Planet tractor

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

I would greatly appreciate any help that you may be able to provide to my research project.

 

I recently acquired a historic vehicle manufactured in 1948 and supplied to Western Counties Hospital Group in Starcross where it spent the years up to 1965. The hospital becoming part of the NHS in 1948 was I suspect the trigger to purchase the vehicle.

 

The vehicle is a light industrial tractor (picture attached) manufactured by F C Hibberd & Co Ltd. and called a Planet, it appears to have been purchased as a plough or snowplough for the hospital. I am particularly interested to find any pictures that may exist of it at the time or any memories of how it appeared and worked in and around the hospital. Having road registration it may even have been spotted in the local area as it is quite a distinctive item.

 

In 1965 the tractor or tug as they can be described was sold off as scrap to a Mr R Gorman of Old Matford, Exeter. It clearly did not end up as scrap and at this time may or may not have stayed in the area before undergoing some restoration and likely colour change at a later date.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Kind regards,

John Buckley