Hope,Gosforth
I was pleased to see one of my Dad’s vans in the Evening Mail tonight on the ‘Times Past’ page, outside the old Ritz cinema. The photo was taken in 1939 and was actually a postcard entitled ‘Ritz corner, Barrow in Furness’
I have a clearer copy of it somewhere - I’ll dig it out and put it on.
But then, Barrow was in Lancashire in 1939, maybe the wrong thread!
It’s difficult to see, but the van turning right says ‘Bert West’s Delivery Service’
John
Here’s a better picture of what was a postcard, which coincidentally had one of Dad’s vans in it. Back door open - no ‘jump up’ thefts then I suppose. How casual everybody is, someone wandering across the road, so different from today.
The message on the back (which I don’t have any more) was a bit like a modern text, a quick run down of who was doing what in the family.
The view itself I can date to 1939. My brother in law is a film buff and Gracie Fields film ‘Keep Smiling’ was that year, he says. The waverley hotel, which you can just see behind the trees, with the chimneys poking above, was bombed in the Barrow blitz of 1941 (about 1 mile as the bomber flies from the shipyards and iron & steel works) and has been coronation gardens as long as I can remember.
Dad said that the Hindenburg flew over Barrow very low In 1936, on its way to America, he remembered looking up at it - very sinister. Undoubtedly taking photographs of the shipyard as it went!
The Ritz has now gone, to be replaced by Emly Hughes house - allegedly designed to look like an ocean liner to reflect the history of the town. I’ll let you judge for yourselves.
“Emlyn Hughes House” by Dreamer. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: … _House.jpg
John
Great shot of the old town John !,it looks like your dads van had a roller shutter door ? and what kind of carriers licence would he have had to have ? a “B” maybe ? The town looked a lot nicer place all those years ago than it does to-day,what do you think ? Cheers Dennis.
A good choice of van John, a Morris Commercial. 
Pete.
Yes John what a nice picture you can’t beat the old ones.
Thanks for your kind replies.
I didn’t know it was a Morris. As you say Dennis, roller shutter door. In another life, on Amtrak, we had to have slam locks on the cargo doors to avoid casual theft - not so much a problem in our area to be fair, but in some cities there were postcodes where you needed 2 drivers, one to deliver and one to guard the van!
We then had to have retractable key chains - so the drivers didn’t leave the keys in the ignition and also to avoid that phone call, usually made at the busiest time of the day ‘err, I’ve locked the keys in the back of the van’.
Abbey road is still tree lined, but not along that section - it’s a long pull in for the buses now. I could rant for hours about the decisions made by our city ‘fathers’ over the last 30 or so years, but that’s probably true in most towns. An exception seems to be Workington, which my wife and I visited a while ago, where all the shops seemed to be occupied and parking is allowed for 1/2 an hour instead of our useless 10 minutes. Maybe there’s a connection there somewhere!
I don’t know how Dad got his licences, but I’m sure they were ‘A’. I seem to remember him saying that the going rate for an A licence was always £1,000.
John
little ha ba:
Bewick:
little ha ba:
Bewick:
Here’s a shot of my old marra Harry’s (RIP) Scanias,by this time he’d started buying decent motorsCheers Bewick.
Nice pic Don remember both of these one was driven by Gordon Thompson and the other by Ian Faulder aka pop rivet now both owner drivers Ian runs a scnia and Gordon runs a volvo
When I first came across Gordy he would be about 9 or 10 and was with HT in their Tilt cab Reiver,used to come across them at all times of day and night between Kendal and London and used to stay in the same digs at London Colney with HT.I think you are mixing me up with Donny Bewick frae Plumbland eh! Cheers Dennis.
Hi Dennis
no was not getting you mixed with Donny,
why the names on the front of the cabs■■? and look at the silly flags in the windscreen,whats all that about
bubbleman:
Hello,its about time I stuck my 3 pennath in
This old 88 was taken many moons ago,yes its ■■■■■■■■ registered but was Burnholme a company from ■■■■■■■
Cheers Bubbs.
lawsons trucks look nice,shame about the silly flags in the windscreen.what is all that about?
It’s called being young and interested it is also mentioned they now run there own businesses say no more
BIBS:
It’s called being young and interested it is also mentioned they now run there own businesses say no more
young…you said it,about 7 year old ,have they got toys in the windscreens .
gripper1:
lawsons trucks look nice,shame about the silly flags in the windscreen.what is all that about?
It.s all about the 80s and early 90s, they were just about compulsory then along with Bandag windscreen strips and Michelin men and strips of rag on your mirrors
robroy:
gripper1:
lawsons trucks look nice,shame about the silly flags in the windscreen.what is all that about?It.s all about the 80s and early 90s, they were just about compulsory then along with Bandag windscreen strips and Michelin men and strips of rag on your mirrors
some drivers,youngish ones at that still make their cabs look like an indian taxi with all them silly lights ,in,on and around it.its funny when you see the frilly curtain halfway over the drivers door window,is it because they are shy.the ones I wonder about are the ones with their childrens names painted on the front of the cab,whats all that about?
gripper1:
robroy:
gripper1:
lawsons trucks look nice,shame about the silly flags in the windscreen.what is all that about?It.s all about the 80s and early 90s, they were just about compulsory then along with Bandag windscreen strips and Michelin men and strips of rag on your mirrors
I wonder about are the ones with their childrens names painted on the front of the cab,whats all that about?
I had my daughters name on my cab years ago. When I was setting off at 4am for another week away from home, a bit peed off,it would make me smile to myself and remind me just who I was doing it all for. Oh and yes, it was worth all the graft,she’s grown into a fine woman.
So,if you like,you can stop wondering. Happy to help
Regards.John.
old 67:
gripper1:
robroy:
gripper1:
lawsons trucks look nice,shame about the silly flags in the windscreen.what is all that about?It.s all about the 80s and early 90s, they were just about compulsory then along with Bandag windscreen strips and Michelin men and strips of rag on your mirrors
I wonder about are the ones with their childrens names painted on the front of the cab,whats all that about?
I had my daughters name on my cab years ago. When I was setting off at 4am for another week away from home, a bit peed off,it would make me smile to myself and remind me just who I was doing it all for. Oh and yes, it was worth all the graft,she’s grown into a fine woman.
So,if you like,you can stop wondering. Happy to help
Regards.John.
Thanks John,but I still don’t understand the point.was it because you had to do it to be like the other drivers,they are like that,truckers that is,must follow the latest daft fad.if someone put a sheeps head on the dash the next day I bet others would have done the same,must follow the trend.
Looking at the photo it should pass ok, certainly no problem with the handbrake holding !! 
Regards. John.
syramax:
RJ Dixon , Workington my ride
there is one of dixons with his name in the windscreen,i bet he is one of the daft young cab happy ones,all flash and dash,when will the girly curtains get fitted?