Mersey Tunnel opening ceremony by King George V and Queen Mary, July 18th 1934.
The street on the left, going diagonally up the picture is Manchester Street,
the same street as seen in the previous picture, chock-a-block with buses, cars & lorries.
Mersey Tunnel in the early 1960s. The Tunnel had its own Police Force.
On the left are 5 of their Land Rover patrol vehicles which were used
to tow broken down vehicles out of the tunnel. I have tried to enlarge
this picture, but it keeps nipping back to this size. Ray Smyth.
A busy day on the Dock Road in Liverpool in the early 1960s. Included in the traffic going North
is a Royal Mail Morris van, and a Liverpool Corporation bus. Coming the other way is an Austin or
Morris lorry, a Commer/Karrier van, and 2 dodge lorries. The Bedford on the right is in the queue
for the tollbooths for the Branch entrance of the Mersey Tunnel. The Commer/Karrier van and the
Ford Anglia have just exited the Branch tunnel, having travelled from Birkenhead.
William Brown Street in the centre of Liverpool in 1948. The lorry coming up the hill looks like
a Leyland, not sure. Following the trams down the hill is a British Railways Scammell Scarab,
a Jowett van with “Caplans” in the back door, and a pre war Ford “Y Model” car. To the right,
just off the picture is the entrance to the Mersey Tunnel. Click twice for better image.
Lawrensons of Bootle operated lorries and coaches.
The name “Gills” is on the Ford Cargo on tow.
Pictures from Bootle Forum.
This location is Linacre Road, Bootle on Merseyside in 1905.
The tram is at its terminus, ready to return to Liverpool.
I have posted this picture because at the extreme left of the
picture is the office of Robert Armstrong, Furniture Removals.
Armstrongs became a major haulage contractor in Bootle,
involved in tanker work, and I believe they became part of
P+O in later years. I would be pleased to see any pictures
of Armstrongs lorries of any period. Regards, Ray Smyth.
Hi, Ray ,We had an ex ARMSTRONGS ,MAULDSLEY ARTIC UNIT ,A E C 7/7 engine mph 5 speed box ,38 mph up hill down dale ,massive cab room to dance ,brakes were oil over vacume ,verry poor our fitter put an hydrovac to it ,it would stop on a 6 pence , just abit of usless info Cheers Barry
B.Wadsworth:
Hi, Ray ,We had an ex ARMSTRONGS ,MAULDSLEY ARTIC UNIT ,A E C 7/7 engine mph 5 speed box ,38 mph up hill down dale ,massive cab room to dance ,brakes were oil over vacume ,verry poor our fitter put an hydrovac to it ,it would stop on a 6 pence , just abit of usless info Cheers Barry
Useless, I dont think so, The young drivers today wont have a clue about Oil over vacum, Or the more modern Hydrovac system, I love to hear all this old talk about the good old white knuckle days going over Shap & Standedge & The Valleys in South Wales with the Old Atki the I drove in the late 50s, I had some hair raising moments I may tell you, The brakes were ■■■■■ , Even at 32 MPH Top speed, But im still here to tell the story 
, Regards Larry.
The Dock Road in Liverpool in 1966. The name on the Dodge 6 wheeler looks like Ditchfield.
The “Lancashire Flat” on the Dodge looks like Northern Ireland Trailers.
That’s a Northern Ireland Trailers Lancashire flat on the Ditchfield Dodge in the queue.
This van belongs to U.C.L.A., United Co-operative Laundries Association.
It is seen on Great Homer Street in Liverpool sometime in the 1950s.
I cant recognise what make of lorry it is, the bonnet looks unusual.
When we were young kids, we were told that U.C.L.A. were the initials
of “Uncle Charlies Lunatic Asylum”. 
Ray Smyth.
I like that picture of a front-wheel-drive Cargo towing an Atki unit in France ! Robert
Ray Smyth:
This van belongs to U.C.L.A., United Co-operative Laundries Association.
It is seen on Great Homer Street in Liverpool sometime in the 1950s.
I cant recognise what make of lorry it is, the bonnet looks unusual.
When we were young kids, we were told that U.C.L.A. were the initials
of “Uncle Charlies Lunatic Asylum”.
Hi Ray I am sure some drivers and warehousemen I worked with absconded from Uncle Charlies Lunatic Asylum.
1970s I used to call at most edible oil refineries and food plants in the Liverpool area when working for Smith and Robinsons Urmston and Kraft Humko Westinghouse road Trafford Park. They were Merseyside foods. Liverpool central oil. Britannia Lard (PURA foods Transtore) on Birkenhead docks. Peerless refining. Beef streerin (like Tallow) Company? based Birkenhead. Kraft Kirkby. Others Jacobs. Huntley and Palmers. Pendleton Twicers Kirkby.
Many times reload crude edible oils from Bibbys and remember Lawrensons had the main contract. Used United Molasses Liverpool for weigh bridge.
Kraft Humko, Peerless refining, LCO, Merseyside foods were taken over the same week 1982 by PURA Foods PL Transtore (Acatos and Hutchison).
Most of Kraft Humko Drivers were taken on by PL Transtore PURA Foods and pension rights.
Regards Kev
Kraft Humko.tif (1.43 MB)
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DEANB:
Newforge from Liverpool.
Hi Dean, Newforge Foods main product was tins of “SPAM”. Their factory was on Wambo Lane,
which ran from Belle Vale Road to Hedgefield Road. I was brought up in that area from 1947 until
1966. In the 1950s, the factory was Irwins Jams Ltd, it became Blue Cap Foods in the 1960s, which
became Newforge Foods. In the attached picture, I lived in a prefab at (1), from 1947 until 1959.
and at (2) until 1966. My eldest brother Ken still lives there. Wambo Lane runs from (3) to (4),
and (5) is Morrisons Supermarket, which is where the Newforge factory was. Regards, Ray.
Off FB. I’m hoping you’ve not seen this one Ray, I know you’re keeping this topic alive. Cheers Coomsey
coomsey:
0
Off FB. I’m hoping you’ve not seen this one Ray, I know you’re keeping this topic alive. Cheers Coomsey
Hi Coomsey, Thank you for the David Rees & Co.Ltd. picture. I remember them now from your picture, but it is a company
that I had forgotten about. Where were they based ?. I would still like to find some pictures of the vans that used to deliver
the Liverpool Echo newspaper in the 1960s. Many of them were Morris LD 1 ton vans painted in deep red, similar to the colour
used by Ribble buses, but were mainly unlettered. Seen from the rear, they did not have back doors, they were fitted with a
small tailboard and a roller shutter door, and probably unknown to many, they were owned by W.H.Smith the well known
nationwide newsagents and publishers, and their depot was in Leeds Street, Liverpool. Some earlier vans were the bonneted
J type Bedfords with coachbuilt bodywork by Hawson Garner also with roller shutter and tailboard at the rear.
Best Regards, Ray.
