edworth:
Hi Carl…that was a good quote by Peter,I remember well when that incident happened with your Dad, if I had getting my hands on the [zb] we are on about I would have made him eat his own [zb] ( sorry about the lingo, but I hate that guy for what he and his croonies did) anyway it shows how much of a idiot he is when he spent all that money at Darlo…the other wagon I think was in Kevin Dixons scrap yard at Stanley not a 100%, feeling a lot better now, all the best to everyone.
Eddie
Hi Eddie, I didn’t know about all the shenanigans that have been mentioned in the last few posts but you have given me the final piece in the jigsaw. It’s a pity the man had to resort to underhand tactics and cause distress to so many good people. His day will come!!! Eddie I’m up at Farlam on Monday 16th July for the week if you are over that way. Keep in touch, Ronnie.
Thanks Peter, Eddie, and Ronnie for the kind words about the times I would rather forget. No one but me knows entirely the full story of what happened over those years in the early nineties, the things that happened were truly horrific and appalling, and I have to the main part erased them from my memory.
Hope you are back to 100 per cent soon.
It’s strange, Peter, I can remember you and I going down to Filey with the fridge and the cooker as though it was yesterday. Butlins had decided to make some of their challets self catering, so tey could compete with the competition from foreign holidays. They had completed one trial chalet and had photographers and press going to publicise the new venture. They urgently needed a cooker ad fridge to be installed to complete the venture, hence our urgent journey. For Thorn it was worth while the effort as they received the contract to supply fridges and cookers to all Butlins holiday camp.
I knew we took a small van but couldn’t remember which, however the other choice, the J2 might not have got us there in time.
I have vague recollections of going somewhere else the next day, but strange as it seems I cannot remember that journey, but during those years I was up and down to Leicester a lot, usually with the J2.
Mentioning George Hardy brought back further memories of that particular transit. I seem to remember that one week it did about 3,200 miles. George went down to Cornwall and straight back, literally non-stop, and as it pulled in the garage was reloaded, off the floor, for Inverness ,with another driver, no- stop with the rest of the week filled in with three London/South Coast trips. We did a lot of removals of junior doctors who were based at Darlington and Durham Hospitals and they were constantly moving round the country with mostly luggage and perhaps a TV and stereo, and I think at least three of the trips were those.
In those days I think it was only a Transit petrol that would cope, because they were so reliable.
Mysterron:
edworth:
Hi Carl…that was a good quote by Peter,I remember well when that incident happened with your Dad, if I had getting my hands on the [zb] we are on about I would have made him eat his own [zb] ( sorry about the lingo, but I hate that guy for what he and his croonies did) anyway it shows how much of a idiot he is when he spent all that money at Darlo…the other wagon I think was in Kevin Dixons scrap yard at Stanley not a 100%, feeling a lot better now, all the best to everyone.
Eddie
Hi Eddie, I didn’t know about all the shenanigans that have been mentioned in the last few posts but you have given me the final piece in the jigsaw. It’s a pity the man had to resort to underhand tactics and cause distress to so many good people. His day will come!!! Eddie I’m up at Farlam on Monday 16th July for the week if you are over that way. Keep in touch, Ronnie.
Hi Ron…Should be up at static that week, in fact I am at the static now, I have to come to Durham for the 11th & 13th and back to ■■■■■■■ so hopefully will catch up with you.
Eddie
I wonder if many remember the other Ford Transit 15cwt petrol we bought new which was painted in Courtauld’s livery.
We were approached by Courtaulds to supply a van, to be available at Spennymoor each day to deliver samples of their yarn, quickly to their customers throughout the UK.
They were prepared to pay for it to stand so it was available to leave as soon as the yarn was produced, usually only one sample box and be at customer as quickly as possible, to impress their standard of delivery.
Within 48 hours we had a new Transit, painted available for them and Fred Wallace was the driver.
We chose the petrol Transit for speed and reliability and ran it exactly one year, without any problems and it completed 120,000 miles. We had decided to replace it for a new one, but Courtaulds had management change and had decided that provided delivery was effected at the promised time the urgency was not as great as they had originally considered and sample yarn could be sent with our normal deliveries.
It’s strange how history repeats itself.
I mentioned a post or so earlier how dad and I purchased an almost new Ford Transit from Minories who were a very large garage main agent group in the North East which they were unable to get running correctly, ad repair a mechanical defect. During the war in about 1943 something similarly happened with my grandfather.
During the war it was practically impossible to buy goods vehicles. New ones were non-existent as all the manufacturers concentrated on production for the MOD. So it was very strange that Sherwoods, the Bedford agents in Darlington had a 1938 Bedford 3ocwt parked up outside the Grange Road premises, for sale which had not been snapped up.
Dad said it was very similar to the 30cwt we restored and displayed at rallies etc. during the early 80’s. However this Bedford had an engine problem that had baffled Sherwoods mechanics, and was for sale with as a none runner. Granddad snapped it up, and anyone who knew him will understand it would have been a very cheap buy.
With difficulty it was driven back to Spennymoor, and next day loaded up and given to my uncle Jim to take out. Grumbling that night on his return he said he had had to repair it, during his journey. It had been repaired at no cost, and ran throughout the war and was sold in 1946, most probably being replaced by GPT.
Carl Williams:
I wonder if many remember the other Ford Transit 15cwt petrol we bought new which was painted in Courtauld’s livery.
We were approached by Courtaulds to supply a van, to be available at Spennymoor each day to deliver samples of their yarn, quickly to their customers throughout the UK.
They were prepared to pay for it to stand so it was available to leave as soon as the yarn was produced, usually only one sample box and be at customer as quickly as possible, to impress their standard of delivery.
Within 48 hours we had a new Transit, painted available for them and Fred Wallace was the driver.
We chose the petrol Transit for speed and reliability and ran it exactly one year, without any problems and it completed 120,000 miles. We had decided to replace it for a new one, but Courtaulds had management change and had decided that provided delivery was effected at the promised time the urgency was not as great as they had originally considered and sample yarn could be sent with our normal deliveries.
Hi Carl…Remember the ■■■■■■ well and Fred driving it, he was a good bloke was Freddy Wallace, I remember a lot of years after when I had my own van, Freds wife booked to move from Tudhoe Front Street to Speenymoor on arriving I walked into the house and not seeing Fred I asked his wife where he was hiding, her reply was that he died a few year before, one of the worst moments of embaresment, was I pleased when I had moved her, anybody from the Spenny area who remembers Gassy Tyers , Freds wife was his sister.
Eddie
Hi all,
Just got back into this site for some reason i was cut off from logging in then could not find my password but now successful.
Carl
Like many i remember your family troubles even though @ the time we lost contact i also had a lot of trouble but thankfully not as bad as you had, some things people forget but things you cannot & they are very bad nightmares i hope you & your mam are keeping OK as she is a lovely lady.
I hope the meeting gets underway & some old Ex drivers & staff turn up it would be nice to see a good turnout, i have spoke to a number of drivers but as yet no comments on the site fingers crossed.
Peter
I saw a photo of an old Pickfords van reg no HNF 716 were you @ the wheel & your bruv sitting riding shotgun?
Eddie
Its good to see you are getting back to health, when back from the lakes give me a call or text & we can have a quick drink even if its a lunchtime maybe Carl will be there also.
Good luck to you all - Gordon.
goggietara:
Hi all,
Just got back into this site for some reason i was cut off from logging in then could not find my password but now successful.
Carl
Like many i remember your family troubles even though @ the time we lost contact i also had a lot of trouble but thankfully not as bad as you had, some things people forget but things you cannot & they are very bad nightmares i hope you & your mam are keeping OK as she is a lovely lady.
I hope the meeting gets underway & some old Ex drivers & staff turn up it would be nice to see a good turnout, i have spoke to a number of drivers but as yet no comments on the site fingers crossed.
Peter
I saw a photo of an old Pickfords van reg no HNF 716 were you @ the wheel & your bruv sitting riding shotgun?
Eddie
Its good to see you are getting back to health, when back from the lakes give me a call or text & we can have a quick drink even if its a lunchtime maybe Carl will be there also.
Good luck to you all - Gordon.
Hi Gordon,
Pleased you are bac on the site
Carl
Talking about the Removal Van Museum in southern Ireland reminded me of our Irish Traffic.
It was in the mid to late sixties that we got our first enquiries into loads to Northern Ireland and when I enquired about visas at their department of transport in Belfast I was told that we would have no problems for the occasional load but if we were planning regular work we should apply for a Northern Ireland operator’s Licence.
This we did for 4 vehicles and were granted with operator’s licence disks for the four vehicles we had nominated. One I remember was the 2 tonner DPT100B, as it was a good size for much of our traffic, with a large capacity body for such a short length in vehicle. (We paid the ferry charges to Sealink in vehicle length). Sealink was in those days owned by British Rail
It was one of the best things we ever did getting this operator’s licence as I will explain later, but the problem was we never had the right vehicle loaded that was actually licenced.
I wonder if anyone remember the two Magnius Deutz 7.5 gvw luton vans we operated. With 1200 cu foot bodies I think they made smart looking vans. Unfortunatly as I never photographed them and so the chance of a photo of one of them turning up is remote, so I a showing the photo below which I am sure will be the same model. I suspect there were not that many used in UK so they would have been aan unusual vehicle
Can anyone remember an accident one of our tractor units had on the old bridge at Newton Cap Bishop Auckland?
Now I’ve stopped driving I’m not as helpful to Paul as I used to be. Yesterday he had a Mercedes car to pick up from the paint shop he uses in Bishop Auckland and take to a garage he uses for repairs in Willington. Before I would have gone with him to Bishop Auckland and then follow him to Willington so he had a car to return with when he left the Mercedes. However that is no more, so we had to catch the bus from Willington back to Bishop Auckland were we had left the other car, and the bus went the old way and down Newton Cap.
I was telling Paul about the accident which from memory was quite a bump. I seem to remember it was a tractor unit on the Steinberg contract, which would make it an AEC Mercury or an ERF. Steinberg provided the trailers and as they made Alexon. clothing the trailers were painted advertising the Alexon brand From memory the driver at the time lived up the top of Crook in one of the villages (Forgotten the name) on the Brancepeth to Tow Law road. This would add up as he probably would have dropped the trailer at Steinberg at West Auckland and was going home.
From memory he was going down Newton Cap from Bishop Auckland and one of Horne’s Foden was on the bridge and our tractor wouldn’t grip and stop and they collided. I suspect it might have been the AEC as the Foden with fibreglass cab was in a bad state and not too much damage to ours, but with the knock for knock insurance agreement we each paid our own damage, and so it didn’t cost us too much to repair.
Hi Carl
A couple of drivers names come to me Freddie Prest or Ray Hornsby.
Gordon.
goggietara:
Hi Carl
A couple of drivers names come to me Freddie Prest or Ray Hornsby.
Gordon.
Hi Gordon,
Tanks I have added Freddie Prest to list. Can you remember what he drove?
Ray Hornsby was already down,
Best wishes
Carl
Here is the latest updated list of ex employees.
Please help if you can fill in the odd surname that is missed or anyone missed off the list.
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
Freddie Prest
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 bumped into Ray Russell in Durham yesterday he is still working & fit as ever, he told me he met Phill Reilly a couple of weeks ago he is fit & well but his wife died some 20 years ago & never remarried.
Take care matey - Gordon.
hi carl
did you ever have any dealings with keith miller removals from sunderland, keith is an old friend of my dads, he mainly ran bedford tk,s etc red in colour, his wife nola miller used to be the hairdresser for a lot of the sunderland football players in the 70,s unfortunatley nola passed away a couple of year ago.
regards
mark
goggietara:
Hi Carl,
I bumped into Ray Russell in Durham yesterday he is still working & fit as ever, he told me he met Phill Reilly a couple of weeks ago he is fit & well but his wife died some 20 years ago & never remarried.
Take care matey - Gordon.
Hi Gordon,
Hope you told Ray about this site and Colin’s get together,i t would be nice to hear from him, and meet him again as it also would for Phil.
It would also be good to hear from Frank morgan and ken Armstong. I will try to write all of them if I can find their address
Carl
marcus 22:
hi carl
did you ever have any dealings with keith miller removals from sunderland, keith is an old friend of my dads, he mainly ran bedford tk,s etc red in colour, his wife nola miller used to be the hairdresser for a lot of the sunderland football players in the 70,s unfortunatley nola passed away a couple of year ago.
regards
mark
Hi Mark,
The name does not ring a bell, but there again my memory from 1980 onwards is not too good and getting worse. I remember best back in the sixties and seventies.
I do remember when we opened our office in Sunderland a small removal contractor (I believe father and son) contacted me and asked if we wanted to buy them out. I explained that at the time it was not our policy to buy businesses, however we would be prepared to buy their vehicles and give them jobs and offer them a bonus scheme for any work that resulted from their business, but they were not interested. I cannot remember their names.
Carl
Can anyone remember way back when Eric Nelson started. The van he was given to drive was unusual. It was a Bedford 30cwt petrol J type (I think). Can anyone remember?
I had bought it from Green’s Thirsk who were Bedford dealers. After seeing it advertised I went to Thirsk and bought it as it was quite large and you could stand up in the body.
Eric used it to deliver Freemans and with it being normal control it was quite clumsy to drive. It looked quite similar to the Ambulances Durham County was using in those days. I seem to remember it had a 6 cylinder Bedford Petrol engine and was not very economic
Hello, Carl. Yes I remember the Bedford J Type. It would have been about 1970/71 and, although I can’t remember the full registration, was F registered with a Hawson body. I never travelled in this vehicle as it was about the time I was studying at Bishop Auckland Technical College but remember seeing it one afternoon parked at a school on Woodhouse Lane. I believe it could have been Harry Blatchford doing the delivery but not 100%. I thought it unusual for you to buy this type of vehicle, being petrol and of an older design when vehicles, like the Transit were available. It looked very nice painted in the traditional cream and brown WHW livery.
As I was coming back from Crook today I remembered the last time I saw the Morris DPT 100B. It was quite a few years ago and sadly it was in a scrap yard at Willington. At this time it had been repainted in the last owners colours but still easily recognisable and the rear number plate was a good give away. I now wished I had taken a photo.
Gordon, if the picture you saw of the Bedford HNF 716 was at this years Tyne Tees Run then, yes, it was me driving with my wife, Brenda and brother, Barry as passengers. The Foden LGE 951 is now running o.k. and will be taking part in Spennymoor’s Gala’s 57th annual parade, with the Bedford, this Saturday, 7th July.
Hope everyone is keeping well.
Peter.
