OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories SCOTT BONNAR Models THE ARMY MOWERS - early 1940s

Hello ODK History Lovers

In researching vintage lawnmowers, many �discoveries� have been made by pure chance � a lucky find.
This is one of those lucky finds.

I was browsing through a 1945 newspaper when I came across a photo of a large garden, stately home
in the background, and an unidentified lawnmower in the foreground.

The headline read, � �Gilbulla� Red Cross Rehabilitation Farm�.

Like a true mower anorak or �mower spotter�, I thought this was one of those mowers that could never
be identified, because of poor newspaper print resolution. The usual suspects were Ransomes, Shanks,
Greens, Dennis � We would never know.

However, when I enlarged the photo I noticed two unusual features . . . or clues.
The first was the motor. The height of the engine was ridiculously high! Was this the air shroud for
a belt driven fan, used on large, early lawnmowers? Maybe �

Then I noticed the second feature � the catcher decal. I kept seeing . . . an Australian flag.
That could only mean one make � Scott Bonnar! But which one? No Scott Bonnar had that big an engine.
It made no sense. Here's what I saw:-





There was a third clue, not coming from the photograph, but from the time and place:
it was wartime and �Gilbulla� was a �beautiful farm home� being used for a new purpose.

Then, in the dark corners of my memory, the penny dropped!
This was a very unusual lawnmower indeed!

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

PART 2 - �Gilbulla� � A Digression

I said the third clue was contextual in that it linked time (WWII) with place, the historic �Gilbulla�House.
In this part I would like to digress from the �mower story� and discuss the �military connection� that led me
to identify the lawnmower in the photo in PART 1.

The house and estate are situated some 50 kilometers south-west of Sydney, on the outskirts of the township
of Menangle. The house was built in 1899 by the Macarthur family as a wedding gift for Lieutenant Colonel
James William Macarthur-Onslow � the great-grandson of the famous John Macarthur, the pioneer of
the wool industry in Australia.

Over the years, Gilbulla would entertain the Who�s Who of Australian society and British royalty.
Here�s a photo from the 1930s, courtesy of the National Library of Australia:



For my story, though, the importance of Gilbulla lay in the fact that it was used by the Red Cross as
a convalescent hospital for Australian servicemen during and after WWII. This was the military link
that connected the Scott Bonnar mower.

As a 1944 newspaper article put it:
�Gilbulla is a Red Cross experimental station to accommodate men who, through physical or psychological
disabilities, are not able to take their place in civilian life without some time of readjustment.
Gilbulla will hold 75 men, who will be trained in agriculture and animal husbandry and can remain for
long period convalescence up to three months or longer.�

Here�s a 1945 photo of some of those men, again courtesy of the National Library:-



There is a certain irony in that an estate that once housed and entertained the rich and famous
should be used for such a noble purpose for the common man. In undertaking this research, I was
time and time again reminded of how this came about: it was through the generosity of an early
Australian philanthropist, Sibella Macarthur Onslow, an amazing woman who exemplified the notion
that with wealth comes great responsibility.

Today the Gilbulla Estate survives as a religious retreat, conference and training centre.
Clearly, there have been a number of additions that have occurred over the years. Here�s a Google Maps view.
I have marked the approximate location of the Scott Bonnar (yellow pin) when the photo in PART 1 was taken.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART 3 - The Grassbox Article

So, taking into account all three pieces of evidence, I have concluded that the
lawnmower in PART 1 was a Scott Bonnar Army machine - a Queen City with a BIG motor.
The clues jogged my memory of an article I once read in the UK's Old Lawnmower Club Magazine.

That article, by Warrick Hanstead, is reproduced below:-




Why did Scott Bonnar use such an ill-suited engine? The answer is simple: wartime.
No British lightweight engines were available, and no Australian manufacturer made small
(and lightweight) engines suitable for lawnmowers.

However, small Australian-made stationary engines were being manufactured for essential
production in farming and agriculture, and the like. Scott Bonnar just "made do" for the war effort.

The photos of the Buzacott 2 h.p. engine in the magazine article show a modified motor (as the article says).
To give you an idea, here is a photo of what I think is a similar engine: note how the fuel tank sits lower,
as in the picture I presented in PART 1.

PART 4 - Verification of Story

Member Sir Chook has kindly directed me towards a document on the ODK forums.
This is a page from the Scott Bonnar Ledger 1928-1950 held by member Willingworker.

I reproduce that document below:-

It's the third entry: for a Queen City fitted with a Ronaldson Tippett engine and
supplied to the Ammunition Factory at Finsbury. The year ... 1942.

This is independent proof that Scott Bonnar were fitting stationary engines to their machines
during the Second World War.

PART 5 - Scott Bonnar and Stationary Engines

For the record, it is important to say that use of these 'large' stationary engines on
Scott Bonnar machines occurred not just in war-time, but between and after the wars!
It is true, though, that the Army SB engines were extremely large.

However, Scott Bonnar historian Grant Simpson has written that the 24" Queen City
Petrol Mower, using a Ronaldson Tippet Type 'N', was introduced in 1933, and it was being
used quite late in the post-war era:-



My research indicates that Scott Bonnar, from the late 1920s, were always looking for suitable petrol
engines. My current view is that Scott Bonnar favoured 'Australian Made' and this may explain why
they used stationary engines in peace time, had to use them in war time, and ventured into designing and
manufacturing their own engines for some models in latter years.

The rest is history.
------------------------------------
JACK.

Here are some great photos of a war era Queen City, taken by Geoff Nowak
at the Mt Laura Homestead Museum, Whyalla.

NOTE: Geoff Nowak has family links to Sid Bowditch of Scott Bonnar fame.
He is also a very talented photographer.

Source: Please visit:- GEOFF NOWAK ALBUMS

Scott Bonnar Models:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/155/1/SCOTT_BONNAR_Models.html

Sid Bowditch:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=64659



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