I have to own up to a slight feeling of disappointment regarding the curtain of apparent finality that appears to have descended on this thread. I was hoping for a little more personally, as I was just getting warmed up.
I realise that there can be very few people if any remaining who could possibly comment on the early years of this company, and fewer still that actually manage to navigate their way onto this forum. Indeed, I suspect there can’t be that many left who, like myself, can only even comment on the company’s final years.
Wouldn’t it have been great to have heard from Barry Butcher John ? I actually met Barry years after the company folded. I don’t remember the exact year, but it would most likely have been in the mid 80s. I was walking my dog across the trailer park ( it hadn’t been fenced off at that time ) when I encountered a chap at the front of the warehouse. It was during the weekend and the place was closed.
Having only met Barry on a couple of occasions, many years previously, I had failed to recognise him. It was only after we engaged in conversation and he revealed his identity that the penny dropped. Barry was a friendly down to earth kind of a chap, and he told me that at that time, he still owned the warehouse, although my latest information is that this is no longer the case.
After a couple of minutes chatting, we both went our separate ways, and that was the last time that I ever saw him. As you say John, no doubt he’ll be in his mid 70s now. Nice guy.
Still, since I have nothing better to offer the thread, I thought I’d just post these two photos. I always have problems putting the photos and text in line, so I’ll just get the script out of the way then deal with the photos later.
One of them is clearly a line up of trailers on ’ the beach '. A number of those Blue Line abortions can clearly be seen in the rank, easily distinguishable by their South Wales markings. The other shot depicting the sheeted load was taken outside The Old Hut transport cafe, just off the A38 Tewkesbury exit from the M50. Both photographs were taken in 1975. I think you may have seen both of them previously John, although to the best of my knowledge they haven’t appeared on the A-in-M thread.
I forget what was under the sheet on the flat trailer, or where it was ultimately destined for, but it would more than likely have been corned beef off Liverpool docks, through Belfield’s as like as not.
This was merely one of Arthur Wilson’s petty methods of dealing with recalcitrant types like myself who occasionally railed against doing changeovers at Tubby’s.
It all proved to be counter-productive in the long run, as it usually ended up taking a day and a half to get the load on, then another day and a half to get it off again. Half the week spent on one load. I can only assume that the rate for the job must have been phenomenal.
