hiya,
Carl when the time, location and date of your “works do” are finalised make sure you
post it on here, there might just be one or two non former William’s drivers on here
who would like to pop in say hello and shake your hand.
thanks harry long retired.
+1
harry_gill:
hiya,
Carl when the time, location and date of your “works do” are finalised make sure you
post it on here, there might just be one or two non former William’s drivers on here
who would like to pop in say hello and shake your hand.
thanks harry long retired.
Hi Harry and jefferyk
We will certainly put te time date and place on here and i am sure I speak on behalf of myself, Eddie, Gordon, and Peter (Those who have so far said they will attend) i saying we will be pleased to say ‘Hello’
Best wishes
Carl
Carl Williams:
harry_gill:
hiya,
Carl when the time, location and date of your “works do” are finalised make sure you
post it on here, there might just be one or two non former William’s drivers on here
who would like to pop in say hello and shake your hand.
thanks harry long retired.Hi Harry and jefferyk
We will certainly put te time date and place on here and i am sure I speak on behalf of myself, Eddie, Gordon, and Peter (Those who have so far said they will attend) i saying we will be pleased to say ‘Hello’
Best wishes
Carl
Harry any excuse for a little drink 
but you never know who will turn up 
animal:
Carl Williams:
harry_gill:
hiya,
Carl when the time, location and date of your “works do” are finalised make sure you
post it on here, there might just be one or two non former William’s drivers on here
who would like to pop in say hello and shake your hand.
thanks harry long retired.Hi Harry and jefferyk
We will certainly put te time date and place on here and i am sure I speak on behalf of myself, Eddie, Gordon, and Peter (Those who have so far said they will attend) i saying we will be pleased to say ‘Hello’
Best wishes
Carl
Harry any excuse for a little drink
Hi Ange
Hope you can drop in as well
carl
Hi Carl
spoke to Rodger yesterday he is avalible for a get together, he also is in touch with Colin Watson so either he or myself will see him
Eddie
I am still not a brain surgeon I am an engineer but am willing to have a go at your kidney stones
if you would let me
good luck Peter
pbsummers:
Hi Carl
spoke to Rodger yesterday he is avalible for a get together, he also is in touch with Colin Watson so either he or myself will see himEddie
I am still not a brain surgeon I am an engineer but am willing to have a go at your kidney stones
if you would let me
good luck Peter
Hi Peter, Eddie and Gordon and any others who are interested.
Shall we say Tuesday 10 April at about 8-00PM, unless anyone has any other suggestions.
If Roger and Colin also come, perhaps one or two others might come. Had it been just over 4 years ago I know someone I wouldn’t have been able to keep away, and would have to have hired a taxi with a tail lift so me and Paul could get his wheel chair on, and although he had given up smoking years ago, he would have still wanted to go outside to have a cigarette with anyone who wanted to smoke. He always kept a few cigarettes ‘just to be sociable’.
Best wishes
Carl
jeffreyk:
+1
HI jeffery,
I understand that you worked about 40 years for Pickfords doing removals. Dad always used to say that he couldn’t understand men who wanted to go to the gym, as he was sure a good removal would kill the majority, and they should not be lazy and do some work, then they wouldn’t need to go to the gym.
I am sure that all those, like you, who have done removals would agree with me there are few more physical jobs that tire you like a good, large removal.
I was reading how you told how you used to drive the old Guys Pickfords operated, and how small they were. At that time we were using vans about 1750 cu foot and even if the removal was only about 1000 cube a bigger van made life easier. To top that they then replaced them with TK’s after cutting the bodies down to make them even into smaller box vans,and fitting them onto the Bedford chassis. In those days Pickfords always seemed to have strange ways of working and to stick with them for so many years proves you must have been a good worker.With larger vans we could do very large removals with one van that made our prices so much cheaper.
Thanks for reading our thread and I look forward to your comments from time to time
Best wishes
Carl
goggietara:
Carl
Dave Brannan rang me to night & it seems he is very interested in the site so lets look forward to Dave’s comments he is positive Jimmy Lutton (Von Lutton)died i am sorry to say he was a real character & gentle giant,i remember a collection note from Thorn’s Electrical in my load for Devon & Cornwall jim had been to Exeter the week before,on the collection note read due to prevailing weather conditions unable to collect what a comment, it was in the summer months still cannot figure the reason maybe a hurricane i have very fond memories of our Jim.Carl Williams:
goggietara:
Regarding SGS did John Ward drive it? And Colin Watson used to have a fold down steel frame for a bed in i think an AEC in his artic with a big hump in the middle. GordonCarl Williams:
Hi Eddie,The Seddon you bought seems to have been built by VanPlan, from looking at the photo. Am I correct, and after changing the engine how long did you have it? Did you have any problems?
With regard to SGS I have quite a bit to tell,when I can gather u my memory. Thanks for sending the photo as that van had special memories for me How long did you keep it and did you have many troubles with it?
Carl
Hi Gordon,
Yes I remember now, John Ward did drive SGS
Colin had a new Leyland Lynx tractor unit and did have a fold down steel bed, and later when he was given a new Bedford TM he would have put it in it, but we were surprised when we bought a second hand atkinson (Ancient against the TM) he asked to be given it It did have a home made sleeper cab, but he also said he liked diving it better than the TM.
Ronny Allison had a similar bed in an AEC Mercurytractor unit, that he drove from new
Carl
Hi Carl
I built the sleeper extention onto the Atkinson one weekend in the workshops, I have only found out aboat the W H Williams site from Gorden Ball who had told my daughter of its existance, you ask of Roger 77 years old and still in Spennymoor, Ron Harris passed away Colin 74 in May
pbsummers:
Hi Carl
spoke to Rodger yesterday he is avalible for a get together, he also is in touch with Colin Watson so either he or myself will see him
Will see Rodger and make arrangement with him to attendColin
Eddie
I am still not a brain surgeon I am an engineer but am willing to have a go at your kidney stones
if you would let me
good luck Peter
Hi Carl
Just a few names from memory, with I think Graham Mckenna being the driver og the Big J Guy and out htird lady driver was jannette McDonald.
Malcolm (Billy) Bennett
Keith Brown
John Clancy
Bob Heathwaite
Jannette McDonald
Graham McKenna
George Meek
Arthur Ovington
Keith Payne
Joe Pennington
Alfred Ridley
Ted Sawley
Trevor Shaw
George Sykes
Kenneth Thrower
George Todd
Billy Turnbull
Ted Wells
Colin
Colin Watson:
pbsummers:
Hi Carl
spoke to Rodger yesterday he is avalible for a get together, he also is in touch with Colin Watson so either he or myself will see him
Will see Rodger and make arrangement with him to attendColin
Eddie
I am still not a brain surgeon I am an engineer but am willing to have a go at your kidney stones
if you would let me
good luck Peter
Hi Colin,
Pleased to see you are well. I was beginning to get worried as I heard about more and more who are no longer hear. I am not too well and have been told, by a consultant that my condition is ‘Life Reducing’ so I won’t live as long as I would have expected, so it comes to all of us.
Have you seen the photos of the Atkinson. The one pulling the cream and brown van trailer was the first to appear on this site and strangely a few days before I had read a posting by Phil Butler, Peter Butler’s son (The signwriter that wrote so many of our vans), so I had to join to ask him how his dad was and tell him what a wonderful signwriter he was, and the the next day or so here comes the photo of the Atkinson. I think it was taken by ‘Bubbleman’ in the Bristol area and I can only assume it is you in the cab, but yu look so young, but there again it will be over 30 years ago.
Is it you? If so you appear to be looking at a map.
Anyway for now best wishes and hope to meet you again in the pub in Spennymoor next monh
Carl
Colin Watson:
Hi Carl
Just a few names from memory, with I think Graham Mckenna being the driver og the Big J Guy and out htird lady driver was jannette McDonald.Here is the latest list of employees
After Colin Watson has kindly given his latest
Still a lot of names missing!
I apologise to anyone reading this that finds themselves or long lost loved ones missing. It is very difficult to remember and this list has come about by nearly every contributor to this thread giving their input.
Unfortunatly, like all things it is sometimes the most obvious who are omitted , and the more you try to rack your brain the more you tend to forget.
So far we have about 215 names and I know there are many more.
If you know anyone who i ommitted please tell me and hopefully eventually we should get most namees kept for posterity.
Aaron Smith
Alan Angus
Alan Brown
Alan Henderson Fleet Engineer
Alan Robinson
Alan Stout
Alan Wharrier
Andrew Sottt Commercial Director
Anne Walton/Askwith Spennymoor Office
Arthur Ovington
Arthur Crooks
Arthur Ridley
Barry Lauder
Bev Easter
Bill Bailey
Billy Bennet
Bill Dixon
Bill Foster (Bilco)
Billy Turnbull
Bill Welford
Bill Westgarth Fitter
Billy Raine
Billy Petty Security
Bob Bradley
Bob Heathwaite
Bob Hobson
Bob marsden
Bob pinkney Died at the wheel of heart attack in Lancs driving FUP145C
Bob Wetherall First fully qualified accountant employed, left to be head accountant at Ladbroke’s Hotels division
Brian Archer
Brian Askwith
Brian Spark Accountant Spennymoor office
Brian Sheldon
Brian Winter
Brian Wragg Apprentice
Carl Williams Director/ Company Secretary
Caroline Vane
Cess Ramsey
Charlie Brown
Christine Oliver Female Class 1 Driver
christine Ede Spennymoor Office
Christine Harland Spennymoor Office
Christine Heale Spennymoor Office
Clifford Smiles
Colin pinkney
Colin Porter Fitter
Colin Sumpton
Colin Watson
Colin Williams
Dale harrison
Darren Brown
Dave Brannon Fitter
Dave Hastie
Dave Heron
dave Pope
David Dalrymple Removal Sales
Dennis Bradey
Dennis Lee
Diane Spennymoor Office Lived in Durham
■■■■ Porter Fitter
■■■■ Lowes
Eddie Brown
Eddy Donnelly
Eddie Worthington
Eddy Ramsey
Eddy Thornton Workshop Manager/Transport
Eric Nelson
Farrah Clark
Frank Morgan Orriginally driver then went on, after loosing arm to look after Wilcomatic Vehicle Wash and parking
Fred Nelson
Fred Thirlaway
Fred Winter
Freddie Wallace
Geoff Welford
George Graham
George Gleason
George Hardy Fitter
George Sykes
George Meek
Gordon Ball
George Todd
Gordon Jackson
Gordon Elsom
Graham McKenna
Harry Blatchford
Harry Blyth
Harry Brain
Harry Hawkins
Harry Smith
Harry Whitehead
Henry Barras
Hillary Harrison
howard Rushton
Ian Askwith
Jack Birch
Jack Wilkinson
James Sproull
Janette McDonad Drove 4 wheeler Laird Flat to Oldham each day Roping and Sheeting
Jeff Pye
Jeff Cooper
Jenny Myers Spennymoor Office
Jim cairey
Jim Ferguson
Jim Kirk
Jim Lupton
Jim Wilson London Depot manager
Jimmy Clements
Jimmy Testo
Jock Weatherstone
Jock Spennymoor Transport Office Ex ATM and Ramar
Joe carpenter
Joe Pennington
John Beaumont
John Chapman
John Clancey
John Coed Aprentice Mecanic
John Glancey
John Hetherington
John Hughes
John Hull
John Mortimer
John Nixon
John Storey Apprentice Transport Manager
John Tobin
John Ward
John Willets
joy Bunting Spennymoor office nicknaed Blondie
Keith Dixon
Ken Armtrong Fitter
Keith Brown
Keith Payne
Keith Winter
Ken Atkinson Painter
Ken Dagga
Kenny Hardy
Kenny Hodgson
Kenny nelson
kenny Smallman
Kenny Smith
Kenny Thompson Apprentice
Kenny Thrower
John Vasey
Laurece Petch
Laurie hawkins
Les Aislesby
Les Davies
Les Warnet
Linda Irving Lived in Grange Est Spennymoor Wages Clerk last few years emigated to Australia
Linda Turnbull Spennymoor Office
Malcolm Stephenson
Malcome Marsden Removal Sales/ mail Order office
Margaret O’Hern Class 1 female driver lived at Near Scots Corner
Marilyn mason Marmaduke Street/ Green Lane office
Martin Haliday
Martin Wade Fitter
Mickie Solo Fitter
Mick Robson Driver from Bishop Auckland
Mrs Dennis Marmaduke Street/ Green Lane office
Neil Evans
Neil I’anson
Norman Robinson
Norman Snowball
Norman Flatman Transport Magager Spennymoor office
Ozzie Boomfied
Pam Receptionist Telephonist Spennymoor Office ex ATM
Pat Mccabe Spennymoor Office
Paul Sandford
Patrick Cavagner Newcastle Office manager
Pauline hood Spennymoor Office
Peter Aspinall
Peter Caywood
Peter Clearey
Peter Holliday
Peter moore
Peter Wilson
Peter Windship
Phil Reilly Spennymoor Warehouse Manager
Ray Hornby
Ray Juler
Raymond Russell Fitter/Tyre Fitter/ Recovery Driver/ Class 1 driver
Roger Owen
Ronnie Briggs
Ronnie Harris
Ronnie Wensley
Ronny Allison
Shiela Marmaduke Stree/ Green Lane office
Shiela Juler Office cleaner Green Lane
Shirley cuttey Spennymoor Office
Stan Harper Fitter
Steven (Stevie) Newcombe
Stehen Cairns Fitter
Susan Firth Spennymoor Office
Susan Spennymoor Office Lived in Darlington
Sydney Credit controler ex Homeworthy Accountant
Taffy Evans
Ted Sawley
Ted Wells
Terry Stores Manager from Wolsingham
Terry Fullard
Terry Sumpton
Tommy Bowen
Tommy Brophy
Tommy Clements
Tommy Coates
Tommy magles Fitter
Tommy Stoddart
Tony Dark skinned driver class 3
Tony Aspinall
Tony Hawkins
Tony Kirk
Trevor Shaw
Valerie Powell Spennymoor Office
Vic Britton
Vic Young Fitter
Yvonne Spennymoor office lived in Chilton
W.H.Williams (Harry) Managing Director
W.H.Williams Snr Founder and orriginal Propriator
Hi Carl
I missed Harry Mason off the list, I went up to see Rodger this morning but he was not in, I will call again tomorrow, a lot of the lads are still around only getting older, I no longer go out on an evening and for a drink I go mostly to the Black Horse in Tudhoe on a Sunday once every three or four weeks for two pints and then home for lunch, not the bloke of 30 years ago.
Colin
Colin Watson:
Hi Carl
I missed Harry Mason off the list, I went up to see Rodger this morning but he was not in, I will call again tomorrow, a lot of the lads are still around only getting older, I no longer go out on an evening and for a drink I go mostly to the Black Horse in Tudhoe on a Sunday once every three or four weeks for two pints and then home for lunch, not the bloke of 30 years ago.
Colin
Hi Colin,
Thanks for telling me I will add Harry Mason on.
With regard to the night out next month. Paul, my son and me can pick you up and take you back, as I am not supposed to drive now. We all get older but like Gordon and Eddie said it would be nice to meet up again before its too late
Carl
I promised Jeffery to tell him all I knew of the Sheffield depot.
As I thought about it I was thinking ‘Where do I start?’ and I need to go back a year or two before we opened it. I hope all readers don’t get bored but the background information is important.
Courtaulds and ATM closed and things were far from well at Thorn EMI, where I don’t think we were being treated fairly with the allocation of the work. We needed more work and my grandmother always said ‘When one door opens another closes’.
Here is the background to a new door opening.
In the seventies and eighties the mail order catalogues were controlled by two families. The Moore family who owned Littlewoods pools and catalogues (Littlewoods and Moores were the main titles) and the Woolfston family of Great Universal Store fame (GUS Trafford plus many more) being the main titles. GUS also owned Kays of Worcester, which they ran as a separate company, but still had close ties with the GUS side.
GUS had at that time also bought a large part of Freemans as they had plans to take over but were stopped by the Monopolies Commission.
I was told that allegedly The Woolfston family did not like the Moores and vice versa. It was said, and I am not sure of the truth but there had been an inter family marriage that went wrong. In any event the rough guide was if you worked for GUS and Kays you did not work for Mooes/Littlewoods.
Also if you worked for GUS, Freemans, Grattons and Empire store tended to use you as well.
On the two man large items that were predominantly furniture there were two major operators that carried out the work of delivering to the home Giltspur- Bullens and Pickfords. The catalogue companies were far from happy with either of these companies as they both used sub-contractors and felt that neither were up to the job.
To make matters worse Giltspur-Bullens which were at the time owned by Associated Dairies developed a business relationship with Moores-Littlewoods and GUS decided they wanted to create a rival business.
At first they decided to form their own as a spin off from GUS Transport their transport division. Many drivers will remember the green GUS vans on the road and north east drivers will remember the UBU (Universal Bedding and Upholstery) vans that ran from Team Valley and Chirton, near North Shields.
Deciding that it was too expensive to start their own they thought and looked for a haulier, of sufficient size they could tailor and expand to serve their needs.
Little did we know that they had been watching us and seeing how we went on for about a year, through Freemans which as I have said was partly owned by GUS. Where the idea came from and how far up the ladder of GUS it went I don’t know but our dealings went to the highest of management in Kays, Gusco (The name of the GUS catalogue companies) and GUS Transport Ltd. All three of these companies we had to deal with and each trying to outplay the other with their arrangements.
As I have explained earlier in this thread we had worked for Freemans for over twenty years at the time that all of this developed and this was the thread that led us into this chapter of our work.
Sorry Jeffery nothing yet about Sheffield but it will come as I continue the story
Hi Carl
It is me in the Atkinson, I am not likely to forget that day as it was the day that I was suffering as I thought indigestion, it was on the night at home that I had the first heart attack and finished up in the Freeman Hospital having heart surgery for the first time that would be 1983. I am not reading anything if I remember rightly I was having forty winks as I had not had much sleep duo to the indigestion, in the service area south of Bristol.
I remember starting for W H as if it was yesterday, at the time I was employed in the construction industry and working for a Liverpool based company and was spending two and three month away from home at a time yes months not nights, I was home on a long weekend and walked down to Marmaduke Street and spoke to Mr Williams “granddad” who informed me that his son was ill and would not be in that week but he took my name and address and it was on the Thursday of the following week I rang Laura my wife and she told me that I was to contact Mr Harry Williams which I did
When can you start says he, I will come home tomorrow and come to see you says I and on the Friday I met the man who was to be my employer and I like to think friend for the next twenty odd years with the exception a few months when I went self employed, the self employed was not working out and I had a walk up to green lane and again saw Harry, how are you doing he asked and I told him not to good, good he says I have a vehicle loaded for Scotland and you can re-start tomorrow, no argument was given.
Working for Harry as a driver was possible the best move that I ever made, I was happy to go work and enjoyed the job tremendously until he pulled me off the road and put me in the office with Eddy Thornton and I hated this period, and it showed for I was not concentrating on the job in hand and my mind was wandering down the road until the day that I asked Harry to put me back on the road
It was in 1983 as I have said above that I had the first of a few heart attacks and needed open heart surgery and of course this meant the loss not only of my HGV but also my car licence for twelve months which meant no job, I walked up to green lane as I always walked as at that time I did not have a car, You came out to see me Carl and asked when are you coming back to work to which I had to say that I had no HGV and would not have a car licence for a further few weeks, you took me upstairs into the office and your dad came up and you asked me if I would work in the office on the mail order side and I snapped up the offer.
A few weeks later I was in the rest room when you came in and asked me if I would go down to the depot in Westbury on Trim as we were having problems with the running of the depot, I will have to go by train as I do not have a car I had to explain, but you do have a car you said that one on the forecourt is yours now a VW Variant 412 LE Estate, and off I went to Westbury, later I came back to Wellingborough were I spent some time until Andrew Scott pulled me back to Spennymoor to work unfortunately I was to have a further heart attack which finish any prospect of coming back to work for while I was convalescing the company finished, a sad day not only for W.H but for the town of Spennymoor and all who worked there.
Hi Carl thanks for the very detailed post. i worked for Pickfords for almost forty years and remember the time when they did mail order, what a shambles that was, and i think what ended it was when loades of stuff went missing from the depot at white city manchester.and one or two people served time in prison.
The police raided one persons house in chester and removed all the stolen goods that had come from the depot at white city,it was said at the time that the only thing left in the house was the carpets,and the police couldnt be bothered to roll them up.anyway keep up the good work Carl look forward to your next post
Regards Jeff
Colin Watson:
Hi Carl
It is me in the Atkinson, I am not likely to forget that day as it was the day that I was suffering as I thought indigestion, it was on the night at home that I had the first heart attack and finished up in the Freeman Hospital having heart surgery for the first time that would be 1983. I am not reading anything if I remember rightly I was having forty winks as I had not had much sleep duo to the indigestion, in the service area south of Bristol.I remember starting for W H as if it was yesterday, at the time I was employed in the construction industry and working for a Liverpool based company and was spending two and three month away from home at a time yes months not nights, I was home on a long weekend and walked down to Marmaduke Street and spoke to Mr Williams “granddad” who informed me that his son was ill and would not be in that week but he took my name and address and it was on the Thursday of the following week I rang Laura my wife and she told me that I was to contact Mr Harry Williams which I did
When can you start says he, I will come home tomorrow and come to see you says I and on the Friday I met the man who was to be my employer and I like to think friend for the next twenty odd years with the exception a few months when I went self employed, the self employed was not working out and I had a walk up to green lane and again saw Harry, how are you doing he asked and I told him not to good, good he says I have a vehicle loaded for Scotland and you can re-start tomorrow, no argument was given.
Working for Harry as a driver was possible the best move that I ever made, I was happy to go work and enjoyed the job tremendously until he pulled me off the road and put me in the office with Eddy Thornton and I hated this period, and it showed for I was not concentrating on the job in hand and my mind was wandering down the road until the day that I asked Harry to put me back on the roadIt was in 1983 as I have said above that I had the first of a few heart attacks and needed open heart surgery and of course this meant the loss not only of my HGV but also my car licence for twelve months which meant no job, I walked up to green lane as I always walked as at that time I did not have a car, You came out to see me Carl and asked when are you coming back to work to which I had to say that I had no HGV and would not have a car licence for a further few weeks, you took me upstairs into the office and your dad came up and you asked me if I would work in the office on the mail order side and I snapped up the offer.
A few weeks later I was in the rest room when you came in and asked me if I would go down to the depot in Westbury on Trim as we were having problems with the running of the depot, I will have to go by train as I do not have a car I had to explain, but you do have a car you said that one on the forecourt is yours now a VW Variant 412 LE Estate, and off I went to Westbury, later I came back to Wellingborough were I spent some time until Andrew Scott pulled me back to Spennymoor to work unfortunately I was to have a further heart attack which finish any prospect of coming back to work for while I was convalescing the company finished, a sad day not only for W.H but for the town of Spennymoor and all who worked there.
Hi Colin
It’s strange but I can remember what happened in the sixties better than the eighties. In fact my memory is very week in the last years.
I remember you starting. When you spoke to my grandfather when you originally called to see about a job, dad must have been in hospital with his heart attack. Poor devil he didn’t get long to get over it as he had to be straight back at work when he came out of hospital. Didn’t my grandfather know one of Laura’s family, and when dad came back he told him that he’d had a first class chap for a job so he had better start him.
Am I dreaming, or wasn’t one of your first trips, a journey of about 1,300 mile down South West with old HTH, an old Bedford Petrol that had been parked up for about a year?
I forgot about you going down to Westbury and then back to Wellingborough for a period, when on both occasions you tidied things up. Just to check my memory wasn’t Westbury a sub-contractor we used to replace the sub-contractor we were using at Midsummer Norton?
Also can you remember why Andrew Scott brought you back from Wellingborough? And who replaced you there?
Dad Granda and me had a good way of working together, we all thought alike. Andrew Scott and I didn’t get on that well. I accept he knew his job and was good at it but he tried to play dad against me and it was only in these times that we really argued. There was a long period when all drivers and us got on and that were the best days.
Carl
Hi Carl
On my first day which was the Saturday after I came home I went on a removal with Tom Stoddard and on the Monday I went out on Hardy’s at Bishop Auckland with WH himself and I think that my first long trip was with Ness Furniture and it was to Wales and the West Country. You are right about Granddad knowing Laura’s family and yes he did expect a lot of your dad, he worked for everything that he got.
I was off on the sick when the depot system was set up and I only remember going to Westbury and then when it was closed we moved it to Frome and then I went to Wellingborough, I believe that Colin of who I cannot remember his surname was employed to take over Wellingborough and I was brought back to Spennymoor with no explanation given, Andrew Scott had his own ideas and was not very forth coming with explanations.
I drove a Bedford four cylinder for a while when I first started but it was not long before I got a new vehicle VPT 828 F and remember that in Liverpool I was to deliver to a Hospital and it was cold and with lots of ice when I went through the hospitals gates it was downhill and thick with ice, the brakes were on but VPT kept on going with a low arch ahead, off came the dome of the roof, I rang in and reported and the only question that WH ask was is the panel work damage, when I said no all his replie was take it into Mardens at Warrington and they will put a new dome on and this they did, this incident was never ever mention again.
It would seem that VPT828v and myself were fated as in Norfolk outside of the gates at Sandringham I was overtaken by a fast car who when he was passed me did not pull in but tried to passed a car in front, a car coming the other way collided with him and he spun round right in front of me and I could not avoid him even though I was half on the verge, the driver of the vehicle Tom Hall died in hospital later that day.
Again it went to prove the good will of W H Williams when VPT was given emergency repairs by a Kings Lynn company and I was able to carry on the next day, though I was shaken at the time a police sergeant advised me to carry on with my work as to sit and mope would only make things worse, I stayed the night after the accident in Kingston on Thames and never in my life was I so please to meet young Eddy who was parked up and who gave me a lot of support that night.