The ‘Big Two’ respond

It was a couple of years before the ‘big two’ clubs, started to see what was happening in the industry. The AA were first to respond in 1974 with their ‘Relay’ Service. This was an addition to the standard breakdown cover. The AA also started to use approved garages, when their own relay fleet was overloaded.
 

Then in 1975 The RAC responded with their own service aptly named "Recovery". Both were advertised as ‘transportation of member and vehicle after a major breakdown, to any destination on the UK mainland’ services. The RAC however, also included cover for ‘recovery after an accident’.

Eric Charles (head of RAC Motoring Services), purchased a number of Range Rovers and trailers and had them liveried in RAC colours. This was to create the impressions that this new 'get you home' Recovery service, was being carried out by the RAC themselves.

The truth then (as it is today), is that most recoveries were carried out by carefully selected RAC agent, leaving the main RAC fleet concentrating on covering breakdowns. In the case of the AA they do largely carry out there own recoveries, but again will use their agents at peak times. 

National Breakdown did not sit back of course, they continued to grow and the decision was taken to move out of their by now famous (in the industry) Low Moor Head Quarters. On the 27th July 1989 no lesser person that HRH Diana Princess of Wales, opened their new building in Leeds. One can only guess what was going through Ernest Smith's mind, but perhaps he thought back to the Fish and Chip shop, where the business started some twenty years earlier.

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NBRC are remembered as the 'trend setters' from those early days, but they were not alone. Other names (most of them now gone) were: Autohome (the only recovery "insurance company" and who took over Red Rovers), B.A.S Car Recovery Club, Car Recovery Club (Eagle) of London. Good Samaritans, Knights of the Road, Red Rovers and UK Recovery. NBRC would also eventually disappear when it changed its name to Green Flag in 1994.

Green Flag was acquired by National Car Parks, then later after the purchase of NCP by Cinven, the company was purchased by Direct Line in 1999. Following the purchase of Direct Line by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Green Flag is now a part of RBS Group. For four years running, Green Flag was the winner of the Your Money award for Best Direct Breakdown provider.

Green Flag was a major sponsor of the British Touring Car Championship between 2002 and 2004.They also sponsored the England national football team for the first time in 1994. The initial sponsorship deal was worth £4 million over a four-season period ending with the World Cup final tournament in July,1998.

A popular and flexible alternative to belonging to a recovery organisation, was launched 1978 by The Guild of Experienced Motorists. It was called GEM Recovery and it was a 'pay and claim' service. In the event of you needing a recovery, you arranged it with a local garage, paid and sent the invoice to GEM for a refund. In later years GEM would also offer their own recovery package and in January 2004 became GEM Motoring Assist

With all these clubs encouraging motorist to take out membership and then (in the main) passing the work out to the trade, the recovery industry started to grow. Most of the work was still being undertaken by the "traditional garages" and the "coachworks repairers" looking for extra work, but the 'specialist' recovery operators were beginning to surface, as an 'industry' of their own.

Continue . . .

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