Anybody got any photos of woolaways builders of barnstaple , yellow and black. i can remember a f86 and man artic for pulling a low loader with. also Bedford KM AND LEYLANDS . They had a large plant fleet too. What about Shapland and Petters the door people had a small fleet of ERFs.from braunton you had the famous Anadin lorries.
ANNIES PRIDE:
Anybody got any photos of woolaways builders of barnstaple , yellow and black. i can remember a f86 and man artic for pulling a low loader with. alsoBedford KM AND LEYLANDS . They had a large plant fleet too. What about Shapland and Petters the door people had a small fleet of ERFs.from braunton you had the famous Anadin lorries.
Hi “ANNIES PRIDE” Was this the same Woolaway that was bought out by Ron Amey in the 60s ,i remember a large yard with building materials and tippers etc -i had to deliver there and go on to Instow and drop something else at another Woolaway yard ? and collected from a shipbuider next door -a large covered dock -It was a long time ago and so hope my recollections are near right ! ----Toshboy
Might have this wrong as I suffered a head injury a few years ago and my memory is abit shot, I’m sure I used to park on a small industrial estate in Barnstaple opposite a newish housing estate and I used to get a wash in “Smythes” yard washroom. I think they had green painted decent units i.e. F10’s and 12’s, also Scania’s. Of course they were on the same industrial park.
I believe they’ve now gone either under or just folded. It was a good stop for me as I befriended a local coach driver who let me into his family home, his wife fed me and we went into town for a pint or two. Nice family and a result when away for the week.
This would have been mid to late 80’s.
Have I got this right about Smythes? Anyone know?
Smythes are long gone, taken over by Gregorys in the late 80’s, your memory is ok, they were green with white stripes and ran volvos, scanias and man’s
john57:
Smythes are long gone, taken over by Gregorys in the late 80’s, your memory is ok, they were green with white stripes and ran volvos, scanias and man’s
Cheers john57. Nice to know i was right but shame they went.
woolaways was in seven bretherens ind est as you went in on the right. which is where LIDL’s is now .Smythes was a legendary firm every man would come for miles to drive there f12s for hundred and fifty pound a week. a much missed firm after mr gregory took them over. 
tony smythe had the first chipliner trailers got together with Boalloy and came up with the idea.
ANNIES PRIDE:
woolaways was in seven bretherens ind est as you went in on the right. which is where LIDL’s is now .Smythes was a legendary firm every man would come for miles to drive there f12s for hundred and fifty pound a week. a much missed firm after mr gregory took them over.
As a 22 year old in a 10 year old F7 i was well impressed with smythes fleet, i guess there was s jewsons close by as i would of been delivering crosby window frames to jewsons in devon and cornwall while on lambert bros eastleigh. i found smythes friendly and helpful. gregorys seem to have swallowed alot of good companies up?
hi can any of you remember a firm called rawl gammon and baker builders merchant on the trading estate 7 bretheren ithink if you do i will tell you a story you wont believe regards rowland
hi i think about 25 30 years ago regards rowland
Hi RWARD ! RAWLE GAMMON AND BAKER still going strong trade as RGB now got alot of depots thru out devon cornwall and somerset. they had the site at Rolle QUAY in Barnstaple. went there as a passenger with dad then as adriver myself thru out the last 13 years . now moved to pottington ind est . hows your f88/89 coming along ? dad had a f88 remember riding around london early hours of the morning with the buzzer going many a year ago ! he used to drive his for what was EVANS OF Appledore now BARNSTAPLE. IT WAS THE ONLY LORRY MUM LIKED ! SAID IT RESSEMBLED A TRAIN 
What was the funny story about rgb ? back to work tomorrow probably reply friday evening or at the weekend.
hi annie well here goes it was a friday morning waiting outside rawl gammon and baker to tip cement lorry first then someone else then me catnic driver ministry men were there he asked driver for his taco to check we were standing nattering and i could not believe his words he said you want to check it do it your bloody self me and this other driver looked at each other in shock this ministry man started telling him this and that and this driver replied listen son ive had to put up with ■■■■ like you for years when itip this load i take it back to yard my redundancy is in the bank my little cottage is paid for i got a little boat that me and the wife will spend fishing with and this is the best bit he jumped in his lorry and reversed in yard and said now wat you going to do then im thinking christ we are going to cop it just for being there he walked straight up to me said did you here that cheeky ■■■■■■■ i said he was quite rude but i was really thinking well done driver coz i never had the bottle to say anything he got in car and drove off even his college smirked soon as they went we ran in yard sayaing well done drive he said boys if i were your age iwould not of said it you got your futures in front of you and drove of with a smile made my day regards rowland ps f89 cab shot and primed thats the cab i bought of russ fenwick all macanicks being stripped radiater being overhalled by my good mate pete 359 all new interior being made as we talk slowly but surely still struggling for bubble tank hope this wasnt boring but its true
hi annie well here goes it was a friday morning waiting outside rawl gammon and baker to tip cement lorry first then someone else then me catnic driver ministry men were there he asked driver for his taco to check we were standing nattering and i could not believe his words he said you want to check it do it your bloody self me and this other driver looked at each other in shock this ministry man started telling him this and that and this driver replied listen son ive had to put up with ■■■■ like you for years when itip this load i take it back to yard my redundancy is in the bank my little cottage is paid for i got a little boat that me and the wife will spend fishing with and this is the best bit he jumped in his lorry and reversed in yard and said now wat you going to do then im thinking christ we are going to cop it just for being there he walked straight up to me said did you here that cheeky ■■■■■■■ i said he was quite rude but i was really thinking well done driver coz i never had the bottle to say anything he got in car and drove off even his college smirked soon as they went we ran in yard sayaing well done drive he said boys if i were your age iwould not of said it you got your futures in front of you and drove of with a smile made my day regards rowland ps f89 cab shot and primed thats the cab i bought of russ fenwick all macanicks being stripped radiater being overhalled by my good mate pete 359 all new interior being made as we talk slowly but surely still struggling for bubble tank hope this wasnt boring but its true
“Smythes was a legendary firm every man would come for miles to drive there f12s for hundred and fifty pound a week”. Was this good money at the time compared to Torridge, Evans etc