BRITAIN A.A

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 50, 27 August 1938, Page 28

BRITAIN A.A

THE ANNUAL MEETING

At the thirty-third annual meeting of the Automobile Association of Great Britain, the chairman, Mr. Charles McWhirter, announced that the association's membership had passed the 700,000 mark. It was actually 712,242. During the twelve months the increase in members exceeded 48,000, the largest number ever achieved in one year. It was 18 years since the first 100,000 members were obtained; the half-mil-lion was reached in 1933, and since then over 200,000 members had been added. The association had thus easily retained its position of the world's largest motoring organisation. These remarkable figures, Mr. McWhirter went on to say, refuted the suggestion that motoring in Great Britain had reached saturation point and was declining in popularity. The combined membership of overseas motoring organisations with which the A.A. was allied, was in excess of 8,000,000, a powerful factor which ensured reciprocal touring service for A.A. members in any part of the cfVilised world. Enlarging upon the vast proportions attained by -the demand for service

from motorists in Great Britain, he mentioned that during the year A.A. i patrols covered more than 40,000,000 i miles of road in the course of their normal duties. Over 60,000 members received legal assistance, more than 1,200,000 road routes were issued for j tours in Great Britain and Ireland, and over 75,000 members received assistance from the 24-hour emergency serI ' ' '

vice, which was maintained at the association's London headquarters throughout the night, at weekends, and even on Christmas Day. Following discussions between the association and the War Office, a supplementary reserve to the Corps of Military Police, with a minimum strength of 500, had been formed exclusively from the road staff of the A.A. This, Mr. McWhirter described as "a unique contribution to national defence by a private organisation."