Axminster transport

[Cliff luxton]

Axminster transport
I started my international driving with this company is there any one else that can contribute, I had 12 fantastic years working with a great crowd of drivers, and working for a good boss.

[Saviem]

Morning all,

Cliff, met Peter Baulch on several occasions, he always seemed a sensible fellow.

That Axminster Transport livery always looked good, and when I used to see them in France it always reminded me of home. Funny how something like that can trigger a bout of homesickness!

First time that I met Peter, I noticed that he was wearing the same, (identical), pair of "winckle Prickers" as I wore when I got married!!!!!!!!!

Odd how bits of memories stick in ones mind.

Cheerio for now.

[DEANB]

They were definitely one of the best looking fleets going remember some good lads on there but
my mind has gone blank with names. I am trying to remember Cliff did Central road transport buy
out Axminsters ? I remember we went to a party down at West Bay for one of the drivers that retired.
You were there and also the driver who used to live in Crewkerne who was probably the youngest
driver on the company,must have been around the late 80s.

Cant remember where I got this picture might of been of another thread on here ?

The old and the new,black and white but a great photo !

[Cliff luxton]

Saviem thanks for the input Peter was a very good businessman and very good boss to work for. He had a great crowd of drivers both on UK and international work. He also enjoyed driving when he could escape the office the livery certainly stood out it was the best driving job I had.
Deanb Axminster transport took over Chard transport which belonged to Peters father, it then became Chard and Axminster transport but later on it was sold to Danzas. Central Road Transport became Crewkerne Refrigerated Transport keeping the same initials C R T . As for the party in West Bay I can't remember it must have been a good one. Thanks for the photo.I will speak to you in the week about friday.
Hope you won't get fed up with my photos I will feed them in slowly hoping to entice more input you might be able to help Dennis.
Unloading hanging beef in Coutances, this was the second lorry I drove.

[DEANB]

What a great looking motor,you must have thought you had won the pools going from the 86 to
the 88 !

[DEANB]

From a Volvo brochure

[bubbleman]

Hiya,I went to the yard on a couple of occasions to take some pics,I met Peter Baulch who after realising I was some harmless idiot eventually gave me permission to take some photos,he even let me into his office and opened a drawer which were full of photos going way back.."have a look" he said and an hour later he popped in and gave me a handful of pics to take away..nice bloke
Heres a few shots of mine,Cheers Bubbs

[Cliff luxton]

Thank you Bubble man that is a nice set of photos I will post some more when I have more time.

[dieseldennis2]

Thank you Bubble man that is a nice set of photos I will post some more when I have more time.

well done cliff for starting up this thread and thanks for those pics bubbleman. Dean I think your picture from the Volvo brochure was taken in Smithfield and that is
peter baulch talking to the driver think.regards dennis

[DEANB]

Did you drive for them Dennis ?

Heres one I found on the net somewhere ,might of been from a topic on here somewhere.

[dieseldennis2]

Did you drive for them Dennis ?

Heres one I found on the net somewhere ,might of been from a topic on here somewhere.

DEANB yes for the uk side with cliff and then went to work at Cherbourg . great days and a sound bunch of lads . good boss and good managers as well cheers dennis

[Saviem]

Evening all,

Just an odd memory that came back to me today, while sitting, (amongst the assorted humanity), that like me, were waiting to be "processed" by our beloved NHS.........(surely an organisation that could benefit from some real "bum kicking").........but I digress........

I remember Peter sending me a small package, that contained some rather neat little Axminster, and Chard Transport promotional, adhesive oval stickers, printed in his livery, and very smart they were indeed.

One went onto my office window in Venissieux, (improved the view out into the "works)".

One went onto my travel bag, another onto my brief case, and over the years others found places on filing cabinets, car windows, and other such places, from Lyon, to Paris, Marseille, to Caen, to Milan, to Allentown, and of course Dallas...........(.he should have paid me for the International Marketing of his business)!

I had been in Dallas around three weeks, and was sort of becoming semi organised............when I was visited by a prospective Midliner client and his business partner, a late middle aged lady, (but of fine fettle........if you get my drift)...........Blonde of Coiffeure, and statuesque of build.......... Who as we spoke suddenly stared past me at "my bits of home", that I had displayed on a typical US office "antique" bureau............a framed photograph of one of Ian Pollock`s TR305s, with a wonderfully sheeted load of Whisky Barrels......and a framed, (I was going up market) Chard and Axminster "sticker"........

"Did I know Chard "?, It transpired that her late husband had been in the United States Army Airforce, and had been stationed at an airfield close to Chard. They had visited the area back in the 60s, and had received a great reception. The conversation was easy, and suddenly I realised just how tight those ties between the US, and us in Britain really were.............But they still hammered me on price of the trucks!

Forgotten all about that until you started this thread...........and Ive still got the battered briefcase with the sticker on it........boy its done some miles!

Cheerio for now.

[dieseldennis2]

Hi saviem yes there are a couple of disused airfields that were American bases during ww2 not far from chard I think one is dunkeswell and the other is smeetharp small world we live in didn't realise those stickers went to so many places cheers Dennis.

[Cliff luxton]

Thanks for that Saviem I don't know if our paths ever crossed but those stickers became quite well known all over Europe, it was a competition between Atkins Cadwalader and Swains to get them in garages restaurants and other places drivers visited.
Hers another one to keep going.Loading apples in Angers.

[Cliff luxton]

Well I am going slowly through the photos trying to keep some order but it will probably go wrong anyway here's another.Not really my lorry loading apples Carquefou Nantes.

[DEANB]

Well I am going slowly through the photos trying to keep some order but it will probably go wrong anyway here's another.Not really my lorry loading apples Carquefou Nantes.

Pure class ! Heres another one !

[dieseldennis2]

Well I am going slowly through the photos trying to keep some order but it will probably go wrong anyway here's another.Not really my lorry loading apples Carquefou Nantes.

remember those pin-up badges on a lot of vehicles , never had one myself but I seem to recall they had garanor written on them There was a routier at garanor and I wonder if that was where they originated I'm sure someone will know .I was a le Bourget regular when that side of paris and used to eat in the dutchmans always thought that was the better of the two restaurants .Am impressed with the photos cliff wish I had taken a camera . I'm sorry I can't help with photos but will put my sixpenneth in when I can .Is there any of the ex axminster drivers out there ??? cheers dennis

[kerbut]

That brings back memories Dennis , the Dutchmans ,park on the road outside all night ,a regular GBE haunt if we were doing Paris.

[Cliff luxton]

Thanks Dean Denis and Nigel for your input I think I have enough photos to make up for you Den, I am going to show this to Peter and hopefully he will let me have more pics .Today is not going to be good for me I am going to the funeral of a very good friend of mine Alex Henderson ( ten bellies ) best known as a Ralph Davies driver. Here's one more to take my mind away from reality. This is me following you down the Mont Cenis Denis.

[Cliff luxton]

Need to keep this going .
I have just spent an hour with Peter Baulch and he has kindly lent me some more pictures which I need to scan later,meanwhile here is another of mine.This is Dave I think he was the first driver of the F89.

[Baldrick1953]

Need to keep this going .
I have just spent an hour with Peter Baulch and he has kindly lent me some more pictures which I need to scan later,meanwhile here is another of mine.This is Dave I think he was the first driver of the F89.

what a great little thread Cliff. I had forgotten about those trucks and that iconic livery.
Peter sounds like a great fella. Can we have some more info about him, how he started and the man himself??

I gather from posts that you are a landlord in West Bay these days? I once drove to the West Bay Hotel with a bunch of friends in my pride and joy a Daimler V8 2.5 ( 85 quid , wish I had it now! ) Anyway, towed a caravan down and parked on the cliff... I doubt you can do that now!
Come Sunday after a very wild weekend we set off for home after 4 of us spent the night in the car. It was Wimborne before any of us realised that the caravan was still on the cliff Cliff.
As I remember that would have been 1972.
Also , a year or so later I was working for a bloke in London driving a Bedford TK and had a regular multi drop run through Devon and Cornwall. West bay was always an overnight on the way home.... Happy Days . Hope you are well, I must get to a SOFA do before everyone dies.... Will be handy to pick up the 120 Escudos shady owes me from 1981.

[mappo]

Have to agree with Balders, what a great thread and super photos.
Well done Cliff.....now that Baldrick is residing on the Emerald Isle, maybe next time
he comes over we,ll both pay you a visit.
Oh and as far as trying to get those Escudos back from Shady, you've got no chance.
He still owes me for a carrajillio since 1990.

[robert1952]

Amen to all the above statements re the thread. I'd forgotten what a superb livery those Axminster wagons ran in! Robert

[caddy1]

Hi cliff great photos keep them coming this is what makes this site so good what colour were they it looks darker on some photos cheers ian cad

[dieseldennis2]

Need to keep this going .
I have just spent an hour with Peter Baulch and he has kindly lent me some more pictures which I need to scan later,meanwhile here is another of mine.This is Dave I think he was the first driver of the F89.

great pics once again cliff pleased you managed to see peter .I think peter must have hundreds of photos of the history of Axminster transport and then CATS . what a true gentleman and a good boss to work for . Yes I think that is dave brown with the F89 remember that used to go like a rocket .loved coming back over the cenis in the summer it was the a good stop up the top always cool no aircon in them days cheers den

[Cliff luxton]

Thanks to Baldrick, Mappo,Robert,and Dennis for your comments.
Ii will research more information for you Baldrick. But here's another one to be going on with.There wasn't to many of these about, I know Hattons ran a fleet of them.

[Cliff luxton]

Thanks to Caddy for your reply.

[dieseldennis2]

Thanks to Baldrick, Mappo,Robert,and Dennis for your comments.
Ii will research more information for you Baldrick. But here's another one to be going on with.There wasn't to many of these about, I know Hattons ran a fleet of them.

Thanks for putting on that 2600 daf I'm sure that was my truck can't quite see the reg . we had 2 i recall they were ex renwicks wotton under edge they were L reg mine was GDF 976L the other one was also GDF but not sure of the number think Phil Rawles drove the other one . a comfortable motor gearbox was back to front and a huge steering wheel

[DEANB]

Cant remember the Dafs !

Heres another !

[bubbleman]

Hiya,heres another 2600 Daf,not my pic but under the magnifying glass the reg is WPR 592M,heres a question for Cliff or others..there was a company from Chard way called T.G.Hawker..they had a couple of 2600s,were these Dafs anything to do with Axminsters although they were brown in colour their signwriting was very similar.
Cheers Bubbs,