Un mystère de pompe à essence avec une voiturette victorienne

Not exactly “refuelling in the earliest days” as this appears to be an American made or designed Wayne Electric Petrol Pump from c.1932. It looks very similar to the one in their British advert of June that year, captioned: “Electric Meter Petrol Pumps and Storage Equipment by Wayne Tank & Pump Co. Ltd., 42 Newlands Pk., London and Britannia Hse., Wellington St., Leeds.” For some time, Wayne pumps were made by Dresser-Wayne in Bracknell but its output reverted to the USA in 1980.

Wayne electric petrol pumps were widespread in Britain and Northern Ireland by 1932, their earlier pumps having been championed by the Anglo-American Oil Co. from 1920, when they first installed thirty non-electric 5-gallon volumetric pumps for Pratts - they had 500 in operation by 1921. Electric metering versions probably appeared as early as 1925, shown at London’s Olympia Motor Show and by 1928 they began to appear widely in the adverts of garages boasting they had the latest electric filling-station equipment.

As well as Wayne’s, British companies claimed early manufacture of electric metering petrol pumps: Bowser, in business since 1885, the “Xacto-Sentry” from 1928 and Hammond, in business since 1896, the “Beckmeter” from 1927. The latest Wayne pump of 1932, the “Tru-meter electric pump”, was controlled by a patented trigger-nozzle, possibly as here and was exhibited by Anglo-American Oil at the Glasgow motor show. The design for 1933/4 looks very different.

By the early 1930s, all drivers, even those in decrepit, thirty-year old voiturettes, could expect quick, clean and accurate delivery of their chosen brand of fuel.