hi basilbrush did you get vintage road scene november issue there was plenty of glouster cattle lorries including two of northovers bedford s types neil b
Neil B:
hi basilbrush did you get vintage road scene november issue there was plenty of glouster cattle lorries including two of northovers bedford s types neil b
Hello Neil, I didn’t get it but I’ll be in the newsagents first thing in the morning to see if they have one. I’ve wished a thousand times that I had a camera on me all those years ago, so much history but ony in the memory box.
BB
Neil B:
hi basilbrush did you get vintage road scene november issue there was plenty of glouster cattle lorries including two of northovers bedford s types neil b
I didn’t manage to get one Neil, I’ll try again tomorrow in a garage local to here who may still have a copy. Were there any A.F.Cook, Troughtons Transport or Walter Bye & Son lorries in there? They were local to us & we used them for years.
BB
Basilbrush:
Neil B:
hi basilbrush did you get vintage road scene november issue there was plenty of glouster cattle lorries including two of northovers bedford s types neil bI didn’t manage to get one Neil, I’ll try again tomorrow in a garage local to here who may still have a copy. Were there any A.F.Cook, Troughtons Transport or Walter Bye & Son lorries in there? They were local to us & we used them for years.
BB
Hi Basilbrush and Neil B,
Very interesting photographs of Gloucestershire & district livestock hauliers.
On page 8 , the Seddon , reg MDD 667 , belongs to long-established hauliers Wm. Parry & Sons of
St. Briavels . I understand it was their only wagon which bore no signwriting on the cab.
Cheers , cattle wagon man.
HI BASIL JUST GOT BACK FROM AWEEKEND AWAY PHOTOS ARE OFF AEC RDF 857 AF COOK FORD 4D WE BLANFORD SAD 681 2 BEDFORDS NORTHOVER BROS YDG 981 YAD444 BMC WARNERS BEDFORD BOWLES COMER UFK388 2 COMERS W H WILLIAMS VIVAN YOUNG A TYPE BEDFORD ALSO O TYPE BEDFORD JAMES TOWSEND THAMES TRADER RH GOLDING S TYPE BEDFORD THIS NOVEMBER ISSUE IHAVE MY COPY ICAN LET YOU HAVE ALL THE BEST NEIL
Neil B:
HI BASIL JUST GOT BACK FROM AWEEKEND AWAY PHOTOS ARE OFF AEC RDF 857 AF COOK FORD 4D WE BLANFORD SAD 681 2 BEDFORDS NORTHOVER BROS YDG 981 YAD444 BMC WARNERS BEDFORD BOWLES COMER UFK388 2 COMERS W H WILLIAMS VIVAN YOUNG A TYPE BEDFORD ALSO O TYPE BEDFORD JAMES TOWSEND THAMES TRADER RH GOLDING S TYPE BEDFORD THIS NOVEMBER ISSUE IHAVE MY COPY ICAN LET YOU HAVE ALL THE BEST NEIL
Hello Neil
I’ve hit the edit button on this one taday as I’ve been on to the magazine this afternoon & they’re sending me a copy of the November book issue 144. The two lorries I’m hoping to see are, a Commer Maxiload Reg FHT 332D & an AEC Mercury Reg RDF 537G if one or both of those are in it that’ll be great.
A F Cook (Known as Sonny Cook) had three AECs in the end. One Mercury, I think it was called a Park royal cab on it & two Ergomatic cabbed Mercurys a G reg & a J reg. The ran alonside Two D reg Commers & a K reg TK Bedofrd which was the last lorry Sonny Cook bought before selling up. There’s a book out in two versions covering Gloucestershire Hauliers, I have both versions of it & they make very interesting reading covering the history of our well known names in the industry.
BB 
I got the Nov magazine neil, it amazing to see the photos of those old trucks, I drove a New Bedford S type up our drive loaded with Brewers Grains when I was about 7, wonderful memories. I see there were two earlies issues covering livestock hauliers & they should both be here as soon as the postman finishes reading them (joke) I’m hoping these other magazines might have photos of my Cousins lorries Walter Bye & Son who ran dodges or the firm my late brother John drove for Troughtons Transport who ran Thames Traders, a D Series ford & a D reg Seddon Artic.
I see a F Cook lorries from Frampton Cotterell in the book you told me about, these must have belonged to the father of the A F Cook I knew, I’d have loved to have the history of the firm but Sonny Cook had no children so it was the end of the line with him.
Thank you for reminding me of the magazine, I’ll try & post some piccies from them when I get them. Happy new year.
BB
Neil B:
hi were they northover bros use to have cattle trucks in the 40s /50s remember them at winford market in 40s
There were three brothers Jim, George and I cant remenber the other I dont think he had a lot to do with the firm.
I remember Jim mostly in the yard shed sorting out job sheets. The yard being next to the rail line just along from the signal box and crossing.
George was taller and always very smart, smoked a pipe, he reminded me of Tony Ben.
Their lorries were bedfords back then, meat wagons, grain lorries, livestock and milk (churns) and at one time house coal deliveries and house removals but that was before my time but my father had done it in the early days.
Jim owned Home Farm and had milk cows.
My father and his twin brother started working for Northovers after demob. in 1947. John his brother left after an argument with Jim about a pay rise they didnt get but was supposed to have. I remember they had to fill in a brown hard cover log book each day. Dads name was Percy and was known. Dad carried on working for them until 1973 when Austin Pearce bought all the livestock lorries after coming into some money, I believe he only recently died he must have been almost a hundred, he became a councillor later on. Horrice, a good friend died in the 70s from a heart attack.
Other divers not mentioned that I can remember were Eric Cussons who lived in Easter Compton, died in 2003, and Bill Tuck from Thornbury I think still alive, they were also (still) builders you`ll see their vehicals about locally.
The mechanic was Bill Leverton.
I remember once dad took me with him when the steam engine King George V came through and we watched from the crossing gate, I think it was a one off special occasion. At least I think that was the name of the loco.
I no doubt will remember lots more now.
Anyone know what happened to this firm.
I used to be a sales rep for Fiat trucks in Avonmouth ( owned by Carmichaels of Worcester) and used to drive for them ( evenings only) after work. Used to load them at the phurnacite plant at ? in S.Wales. They used 32.240 MAN’s withcolumn gear changes.
Peter
hi were they northover bros use to have cattle trucks in the 40s /50s remember them at winford market in 40s
Don’t think so…but they may have been, before my time
Peter
Strewth!! There’s a blast from the past… 
Weren’t they a tan colour with red lettering? 4 x 2’s and tatty bulkers, if I remember rightly…but most bulkers were tatty back then!
They must have finished up well over 20 years ago but I’m sure someone will know exactly. I can recall seeing them when. as a kid, I used to ride around in my mates wagon and then as a driver myself. That would be late 70’s onwards…?
That is right, tan cabs with red lettering, and tatty bulkers, generally MAN.
If you know any more please let me know.
Got sent to them one day while i was doing a spot of agency,early start for the Butchers round in Bristol,the young bloke in the shed/office was the most ignorant/rude bloke i had ever met,told him to do it himself,and went back to bed!!..chris
ps. forgot to mention.this would have been about 1971or 2.
Ah. that would have been the boss then !
peterpallet:
Ah. that would have been the boss then !
glad it wasnt just me then!!..chris
Seem to remember them from 20 odd years ago. I thought thay were blue units pulling trailers for somebody like Norfolk Line. Think they went spectacularly bust. The boss was Simon Biggs who until recently ran PBH (Pilning Bulk Haulage) but they went bust. I am led to believe he has been made bankrupt a few times in between as well.
used to run the early saviems with column change driver called dave padget used to drive for them in the 70’s load of stone for tilbury sea wall tip over to sudbury load grain back tip reload for next day !!! thank god for log sheets then lol
Neil B:
hi were they northover bros use to have cattle trucks in the 40s /50s remember them at winford market in 40s
It was the same Northovers Neil, I only knew Jim Northover as my father used to see him a the various cattle markets he attended around our area in those days. In those days the lorries were brown & the Northover name was signwritten into something circular like a Belt on the doors & front corners of the cab.
The company was taken over when it ran red lorries, I beleive it was ran under the same banner for a while but wasn’t the same firm.
Northovers also ran some lorries on Brewers Grains, I well remember running down our drive 3/4 of a mile to meet one of their lorries & the drivers used to let me drive up to the farm. Old Commer TS3s were the main ones but I remember driving a brand new Bedford (I think it was an S tyrpe) up the drive & it was its first load.
All the drivers knew they’d be treated as family at our place & they’d regularly be sat around the table if it was meal time or mother would take them something out to the yard if not.
Drivers I remember were, Arthur Irons, Freddy Fyfield, Horace Pearce, Norman Pearce & Austin Pearce. I think Austin is the only one left nowaday & last time I saw him he was as spritely as ever. He’s only recently sold his last cattle truck & taken an easy retirement.
Interesting thread & lovely memories.
BB