Found this photo of some workmates from the Smiths depot at Cheadle Hulme.
This was taken at the Reading HQ, I guess about 1990, after the lads had (for some long forgotten reason) completed a relay run from Cheadle Hulme.
As I am no runner at all I cycled!
Anyone know any faces here?
MikeG
What? - no response
sorry i don’t recognise anyone on the photo , but my brother in law worked for smiths at cheadle hulme and stayed with them through the ownership change , and retired in 2010 . i’ll get in touch , he is bound to know them , cheers , dave
Hi,
It would be interesting to find some of the names, I have forgotten nearly all of them!
I worked from Cheadle Hulme until about 1990 when they were talking about a move to Warrington. I was with them for about 13 years, driving most of the motors from rigids, waggon and drag an (old F86), ERF’s, Leylands, DAFs etc. Thats me on far right of photo, looking very young!!Still cycle occasionally but not as much as then.
Guy next to me was known as “Blakey”, tall lad in the centre was Chris (lived near Mcr Airport I recall), far left with hand on face is Jim Burton.
Hey Ho
you must have known my bro in law , jeff jackson . he worked out of warrington until he retired . he was at smiths in the 90s , i used to see him at rdc deliveries . , dave
Hey,
Theres a name I had all but forgotten!!
Yes I knew “JJ”,
Say hello from Mike Gallacher, I was the young lad that cycled, had the Austin Champ and the Ducati. If that doesn’t remind him, tell him I was the lucky guy that had Phil Coopers ERF, I had to scrape the nicotine off the windows with a blade to see anything.
Cheers
I have been challenging my memory to get a picture of JJ, finally it has bubbled up to the surface.
I remember him as being a really helpful chap and generally a nice guy!!! He gave me a lot of help in finding various depots. I recall him leading me to IPC at Winsford for a load of board and then on to Avonmouth. Spent a good few hours with him at Lincoln Farm waiting for a trailer switch with the Eastleigh drivers.
Some names he may recall: Pete Hamer - Union guy who used to do the shunting between the Cheadle Factory (long closed) and depot, Harry - did the tanker from CH to Peterlee. Dave Taylor and his sidekick Ted. DT generally did the Fleetwood run if I remember right. "Chicken George Oliver, famous for hitting the Chelford bridge, “No, I didn’t do that”, “Why has your trailer got a hole in the roof and a pile of bricks in the front”, last seen driving taxis, many years ago. Ken Howard, Martin Hall, Jim Solomon (ex Israeli special forces - so he said…) so many forgotten names and faces… Cyril - who rumor had it was there when crisps were delivered in tin cans.
I made all my mistakes at Smiths; dropping trailers on their knees, coupling up and not applying parking brake - when attaching red line rig starts to roll backwards towards a large drop - I foolishly think I should get in cab and apply brake- instead of just pulling out the red, jump of platform and jacket gets caught on exhaust stack leaving me hanging momentarily feet of the ground, rip off jacket and jump into cab and put brakes on - never did that again…
Hello,
This is Ted Royle’s son, I am sure Ted will recognise some of the faces in the picture. He worked at Smiths and Walkers for a good few years. I will show him this post when I see him next week. I willl try and post a Youtube link where I have posted a video of my dad at Smiths Cheadle Hulme driving a DAF truck ,if anyone is interested?. I will try and post a few pictures too.
Regards
Terry.
Brilliant!
That video takes me back.
Iirc those Dafs replaced the T45’s which had replaced the ERF’s.
I remember ALL those faces, but struggle to put a name to almost any of them.
One thing that surprises me is how small the units look compared to what I drive today. At the time I moved from an F86 drawbar onto the ERF,s and Roadtrains and thought they were huge.
Happy days and many happy nights.
Thanks for the photos and Video.
Much appreciated.
MikeG
Harrys tanker…
volvof86:
Here are a few pictures from my Dad’s days at Smiths Crisps.
I can name a few people on the photo, My dad Ted is on the left (smoking the pipe) and Dave Taylor is in the middle… I will see my dad next week and ask him who the others are.
I certainly recognise Ted (and pipe!) and Dave T, the guy on DT’s right left to go driving cranes I believe.
The guy on Teds left, whose name escapes me, is the chap whose car I made a bit of a dent in whilst reversing the D/b, it was just before Xmas and the warehouse/office had been out for a drink. He came up close on my blind side without me noticing and I sort of carried on until alerted by crunching of metal!!!
So that is where Keith Lemon worked before he got on the Telly 
The old Smiths lorry at the top of the thread reminded me of going into Smiths Lincoln on Newark Road
Hi ted hope you are well been a long time
jeff jackson
good evening jeff , did you get my email earlier . i couldn’t resist , you look so young on it , cheers , dave ( bro in law )
x