McVEIGH & HUMBER McVEIGH

This is my first ever post so if i make mistakes bear with me. I worked for Geoff Hallam at Humber Warehousing from 1961 to 1969 and although i am now retired it was maybe the best time of my life. I left Ford and Slater Grimsby Ltd at the end of my apprenticeship thinking i knew everything and quickly realised i didn’t. The service manager was Jim Bagley, Big Bill Hodgson and myself were the fitters, the workshop was Rendel st which consisted of 1 bay on a slope and to remove halfshafts two holes were knocked into the walls so the vehicles had to be positioned perfectly to remove the rear hubs, Windy guns was a luxury to follow much later.Without a pit you can imagine the problems we had changing oils, I can imagine 50 years later there are still some 45 gallon drums of our old Caltex floating about.
Obviously as the fleet expanded almost weekly we needed better facilites so a new depot was acquired at Granville st with 2 pits and plenty of room ( we were in heaven). Remember these were the days of the old A B and C licences so to get them you had to buy a company out and the big problem with Sir Geoffrey was every time he went out in his big Maroon Zephyr he bought some bugger else out so the fleet expanded rapidly. I still remember shuddering when BMCs of B andBs and Days of Lowestoft turned up at Grimsby wanting servicing and they were knackered but they had the magic A licence in the window. Try getting that crap through the VOSA test today you young fitters servo brakes and all. Shacklock’s of Caistor were next,all of a sudden there was different vehicles everywhere and even we didnt know what was ours and what wasnt and then in his wisdom our workshop space was trimmed drastically when Link Refrigeration was bought out so not only servicing the ■■■■ things they were building them from scratch. The company expanded quickly in the 60s it was fun to work for,we knew we were good at our jobs everyone was talking about Humber Warehousing there was waiting lists to start and this was in a time of virtual full employment but they put you in green overhalls with an Humber badge and it meant everything, you would never let them down. They also paid top wages always and supported us in every possible way who the hell would want to leave a job like that. Fitters at that time Jim Bagley Foreman
Bill Hodgson
Rog Griffin
Joe Bradley
Dave Smallwood
■■■■ King
Dave Buckley Electrician
George Chapman Storeman