My late father drove for a company called BOOTY’S TRANSPORT in the early 1960’s, does anyone remember them? They were based somewhere in Oxford and had car transporters, but dad drove a BMC 701 seven ton dropsider. I used to travel with him in the school holidays and remember collecting animal feed from London and taking it to farms around the Berks/Oxon area. He told me that one day the 2 speed stuck in neutral in Trafalgar Square and a passing Policeman took the little plate off of the control unit on the axle and jammed it in gear with a piece of wood! Would give you a ticket nowadays! Dad travelled from Reading to Oxford each day on a Victoria moped, some journey, and used to collect me on the way to London (a bit off route I know). I guess that the firm is now long gone, like my dad!
Windrush.
Been racking my brain but can’t recall them at all… Will ask my brothers/brothers in law who still live in and around Oxford, see if they can come up with anything.
Also still looking for any info on Dykes Brothers.
banbury buildings!i worked for the opposition,cotswold buildings of standlake.drivers mate,they put me through my test in an 1972 .a series,erf.i did about 7yrs for them,in late 70,s.a really good firm a the time.
Lone Wolf, I remember them, I also worked as a mate at B/B, Coventry Depot, and at Compton Building, also worked at Comptons as a driver in 77 until I went to Dines of Bicester, odd thing is I had a Guy Big J there called Lone Wolf.
Don’t suppose you have any photos.?
BigG-Unit:
Ah yes, I couldn’t remember whether they were up Boars Hill or ■■■■■■ Hill. Can you throw any light on the “WEKANKARRIT” thing? I’m thinking maybe they ran as two different set ups.
Werrals are still running out of ■■■■■■ Rd, Wooten, Nr Abingdon. Old red second hand ERF’s. Work is all UK and poorly paid. I worked for them summer 92 for £3 a wk including bonus. Didn’t have any quality work, roping, sheeting timber on flatbeds or ■■■■■■■ concrete out of Grendon. I think they are using mostly curtain siders now. All their kit is old and knackered and I’m surprised John hasn’t sold out to some property developer wanting to build about 150 flats in his yard. Nice enough people to work for but the job was desperate.
BigG-Unit:
Suprised no old Tuckwell drivers on here, bigish firm in the '60s but had a bit of a reputation! Well tippers! A lot of blokes had “Hell Drivers” chalked on the tailboard but not having seen the film I didn’t know what it was all about. They ran nearly all A series Bedford’s then and seemed to have a new one in the showroom at the agents down Botley road constantly. The wagons took a bit of a beating so their own workshop was kept busy with repairs and staightening. I remember one chap known as “Skinny Bore or Ball” I think, seemed to have more than his share of dings and scrapes so the boss had him in, had a talk with him and said they were giving him a brand new motor as they thought if he had something to take pride in he would keep out of trouble. Early one morning in the first week, he pulled out of the yard, turned onto the Cowley road, ahead of him was a milk float, the only other vehicle on the road. He started to overtake then in his headlights he saw “milkie’s” hand stuck out of the float cab, then a row of milk crates! You can guess the rest!! Smack in the middle of the bonnet.
Tuckwells old yard is now a full on builders merchants, can’t remember the name. As far as I am aware Tuckwells now runs out of Radley sandpits on concrete mixers. No general haulage and only a couple of mixers.
BigG-Unit:
Windrush.
Been racking my brain but can’t recall them at all… Will ask my brothers/brothers in law who still live in and around Oxford, see if they can come up with anything.
Also still looking for any info on Dykes Brothers.
Windrush, I think, had red and green motors. Working out of Milton Trading Estate. I think their main job was tinned groceries on sheeted flat beds. Apparently they would be expected to leave Milton at 4am, tip Liverpool, reload and be back, tipped and reloaded for Liverpool that same day. I worked for BRS at the time driving a Big J and Liverpool was one day, coming back was another day.
Dykes Brothers ran out of Station industrial estate, Chipping Norton and I cant remember the last time I saw one.
I think both firms closed years ago.
Hi berewic, and welcome to the site. Thanks for picking up this thread and thanks for the info. My brother, who still lives in Oxford said it was Travis Perkins in Tukwells old yard last time he was by there. They did have the gravel pits at Radley where we would load from when on the tippers but they seemed to put me on the flats mainly, which suited me, mind I wasn’t there very long. I would be on timber for Johnsons (Ithink it was) down the Botley road, or sometimes I would cover for drivers on the cement job out of Kirtlington cement works to Bradleys at South Cerney, cracking job! just big bins on a flat, so a bit dusty but ok. My dad used to talk about when Harry fist started with horse and carts!! but it was a son or nephew or even third generation, ran it when I was there but we didn’t see him much.
Interesting your info on Dykes being at Chippy, as I thought they were out Aylesbury way, but I only based this on seeing their motors around there and Crendon having a pit there. Again though, my brother reckons Crendon had a place at Radley so maybe they had others and Dykes ran from all there depots. I’m talking probably 1970’s when I saw them and seem to remember LAD cabed rigids in orange with “Dykes Bros” on them and Crendon Concrete. any more info would be much appreciated
When you worked at BRS were you based at Sandy Lane Cowley as I was also trying to find info on another thread,on the light blue Commers and the like that carried the car bodies from Cowley to Cov and Brum in the 60’s/70’s. Thanks again,
BigG-Unit:
Hi berewic, and welcome to the site. Thanks for picking up this thread and thanks for the info. My brother, who still lives in Oxford said it was Travis Perkins in Tukwells old yard last time he was by there. They did have the gravel pits at Radley where we would load from when on the tippers but they seemed to put me on the flats mainly, which suited me, mind I wasn’t there very long. I would be on timber for Johnsons (Ithink it was) down the Botley road, or sometimes I would cover for drivers on the cement job out of Kirtlington cement works to Bradleys at South Cerney, cracking job! just big bins on a flat, so a bit dusty but ok. My dad used to talk about when Harry fist started with horse and carts!! but it was a son or nephew or even third generation, ran it when I was there but we didn’t see him much.
Interesting your info on Dykes being at Chippy, as I thought they were out Aylesbury way, but I only based this on seeing their motors around there and Crendon having a pit there. Again though, my brother reckons Crendon had a place at Radley so maybe they had others and Dykes ran from all there depots. I’m talking probably 1970’s when I saw them and seem to remember LAD cabed rigids in orange with “Dykes Bros” on them and Crendon Concrete. any more info would be much appreciated
When you worked at BRS were you based at Sandy Lane Cowley as I was also trying to find info on another thread,on the light blue Commers and the like that carried the car bodies from Cowley to Cov and Brum in the 60’s/70’s. Thanks again,
I had to drive one of those Commers once. It had a Scammel semi-automatic coupling trailer about 30’ long. I only had to go from Press Steel to Eynsham and I took the bay window out of someones bedroom window and half the thatched roof in Eynsham when turning a corner. The lady of the house came out and I was expecting a right earful but she was all smiles and said “don’t worry, this is the third time this year”. Needless to say BRS didn’t let me out in one of those again.
Another time I came into the yard about 16.00hrs and one of the blokes who normally worked on that job was balling his eyes out becouse traffic had given him a rush job to Swindon, which would have meant a night out. He cried so much about not being able to tend his garden, they cancelled the job and let him go home.
This was 1977, I was 21 and new. The height of union power when the worker unit could get away with anything. I know the unions went way over the top in those days but the pendulum has swung back so far, respect for workers or any rights are back to the 1920’s.
M G b:
Was it not Dukes from Chipping Norton had a feed mill down by the Station
Ye’ and that’s why I’m assuming that is/was their depot. If not I haven’t a clue where they operated from. I will always remember this as it was the first “long distance” job I had as a newbee 3.5ton Bedford TK flatbed driver. 17yrs old, 1973.
Seeing the picture of the Smith & Sons of Bletchington Foden on Bubbleman’s thread reminded me of when I used to run up and down the old Banbury road in the 60’s. In the evenings there was always one of their motors parked on the side of the road, overnight, outside a cottage. I must have passed it for well over twenty years so obviously a long time servant of the company. Anyone remember it or know of the driver?
Smiths tipper brought back memories for me as well, I drove one of their old wagons, Foden 6 wheeler D 704 PWL when I drove for a chap in Matlock. It was in A1 condition and had all the “extras” like cross locks and an air seat, whoever had driven it at Smiths had really looked after it.
Does anybody have any more pics of the Smiths tipper fleet?
They have always generally been well cared for and they have had Fodens for years.
They seem to be replacing with Volvos although I believe they have a new MAN eight wheeler.
Years ago they had a Bedford TM 4 wheeler tipper and various Guys, Leyland Bisons etc.
Commercial Motor used to feature them quite regularly and I think used to use one of their pits for tipper tests.
They ran nearly all A series Bedford’s then and seemed to have a new one in the showroom at the agents down Botley road constantly. The wagons took a bit of a beating so their own workshop was kept busy with repairs and staightening. I remember one chap known as “Skinny Bore or Ball” I think, seemed to have more than his share of dings and scrapes so the boss had him in, had a talk with him and said they were giving him a brand new motor as they thought if he had something to take pride in he would keep out of trouble. 
Early one morning in the first week, he pulled out of the yard, turned onto the Cowley road, ahead of him was a milk float, the only other vehicle on the road. He started to overtake then in his headlights he saw “milkie’s” hand stuck out of the float cab, then a row of milk crates! You can guess the rest!! Smack in the middle of the bonnet. 
