The correct title of the firm should be T. Brady & SONS Ltd. Tommy Brady had two sons Bob snr. and Jack and they were the SONS on the end of the firms name! I always thought (and said so) it was very “childish” to use an altered title for whatever the reason was!! I know that the standing joke was that Bob snr, was the “S” on the end of Sons but it was only the “craic” and nothing was further from the truth! Jack drove the operation forward on the face of it ,but the Big’un( Bob snr.) was the the man behind the scenes who bought the rolling stock ect. and was “in” with all the customers around Barrow.He was the one that got the invites to all the Launchings in the Vickers Yard,and he was one of the main driving forces behind Barrow R.L.F.C. for a lot of years.I’m not speaking out of turn as I was a close friend of both of the brothers,Jack more than Bob snr. and I know what Jack used to say about his older brother! and it was always complimentary!! Said enough,Dennis.
This what I was on about David ! I know the name of the firm was changed,but only because Bob Jnr. wanted to “airbrush” his Dad,Bob Snr. a.k.a.“The Big’un”,out of the firms past history.Tommy Brady,plus his two Sons, Bob and Jack= T.Brady & SONS Ltd. I called it bloody childish at the time !! Cheers Dennis.
Well done John!! Thats how it was and should have remained so!!!Dennis.
Its a pleasure Dennis only wish I had more to put on.Am I right in saying that you yourself worked at Bradys before you started on your own? I seem to remember reading it on the Bewick thread somewhere at the very begining,prehaps you could tell us a few of your memories from those days Dennis.
Stanfield:
Its a pleasure Dennis only wish I had more to put on.Am I right in saying that you yourself worked at Bradys before you started on your own? I seem to remember reading it on the Bewick thread somewhere at the very begining,prehaps you could tell us a few of your memories from those days Dennis.
I sure did John,was mate to, IMO, the finest waggon and trailer driver to get behind the wheel! I left Brady’s on good terms when I was a couple of months off turning 21 to start on my own(couldn’t wait any longer!).But my time on the 8 wheeler and trailer stood me in good stead when I started on my own,in particular,when I got my first A licence,IIRC, I subbed my 3rd and 4th loads off Brady’s( and another 1 or 2 afterwards) Jackie Brady told me never to be stood empty,“pick the phone up son,and if we’ve got a load to suit ,its yours”!! The driver I worked with on the 8 wheeler was called Eric Postlethwaite and he was a perfectionist,“do it right or don’t bother”!! We hit it off right away,and have been in regular contact ever since,I still speak to him regular on the phone and he is still “mumero ono” as far as I’m concerned!! he could put the trailer anywhere without having to “nose it”.He could reverse the whole outfit as fast as any artic driver,and did on a number of occaisions!! He was one of the “old school” of drivers, 6 wheel braking,one axle on the trailer,28 ton on the motor and trailer,you couldn’t rely on the anchors to stop,you had to “look ahead” and think,and think!! His sheeting and roping was of a standard to behold and was probably the reason why we were insistent on similar standards at Bewick Transport and why I get a bit “nit picky” on some of the photos that are posted! can’t help it,rights right,and if it looks crap I’ll say so!! Sorry!! anyway they were happy day’s at Brady’s as far as I was concerned Cheers Dennis.
Perfects of GT.Yarmouth operated a few motors from Brady’s yard in Sub Station Rd. Felixtowe back in the mid '70s and we did a bit of work for them ( all flatwork ) and I can clearly remember loading bundles of sandbags from Bishops Cleeves near Cheltenham. There were three or four of Brady’s boys and myself and we were two days getting loaded, helping each other,all handball, and the fact that they were a good bunch of lads made a rotten job bearable. It was a government site with strict security and I wonder if it could have been GCHQ, I’m sure someone will know for sure. Anyway those sandbags had been stored there since WW2 in huge stacks ( hales ) and I was amazed that they were as good as when they were put there all those years ago. We brought them back to Felixtowe to be containerised and shipped out.
In later years, probably the mid 90s, we would ring Brady’s office in Heysham Dock and backload timber for E.Anglia and I’m sure the chap who ran it was called Don and I got on well with him. Regards to all,Haddy, GT.Yarmouth.
And one from Ellesmere port!!
v7victor:
And one from Ellesmere port!!
Hiya Vic,nice to see you stuck on a b/w shot of a Brady Octopus! This is a shot of their first Power Plus Octopus HEO 557 and not the second one,JEO 192, which I was mate on with Eric Poss.The first one didn’t pull a trailer for very long,but the one I was on pulled a trailer for all but the last few months of its time at Brady’s,which I believe were concluded at Felixstowe running Tuborg lager tanks into London! I’ll try and gather my thoughts together to put on the thread in the next day or two details of the type of traffic the Octopus hauled.I’ll maybe give Eric a ring and refresh my memory as he drove this Octopus more-or-less from new until it finished pulling the trailer! The stories this motor could tell would, without doubt, have the makings of a “best seller” in the transport world,I can tell you!! If there was a top 10 of the finest motors of all time,based on the the work they did,this baby would be there in the top 1 or 2 without a doubt! Anyway here’s a shot of my office circa 20 years ago,and see whats on the wall below the Keltruck clock------the same shot that you’ve put on the thread! I never had one of the Octopus I was on,Chris Swindlehurst, a ex Bewick driver and company archivist gave me the photo.Cheers Dennis.
You don’t forget much Dennis, cheers vic.
Heres another one dennis,you might remember!!!
v7victor:
Heres another one dennis,you might remember!!!
Sorry Vic,I do remember the Brady Mercs but I left in Jan '68 and when this shot was taken I was probably running a larger fleet than Brady’s!!! Cheers Dennis.
One more before i call it a day
here is some more t brady photos enjoy
will up load some more later hope these ok
couple more
ANY NEW BRADY PHOTOS OUT THERE
JAMIE10:
ANY NEW BRADY PHOTOS OUT THERE
No! you’ve got them all Jamie!!! Anon.
NO NETHER DENNIS GOT TO BE MORE OUT THERE LOL