I thought it was the United Church of Christ ?
I used to work for Weddell’s (not as a driver though) one of the Union International companies of which UCC was a part. That Lord Vestey had his tentacles spread far and wide, with cattle stations in Argentina and Australia, his own shipping line Blue Star, and goodness knows what else besides.
My memory of UCC is of earlier days than you mention Andy, of wooden insulated containers with straps up the sides and eyes at the top for transferring, and the (road) tugs that used to drag them between London docks.
BTW they also had their own roadtrains in Oz to shift the beasts, using Rolls-Royce powered, long-bonneted Rotinoff tractors to do the work. Despite the name, they were British built.
harry:
I thought it was the United Church of Christ ?
Class Harry, Pure Class 
To wake this thread up again, a passing comment started some banter on another site. This then turned up, a list of the Vesteys Investments and companies in the pension scheme. It makes interesting reading.
Wheel Nut:
To wake this thread up again, a passing comment started some banter on another site. This then turned up, a list of the Vesteys Investments and companies in the pension scheme. It makes interesting reading.
Bloody hell Wheel Nut, you’ve done your homework. 
I knew Vesteys were big but not that big. Were Swift Meats in their group then? When I was a junior salesman in Weddel’s Bedford depot, and the manager was away, the salesman at nearby Swifts sold me a load of lamb at what I thought was a good price. Of course it wasn’t and I got ripped into when the boss got back. 
Spardo:
Wheel Nut:
To wake this thread up again, a passing comment started some banter on another site. This then turned up, a list of the Vesteys Investments and companies in the pension scheme. It makes interesting reading.Bloody hell Wheel Nut, you’ve done your homework.
I knew Vesteys were big but not that big. Were Swift Meats in their group then? When I was a junior salesman in Weddel’s Bedford depot, and the manager was away, the salesman at nearby Swifts sold me a load of lamb at what I thought was a good price. Of course it wasn’t and I got ripped into when the boss got back.
I discovered my new Mother in Law was a senior buyer for Dewhursts, she actually did the rounds of many local and nationwide butchers and ended up supplying ships stores and chandlers around the country.
So David it looks like you bought some cheap lamb from Vesteys and used their money to do so.
No different to them, they were living on government tax fiddles, grants and subsidies.
boyzee:
vernonbish777:
where they Union Cartage Company ? part of the Vesty Group ?My uncle Johnnie Sulliven worked for ucc years ago in the 50,s an60s he used to drive a foden tractor with a drawbar trailer later he had a scammel.When they finnished he went on to Fyffes monroe.I remember one of ucc,s scania,s running into a house in Bridge on the old A2 i dont know if the driver was killed or someone in the house.The people of Bridge had demo,s for months after they would keep walking on the zebra crossing holding traffic upThis was around 1971.Hope this is of interest.
Unless there were two very similr accidents the one I’m pretty certain it was in Summer 1967 - I was still at School at the time and it was all over the local paper at the time (then the Kentish Gazette). There are rather grainy pictures of the smash on t’internet. The protests were to get a bypass built, which eventually happened.
cav551:
boyzee:
vernonbish777:
where they Union Cartage Company ? part of the Vesty Group ?My uncle Johnnie Sulliven worked for ucc years ago in the 50,s an60s he used to drive a foden tractor with a drawbar trailer later he had a scammel.When they finnished he went on to Fyffes monroe.I remember one of ucc,s scania,s running into a house in Bridge on the old A2 i dont know if the driver was killed or someone in the house.The people of Bridge had demo,s for months after they would keep walking on the zebra crossing holding traffic upThis was around 1971.Hope this is of interest.
Unless there were two very similr accidents the one I’m pretty certain it was in Summer 1967 - I was still at School at the time and it was all over the local paper at the time (then the Kentish Gazette). There are rather grainy pictures of the smash on t’internet. The protests were to get a bypass built, which eventually happened.
In fact they got 2 by-passes didn’t they? The new A2, then the M2. I remember going down the terrifying hill into Bridge with my old Commer artic tipper which had a compressor not up to the job. I could only go about 10 metres in crawler dabbing the brakes before the air was gone and the motor came to a full stop. Frustrating as it was, I was very glad I had spring brakes, otherwise that house would have had another occupant.
Edit: Perhaps not the M2 then, don’t think it goes that far, long time since. 
@Malc. Yes, I was using Vestey’s money to buy Vestey’s lambs, but I didn’t know it was the same company at the time, neither did my boss apparently.
yes i was on that night,with a bloke called dog ■■■■, all had nicknames on UCC,cant remember his real name , we got a call at Warley for some one to take a trailer to Dover, he said he could do with the overtime,so he took it,before the bypass was built he went down the steep hill at Bridge at the bottom he went through a shop with rooms above, i was told that his foot was still hard down on the throttle,presume he must have had a heart attack, when they pulled the wreck out was told there was a baby on top of the trailer in a cot. have been getting messages from Ted and Dave, for some reason i cant read them,think we are the only drivers left, i was the youngest driver on there,and i am 77now.
how do you put photos from my gallery on here?
for sometime they were the richest family in the world, not now.
cav551:
boyzee:
vernonbish777:
where they Union Cartage Company ? part of the Vesty Group ?My uncle Johnnie Sulliven worked for ucc years ago in the 50,s an60s he used to drive a foden tractor with a drawbar trailer later he had a scammel.When they finnished he went on to Fyffes monroe.I remember one of ucc,s scania,s running into a house in Bridge on the old A2 i dont know if the driver was killed or someone in the house.The people of Bridge had demo,s for months after they would keep walking on the zebra crossing holding traffic upThis was around 1971.Hope this is of interest.
Unless there were two very similr accidents the one I’m pretty certain it was in Summer 1967 - I was still at School at the time and it was all over the local paper at the time (then the Kentish Gazette). There are rather grainy pictures of the smash on t’internet. The protests were to get a bypass built, which eventually happened.
yes i remember him
cav551:
boyzee:
vernonbish777:
where they Union Cartage Company ? part of the Vesty Group ?My uncle Johnnie Sulliven worked for ucc years ago in the 50,s an60s he used to drive a foden tractor with a drawbar trailer later he had a scammel.When they finnished he went on to Fyffes monroe.I remember one of ucc,s scania,s running into a house in Bridge on the old A2 i dont know if the driver was killed or someone in the house.The people of Bridge had demo,s for months after they would keep walking on the zebra crossing holding traffic upThis was around 1971.Hope this is of interest.
Unless there were two very similr accidents the one I’m pretty certain it was in Summer 1967 - I was still at School at the time and it was all over the local paper at the time (then the Kentish Gazette). There are rather grainy pictures of the smash on t’internet. The protests were to get a bypass built, which eventually happened.
yes i remember him
Just a quicky for anyone who’s interested,
The old UCC and Geo Davies depot at Warley is no more, it’s been flattened and another factory warehouse has been built there.
Steve.
Greetings,All.
Some very sad news,my brother,David L Townsend who drove for the UCC alongside me in the sixties,has sadly died.
He had been ill for quite a while and died of cancer of the lung on Monday 7th.September.
Post UCC,he drove for M J Swallow and Peter Whitehead amongst others so hopefully,some of the drivers out there will remember him.
It’s a bit of a job to come to terms with.
All the best,900x20.
Deepest sympathy mate, I knew your brother, he and my dad worked together and your nephew and I go way back. Such a cruel world at times.
R.I.P David.
vernonbish777:
where they Union Cartage Company ? part of the Vesty Group ?
My uncle Johnnie Sulliven worked for ucc years ago in the 50,s an60s he used to drive a foden tractor with a drawbar trailer later he had a scammel.When they finnished he went on to Fyffes monroe.I remember one of ucc,s scania,s running into a house in Bridge on the old A2 i dont know if the driver was killed or someone in the house.The people of Bridge had demo,s for months after they would keep walking on the zebra crossing holding traffic upThis was around 1971.Hope this is of interest.
I remember well that hill in Bridge, since by-passed twice I think.
I came down it once in a Commer knocker artic tipper, as low as I could in the box but still had to dab the brakes of course. Trouble was after 3 presses all the air had gone so the brakes just came on, 'till the rebuilt pressure released them again.
I don’t know how many stop/starts I had to get to the bottom but I do know I felt like a right pillock all the way down.
Could have been worse though, they may not have worked at all. 
i remember them to when they used to be at millwall the bloke whos apprentice i was at sampsons was the fleet engineer there they had f reg big js with thr reg sjj and erf kvs then at brentwood they had scanis110 double drive day cabs with stanless reefers on they cut a few down 2 four wheelers in the end think u could only put abott 30cwt on them dark green with white band round them think they wrecsome thing to do with ad forseys