pete smith:
N.M.P
just having a guess pete,that looks like chas richards old garage in the background,that might be wincantons yard darlaston
Are Smiths still trading? I know their place at Langley Mill was flattened a few years ago.
Pete.
windrush:
Are Smiths still trading? I know their place at Langley Mill was flattened a few years ago.Pete.
Smith’s Worksop is still in production but it is now owned by Whitworth Brothers of Wellingborough.
I’m surprised theres been no mention of Hovis selling its Northern mills to whitworths, closing Southampton but keeping wellingbro for its own Bakeries ?
Sniffy:
I’m surprised theres been no mention of Hovis selling its Northern mills to whitworths, closing Southampton but keeping wellingbro for its own Bakeries ?
For me personally it was a sad day when the announcement came a few weeks ago about what is, in effect, the demise of Rank Hovis. I started my working career with Rank Hovis McDougall as it was, and all that left now is little more than a rump of what, in its time, was the largest flour miller in the UK. With the annual losses it has chalked up for the last few years it begs the question if even the present company will survive long term. No doubt the cash from the sale of Manchester and Selby mills to Whitworth’s will keep it going, but for how long? Whitworth’s seem as though it is determined to be the number 1 miller in the UK.
Came across this on the internet, nice clear photo, maybe Gingerfold can shed some light on the company. Franky
Frankydobo:
Came across this on the internet, nice clear photo, maybe Gingerfold can shed some light on the company. Franky
0
Carr’s two-pedal Beaver. Old established flour miller with a mill at Silloth still operational. it is now part of Whitworth’s who seem determined to become the UK’s largest flour milling company.
I worked for FR Somerset in the 90s when the pointy shoed brains reorganised things . Each product was to be produced at one mill . We were then taking spent grain from the brewery in Burton down to Barry Mill for granary flour , to be then transported by road up to the Manchester rdc of Tesco . There were other such insanities involved but I recall that one off the cuff , the excess road miles did not make sense to me plus the haulage rates involved must have been a financial burden on RHM . Dave
Cheers for that Graham, thought you would have the info. The stocks of Flour seem to have returned to normal on the supermarket shelves now but they were the last goods to do so and our local shops had non for quite a few weeks, had the population of the country turned into home bakers over the lockdown to empty the shelves so quickly! Franky.
Frankydobo:
Cheers for that Graham, thought you would have the info. The stocks of Flour seem to have returned to normal on the supermarket shelves now but they were the last goods to do so and our local shops had non for quite a few weeks, had the population of the country turned into home bakers over the lockdown to empty the shelves so quickly! Franky.
Evening Franky, it wasn’t a shortfall in milling capacity that was the problem with the shelves being empty of domestic sized bags of flour, but a shortage of packing capacity. Many millers closed their packing lines because the demand had declined over the years and the supermarkets had squeezed margins to a minimum. One independent miller I know closed its packing line last year when it lost a supermarket contract, but it re-opened it a month ago and it is now supplying one of the major supermarket names.
That’s a more sensible answer Graham, its interesting how this virus situation has had a bad effect on many business’ but others have been rejuvenated and been working flat out for certain demands, the industrial geography of the country will no doubt be very different when all hopefully returns to pre covid days. Franky.
Speaking of Flour Millers, I can remember Spillers on the Quay opposite Jimmy Galbraiths Cafe, (All gone now Sadley to say) I used to load there in the 50/60/70s It was a crap place at the best of times, Why would a big firm like Spillers take bagged stuff off pallets put it on a belt for the driver to hand ball 20 Tonnes to put it back onto pallets when he got to Spillers in Hull, Then I reloaded there hand balled again back to Newcastle and put it back onto pallets, Where was the brains in this outfit I wonder, Well not in their RS, Because the never got emptied, They were full of of it in my book, But They were some of the good old days jobs, 
Regards Larry.
Ranks at Gateshead was even worse, Plus their Mill at Hull was crap,I have never met as many awkward people in my whole life, They were all against drivers, Who in my oppinion new more than any of these ■■■■ heads, Who delighted in making the drivers job more difficult than it should be, I hope some off these tossers are on this thread, I know Im being a bit naughty , But they made my driving job in those days a lot harder than it should have been, But Im heading for 85, And still feel good, Of course a few Single Malts before I retire makes me fell very good, Regards Larry.
marky:
Kempston:
0The driver in the picture is Peter Whittle’s dad, the late Wilf Whittle.
I’m new to this site and thread but I drove for RHM Agriculture at Banbury Simmons Watts and went to very many millers and compounders. But what made sit up was the name Whittle, I’m a Whittle and have a brother Peter!. Our family came from the Bolton/Westhoughton area and my wifes reasearch has found a lot of relatives in that area of Lancashire, so I just wondered if I had stumbled on a relative? Also Ashton was another part of the family and a Joe Ashton ran lorries/a lorry between the wars. He also lived in Southport when I was a young child in the 1950’s.
Well thats enough of a ramble to start with! Mick Whittle
Hi can anyone help me please i am looking for any photos of flour miller fleets from past and present flour millers which inculde all the millers that made up Allied mills eg E J COOMBES,S HEALING&SON,J REYNOLDS,SUGDENS.WILLIAM KINGS,RANKINS,CHANCELOT MILL,CRANFIELDS,VITBE FLOUR MILLS,H&R AINSCOUGH,ALLIED MILLS TILBURY,COXES LOCK,YORKSHIRE IDEAL,FAIRCLOUGHS,AIZLEWOODS,J.B THOMPSON HULL,S EDWARDS,SOVERIGN MILL CORBY,KINGS MILL,J&R SNODGRASS,NEILLS BELFAST,SUMNER,ALLIED MILLS MANCHESTER.Plus any other millers eg HEYGATES,CLARK&BUTCHER,NELSTROPS,BRADSHAWS,BOWMANS,GREENS,RANK HOVIS,RANKS,HOVIS,SPILLERS,J.W FRENCH,WILSON KING,VERNONS,CO OP,ADM,WHITWORTHS BROS/FLAKED PRODUCTS,READ WOODROW,WRIGHTS,TIMMS,CARRS,HUTCHINSONS,A&A PEATE,SHIPTON MILL,PRIDAY METFORDS,F.W.P MATTHEWS,ROBBINS&POWERS,ANDREWS BELFAST,C.S DICKINSON,JOHN DARLING,H.COHEN,T.S&D THIRSK,F.R THOMPSTONE&SONS,A.H ALLEN,STALHAM FLOUR MILLS NORFOLK,FRENLITE FLOUR,JORDONS FLOUR,PLEDGES FLOUR,JAMES NUTTER,MARRIAGES,WILLIAM SIMMONS,BE RO,BOTLEY FLOUR MILLS,DUFFIELDS,C.W.S,WILTSHIRE FLOUR,READS OF NORWICH,MARSTONS,MARK MAYHEW,MAIZECOR,CANNON&GAZE,PARTRIDGE AVON MILLS PLUS any more anybody can think of.
Thanks Flourpower.
Hi Flourpower , welcome to trucknet -have you tried this site andyslorryphotosite.fotopic.net/
Hope this helps 
Tony.
my dad drove for smiths flour mills in wolverhampton road walsall in the 60’s.they ran flatbed traders,sorry no photos tho !
hi flourpower.
i served my mechanics apprenticeship at whitworths flour mill in wellingborough.i have found several picts in the book ON THE MOVE i will have to post them one at a time as i dont know how to post more than one pit at a time.
these tk bedfords belonged to whitworth holdings at victoria mills
cheers diesel
hi flourpower, here i s another pic.
when we built the body on this lorry we discovered that it was too high to get out of the garage, so we had to put wheels with no tyres on to move it out side, being the BOY that was my job lol.it was powered by the then new bedford 300 diesel engine which was grossly under powered as the lorry carried up to fifteen tons, they didnt keep it long
cheers diesel
hi flourpower. heres a blast from the past!
the commer in the centre of the pict was a dropside body coverted into a bulk grain body with chutes cut into the floor. the idea behind these bulkers was when they had delivered their load of parcels of flour they could pop round to millwall docks and fill up with grain off the ships. thus saving the barges from bringing the grain which took three days from london to wellingborough. we converted these commers from petrol to perkins p6 engines, top speed of about 30 mph
cheers diesel