I saw the comments on the Browns of New Ash Green page regarding George Hammond’s Seddon Atkinsons, and thought a thread should be started for Hammonds. Here is something from Truck magazine in 1994 abouth the new fleet of Iveco’s.
Does any one have any pictures or stories about this company?
As a resident of Sittingbourne i knew Hammonds very well. In fact i worked as a subbie for them for a while in 1989. Most of the work i did for them was plasterboard out of Knauf at Ridham, but also did other bits and pieces too. Here is a photo of a Seddon Atki driven by Brian Mills.
In 1994 Truck Magazine ran an article about the EuroTech after a year in service. They asked several companies for feedback, and George Hammond was one of them. Here is a picture taken by Truck of L212AKP, the numerically last of the first batch of EuroTechs Hammond bought.
I started work on hammonds in 1967 although it was still w.e.reeves at that time.they ran a mixed fleet of rigids and artics at the time.
i remember a four wheeled commer,a couple of dodges with the round cabs,2 tilt cab dodges,a couple of aec prior to the tilt cabs,and several tilt cab aec’s both 4&6 wheelers.there were also a couple of old type aec tractor units the rest being tilt cab aec’s including some v8 aec’s later on they purchased 2 6wheeled atkinsons units and 2 scania110 4 wheeled units.they also bought out blythe bros.which gave them a couple more atki.units and a maggie deutz unit.later on they started to change the fleet to all atkis and sed akti’s.most of the work done then was from dover and sheerness docks and the paper mills in sittingbourne and kemsley.we did do a bit out of metal box in strood.the trls we used were 26ft s/a trls.30ft tandems 35ft tandems with the axles right on the rear end they wanted as much room as a 40ft.trl to move about and 40ft spread axles.later on they purchased 6 skelly trls some 36ft trls and 40ft.trls with normal axles.
Thanks for the history on Hammonds Mick. I just knew the fleet from the early eighties and dealt with them during the nineties. I have seen a photo of a J reg Scania and a K reg Foden, but apart from that I didn’t know that they were originally WE Reeves.
tyreman:
Thanks for the history on Hammonds Mick. I just knew the fleet from the early eighties and dealt with them during the nineties. I have seen a photo of a J reg Scania and a K reg Foden, but apart from that I didn’t know that they were originally WE Reeves.
if ive got this right a&rj woods along with hammonds of dover bought out w.e.reeves then later on hammonds bought out a&rj woods slice of the company.i’d forgotten about the k reg fodensnot sure now how many of them we had.personally i didn’t like them bloody horrible things to change gear.there was also a foden 8wheeler which was part of the blythes fleet when hammonds bought them out,it was very fast not 42mph i seem to remember it went as fast uphill as it did down unless you found the holy ghoster gear.
I was told that the MD of Hammonds in the early 80’s was one of the Wood brothers (Ray I think), so that explains the link.
tyreman:
I saw the comments on the Browns of New Ash Green page regarding George Hammond’s Seddon Atkinsons, and thought a thread should be started for Hammonds. Here is something from Truck magazine in 1994 abouth the new fleet of Iveco’s.Does any one have any pictures or stories about this company?
I am not sure but did they do a changeover with archbold frieghtage in the late 60s early 70s,I think they did the swap a stibbington on the a1
Hallo, we did a lot of traction for W E Reeve later hammond here in Belgium with trailers of '30 '33 '36 '40 feet trailers the oldest if
I remember good had the tamdem axels full at the rear end of the trailer. i think it were the numbers w.e.r 8 and 9 later came the G.H degnisation.
BAY Eric,
No that was Hammond Bro’s of Stratford E.15
Im so glad I saw this website.
My dad, Ron Manktelow used to work for Hammonds during the late 80s ,early 90s and I went abroad with him a few times in a Scania whilst he was driving for Hammonds,mainly to Germany,Holland & Belgium. It was the first time he had ever driven tankers, but he really enjoyed it. He then went on to drive for Sitra after Hammonds either stopped the continental work or went out of buisness.(can anyone clarify what happened to them?)
I never knew they changed their fleet to Ivecos but thats quite funny for me as I now work for a company that deals in Ivecos!
sarah17:
Im so glad I saw this website.
My dad, Ron Manktelow used to work for Hammonds during the late80s ,early90s and I went abroad with him a few times in a Scania whilst he was driving for Hammonds,mainly to Germany,Holland & Belgium. It was the first time he had ever driven tankers, but he really enjoyed it. He then went on to drive for Sitra after Hammonds either stopped the continental work or went out of buisness.(can anyone clarify what happened to them?)
I never knew they changed their fleet to Ivecos but thats quite funny for me as I now work for a company that deals in Ivecos!
Your dad did actually have an Iveco for the last couple of years he was with Hammonds, but it was a larger Eurostar 420, rather than the Eurotechs in the previous pictures. They had two of them on EBT one for your dad and one for Malcolm. It has to be said that Ron hated it with a passion, once when I asked him why he thought it was so bad, he said it was the steering wheel, “because I have to sit here all day reading IVECO, me driving a ******* Fiat!”
He went to Sitra because George Hammond plc pulled off EBT after many years, I think it would have been about 1998. I believe they sold the rest of their road transport business to Dodds of Acton a little later, but others more local will know more about that. George Hammond plc is still very much alive shortly to celebrate 350 years in business www.georgehammond.plc.uk
thanks for that. I dont remember an Iveco but then I was probably too busy being moody at the time!
my dad swearing, surely not!
sarah17:
Im so glad I saw this website.
My dad, Ron Manktelow used to work for Hammonds during the late80s ,early90s and I went abroad with him a few times in a Scania whilst he was driving for Hammonds,mainly to Germany,Holland & Belgium. It was the first time he had ever driven tankers, but he really enjoyed it. He then went on to drive for Sitra after Hammonds either stopped the continental work or went out of buisness.(can anyone clarify what happened to them?)
I never knew they changed their fleet to Ivecos but thats quite funny for me as I now work for a company that deals in Ivecos!
Sarah, I used to work with your father Ron on EBT Contract until it closed.
My name is Malcolm Hammond. My tank number was 708.
My name Hammond was just a coincidence, but it helped sometimes, hahaha.
Great bloke your dad.
Malcolm
Callum1940:
sarah17:
Im so glad I saw this website.
My dad, Ron Manktelow used to work for Hammonds during the late80s ,early90s and I went abroad with him a few times in a Scania whilst he was driving for Hammonds,mainly to Germany,Holland & Belgium. It was the first time he had ever driven tankers, but he really enjoyed it. He then went on to drive for Sitra after Hammonds either stopped the continental work or went out of buisness.(can anyone clarify what happened to them?)
I never knew they changed their fleet to Ivecos but thats quite funny for me as I now work for a company that deals in Ivecos!Sarah, I used to work with your father Ron on EBT Contract until it closed.
My name is Malcolm Hammond. My tank number was 708.
My name Hammond was just a coincidence, but it helped sometimes, hahaha.
Great bloke your dad.
Malcolm
1
Callum1940:
sarah17:
Im so glad I saw this website.
My dad, Ron Manktelow used to work for Hammonds during the late80s ,early90s and I went abroad with him a few times in a Scania whilst he was driving for Hammonds,mainly to Germany,Holland & Belgium. It was the first time he had ever driven tankers, but he really enjoyed it. He then went on to drive for Sitra after Hammonds either stopped the continental work or went out of buisness.(can anyone clarify what happened to them?)
I never knew they changed their fleet to Ivecos but thats quite funny for me as I now work for a company that deals in Ivecos!Sarah, I used to work with your father Ron on EBT Contract until it closed.
My name is Malcolm Hammond. My tank number was 708.
My name Hammond was just a coincidence, but it helped sometimes, hahaha.
Great bloke your dad.
Malcolm
