“EYE-TEETH & E.JAGS”, & E.LANKA” – By Des Kelly
The “E’s, are quite definitely in the forefront of this true story. “Eye-teeth, E-Jaguars, & E.Lanka”, all NAMES which bear thinking about. Strangely, even as a lad, I could not STAND dentists & dentistry, which is quite a common fact with most people I know. Later on, after I joined the Royal Ceylon Navy, it was agreed by our Chief Medical Officer, that Supply Assistant Kelly (Official number “E”635), another bloody”E”, needed to have a couple of Eyeteeth out, & because there was no Dental Officer at the R.Cy.N., Headquarters,”Gemunu 1″ & our only “Warship” of that era, was a “Mine-sweeper”, the former “Flying-Fish” of the good old British Navy, presented to Ceylon, henceforth to be known as H.M.Cy.S. Vijaya (after King Vijaya-Bahu, I suppose), did not have a Dentist on board either, so,Supply Assistant Kelly was dispatched to the Ceylon Army Hospital
where, on each Wednesday morning, a Dentist was “onduty”, pulling out various teeth. I sat there, in his waiting room, in full Naval uniform, hearing the moans and groans of other Service Personnel, who preceded me, wondering whether to bottle my pride and get the hell out of there, but, too late!. I was ushered unceremoniously into his dental-chair, where this Army Dental Surgeon first dug a BIG needle into my gums, then proceeded to pull off my HEAD rather than the bloody eyeteeth he was supposed to GENTLY extract.
ME!!, the rather spoilt “Singing Sailor”, as I was known, because of “Dreamworld”, was in anything, BUT one, suffering the worst pain in my life, so far. Now, here he is, another Dentist, making Billions, not by pulling out, or filling teeth, but by collecting CARS, which brings me to E.Jags.
My eldest Son, Mike loved Jaguars of all types. In fact, my entire family are all Animal-lovers, but Mike also went for the Cars. I can proudly say that there wasn’t too much that he didn’t know about this particular Vehicle. He owned a few of them in a “Wedding-Car business” (of the past), and even chauffeured the Essendon A.F.L. Champion James Hird & his Bride, on their wedding day, in a special “E”type Jag”, that he (Mike), owned. Never being wealthy enough to own cars of this calibre, I had to settle for second-hand ones varying from Austin A.40’s to the biggest, “Valiant” Station Wagon, of that 70’s era.
And, finally, we come once again, to by far the BEST website for all Lankan/Aussies everywhere, a website that I am proud to “write” for, which is “e-Lanka”. We bring you stories that are bound to interest you, stories like those about this DENTAL SURGEON who must have been excellent in what he did, just to be able to collect such a fantastic collection of Vintage Cars, now sold off to….you guessed it, “Jaguar”!!!. Please read the story, folks, and enjoy the music & the beautiful pictures that go with it.
Desmond Kelly.
(Editor-in-Chief) eLanka.
£100 Million Worth of Classic Cars Sold!
Dr. James Hull is a self-confessed vintage car collector. His prized collection consists of over 543 classic cars, with an asking price of £100 million ($154 million USD). Jaguar purchased the collection in May, 2014 for an undisclosed sum.
There is a bonus video at the end, featuring the owner that takes you on a virtual tour of the magnificent collection. Enjoy!
1) An Enormous Warehouse Full of Vintage Cars
The cars were stored in numerous warehouses throughout Hertfordshire before they were sold to Jaguar.
2) Red Mini Traveller Once Belonging to Lord Mountbatten
3) 1960s Sky Blue Triumph TR5
4) 1950s Jaguar XK
5) Stirling Moss, the legendary UK Formula 1 Driver
6) Classic Cars That Date as Far Back as the 1930s
Dr. Hull traveled the world to find many of the gems in his prized collection. There are even a few models that go all the way back to the turn of the century.
7) Vintage WWII Planes Hanging Around the Warehouse
Among the famed collection of antique vehicles is; an Austin that once belonged to Sir Winston Churchill, a Bentley once owned by Sir Elton John, Lord Mountbatten’s Mini Traveller and a Jaguar D-Type valued at around £4 million ($6.1 million USD).
8) A Bottle Green Moris Minor
9) Over 300 Rare Miniature Replicas Line Up the Shelves
10) A Very Rare Red Jaguar E Type
Dr Hull put the cars up for sale due to health reasons and has remarkably defeated cancer three times throughout the course of his life.
11) Another Very Rare Jaguar E Type
12) A Gorgeous Jaguar XKSS
13) A Vintage Bentley Waiting to Be Sold
14) The Proud Owner, Dr. James Hull
