Hello Cockney,
Another snippet about Hulls, I met Arthur a couple of months ago in Marshalls concrete at St.Ives while he was working for S & H transport also from Bedford, he was about to be laid off because S&H were packing up and I think Arthur was going to retire, I think he’s past retiring age anyway but he’s the kind of bloke who would go on forever.
The only names I can remember are Snowy and Arthur on the big ones and Alan Shaw (ex-Phillips of Maulden, S.John and Planthaul) and Alan Knight (ex-BRS and B.H.King)
A young fitter (Gerry) once serviced a 2800 DAF before lunch and filled it with oil AGAIN after lunch, it sat ticking over for a while until it had enough and was sick, Jack Hull wasn’t amused!!
The yard in Queens Park is now home to Keyline builders merchants who got it by default, E. Hull was taken over by Charringtons who moved operations to Fredk. Rays yard in Leighton Buzzard, Coalite builders merchants (part of Charringtons) moved into Hulls old yard, Coalite went on to become Keyline who are now owned by Travis Perkins.
There are are still traces of Hulls in the yard but most have been painted over or concreted. I have a few pics, if I can’t post them I know a man who can!
I’m also trying to muster the will to build a model of Hulls Foden S.20 ballast tractor, I already have a 1:50 scale Scheuerle trailer for it, a 2009 project maybe!
All the best for Xmas.