my Dad met JSV704 he peacefully passed away, at this great mans funeral
JSV704 led the funeral procession driven by me, with the sound of her burbling 1 1/2 litre flat four engine echoing
in the lane down to his final resting place, he was laid to rest with his wife, my mum.

JSV704 is now part of my family and will continue to make and share our memories, fate has a mysterious way
of bringing people and things together, you never know GTP344 may one day make its way home.

Thank you for reading my story and thank you everyone who helped and sent messages of support.

[Forumadmin]

Thanks Kieron. I hope you have as many happy memories of your Jowett as did your dad.

[David Morris]

Hi All,

What a lovely letter! The number of coincidences related in this moving story are a reminder that sometimes things happen without our involvement. Running through this account there are many examples of people helping out, through the goodness of their heart.

That is typical of Jowett members, and somehow the whole Jowett family! Long may Kieron and his family enjoy JSV 704!

Many thanks,

David

[trymes]

I've been following your story on Facebook, Kieron, and it's a great one. Glad to hear you're enjoying the car so much.

Tom

[Alastair Gregg]

Hello Kieron,

"Jowetts never wear out, they are passed to the next of kin"

This was one of the pre war advertising slogans.

Your story and mine are similar but your happy ending was on time.

At the age of 2 (That's me not him) my Dad bought MVU 377 E2/PD/22113 a Black Std Javelin. It became the family car for roughly the next 30 years. I got married, left home and Dad eventually succumbed to the company car offers. Thus he sold the Javelin and we watched from a distance. However we blinked and it disappeared without trace for around 15 years, but I kept my eyes peeled. In the mean time (Un beknown to Dad) I bought a Jupiter and got it restored and took it up to visit him. I was in Derbyshire and he on the Isle of Arran. In his early 70's then he loved it. But the Javelin was his "best car ever" (Yes I too met Drummond whilst still in short trousers( me not him). About 2018 the car broke cover and became available. I bought it telling My Dad now in his mid to late 80's and we began saving for MVU was in a "bit of a State. The place our story differs is that you managed to show your Dad before he passed. I failed and my Dad knew what I was doing but he went before the car was ready. It is now just waiting for the seats to be refitted after the interior has been completed and will be ready to do all the things a Javelin should (wow the general public etc).

I'm delighted to hear you have started using your car and are getting so much pleasure from it. Watch out though they can become addictive, I now have the Jupiter, the Javelin and a Bradford. They all make me smile.