Page "Holden" Paragraph 1

Founded in 1856 by James Alexander Holden, in 1885 the establishment combined with the carriage builder Henry Frost to become Holden & Frost.

In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, trimming motor vehicles and in 1914 they built their first one-off car body for an imported chassis, with larger contracts following.

The firm became a subsidiary of the US-based General Motors ( GM ) automotive group in 1931, and resultantly retitled General Motors-Holden's Ltd.

In the late 1930s, the idea of producing a car made entirely in Australia was conceived, but plans were put on hold after the outbreak of World War II.

During the war, General Motors-Holden's was a major industrial force in Australia's defence effort.

Between 1939 and 1945, Holden's produced more than 30, 000 bodies for the Australian and US forces and manufactured a wide range of equipment, including field guns, aircraft, boats, including truck, aeroplane and marine engines and components.