sandway:
A fine looking photo of a Colin Ashby MAN. One of our local companies.
A bit after my time - I had 98 and then 110 briefly. Cant think whose this would be as there was only about ten of us on bulk. Could be Frank’s or Graham’s. Probably taken in late summer, given the dust etc., we’d be busy with harvest then. Colin didn’t like them this dirty!
Turks always seemed just that little far away to be called one of our local companies. I suppose because I worked just north of Staplehurst that was the centre of my hub but Turks were no further away than Henleys at Paddock Wood so perhaps they should be included. Someones now working the milage out I’m sure.
How many of these 6 wheelers did Firmin have? OKN 946G and UKM 285H are shown here. Nmp but must say the first photo looks great. Hopefully it hasn’t been posted before. I know the second photo has as I posted it a year or two back.
Just those two. Firmin also ran a fair number of 33ft triaxle trailers so that they could gross 32tons. As I have posted before UKM 285H was destroyed in an accident which very sadly killed the driver.
and whilst we’re talking about Firmin’s…
Just found some interesting photos of loading/unloading some Staplehurst Transits lorries. They are on the concrete apron in front of the new extension to the old building. When I left in 76 we had no new extension and very little concrete.
Please click on photos to enlarge.
Photos courtesy of I think Colin Goldup.
H E Woodcock & Sons Ltd from Headcorn. The first 2 photos have been seen before but now we have a bit more info on them thanks to John Chaplin.
Pic 1 shows the first lorry he drove after passing his test going straight from a car license to class 1 HGV. John drove her for the first year he was with the company…
Pic 2 shows his first Merc with Woodcock’s.
Pic 3 shows a lovely lady in front of one of his later Merc’s. I can tell you know more about it.
sandway:
H E Woodcock & Sons Ltd from Headcorn. The first 2 photos have been seen before but now we have a bit more info on them thanks to John Chaplin.Pic 1 shows the first lorry he drove after passing his test going straight from a car license to class 1 HGV. John drove her for the first year he was with the company…
Pic 2 shows his first Merc with Woodcock’s.
Pic 3 shows a lovely lady in front of one of his later Merc’s. I can tell you know more about it.
I recognised the reg no. of the later Merc C103 EKR and looked it up in my old notes. I was driving it for East Kent Enterprises (EKE) in '86 on weekend work. It was a Merc 2033 with twin-steer and a slap-across ZF 16-sp box. Here’s a pic I took when I was tri-stacking with it to the docks. I used to pick them up ready-stacked, unlike at LASH’s where I used to stack 'em myself!
driverjoe:
Does anyone have pictures of Coulling Brothers, Mercedes Benz Powerliners or Actros, they used to get all their lorries from Sparshatts in Sittingbourne Kent. My dad and myself worked for Coulling Brothers i remember them running curtainsiders and flatbeds, my dad worked for them 14 years and i worked for them for 1 year before they shut down.i found these pictures earlier the 7.5t Merc with Coulling Brothers on it and the 7.5t Daf with silver curtains (Brian Yeardleys when they was based at lenham) where mine, the transcotti belonged to owner driver called Lou Thurgood, the Lenham Storage and Coulling Brothers lorries where my dads and the breakdown was my grandads when he was a fitter at Lenham Storage. hope the pictures stir a few memories.
For anyone who remembers CTS Logistics (who yard shared with Yeardleys at Lenham in the old Underwood yard) the owner Adam Croucher has sadly passed away from cancer, after he left the UK he moved to Canada, I found out about Adams death today through a friend #RIPAdam
sandway:
A fine looking photo of a Colin Ashby MAN. One of our local companies.
I’m sure I’ve asked this question before but when I worked for CERT , they asked me to go down to there depot in Marden . So 2 questions any photos of there depot and where is it ,I know I stopped in a pub near by white walled in the middle of the village !! ( I know not much to go on . I’m almost sure CERT bought out Colin Ashby . look forward to your help, The guy I worked with was called Keith really nice guy and knew his stuff, worked on a Coffee Co contract
Another John Chaplin photo. Merc 1924 JOR 820P after a Ross respray. Don’t know who or what Ross was but should have thought about cleaning the tyres before the photo was taken. But who knows! Maybe John took the photo before he had the chance to clean them.
Boatchaser:
sandway:
A fine looking photo of a Colin Ashby MAN. One of our local companies.I’m sure I’ve asked this question before but when I worked for CERT , they asked me to go down to there depot in Marden . So 2 questions any photos of there depot and where is it ,I know I stopped in a pub near by white walled in the middle of the village !! ( I know not much to go on . I’m almost sure CERT bought out Colin Ashby . look forward to your help, The guy I worked with was called Keith really nice guy and knew his stuff, worked on a Coffee Co contract
The pub is the West End Tavern. In the 1970s the landlady was known as “Tup”. Back then it was bare floorboards with a very small public bar.
I was idly cranking up memories of Deutz artics operated by Sandwich Growers (IIRC) in about 1963/4 on another thread this evening. They used to go up and down the Thanet Way. Anyone remember them?
That then reminded me of some AEC Ergo artics that used to run out of Whitstable Harbour under the name of Westland Imports in the late '60s. I think they were a subsidiary of Westland Shipping, at least one of whose vessels docked regularly there. I think they were part of Crescent Line or perhaps that was a rival company. Anyone remember?
If I had been painting the H.E. Woodcock & Son Mercedes-Benz artic unit,
and then intending to take a photograph of it, I would have spent a little
bit of time with a brush and some Tyrewall Black to give a better image. 
Cheers, Ray.
sandway:
A fine looking photo of a Colin Ashby MAN. One of our local companies.
I agree, MAN at it’s best…
Ray
> ERF-NGC-European:
> I was idly cranking up memories of Deutz artics operated by Sandwich Growers (IIRC) in about 1963/4 on another thread this evening. They used to go up and down the Thanet Way. Anyone remember them?
>
> That then reminded me of some AEC Ergo artics that used to run out of Whitstable Harbour under the name of Westland Imports in the late '60s. I think they were a subsidiary of Westland Shipping, at least one of whose vessels docked regularly there. I think they were part of Crescent Line or perhaps that was a rival company. Anyone remember?
I was 2nd Mate on the Dangeld in 1969, we ran a weekly service from Whitstable to Esbjerg with fridge, chilled and general cargo plus 12 passengers.
Dangeld was operated by Crescent Shipping.
I remember the Westland name and brand from the time, but can’t remember the exact connection between Crescent & Westland.
whisperingsmith:
> ERF-NGC-European:
> I was idly cranking up memories of Deutz artics operated by Sandwich Growers (IIRC) in about 1963/4 on another thread this evening. They used to go up and down the Thanet Way. Anyone remember them?
>
> That then reminded me of some AEC Ergo artics that used to run out of Whitstable Harbour under the name of Westland Imports in the late '60s. I think they were a subsidiary of Westland Shipping, at least one of whose vessels docked regularly there. I think they were part of Crescent Line or perhaps that was a rival company. Anyone remember?I was 2nd Mate on the Dangeld in 1969, we ran a weekly service from Whitstable to Esbjerg with fridge, chilled and general cargo plus 12 passengers.
Dangeld was operated by Crescent Shipping.0
I remember the Westland name and brand from the time, but can’t remember the exact connection between Crescent & Westland.
I’d forgotten about the Dangeld. Wasn’t that one of the ships that used to bring the civic Christmas tree to Whitstable? The other Esbjerg regular was Luminence IIRC. I have a vague recollection that the Resurgence was connected to Westlands.
Not sure about the Xmas Tree, but it would seem quite likely.
The Luminence & Resurgence were before my time.
Quite a few pics of both ships & much more on The Whitstable Harbour Years Website, which I found following your post:
whisperingsmith:
Not sure about the Xmas Tree, but it would seem quite likely.The Luminence & Resurgence were before my time.
Quite a few pics of both ships & much more on The Whitstable Harbour Years Website, which I found following your post:
Blimey those pics brought back a few memories. Excellent website. Thanks for posting.
Photo and story courtesy of John Chaplin. This old ERF, reg WKM 443J, was one of Turks Transport and was converted and used by Weights Circus. It ended up abandoned for thirteen years. John understands after all that time it started and was now in the hands of a restorer. Does anyone know anything about the lorry and it’s whereabouts.
