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Letterhead of Dart Cash Carrier Co. Ltd.

This company was established by William Alfred Edwards, a Midlands grocer, to market his simple gravity carrier patented in 1918. He introduced a number of other designs including one using a spring to propel the car, shown here. The company was based at Booth Street, Stoke-on-Trent. In 1934 he was still a director together with E.Norton and J.F.Venner. There was a Southern Representative in Peacehaven and an office at 8 D'Olier Street, Dublin.
Further patents were taken out in 1935 and 1938 (with Frank Machin).
Lamsons bought a 51% stake in the firm in 1927 and became sole owner in 1948. Systems were installed up to the 1950s.

Dart carriage at Bromsgrove Museum

This is a photograph of the system in Brosmgrove Museum. It came from Harry Coopers of Willenhall which closed around 1988. The propelling spring is mounted on the horizontal rod and is stretched by means of the pull-cord. The car is pulled back as well until it is released by the trigger latch.

The construction looks very crude compared with Lamsons' and Gipes' equipment.

Dart propulsion at Bromsgrove Museum

The other propulsion at the Bromsgrove Museum display.

Dart installed many wire systems in West Midland co-op stores (see Williams)
Cash office at Lichfield Coop

The Dart Cash Carrier Company also made pneumatic tube systems. This 1955 photograph of the cashier's office was taken at the Wolverhampton Cooperative Society's Lichfield Street Emporium. Ms Bowman (on the left) commented that when the men came from Stoke to repair the system it seemed like another world - Stoke was so far away!

The [Stoke] Sentinel of 1 January 2004 (p.11) had an article about Jessie Shaw who "spent 44 years as a clerk with the old Dart Cash Carrier Company in Stoke."