http://www.FarmCollector.com November 2018 23

At first, the company sold imported Model T automobiles
while an assembly plant was set up in an old tram factory
in Manchester. Opening in 1911, the factory employed 60
workers building the Model T. In 1914, Britain’s first mov-
ing assembly line was initiated, producing 21 cars per hour.
The Model T soon became the largest-selling car in Britain.
By 1915, the Model T was well established as the “uni-
versal car,” and Ford (as well as others) began tinkering
with Model T–to-tractor conversions. Ford’s goal at that
time was to use as many car parts as possible to keep costs
down. Ford Motor Co., however, was owned by a small
group of stockholders, some of whom did not share Hen-
ry Ford’s enthusiasm for tractors. Accordingly, using his

Above: In this Oct. 6, 1917, photo, a Ministry of Munitions (MOM)

tractor, one of the 6,000 exported to help with British tillage, is being

loaded for shipment to England. Henry Ford & Son executives are

gathered for the occasion. Henry Ford is seated in the center. Photo

courtesy Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.

Below: Henry Ford II tries his hand with a new E27N Fordson Major

at the Dagenham, England, plant, in 1946. Photo courtesy Henry Ford

Museum and Greenfield Village.

B

ritish Ford Motor Co.

(England) Ltd., a semi-

autonomous branch of Henry

Ford’s automotive empire,

was established in 1909 under the

chairmanship of English motor vehicle

manufacturer Lord Percival Perry.

own money, Ford set up a new, family-owned company,

with his only son, Edsel. The company was named Henry

Ford & Son, Ltd. A completely new tractor – the Model F

• was designed using the unit frame concept pioneered by
  Massey-Harris.

Fordson wins hearts and minds

With the outbreak of World War I, Great Britain faced

food shortages when able-bodied men and horses were

conscripted for the war effort, leaving much land untilled.

The British Ministry of Munitions issued a plea for all

manufacturers of tractors, foreign and domestic, to supply

tractors for food production.