The photo, so I’m led to understand was taken outside ‘Fat Peters’ in Gent, Belgium.
Going back to the subject of RJ Woods… These were brand new when i started there in 1994.
It was only supposed to be a stop gap, but here we are 26 years later!
Woodcock’s of Headcorn. Always find the photos of hop pokes interesting. Maybe because I lived on a hop farm not many miles from Headcorn.
postman paul:
Bewick:
I have just remembered a sad ending to one of Colin Ashbys drivers who died in the big fire that engulfed the Bowater Scott warehouse in Barrow in 1973. Apparently the Ashby driver had been allowed to kip in his cab in the warehouse and when the fire really got hold there was a lot of smoke which woke up the driver and he got out of his cab but couldn’t get out of the warehouse. He was found dead of smoke inhalation lying behind one of the big doors. It was hard to understand how Bowater Scotts allowed this driver to kip in the warehouse as being a new Mill they were always extremely safety conscious, well they certainly were after the fire !
Cheers Bewick.Thanks for that info Bewick, I didn’t know about that driver, but I do remember one of the handyman’s catching fire(not sure if it was the same truck), my Father started there in 1974 and worked there until 1997.
Worked with your Dad, Fred, for a while mate. Clean boots, immaculate hair. RIP.
sandway:
Nmp. Three pictures of Bosman Volvos. Nice distinctive colour scheme. Always looked tidy.
Had JKN 607V for about two years. Always sat down on the rear cab springs like that. Got me sent to a weighbridge twice for an overloaded drive axle, but I was always under. Louis always promised he’d replace them but I rarely stood long enough! Hard work but they looked after me.
sandway:
Nmp.
UKM 285 H originally driven by the jovial Keith Elliott, the vehicle was written off sometime around 1978/9/80 in a crash which sadly killed the driver: Stuart ***** from Hadlow.
sandway:
Woodcock’s of Headcorn. Always find the photos of hop pokes interesting. Maybe because I lived on a hop farm not many miles from Headcorn.
There’s an article in one of last months vintage magazines about Henleys , it’s more of a pictorial than a history but there are a few photos of different motors loaded with hops , they look very unsafe but obviously they weren’t . An entirely different job in those days with skill needed to load and drive
ramone:
sandway:
Woodcock’s of Headcorn. Always find the photos of hop pokes interesting. Maybe because I lived on a hop farm not many miles from Headcorn.There’s an article in one of last months vintage magazines about Henleys , it’s more of a pictorial than a history but there are a few photos of different motors loaded with hops , they look very unsafe but obviously they weren’t . An entirely different job in those days with skill needed to load and drive
Well, I’m not sure what was needed to drive this lorry loaded up with hops but a big cork comes to mind.
sandway:
ramone:
sandway:
Woodcock’s of Headcorn. Always find the photos of hop pokes interesting. Maybe because I lived on a hop farm not many miles from Headcorn.There’s an article in one of last months vintage magazines about Henleys , it’s more of a pictorial than a history but there are a few photos of different motors loaded with hops , they look very unsafe but obviously they weren’t . An entirely different job in those days with skill needed to load and drive
Well, I’m not sure what was needed to drive this lorry loaded up with hops but a big cork comes to mind.
a hard hat too if you hit the brakes to hard but they didn’t have brakes in those days. Seriously anyone loaded hops and if so what was the technique? It looks another lost art
The article in Classic and Vintage Commercials on Henley Transport Co Ltd has received a lot of positive comments on the company Facebook group.
It’s a very difficult task indeed asking someone to write the history on a large company that was started from scratch and ran for 35 years operating over 100 vehicles from 4 depots.
Between Jack and myself we could have gone on and on.
The decision was also difficult choosing from over 700 photos in which to put forward for the article of which the final choice was with the editor , so I took the decision to find as many as I could which represented the types and makes ran from start to finish of the company .
The only photo requests were from Jack Henley who wanted specifically the 3 early photos.
ramone:
sandway:
ramone:
sandway:
Woodcock’s of Headcorn. Always find the photos of hop pokes interesting. Maybe because I lived on a hop farm not many miles from Headcorn.There’s an article in one of last months vintage magazines about Henleys , it’s more of a pictorial than a history but there are a few photos of different motors loaded with hops , they look very unsafe but obviously they weren’t . An entirely different job in those days with skill needed to load and drive
Well, I’m not sure what was needed to drive this lorry loaded up with hops but a big cork comes to mind.
Don’t fall off.
,Don’t let the pockets get wet. Don’t let the farmer’s name be visible. Park the lorry under cover the night before loading. The floor must be sheeted if the load is going any distance ie not from farm into the Hop Board at Paddock Wood. Take enough sheets, one or two coils of thick hemp rope for slinging, a hopping hook and enough steel stakes if loading gunner and roll. Don’t go more than six high. Don’t try going through the Blackwall tunnel use Tower Bridge. If going to the Hop Board in Ledbury book a bed in the Seven Stars.
Out of around 40 or 50 drivers probably only about a dozen were allowed to load hops, everyone else had to assist (like me) one of the dozen qualified drivers until signed off by one of them as competent. A four wheeler load of around 70 pockets was somewhere about 6 and a half to 7 tons.
Nmp. Another good shot of a Coulling Brothers lorry. One of my local companies when I was young. A Leyland Beaver I believe.
More H E Woodcock photos courtesy of that prolific photographer Paul Willis. Thanks Paul.
Please click on a photo to enlarge.
EH Nicholls of Sittinbourne. NMP.
