[Bob Carriere]

....for a door on a vehicle that can be opened rather suddenly by catching into the windstream....... A lot of car from the 30s and 40s had doors that could be opened by air movement if the latch was suddenly released...... doors on cars in does days did not have a positive locking/latching mechanism like what is mandatory today.

For example when driving my cab 11 over very rough terrain at crawl speed it is not unusual for the passenger door to swing open then slam itself closed. Pity the passenger if he happens to be leaning on the door.

I do have a few pictures, I believe taken in Canada, in a parade square and the string of cab 11 have the driver's doors wide open and resting on the cargobox and the driver is in motion.....must have dented the door eventually not to mention stretch the hinges. Of course an impossibility with the cab 12 which had a canvass retraining strap that held it at 90 degrees. Ever wonder why the door on the driver's side is always out of alignment and sagging........ remember how you hoist yourself onto the ruinning board when boarding and leaning on the door with your left hand.....

I remember the old late 30s Dodge which had a front opening pass door and a suicide door for the rear door........ came in handy when you needed to take a dump...... get over the shoulder....open the rear door and the front door and you had your own privy!!!!! Don't ask how I know!!!!

Now if I can ever find that elusive cab 11 parade ground photo.....

PS ....and on a rainy day the tarred center roof section always leaked so everyone aboard had the hands up in the air with little balls of kleenex to catch the drips....... the locations were well known due to the stains on the beige gabardine roof liner.....tarring was a annual repair but tar was rationed until about 1947..... them were the days.....