W.H.WILLIAMS (spennymoor)

[carl_williams]

In the nineteen twenties and up to about the late nineteen thirties Grandad had the vehicles painted by Motor Supplies Bishop Auckland (I have story to tell later about them). The forman painter was Mr Norton known as professor Norton who was an excellent all rounder painter and signwiter. (I have story about him to come)

Dad started painting in the late 1930’s and its not surprising Grandad never had a go as not only was he colour blind but useless at all manual things.

I understand originally the first three wagons were black, then several blue until they ended as stone and brown with the occasional cream and brown.

Norton on leaving Motor Supplies started as a self employed sign writer and wrote all our vehicles until the last in 1952 and in fact died a few months after that date. Norton lived at Billy Row Crook so its not surprising dad used paint made by Pease and Partners who’s factory was at Billy Row Crook. I remember going for paint with dad when I was very young and I believe they had a chemical factory there and paint was a bi product.

As I said as a young boy I went with dad to Pease and Partners never realising their place in history as the main business behind the Darlington and Stockton Railway.

In those days the paint used was like an undercoat and when the final coat was applied the vehicle was sign written ( I was always told it was easier to sign write on non enamel paint), but originally there was no choice as enamel was not then available. The vehicle was then varnished with two coats of varnish.

In the early fifties we started using Dulux Coach Finnish (Pale Cream and mid brown) The Dulux was supplied by Brown Brothers at Newcastle.
After Dulux we changed initially to Williamson’s paints at Ripon but we found the Brown deteriorated and went darker, dull and boring with age, so we changed to Masons who called our colours Williams Cream and Williams Brown…Mason’s was an easy paint to apply and presented a long lasting shine without colour deterioration.

Its interesting when we first started using Marsden to paint vans they built for us they still varnished however the problem we experienced till they changed their painting process was that the varnish cracked with small cracks that made repainting necessary after about three years an almost impossible task as no matter what we did the cracking of the varnish always showed through.

[retriever]

I have found a picture by Roger Kenney of a Bedford van with what looks like Marsden bodywork, BS0 172C, the next time I send through pictures for bubbleman on scrapbook memories I will add this picture.

[carl_williams]

retriever:
I have found a picture by Roger Kenney of a Bedford van with what looks like Marsden bodywork, BS0 172C, the next time I send through pictures for bubbleman on scrapbook memories I will add this picture.

Hi Retiever

I would really aprecite that

Thank you so much

Carl

[carl_williams]

Long before bye passes were built in Bishop Auckland all traffic from Barnard Castle, which was the route from Blackpool and the north West into Durham County, passed through West Auckland, ,St Helens and down to Cockton hill where the traffic lights were situated. On the right hand side straight over the lights on the right hand side was Motor Supplies. In my life it was Elliotts Motor Supplies, before they moved to St Helens industrial Estate and traded as Elliotts Motors.

Part of the old Motor Supplies were demolished at both sides and rebuilt as Kwick Fit and a service station at the other side where originally the car showroom had stood.

In my time Elliots Motor Supplies were Ford agents as they continued when they moved to St Helens industrial Estate. However in the twenties and thirties they sold all makes of new vehicles predominantly Morris Commercial. I always remember passing when I was very young as they had three old breakdowns (seemed ancient) parked along the side as we passed after turning right at Traffic lights towards Spennymoor

The owner of Motor Supplies was Ossie Huntley a very miserable looking man who also half owned the Eden Theatre. (Bishop Auckland’s theatre once managed by Stan Laurel’s of Laurel, and hardy father. Huntley was well known as a person who spoke his mind and attended the Eden Theatre every Monday night sitting in the front row. It must have been so difficult for comedians trying to make people laugh with such a miserable face staring at them from the audience.

Ossie Huntley was a friend of my grandfather. In fact my grandfather was one of the very few friends Ossie Huntley had.

Talking to Huntley in Motor Supplies of the quality of salesmen employed my grandfather said he could in his spare time sell more in a month than they did in six. Agreeing a fixed fee per vehicle Huntley took him on. I was told this story many times by my grandfather, but feel got a better account from my father who was often with him when he called at Motor Supplies.

Granddad through his work knew all the farmers and butchers, and borrowed a small Morris Commercial van to take with him to the mart. He then proceeded in persuading most of them to buy a new van, taking their old vans in part exchange. Dad said Huntley gave my grandfather total power in agreeing the price he would allow for the old vans and in fact managed to sell each one of these as well as the new ones.

Over the years granddad had bought several Ford and Morris Commercial wagons from Motor Supplies and we bought several Ford D series tractor units from Elliotts Motors

[carl_williams]

About 1980 my ex wife and myself were travelling down to London on the 125 train from Darlington station with its next stop Kings Cross.

Across the isle a chap spoke to me saying he knew me.’ You moved me’ he said. As we then had over 150 employees I replied ‘Our Company?’ and he replied that it was me personally.

Quickly thinking and looking out of the train window seeing the fields and trees flying by I realised to my horror I could not get off and would have to stay and listen to him. Quickly I tried to think back to the last mirror I had broken and knew it was now over seven years ago, I was relieved when he said that I had done an excellent job.

Household removals, in particular local ones are horse work, probably not so much today as there is so much fitted furniture and not so many heavy old fashioned wardrobes, but it’s strange that we had a few drivers who were content and liked this type of work. One thing I could guarantee was that they would be 10 times fitter than anyone who chose to go to a gym.

I have many interesting tales and laughs on the subject of removals and I will over the next few weeks be telling these.

[carl_williams]

A group of office staff at a Christmas Office party.

At Christmas three works parties took place after lunch on christmas Eve.

Office party for admin staff, held in office block hosted by me, when I was single

Garage party for maintenance staff, which usually spilt over into drivers party

Driver’s party in drivers rest room hosted by dad with crates of beer,

Taxis were laid on to get staff home safely

[retriever]

As promised, Roger Kenney picture of one of a W H Williams vans. Its a bit soft, though.

[carl_williams]

retriever:
As promised, Roger Kenney picture of one of a W H Williams vans. Its a bit soft, though.

Hi Retriever,

many thanks- great photograph.

Bedford Marsden 1965 SB passenger chassis with fribreglass cab, front end and roof body in Plymax sheeting with wooden frame.Bedford 330 cu in disel with David brown 5 speed gear box 1900 cu ft body

best wishes
Carl

[carl_williams]

Carl Williams:

retriever:
As promised, Roger Kenney picture of one of a W H Williams vans. Its a bit soft, though.

Hi Retriever,

many thanks- great photograph.

Bedford Marsden 1965 SB passenger chassis with fribreglass cab, front end and roof body in Plymax sheeting with wooden frame.Bedford 330 cu in disel with David brown 5 speed gear box 1900 cu ft body

best wishes
Carl

Strang to think I can remember helping to paint that van, seems like yesterday. I must be growing old

[carl_williams]

After the war, at the end of rationing and the end of the meat allocation and delivery from slaughter houses, dad decided to put a cattle truck onto the road again.

He bought a Bedford 5ton O model platform and put onto it a cattle container.
He got most of the old customers back again but, although it was profitable decided to discontinue after a couple of years, because he said it was a job that he couldn’t put into the hands of an employee and was too time consuming and felt the work was killing him.

All the drivers he had at the time were not interested or of the nature to drive the cattle truck but he was lucky in recruiting Tommy Stoddard. Tommy came from West Cornforth and before joining dad had worked for Edwards Fruit and vegetables, and I remember often riding in the cattle truck with Dad and Tommy.

Every Sunday morning they had a job of collecting cattle from Barnard Castle. I did ask dad what it was and he remembered just before he died and then I forgot, but every Sunday about 10Am we used the call at what is now Blairgraves House, a fashionable restaurant but in those days it was a transport café in what was referred to as Oliver Cromwell’s house which was very run down in those days, and have a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich.

I remember Tommy always had a rifle in the cab and on one occasion asked dad to lower the passenger window and before we knew it he had fired the rifle, and was pulling up to collect a partridge which had landed in the hedge, which he ha shot. Talk of driving whilst on the phone……

Tommy worked for us until the late of the seventies, and drove both 1379UP and JUP945C when they were new. It must have been very difficult for Tommy and others who worked for us when I was a five year old to accept me as a boss when I was older, and I have a tale to tell about that.

As for Edwards Fruit and Vegetables I have already my grandfather knowing them when they were very young selling rotten vegetables for the audience to throw at the acts they didn’t like at the Cambridge Theatre, but when Tommy worked for them they were located at the bottom of Cheapside where it joined Barnfield Road. For anyone who remembers Spennymoor as it was in my youth if you travelled in along Durham Road turning the corner by the County Hotel, Salvin Arms on right as you enter King street right along at the end was Edwards. Edgar Jewitt of Jewitt Coaches family then bought it and demolished it to build Cheapside Motors on the site, which was quickly demolished to build the road through that leads to Asda… Cheapside motors was rebuilt up the top of the town and became Williamson’s the Peugeot agents before again being demolished to make way for Lydle or Aldi today. (Not sure which)

Edwards’ ran an Albion fleet that I can remember and as they would when Tommy Stoddard worked for them. Three vehicles each night ran down to Covent Garden market and travelled back early morning with fresh fruit and vegetables. Here is a photo of some of their vehicles

.

[tyneside]

Hi Carl
You mentioned Jewitt coaches. Would they be related to the Jewitt wholesale butcher family.

[carl_williams]

tyneside:
Hi Carl
You mentioned Jewitt coaches. Would they be related to the Jewitt wholesale butcher family.

Hi Tyneside

Not as far as I know. Jewitts that had the buses were friends with my grandfather, father and myself

The slaughter house Jewitts were customers of many years but the time i knew of was the early 50s
Best wishes

Carl

[carl_williams]

About 1953 Dad had the job of moving the contents of what was the Alderman Wraith School in Spennymoor to the new Grammar Technical School on Whitworth lane. This was done during the half term may-June. The original school had just over 800 pupils and the headmaster who was taking over the new school was Mr Sumner. The problem was that the school had to be moved within four days so that the pupils could start the second half of the term without loosing any lesson time.

Mr Sumner had full confidence in my dad’s ability to complete the job as expected and that was strange because he was a very strict headmaster who was known for riding round the new school on a bicycle so that he could listen to the teachers without them knowing he was outside the door and dad said when he went to look round the old Alderman Wraith sitting outside the headmaster’s study as well as a couple of pupils was a teacher who was equally worried of the telling off his headmaster was going to give him.

The school was moved lock, stock and barrel including the science laboratories. I must have been very young perhaps as young as four but I was their ‘to help’ and remember seeing the O model Bedford platform that I mentioned in the previous posting carrying the large work benches from the Chemistry labs as they were easier to load onto a flat and he had this vehicle waiting to receive the cattle container. The bottles of chemicals presented a real problem as the van carrying them had to pass over the road into the school that was not completed at that time and very rough. And fortunately not one bottle was broken.

When the job was completed the school opened and at the end of the term everything had to be moved back to the old school as the new school was being fitted out completely new. Who says it’s just today that Civil Servants waste public money.

[carl_williams]

Tyneside asked about the two Jewitt families of Spennymoor. First Jewit Bus Family who operated a service from Spennymoor to Page Bank. I remember well when I was five years old I started school at Jesmond prep school in Whitworth, just before page bank

The bus, a Bedford OB used to travel down to the old wooden bridge and park up on the Whitworth side as it was too heavy to cross the bridge. I have very vague memories travelling on the bus, and the youngest Jewitt brother went to school with me. Although he was a little older than me we met each other again when I was in my twenties and became friends, and I should be ashamed to say I cannot remember his first name.

Jewitt, s was run by the eldest daughter’s husband John West’s father. Again I should remember his first name as I met him several times when I was with my grandfather. They had a garage in Park parade Spennymoor and lived in a large house opposite which had quite a few garages where they parked their hearses and old Austin princess’s which they hired out for Weddings and Funerals and used as taxis. Grandfather took me to the house one day and I met old MrsJewitt who was I believe in her nineties. She spent her life at that time counting the coins they had taken in Bus fares, and I can assure you that the bus service took a lot of money.

A legal argument broke out in 1963 when Wilkinson Motor services who ran a service from Stockton to Spennymoor applied to extend their service to Willington. Jewitt’s objected as it would take many of their passengers and bought a lightweight Albion bus that could cross the wooden bridge and go on to Willington. There is an excellent photo of this bus in Spennymoor Remembered Web site, if anyone is interested in looking.

Jewitt’s under the management of John West after the death of his father bought the first twin steer Bedford VAL in North East and picking it up new was surprised to find he had lost a wheel on the way home, and didn’t know. Jewitts sold out to O’Haras who took over their garage until they in turn stopped trading.

John West went on to build where the Mercedes Commercial facility is now in Spennymoor. He started trading in Busses and I believe was the first manager at this Mercedes commercial site. The family also owned a farm and were fortunate in selling the land to Yuill who built the fist new private housing estate in Spennymoor.

[carl_williams]

The second business mentioned by Tyneside was Jewitt’s slaughterhouse Spennymoor.

I am almost sure Arnold Jewitt was a Spennymoor farmer who started a slaughterhouse at his farm at Middlestone Moor Spennymoor.

My father and grandfather would have had dealings with him when he was a farmer, and in 1952-3 every Monday morning dad collected a load of meat from Arnold Jewitt’s and delivered it to Newcastle at 5.00AM in the morning.

A chap called Swales who was from Spennymoor Urban District Council. was present at this unearthly hour to examine the meat as it was loaded onto our van, and I believe a very large load was loaded weighing about 7 ton. The vehicle dad used was NUP a Bedford SB petrol furniture van.

I suspect hygiene laws would not allow this to be done today as no matter how hard it would be impossible to have the van, with tie rails clean enough for modern day standards. Also when plating and testing came in our SB’s were plated at 9.5 ton which after deducting about 4.25 unladen would have allowed just over 5 ton carrying capacity.

On more than one occasion when dad arrived at Newcastle about 8-00Am the load was examined again by Newcastle council official and the load was condemned.

Wasn’t Mr Swales conscientious as a Council Official turning up at 5.00AM to examine the load? I doubt any council workers would work that early today.

Also no doubt due to the van not being able to keep the load chilled helped the meat become unacceptable for human consumption, Arnold Jewitt was fortunate that as it was OK, according to Mr Swales on loading, he was paid in full. The load would then be destroyed

[tyneside]

Carl
I Knew three generations of the Jewitt family. All of them straight as a dye and gentlemen. From about the early seventies they slaughtered all their stock at the Sunderland abbatoir and had a big wholesale pitch there as well.
Arnold was getting on then and his son David took over. Tragically he died in his early forties and in turn his son Michael took over. Quite a responsibility for someone in their early twenties. They seem to have thrived and when Sunderland abbatoir closed they built a new plant at Middlestone Moor. Last I saw they had a six wheel Volvo and drag for collecting livestock and numerous 7.5 tonners for meat deliveries.

[waddy640]

Carl Williams:
Earlier in this thread I was fortunate in being given a lit by my cousin Peter Summers a list of vehicles we had from 1961 to 1986. It is over 220 vehicles and whilst I realised it was not entirely accurate it gave a good guide of the vehicles we operated.

One of the vehicles not on the list was is a Foden F39 tractor unit which I believe was M Reg. I know it was 1977 and dad had seen it advertised in Commercial Motor 2 years old and only 15,000 miles on the clock.

I had been very busy at the time, and my suitcase was still packed from the previous night and I was sick of travelling so I travelled down to Kings Cross on the sleeper. I was accompanied by my great uncle Jim (My grandmother’s brother) who had retired after 40 odd years working for my grandfather and grandfather.

I had never travelled before on the sleeper, which left Darlington Station at about midnight. This service gave me the opportunity to travel in my sleep and surprisingly I slept like a log. The service has sadly been discontinued but it travelled down and parked outside of Kings Cross, allowing the passengers time to sleep, pulling into the platform at 7-30AM. I remember one of the staff asking if I would like to order breakfast.’Oh yes ‘I said ‘That would be a good idea.’, but when the guard asked what time and I replied about quarter past seven, I was promptly informed the latest would be 6.00AM as everything had to be put away and cleaned before the train pulled into the station at 7.30Am declining the offer I explained I was not sacrificing my sleep.

Arriving at Kings Cross we had to then catch another train to Cheltenham. At the station I was collected by the dealer, who took me to his premises. The Foden had been Hertz truck rental and appeared to be as new. The mileage certainly seemed correct and I struck a deal. Thinking about it I suppose on spot rental it was possible that a tractor unit could have stood for weeks if no one hired it, and I am supposed that’s what happened.

I phoned our bank at Spennymoor and arranged to do a bank transfer to pay for the vehicle. In those days it was not possible to do this in less than three days but our bank assured his bank that the money was in transit and so off we left.

The Foden had, unfortunately, a Rolls Royce engine and the only problem I could find was the power steering gave me no ‘feeling’ between the steering wheel and the road. The same feeling in fact that a driver felt driving a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. I liked to feel the wheels against the road, but Bill Dixon who was the usual driver on the Foden said that he got used to it and had no complaint.

I cannot remember any serious problems with the Foden but Alan Henderson; our fleet engineer said that the engine was troublesome with continual niggling problems. Also although 80% of the time it was travelling at less than 18 tons gtw the fuel consumption was very poor.

Unfortunately I know of no photos of the Foden, as indeed we neighther have of our ERFs. Perhaps somewhere someone has and posts them on this site.

I used to work for Hertz 1973-1976. At that time we also had DAF’s on spot hire and they were the choice of most drivers. The troubles we had with the “range change” gearbox was that some drivers didn’t understand them and rather than ask how they worked they took them out and broke them. That would also explain the low mileage.

[carl_williams]

tyneside:
Carl
I Knew three generations of the Jewitt family. All of them straight as a dye and gentlemen. From about the early seventies they slaughtered all their stock at the Sunderland abbatoir and had a big wholesale pitch there as well.
Arnold was getting on then and his son David took over. Tragically he died in his early forties and in turn his son Michael took over. Quite a responsibility for someone in their early twenties. They seem to have thrived and when Sunderland abbatoir closed they built a new plant at Middlestone Moor. Last I saw they had a six wheel Volvo and drag for collecting livestock and numerous 7.5 tonners for meat deliveries.

Hi Tyneside

Yes my dad always spoke highly of Arnold Jewitt.

Before they moved to sunderland they ha a large slaughterhouse at Middlestone Moor, but they had experienced planning problems to expand it I beleive.

I fully understand the problems Arnold’s grandson would experience.

I think it was just as i left school dad suffered a heart attach and had to spend 1en days in hospital and I had to take over. I will shortly get round to tell the problems that occurred

Best wishes

Carl

[carl_williams]

waddy640:

Carl Williams:
Earlier in this thread I was fortunate in being given a lit by my cousin Peter Summers a list of vehicles we had from 1961 to 1986. It is over 220 vehicles and whilst I realised it was not entirely accurate it gave a good guide of the vehicles we operated.

One of the vehicles not on the list was is a Foden F39 tractor unit which I believe was M Reg. I know it was 1977 and dad had seen it advertised in Commercial Motor 2 years old and only 15,000 miles on the clock.

I had been very busy at the time, and my suitcase was still packed from the previous night and I was sick of travelling so I travelled down to Kings Cross on the sleeper. I was accompanied by my great uncle Jim (My grandmother’s brother) who had retired after 40 odd years working for my grandfather and grandfather.

I had never travelled before on the sleeper, which left Darlington Station at about midnight. This service gave me the opportunity to travel in my sleep and surprisingly I slept like a log. The service has sadly been discontinued but it travelled down and parked outside of Kings Cross, allowing the passengers time to sleep, pulling into the platform at 7-30AM. I remember one of the staff asking if I would like to order breakfast.’Oh yes ‘I said ‘That would be a good idea.’, but when the guard asked what time and I replied about quarter past seven, I was promptly informed the latest would be 6.00AM as everything had to be put away and cleaned before the train pulled into the station at 7.30Am declining the offer I explained I was not sacrificing my sleep.

Arriving at Kings Cross we had to then catch another train to Cheltenham. At the station I was collected by the dealer, who took me to his premises. The Foden had been Hertz truck rental and appeared to be as new. The mileage certainly seemed correct and I struck a deal. Thinking about it I suppose on spot rental it was possible that a tractor unit could have stood for weeks if no one hired it, and I am supposed that’s what happened.

I phoned our bank at Spennymoor and arranged to do a bank transfer to pay for the vehicle. In those days it was not possible to do this in less than three days but our bank assured his bank that the money was in transit and so off we left.

The Foden had, unfortunately, a Rolls Royce engine and the only problem I could find was the power steering gave me no ‘feeling’ between the steering wheel and the road. The same feeling in fact that a driver felt driving a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. I liked to feel the wheels against the road, but Bill Dixon who was the usual driver on the Foden said that he got used to it and had no complaint.

I cannot remember any serious problems with the Foden but Alan Henderson; our fleet engineer said that the engine was troublesome with continual niggling problems. Also although 80% of the time it was travelling at less than 18 tons gtw the fuel consumption was very poor.

Unfortunately I know of no photos of the Foden, as indeed we neighther have of our ERFs. Perhaps somewhere someone has and posts them on this site.

I used to work for Hertz 1973-1976. At that time we also had DAF’s on spot hire and they were the choice of most drivers. The troubles we had with the “range change” gearbox was that some drivers didn’t understand them and rather than ask how they worked they took them out and broke them. That would also explain the low mileage.

Hi Waddy 640

That explains a lot. I was very careful whenn I bought it because I worried it might have been clocked but it looked genuine
Pitty Hertz hadn’t specified Gardner

best wishes
Carl

[waddy640]

Carl Williams:

waddy640:

Carl Williams:
Earlier in this thread I was fortunate in being given a lit by my cousin Peter Summers a list of vehicles we had from 1961 to 1986. It is over 220 vehicles and whilst I realised it was not entirely accurate it gave a good guide of the vehicles we operated.

One of the vehicles not on the list was is a Foden F39 tractor unit which I believe was M Reg. I know it was 1977 and dad had seen it advertised in Commercial Motor 2 years old and only 15,000 miles on the clock.

I had been very busy at the time, and my suitcase was still packed from the previous night and I was sick of travelling so I travelled down to Kings Cross on the sleeper. I was accompanied by my great uncle Jim (My grandmother’s brother) who had retired after 40 odd years working for my grandfather and grandfather.

I had never travelled before on the sleeper, which left Darlington Station at about midnight. This service gave me the opportunity to travel in my sleep and surprisingly I slept like a log. The service has sadly been discontinued but it travelled down and parked outside of Kings Cross, allowing the passengers time to sleep, pulling into the platform at 7-30AM. I remember one of the staff asking if I would like to order breakfast.’Oh yes ‘I said ‘That would be a good idea.’, but when the guard asked what time and I replied about quarter past seven, I was promptly informed the latest would be 6.00AM as everything had to be put away and cleaned before the train pulled into the station at 7.30Am declining the offer I explained I was not sacrificing my sleep.

Arriving at Kings Cross we had to then catch another train to Cheltenham. At the station I was collected by the dealer, who took me to his premises. The Foden had been Hertz truck rental and appeared to be as new. The mileage certainly seemed correct and I struck a deal. Thinking about it I suppose on spot rental it was possible that a tractor unit could have stood for weeks if no one hired it, and I am supposed that’s what happened.

I phoned our bank at Spennymoor and arranged to do a bank transfer to pay for the vehicle. In those days it was not possible to do this in less than three days but our bank assured his bank that the money was in transit and so off we left.

The Foden had, unfortunately, a Rolls Royce engine and the only problem I could find was the power steering gave me no ‘feeling’ between the steering wheel and the road. The same feeling in fact that a driver felt driving a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. I liked to feel the wheels against the road, but Bill Dixon who was the usual driver on the Foden said that he got used to it and had no complaint.

I cannot remember any serious problems with the Foden but Alan Henderson; our fleet engineer said that the engine was troublesome with continual niggling problems. Also although 80% of the time it was travelling at less than 18 tons gtw the fuel consumption was very poor.

Unfortunately I know of no photos of the Foden, as indeed we neighther have of our ERFs. Perhaps somewhere someone has and posts them on this site.

I used to work for Hertz 1973-1976. At that time we also had DAF’s on spot hire and they were the choice of most drivers. The troubles we had with the “range change” gearbox was that some drivers didn’t understand them and rather than ask how they worked they took them out and broke them. That would also explain the low mileage.

Hi Waddy 640

That explains a lot. I was very careful whenn I bought it because I worried it might have been clocked but it looked genuine
Pitty Hertz hadn’t specified Gardner

best wishes
Carl

Hi Carl

I think that was about the time that Gardners had a dispute and the Bus Grant had been increased. You couldn’t get Gardner engines for love nor money.