This is such an interesting thread - I follow it avidly 
Just a couple of pics for you… I bought the prints years ago
Copyright Arthur Ingram
This old AEC looks like she has a good head of steam up
This pic interests me… the load is on pallets but looks like its been handballed on, which isnt unusual I know - but I can only see two ropes at the back? Surely with paper sacks, any slight corner and the whole lot would be on the floor, wouldn’t it? Great photo though…
Not a very good pic.,but it bumps the thread.Mike.
J.W. French Ltd. with Chelsea Flour Mills, one in East London, and another at Ware was a Spillers acquisition in the late '60s, after French had acquired the remaining CWS mills. This late model AEC Mammoth Major Eight Mk.V was a longer than standard wheelbase for uprating to 26 tons gvw after the 1965 C& U Regs.
One for your thread Graham, must keep it on page one - too interesting to fall off!
Taken in Liverpool by Roger Kenney some 50 years ago.
Great mems of Ranks old Mickey Mouse S21 Fodens , I wonder if any of them survived & have been restored to their former glory, they were as class of wagon that lead the field in their hayday, Regards Larry.
Spillers Bedford S Type for bagged deliveries with centre pole for draping the sheet over it to make it easier for the driver and mate to get to the load.
retriever:
One for your thread Graham, must keep it on page one - too interesting to fall off!
Taken in Liverpool by Roger Kenney some 50 years ago.
What a wonderful period photo Robin, thank you for posting
gingerfold:
One of my personal favourite photos, tin-front AEC Mammoth Major Mk.III of CWS 15 tons of sacks, in the City of London outside the Bank of England.0
I’ve been following this splendid thread ever since it began…all those glorious historic AEC,Atkinson,Foden, and Leyland heavy lorries ,interspersed with the history of the flour milling industry,advertisements,photographs of mills and of other vehicles - I’ve been past that Rank-Hovis Mill at Selby many a time en route to the the wonderful North East Coast tourist and holiday area
There are a few points that I want to make.
If the accompanying photograph with this original post by Gingerfold is reproduced,it is an ideal opportunity to compare this magnificent AEC with the seemingly identical AEC in Gingerfold’s latest photographic post. But there are subtle and not so subtle differances between these two Tin Front Mk IIIs.
The CWS Federation Bulk Tanker,is a AEC Mammoth Major Eight Tin Front Mk III,VNB 995,November 1957
Manchester-registered,which has the standard Park Royal Tin Front Mk III Phase 1 Cab and is much
squarer and less rounded than the later Phase 2 Cab.
The CWS Flat-bodied rigid Eight-Wheeler Lorry in London,is a magnificent AEC Mammoth Major Eight Tin Front Mk III,5148 N,late 1959 Manchester-registered,which has the standard Park Royal Tin Front Mk III
Phase 2 Cab,which is more curved,more streamlined and a hell of a lot better looking than the earlier
Phase 1 .In fact,the Phase 2 Cab was the most popular and best looking of all the cabs that were fitted to
AEC Tin Front Mk III Lorries - the Be-Ro AEC Mandator Tin Front Mk III 4x2 Boxvan Lorry,359 EBB,
June 1958 Newcastle upon Tyne-registered,also on page 3,also has a standard Phase 2 Cab 
NOTE:Since the photograph of AEC Mammoth Major Eight Tin Front Mk III,with the Phase 2 Cab,5148 N,did not reproduce for this post (is there a fault with this Website’s computer? 
),here is a link which
shows preserved AEC Mammoth Major Six Tin Front Front Mk III ,778 MNU,1959 Derbyshire-registered,which also has a Park Royal Tin Front Mk III Phase 2 Cab - which is the DEFINITIVE AEC Tin Front Mk III lorry range cab :-
flickr.com/photos/16693939@N07/6296208672/
Ah yes! I was hoping Gingerfold,or somebody,would post a photograph of at least one of the XAN-registered Foden S21 Spaceship FG6LX/24 Lorries of Rank Hovis McDougall - RHM. Some of the XAN Foden S21 Spaceships did further commercial service as Fairground Vehicles,including :-
XAN 285,operated by Sheldon Dowse,Doncaster:-
flickr.com/photos/foden_djp/ … otostream/
Note it’s original RHM Flat body below the Luton Van body.
XAN 291,operated by the late Terence Dowse,Doncaster:-
flickr.com/photos/foden_djp/ … otostream/
Terence was in the process of restoring his Foden S21 Spaceship in recent years,but very sadly,he passed on,on Wednesday,31st August,2011,a year since now at present. But I hope to find out what is happening to this Foden S21 Spaceship,XAN 291.
VALKYRIE.
The Hovis Mill at Trafford Park Manchester in about 1931. It was completely flattened in the Manchester blitz of December 1940, and Greenwoods Mill next to it was badly damaged. The CWS flour mill about half a mile away was also damaged. Ranks acquired Greenwoods and the present Rank Hovis mill in Trafford Park stands on the site of this original Hovis mill.
Fantastic Photo’s Graham, thanks for sharing them 
That looks like a Rowe Hillmaster in the middle of the last picture 
Trev.
And the imposing front view of Spillers’ Millennium Mills after re-opening in 1953. Originally built by Vernons in 1903, it was a Spillers acquistion when they bought Vernons. This mill was completely destroyed in the London Blitz of 1940 when it received something like 17 direct bomb hits. It was then rebuilt by 1953 when it was the largest output flour mill outside of the USA. Millenium Mills had also been destroyed in 1917 by the Great Silvertown Munitions Explosion, the causes of which and details, have never been fully explained and are still subject to the Official Secrets Act under the 100 years rule. Unused for 20 years the building still exits, it is Grade 2 listed, and several re-development plans have been mooted over the years, but a bit like Battersea Power Station nothing ever seems to come of them.
A new Leyland Octopus about to enter service with Hovis, just before the merger with Ranks.
Spillers Winalot, a famous and enduring brand of dog biscuit. Spillers had two dog biscuit making factories, Bermnondsey, SE London, and Seacombe on Merseyside. In my time with Spillers we milled an average of 2,000 tons of dog biscuit flour weekly. It was also a good outlet for millings of other flour grades that were out of specification. “Send it for dog flour” was often heard from the production people to the transport office.
Hovis Commer taking part in a parade somewhere.
Is that windmill on the roof Commer’s first attempt at an alternator?
1159jrh:
rigsby:
hello 1159jrh , if you’ve worked at trafford park for 19 years you must have known banging bob , night man . can’t remember his proper name now , but he drove the neighbours mad at rotherham mill hammering the tank in the middle of the night . he was a good laugh though , nice blokeoh yes you mean a guy called Bob Pass he was recently invited to leave the company !!! if you know what i mean we both went to Ranks from Tankfreight in 1992
cheers John
Hi John, Yeh I worked at T/F and then went to Ranks, as it was all starting off for T/F Did nearly 10 yrs at trafford park, drop me a Message CJA1 Regards C.A. PS. my initials should tell you who I am.
Tell me are Ranks & Spillers realley finished ?, What a shame they were great places to tip & load in th 50/60/70s, that is if you were not in a hurry or keen to get unloaded so as you could get to your loading point, for your return load home, I hope there will be some Street Parties to celebrate the events, But I dont suppose there will be many of the lazy awkward Rsoles that turned up for work in those good old days will still be about, I have never seen such a lot of idle men in all the days I was in the haulage industrey, apart from the dockers that is, Regards Larry.
