LAURENCE J. HARTNETT

Laurence Hartnett died at the age of 88 on 4 April 1986, having been knighted in 1967 for services to the

motor industry, and until he was knighted there was general feeling that he had not been given the credit

due to him as “the father of the Holden”.

Laurence J. Hartnett was born in Britain, attended Epsom College, with the ambition to become a doctor,

but left school at the age of 16 and joined Vickers as an apprentice. When the Great War broke out,

Hartnett joined the RFC and became a pilot.

After the War, Hartnett purchased a small motor garage, but yearned for greater things, and when he saw

a job advertised in Singapore by the importers, Guthrie and Co. For an engineer, he applied for, and was

given the job. Guthries were initially importers of National engines for stationary units as supplied to

rubber plantations, but he then persuaded the company to become Buick car importers as well, and such

was his success that he came to the attention of James Mooney. After three years in Singapore, Hartnett

joined General Motors Export Company in charge of S.E. Asia handling and administration. He excelled

in his positions, and rose through the General Motors ranks. By 1927, he was appointed General Manager

at General Motors Nørdiska, SA in Stockholm Sweden, and then in 1929 a Director of Vauxhall Motors

Limited, appointed presumably by Mooney to re-organise Vauxhall, joining the Product Study Group set

up by Mooney. In 1930, Hartnett was appointed Export Director of Vauxhall Motors with a brief from the

parent company! General Motors World September 1930, referred to the Vauxhall Motors Limited

announcement that there were new Vauxhall models launched in September, the VY and VX models. The

specifications for export had been determined largely in a report by Laurence J. Hartnett after being sent

on an extensive tour on behalf of G.M. Overseas Operations of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia

which was made with a view to finding out the requirements of these overseas markets. However, it is

clear that although ostensibly sent out as Export director of Vauxhalls, he was in fact on a much more

serious commission from James D. Mooney, and he obviously came into contact with A.N. Lawrence,

ensconced in Adelaide. The first G.M.-designed Opels were the late 1930 1.8 litre with a 6-cylinder 1,788

c.c. engine of L-head design which closely followed Oldsmobile and Pontiac styling, and then in early

1931, the 1 litre with a 995 c.c. engine.

G.M. AND HOLDEN MERGE

Negotiations between Edward W. “Ted”” Holden of Holden’s and General Motors in New York about a

merger of his company with that of General Motors (Australia) had started in 1929 and continued to the

middle of 1930. These reached a peak when Graeme K. Howard, by then the General Manager of General

Motors Export Division [having been promoted from Asian General Manager in September 1930

replacing L.M. Rumely] met Edward W. “Ted” Holden in Cairo, presumably after an inspection of the

GENERAL MOTORS NEAR EAST LIMITED plant in Alexandria, Egypt, for the return journey

through the Suez Canal to Australia [it appears that Graeme K. Howard may have been a Director of

G.M. (Australia) at that time]. The merger was spurred on after Ford had talks with Edward W. “Ted”

Holden, whether Edward W. “Ted” Holden used Ford as a lever is unknown but General Motors could

not afford to lose its main body plant to the opposition. Having said that, Autocar December 5 1958 stated

that in 1931, Australian car sales were at an all-time low, and Edward (later Sir Edward) Holden as

managing director of Holden’s Limited arranged a meeting with James D. Mooney as President of

G.M.O.O. This then resulted in the merger of Holden’s and General Motors (A.) Limited though this

must in fact have been in 1929 in New York, and then again into 1930, and the decision was given when

Howard met Holden in Cairo.

It was agreed, and this arrangement must be viewed on a global basis with the Vauxhall and Opel export

drives, and the success of the Chevrolet-derived Bedford commercial chassis, that Holden’s Motor Body

Builders Limited and General Motors (Australia) Pty. Ltd. were to be merged at last, which was achieved

in April 1931 using General Motors (Australia) funds amounting to £1,111,600 which had been earned

but not repatriated to New York because of currency restrictions then in force. Autocar 5 December 1958

stated that “Holdens” [the Holden family?] received 6% Preference Shares which normally carried no

voting rights, in the new company, and the rest of the Capital was American. In its first year, the new

company showed a record loss of A£561,000. The 1931 General Motors Corporation Annual Report

comments “For the purpose of better controlling the manufacture of its products, and also having in mind

the nationalization of its Australian operation, Holden’s Motor Body Builders Limited was consolidated

with General Motors (Australia) Pty. Ltd., as of May 1 1931, forming General Motors-Holden’s Ltd.”

The new company was entitled, as just mentioned GENERAL MOTORS-HOLDEN’S PROPERTY

LIMITED, with an headquarters in Melbourne, and ultimately assembly Plants in Adelaide, Brisbane,

Melbourne, Sydney and finally Perth, plus the Woodville body Plant. Edward W. “Ted”” Holden was

appointed Chairman and also joint Managing Director with A.N. Lawrence, plus Sir Wallace Bruce, and

A.G. Rymill of Holdens’, and Sir John Butters of General Motors (Australia). A.M. Lemon, Holdens’

Secretary, continued in his position with the new company. The South Australian Government imposed a

stipulation on their agreement to the merger that the Woodville Plant was to continue to be able to make

bodies, but for the industry at large. All chassis assembly at this stage was concentrated on the South

Melbourne General Motors (A.) Plant where the Head Office was located.