I worked for WHS. Transport. ( W H Smith Group ) early 1970 s when they took over Townsends Carriers At Tipton. Townsends had 4 depots inc Whittlsey,Oakham & Higham (HO) . The fleet purchased were mainly worn out BMCs.Dodges inc walk thru vans ! New er D series. WHS invested heavily in new D series, Volvo F86 tractors & drawbar units for trunking thought the country. We also had 2 Dodge tractor units ( 65/66 regs ) with V8 engines that went like the wind, so much so one overtook directors on motorway in 3litre Rover on day causing quite a stink. After a short time approx 2years WHS sold out it out to LEX Service group who already had Wilkinsons. 1year after take over Tipton ( classed as Birmingham Depot ) closed as if I recall correct Wilkinsons had Burntwood near Cannock for the area don’t know what happened to this depot. Later in 70s or 80s LEX sold to Fedex who eventually pulled out of UK only to eventually return as we know them today.
Tipton Townsend when we went there 1971 ish we running Leyland FGs. FFKs cabs so rotten need wellingtons in wet weather Commers, Dodges both box vans & tractor units as well as Dodge Walk Thru vans. We also had a Dodge Kew 6 wheel recovery truck. Think we had 2 box vans on carpets as well. The Carpet Express division were this not originally part of Bees Transport set up ? Anyone know ?
Cedric Dalton:
Tipton Townsend when we went there 1971 ish we running Leyland FGs. FFKs cabs so rotten need wellingtons in wet weather Commers, Dodges both box vans & tractor units as well as Dodge Walk Thru vans. We also had a Dodge Kew 6 wheel recovery truck. Think we had 2 box vans on carpets as well. The Carpet Express division were this not originally part of Bees Transport set up ? Anyone know ?
Not sure about the exact chronology of things but Bees became part of the Wilkinson Transport set up around the same time as Carpet Express was formed from Wilkinson Transport Carpet Division and all became part of the Lex Service Group. This would have been sometime around 1977/78, I worked for Carpet Express Middleton depot in 1978( I think it was still Wilk Tpt Carpet Division at the time) and they were still running ex Wilkie’s motors. The brown and yellow livery and name change came in later that year.
Although I’ve not passed that way since I retired four years ago, there used to be a very nicely restored Noddy van in Wilkinsons livery parked outside a house on the road between Newport and Ryde on the I-o-W.
Steve
Hi I have recently joined the group , I worked at Chasetown depot from 1976 as a driver until that sad day may 1st 1992 , when our lives began to change for most of us as we always thought we had a job for life , maybe if we had gone back to Wilkinsons instead of those fools from over the pool we would have been there till our retirement ,I have got some photos will post soon , nice to see the old photos brings back some fond memories , thanks
hi…i have some very old wilkinsons photos somewhere about but they have my dad etc on them…cant remember the exact year but i must have been around four so late 1950s when wilkinsons open up a place in leicester down gwendolen road…my dad was one of two first drivers…if interested i could tell you the movements about moving to sapcote then burbage etc but dont want to bore you if not interested…my dad worked there for years…think to the early-mid 80s but my older brother would know more coz we both worked there …not sure how to put pics on so any help would be nice…my dads name is Ken Vann and any old uns up north may remember the name of his two main motors…lancashire rose and king of the road…hope all have a good day
malc5566:
hi…i have some very old wilkinsons photos somewhere about but they have my dad etc on them…cant remember the exact year but i must have been around four so late 1950s when wilkinsons open up a place in leicester down gwendolen road…my dad was one of two first drivers…if interested i could tell you the movements about moving to sapcote then burbage etc but dont want to bore you if not interested…my dad worked there for years…think to the early-mid 80s but my older brother would know more coz we both worked there …not sure how to put pics on so any help would be nice…my dads name is Ken Vann and any old uns up north may remember the name of his two main motors…lancashire rose and king of the road…hope all have a good day…and by the way Bees transport were part of wilkies when i started there about 1970.
malc5566:
hi…i have some very old wilkinsons photos somewhere about but they have my dad etc on them…cant remember the exact year but i must have been around four so late 1950s when wilkinsons open up a place in leicester down gwendolen road…my dad was one of two first drivers…if interested i could tell you the movements about moving to sapcote then burbage etc but dont want to bore you if not interested…my dad worked there for years…think to the early-mid 80s but my older brother would know more coz we both worked there …not sure how to put pics on so any help would be nice…my dads name is Ken Vann and any old uns up north may remember the name of his two main motors…lancashire rose and king of the road…hope all have a good day
They didn’t move to Sapcote Malc. Theymoved to Burbage from Gwendolen Road. Dad was one of the first 2 drivers Gwendolen Road, Uncle Ron and Uncle Frank also started work at Leicester. They had 6 0r 7 trucks there before moving to Burbage. In those days it was flat beds, roping and sheeting. It was not a parcel company when they opened their second depot in Leicester. I could go on and on. What i can say is. I got a job working for them on my 15th birthday 1963. Dad started working for them when they opened the depot in Leicester around the mid 50’s. They weren’t parcel carriers in them days, they carried mainly, yarn in large wicker skips, T chests, bales of leather etc, mainly for the hosiery, footwear makers in the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire areas. This was huge industry back in the days. That is why roping and sheeting was a must. Also very hard work.
malc5566:
malc5566:
hi…i have some very old wilkinsons photos somewhere about but they have my dad etc on them…cant remember the exact year but i must have been around four so late 1950s when wilkinsons open up a place in leicester down gwendolen road…my dad was one of two first drivers…if interested i could tell you the movements about moving to sapcote then burbage etc but dont want to bore you if not interested…my dad worked there for years…think to the early-mid 80s but my older brother would know more coz we both worked there …not sure how to put pics on so any help would be nice…my dads name is Ken Vann and any old uns up north may remember the name of his two main motors…lancashire rose and king of the road…hope all have a good day…and by the way Bees transport were part of wilkies when i started there about 1970.
HI MALC ANY IDEA WHAT PICTURES YOU HAVE OF WILKIES OLD MOTORS I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED
I worked for Wilkies at Rochdale from 1967 to 1992. When Eddie moved to Rochdale he set up in the old canal basin warehouse on Richard Street. The transport manager at the time was Teddy Stansfield, the dock foreman was Jim Horkins & some of the old drivers come to mind, Geoff Fallows, Cheyenne (I think thats right), my dad Jimmy Biggers worked there for a while in the sixties. Seeing the picture of the Scania 80 rigid, I used to do the night trunk up to Paisley in one of these, quite a change from the old ERFs with the 4 pot Gardiner. I think theres a photo of my D series Ford somewhere, I`ll see if I can find it & post it on here.
hI malc, its a long shot but Have you any recollection of a driver called Ray Fell. he started at Wilkinson transport at Bacup or Rochdale in Lancashire but travelled to Leicester a lot, must have been Gwendolyn road. He was born in Lancashire and moved to Leicester. he was driving for Wilkinson transport in the 1950’s and possibly into early 1960’s.
Hey Tony can you remember a guy named Ray Fell ? someones asking but all i remember is Graham Fell who worked at Evancrest…am i getting mixed around…we were in Sapcote then which is now (or was) Atkinson press then moved into Bees old place across the bridge when they moved to Harrowbrook estate which i thought was burbage (i get the two mixed up ha)…youve got all the old photos i have can you put some on here?..i never started until about 1970 so when i got there there was only one rope and sheet truck to what i can remember all the rest was boxed…cheers mate
pepsifarr:
My dad used to work for Wilkinson Transport, which had a depot in Rochdale can anyone tell me if wilkinson transport and wilkinsons transport were the same company?
Yes it was the same company, I worked there at the same time as your dad
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Ianjf:
pepsifarr:
My dad used to work for Wilkinson Transport, which had a depot in Rochdale can anyone tell me if wilkinson transport and wilkinsons transport were the same company?Yes it was the same company, I worked there at the same time as your dad
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Hi i also worked as night trunker for wilkinson transport out of tonbridge kent used to changeover with rochdale driver in toddington services
DEANB:
Wilkinsons.
I’m sure I still have that article here somewhere…an interesting read, and he’s an early convert to speed control.
When I did some part driving for Asda in 2011/2, they were extremely keen on it, and used the telematics to measure the proportion of driving time each driver spent with the cruise control operating.
240 Gardner:
DEANB:
Wilkinsons.I’m sure I still have that article here somewhere…an interesting read, and he’s an early convert to speed control.
When I did some part driving for Asda in 2011/2, they were extremely keen on it, and used the telematics to measure the proportion of driving time each driver spent with the cruise control operating.
Johnnybiggers:
I worked for Wilkies at Rochdale from 1967 to 1992. When Eddie moved to Rochdale he set up in the old canal basin warehouse on Richard Street. The transport manager at the time was Teddy Stansfield, the dock foreman was Jim Horkins & some of the old drivers come to mind, Geoff Fallows, Cheyenne (I think thats right), my dad Jimmy Biggers worked there for a while in the sixties. Seeing the picture of the Scania 80 rigid, I used to do the night trunk up to Paisley in one of these, quite a change from the old ERFs with the 4 pot Gardiner. I think theres a photo of my D series Ford somewhere, I`ll see if I can find it & post it on here.
i was at sivewright wood street rochdale love some old pictures if anyone has some thanks
LOOKING FOR ANY OLD PHOTOS OF WILKINSONS TRUCKS