Early Scottish Automobile Club Badge

This badge was presumably legitimately worn by someone who successfully passed a Scottish Automobile Club (S.A.C.) certificated driving course examination – Edinburgh was home to its School of Motoring and it offered courses and exams at five Scottish venues in 1907 and 1908, more after that. They operated this training scheme until at least WWI, during which the S.A.C. motif became “Royal”. No indication that the certificate came automatically with a badge.

The S.A.C. had long demanded that no one should be allowed to drive without having obtained a certificate of competence – deaths due to motors had near doubled every year from 1900 in Scotland to reach 123 killed in 1907, with 5362 injured.

Hence, the S.A.C., together with the R.A.C., began issuing nationally recognised but non-mandatory certificates of driving competence from at least 1905 – paid motorists, like motor-cab drivers, were early certificate holders. The total driving certificates issued across the whole UK, including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee in the year to March 1906 was 59, with another 20 driving certificates at 1907 Scottish examinations, presumably some in 1908, another 22 there in August 1909 and another 51 were issued in April 1910. Some 1062 were issued across Britain in 1911, probably some S.A.C. in 1912 and definitely 18 in mid-1913, which perhaps adds up to a certificated driver qualifying for S.A.C. badge No. 200 by then.

The membership of the S.A.C. was in the low thousands but non-members could take the test; indeed, after 1910, had to if they wanted to drive abroad unhindered in accordance with the International Motor Car Act, which required driver and car certification. The S.A.C. was the authorised issuing body for both in Scotland.

Apologies to French readers but, in 1910, it was said that this driver proficiency certification was introduced to replace the only obvious qualifications displayed by paid chauffeurs: “a leather coat, a French accent and garlic breath.”

Hi David
Thanks for your reply, great information on the badge and what it would have been awarded for.
I was finding it hard to get information on the S.A.C.
It would be interesting to know who driver 200 was, but it will probably remain a mystery.
Regards, Ian.

If it is a fake it will presumably be identical to the fake badges McCann claims to own but has regrettably decided not to let us see.

Hi Paul,

Nice to see your two signs. They are, however, quite different in detail. Check the layout of the words for example. I don't think it's an impression from an later badge.

The suggestion made to me by club officials in London and Scotland is that it might have been an early private work by a member which took the clubs' interest and was developed into the official club badge.

Regards,
Richard

As I recall CRM was a founding member of the SAC so it wouldn't surprise me at all if he submitted a proposal for the club badge.

I do mean the SAC badge - I've got two, both fakes.

So how about posting photos of them for comparative purposes?

How about you post photos of your SAC badges so we can compare them? That would be interesting.

Hi I've measured each badge- both measure 102mm x80mm.

It would be helpful if you could post photos of the badges, please. You could email them to me if you don't want to publish them..