Edward Jennings:
Hello!
I’m a newbie to this site and forum, but I was pointed here by my son. I’m the grandson of the Edward Jennings who had John Jennings Haulage Ltd of Oakwellgate Gateshead.
I was thrilled to see some names mentioned in this thread which reawakened so many memories from my childhood, and some of friends from my adulthood as well.
John Merritt is a name that doesn’t take me back that far, but only about 20 years. It’s strange that he drove for my grandfather before driving for me in the 90’s and into the noughties too. Only he wasn’t driving wagons then, but coaches. It was at his funeral that I met Albert Morrison (and his wife) whom I’d seen around, but I couldn’t place him although he was more familiar than just someone on the street. I introduced myself after he’d told me that John and he had worked together for John Jennings, he was surprised at my name, to say the least! I last saw him a while ago at the 'bus stop near the Greencroft Club at Windy ■■■■.
Among the other names mentioned so far, I remember Tommy Gray, even though I must only have been about 5, or less, at the time. I remember him as a teddyboy! Big Jock McNeil shouted at me from his front door on Whitehall Road in Gateshead as I was standing in traffic, a good few years ago. It was a miracle that he recognised me after 30 odd years. I also saw him, and had another chat, at a wrestling match at Gateshead Leisure Centre, between Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy, what a laugh!
Little Joe, or so I was told by my dad (GIlbert Jennings, before he died in 1971) drove the first Gateshead artic, it was a Bedford and had wooden blocks on the pedals, just for him. I last saw Joe in about 1976/7 when he was allocating work for John Crow, when they were on Shearlegs Road. I hardly recognised him, as he was wearing a suit. He gave me a few runs with my 18.3 metre Ford D800 Turbo caravan transporter (North Eastern Caravan Haulage Company). It was a lot of fun to drive, but I had to give it up after only a few years, as I was sick of getting pinched for it being overlength.
Another driver who hasn’t been mentioned yet, was John Devlin, God’s gift to women, with his sparkling eyes, gleaming teeth and wicked moustache and whiskers! John was a son of little Tommy Devlin who used to be mechanic for Phillips Transport, also of Oakwellgate. One of the Phillips partners was Basil Mao, whom I last saw in about 1975 serving petrol on nightshift at the Three Mile Garage, because he was skint after paying the redundancy to his drivers, poor old bugger! John Devlin is still hanging on, clarting about with vintage cars and Rolls Royces at one of his two premises, at either Newburn or Crawcrook. I last saw him about two years ago.
Other drivers who come to mind are Geordie Iveson and little Jimmy Pringle, although I think they were mostly local men, running in and out of the Close Works, and into Jenningsies scrap yard with nicked pig iron, covered with turnings. Then there was Billy Lakey, married to my dad’s sister. I’m not sure whether he was ever a driver, or whether he just worked on the tip at Windy ■■■■ sorting out the scarry scrap from the Close Works? He latterly kept about 100 pigs next to our garage at Pelaw. Anyone remember him?
I see old Jimmy Adams got a mention. That also brought a vivid memory back. Of course. you’ll know that Jimmy Adams bought what was left of John Jennings Haulage after the old man died. Well, a friend of mine bought a Seddon platform wagon off him, in the 70’s I think. He asked me if I would go with him to pick it up from the yard at Walker. I was to drive the wagon back to my place in Pelaw. What came as a great surprise to me was that when I climbed into the cab to get it out of the garage, I noticed that the Operators Licence disc was still in the window, and the name on it was…John Jennings Haulage Ltd! Honestly, you could have knocked me down with a feather! Another thing about that was that as I climbed into the cab, I was smacked with the pungent smell of hot diesel which I had always associated with the little old 50’s Seddons with the coachbuilt cabs which my grandad had run, too.
Happy days? I remember my mother complaining that she couldn’t get stuff in the car boot when we were going anywhere, because there were always 2 Albion halfshafts and a diff in there, along with the ever present tool box!
Old NE Haulage Companies? I remember PG Walton, who was in the place where Albany Motors is now, Capstaff, L.P. Nelson and Son, of South Shields. (I well remember old Jimmy Nelson knocking a bloke out in the weigh cabin at Marsden Quarry when he was about 72!) and McPhees, where there was a sign beside the phone saying (words to the effect of) “This phone must NOT be answered as McPees Transport!”
Lastly…have any of you old buggers got any pictures of my grandad’s wagons, please? My brother and I have hunted high and low, but haven’t come up with anything more than one of a few wagons standing outside the yard in Oakwellgate.
Is there anyone left? I wonder.
TTFN,
Edward
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