Horray!!!Been checking on this forum from time to time (over 2years) to get info on j&h just about given up and give it one last try before starting my own thread.
I was about 10years old the first time i saw j&h motor, a scania park at the packhorse cafe(which is never writern about on these threads). My old man was a fitter at progress (then M C V , lathems, tollmans ,and then abbyhill i think) at slipend caddington. I wouid go with him to work at weekend’s so would pass the the cafe on the way. The first proper haulage compeny i had seen,it allways lifted me up out of the seat to see what was parked up waiting to roll out on to the A5.
He also was a fitter a Bain & hodge if i recall right had a yard off Dunstable rd Luton, near the top of kingsway they ran tk bedfords in red with white writing. They then moved to Frences ave Dunstable and became Export&Genarle (Mr Hodge the son is still with us) he lives in Dunstable.
At the age of 21 having got a trade as a fitter at luton motor co (mother said what ever you do the rest of your life you will get a trade first) i left and started work at W G Mumfords jokeyfarm A5 (Next door to the ranch cafe) j&h were no longer about but the bug had got me.
When i had told my old man where i was working his chin hit the floor, as he went to school with Peter mumford and brother phillp who was a few years older. we got chatting about what mumford’s where up to and the a bloke running the ops at luton was a brian davis he told me that the last he saw him he was on for J&H.
Moving on, been at mumford’s alittle while when they put me in for my class 2, been driving 7.5tons down on the southcoast, passed that and they sent me right back for my class 1 as i had been shutting 33ft single axel box around the farm at weekends to show them that i could it (would not send me untill i could do a three point turn and put the trailer on the dock first every time and it was a very small yard up hill on to a wooden dock).
Pass my test on the friday and rushed back to the yard proud as puch as you would, hoping that i would get to do a trunk in the big fairly new seddon and 40ft trailer, or the older mandater, or even the bloody old D800 and 33ft box if the clutch was still good.Came flying down the A5 when i see the out line of a freashly painted white truck thats my new motor did’nt care what it was no more 23 drops around the southcoast over 2 days iam the one hit and home boy from now on.
How wrong could i be as pulled into the yard this flash bloke with his gold watch and suntan jumps into what turns out to be a D800, as he turns the corner of the yard to park up in great big letters on the door E C E . It was much latter on after i had left mumfords that found out that this flash bloke Eric once worked at j&h.mr davis who i rarely saw and eric who i spoke every week and i never got to find out about j&h the firm that got me into this bloody game
beenthere:
Moving on, been at mumford’s alittle while when they put me in for my class 2, been driving 7.5tons down on the southcoast, passed that and they sent me right back for my class 1 as i had been shutting 33ft single axel box around the farm at weekends to show them that i could it (would not send me untill i could do a three point turn and put the trailer on the dock first every time and it was a very small yard up hill on to a wooden dock).
Pass my test on the friday and rushed back to the yard proud as puch as you would, hoping that i would get to do a trunk in the big fairly new seddon and 40ft trailer, or the older mandater, or even the bloody old D800 and 33ft box if the clutch was still good.Came flying down the A5 when i see the out line of a freashly painted white truck thats my new motor did’nt care what it was no more 23 drops around the southcoast over 2 days iam the one hit and home boy from now on.
How wrong could i be as pulled into the yard this flash bloke with his gold watch and suntan jumps into what turns out to be a D800, as he turns the corner of the yard to park up in great big letters on the door E C E . It was much latter on after i had left mumfords that found out that this flash bloke Eric once worked at j&h.mr davis who i rarely saw and eric who i spoke every week and i never got to find out about j&h the firm that got me into this bloody game
Hiya “beenthere” the E.C.E. bloke was the depot manager at Packhorse garage when I used to regularly call to pick up crates of Schweppes cordial,in the late 60’s for my ,then,home town Kendal.The confirmation notes always came through signed E.C.Edwards,depot manager.This was always my last pickup out of London on my way home,and they were glad to see the back of it !!! Only trouble was I had to “lay siege” to head office in Peckham to get paid,so I eventually said “Bollox” to them,but as far as Sheeting and roping goes J & H were probably the best Cockney outfit at the art !!!Cheers Bewick.
Hi dennis
yes great sheeting, lost art now .First load that i did in an artic was in a box, (for ece) shredded wheat hand ball on and off bloody killed me,
Eric’s men driving his 2 D800’s where on for bowaters cardboard carton’s with 40ft single axle trailer’s, they were very good at it as well , as one bloke was as big as a brick sh.t house never did work out how he managed to get on and of loads 14ft high. nice to know what happened to j&H but can not belive how little is know about them. Long time a go now, most of them must be departed to a better life. still hoping that some one will come forward with more info. going of track a bit Cropper’s delivered in to us for onward deliver’s of paper, their motor’s were always clean and sheeting the very best i have seen as their sheets were clean and their load were never the same hight from pallet to pallet.must have been given plenty of time to sheet up after loading. Around Dunstable not much need for art of sheeting loads, Brick’s and cement, kd out of bedfords (i will get hung for that statment) all just needed roping and fly sheet
AS a side note Bowden frieght inds had a yard in Wellingborough in the mid 70’s motors painted orange??
later white signed up BFI up till 6years ago still running on mol’s containers out of southampton had 6 motors on the go and had a yard out in the sticks near wellingborough
beenthere:
AS a side note Bowden frieght inds had a yard in Wellingborough in the mid 70’s motors painted orange??
later white signed up BFI up till 6years ago still running on mol’s containers out of southampton had 6 motors on the go and had a yard out in the sticks near wellingborough
BFI having bitten the dust (early 90s?) the current Bowden incarnation is Bowden Transportation Services. Up to 2009, there were 22 motors contracted to MOL, and a handful were based in Chelveston whilst the office was in Wellingborough. At that time, BTS also had a small number of vehicles operating for TML, in which Bowden now have a controlling interest.
Barry Waddy. I remember J & H runing a load of A E C s 11 lieters 6 speed, over drive boxes flying machiens ,was told by one driver they had a German fitter mustard on doctering fuel pumps,he said A E C would not garentee them .dont no if it was true or not ,just some useless info,yours Barry Waddy
Its been great hearing about J and H again from the Packhorse yard at Dunstable.
My Dad Bill Hylands drove for them in the 60s early 70s. To “Beenthere”, I knew Peter Mumford very well, im sure our paths must have crossed at somtime? My Dad when he then went to work for ECE used to park the truck in Mumfords yard on the A5. There was one of the first MANs in the country, and then went onto Volvos and Scanias.
Eric Edwards was great to me, he knew me since i was growing up and when i was 21 he put me on HGV L plates and let me lose with my Dad in a 3mth old Volvo F12. Although my profession isnt driving trucks he did that for me and i then got my licence just for the fun of it really.
Regards Rick
not to sure about ralph being alive but his henchman “king aurthur” houghton is still knocking about, drivers out of trafford park , danny kellor, george mottram, pal riley, f mcclure, frank columbine etc depot manager ian evans…
I phoned J&H at Packhorse for a return load with a 4wheeler got 6 drops Glasgow but it was a cap.load paid 15ton phones Tam McMurdo tells him where I am going and where I got the load, Then the shouting starts wee will never get paid what did you load off them for etc.etc.so says I no a problem Tam the next time Im empty I will gie you a ring and you can tell me what you have got for me and for the next six weeks I just let him find the loads and I had nae mair complaints. Eddie.
Well I loaded off J &H, A few times in those days, I was told it was a last resort, their rates were poor, & it took months to get paid for the job,but mind you a lot of clearance houses were no bloody better, haulage was & still is a hard game to be in, I got out of it when I still had some money in the bank, that was the year 2000, Regards Larry.
JFPants:
Years ago, when I was a small child, my dad worked for J&H Transport Coventry, he was well into the union scene, I remember going there with him, they had Bedfords, Guys and ERF’s and of course Scania Vabis. They had a depot in Torrington Avenue along side the rail line. later on my dad moved, or used to then take me to a yard in Siskin drive which was Export and General, they had ERF’s. Massey Ferguson tractor cases were stacked high and the wheels used to be bolted together. A real treat was going to Southampton or East India Docks with 6 tractors on the trailor.
Robert Charles Halliday a louder than usual Scot started up a Company called Halliday Transport and Fabricartion Services which used a yard at the bottom of Barby Lane in Rugby, he stored there rows and rows of brand new tractors and moved them about for Masseys. My brother worked there as a apprentice fitter, he hated a certain guy in the garage and soon got out on the road with a larger than life character, Mick Anderton, now sadly departed I hear, they roamed about the country with a flagship combine harvester that Massey had made, taking it to varios agricultural shows atc. Jane Haliday and one of the sons used to be there and I again visited the depot with my dad who later took up working for Halliday there.
I remember that they were working on a motorised surf board as it was termed then, a thing called a Skiddadle, this was to be the earliest form of a jet ski. Jane halliday took to demonstrating these and my brother did too, I had a try on one, what a thrill.
Turmoil and controversy never seemed to be far from Halliday and sadly the receivers moved in, he fled to Spain and has since passed away I believe. I remember an ex sailor called ■■■■ Rawlings who used to drive an A series ERF for them and I remember a lovelly Daf 2100 that they had. Lightish blue with the Halliday crest on the door.
I know its 3 years old but this post brings back so many memories to me as i used to work for hallidays at Rugby.
It has been suggested that this ERF NGC ‘European’ ran out of J & H’s Stafford Park depot. Can anyone remember anything about it? Or confirm or deny this? Robert
ERF-NGC-European:
It has been suggested that this ERF NGC ‘European’ ran out of J & H’s Stafford Park depot. Can anyone remember anything about it? Or confirm or deny this? Robert
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Well its a Middlesex Reg, So where is Stafford Park ? Regards Larry.
Found out some bits and bobs about J & H Transport. There main base seems to have been Peckham,
but they had other depots.
Not to sure if the ERF was anything to do with them as they never did european work apparently,so it
would seem an odd motor to do just UK work with ? However we can only go on what people have told
us. Also its not been sign written like the others ?
Ken Broster,sent me a message saying, J & H were a large London based company with big clearing
houses at the ports. I knew and dealt with them in Liverpool. I think i am correct in saying one of
the main directors was called Edwards and set up ECE in Leighton Buzzard. There were rumours
that he was related to Buster Edwards, The Great Train Robber and maybe thats where the money
came from to set it up.
Some one also mentioned that one of the places they ran out of was Gypsum works,Gotham. Does
anyone recognise the yard that the ERF was photographed in ■■?
Ok Robert, we can forget about J & H Transport for the blue ERF. Nothing to do with them,see the
attached message from the chap that runs a forum for J & H tpt.
