Editor:
The year was 1957. My parents had just emigrated from Denmark to southwestern Ontario with their four boys. My oldest brother was 10 and my youngest brother wasn’t yet a year old. I had just turned eight and my other brother was a year behind me.
Our dad had owned a farm in Denmark, so he started out as a farm hand, and we lived in a small house situated on the farm. We came with the clothes on our backs, a trunk and two suitcases.
Since we lived far outside of town, stocking up on groceries quickly became an issue. The farmer offered to help. So over a period of about a week, he gave dad driving lessons in his car and then took him into town for his driving test. He then took my dad to a local used car dealer to see if he could find an affordable car. Since we had never owned a car before, I remember dad being very excited.
When they returned, dad was driving his very own used Triumph Mayflower. It was dark red and stood out from all the other cars on the road.
Mom and dad sat in the front. My youngest brother sat on my mom’s lap and the three pre-teen boys rode in the back. Off we would go to the grocery store or to the beach, or just driving around becoming familiar with our new home. Everything we saw was new to us, and that little car became an integral part of many memories from that period.
After about two years, dad traded the Mayflower in on a Ford and our lives continued.
After my older brother and I finished high school, we began trying to figure out the make and model of that first car. Neither of us had paid any attention while we owned the car, and our dad had now passed away. It became an important quest for us since it was so tied into our memories of our dad.
Decades went by and we never saw that car again. But we never stopped looking. We would frequently reminisce when we would get together, and as the years went by, hope was slowly fading.
That all changed in an instant earlier this month. As soon as I saw the car at the Ladner Business Association’s Quilt Walk & Car Show, I knew our search was over. I immediately sent the picture to my brother, and he confirmed it was the car.
We are slowly learning the interesting history behind the Mayflower and have connected with the Triumph Mayflower Car Club in England, which is dedicated to keeping these unique cars and their stories alive.
Erik Andersen
