edworth:
Carl…ask Colin about the cafe in Kingston on thames that did not have a toilet of it’s own,come on Colin.
Eddie
Hi Eddie,
It’s surprising where you lot got.
I remember in the sixties when Dusty Springfield was at the height of her fame being told by couple of drivers that she was a lesbian. Years before it was in the papers. Apparently before Kingston on Thames gained its popularity for parking the East end was popular and apparently she frequented a pub used by our drivers with her girlfriend, Apparently other regulars were the Krays.
Carl
One of the best times I had in London was when there was about ten of us with yarn for Russia and the dockers went on strike, we were there for about three nights, the dockers and there families were nice people they reminded me very much like the northern collierie’s people, not sure if is was Colin or Ron (him being a southern boy) who came to a arrangement with the dockers, if we unloaded all our vans the bonus money had to be paid to the dockers, never seen vans unloaded so quick,never even heard of the krays then and we were right in the middle, don’t think the dockers would be intimadated by that scum.
Eddie
Hi Eddie
We always had troubles delivering Courtaulds Yarn to the docks. I remember the first time we had a load dad was furious when they kept us two days waiting to unload, and we soon found the only way round it was giving the drivers a bung to give to the Dockers. Liverpool and Hull were certainly worst and even with bribery we could not solve the problems at Hull. The only way out was subcontracting and I think it was Shorts that specialised with Hull docks and seemed to have them ■■■■■■■.
what a wonderful thread, … just spent several days reading it. Please carry on.
Hi Driver Once more,
Thank you so much for your kind comments.
There are times when I think I have about reached the end of the stories that I can tell, and then someone makes a comment that brings back so many ‘new’ memories.
I surpose the time will come when I will dry up, but I have so much going round in my head at the present it could be well in the future, and it’s comments like yours that makes it so worth while
It’s strange, but most of our longest sering employees had something that they could do apart from their normal jobs.
recently I was mentioning Alan Robinson, and the one thing Alan was excellent at was cleaning things. Whenever he had time available he cleaned the coffee machine. Taking it cmpletly to bits it looked like new after his efforts.
Another such person was Bryan Sheldon. In his youth Bryan had been a valleter for Bongate Motors in Bishop Auckland. A valleter, years before all the polishes, dash cleansers etc were available. In my pathetic way I could never get windscreens clean. Probably partly because whenever dad was in any car he was smoking, and activly with the exception of myself encouraged anyone else to join him. If smoking caused cancer, and death dad must have actively reduced the lifespan of so many of our staff. As I said I would clean the windscreen door and rear windows and it would look fine, yet as soon as the sun shone the wrong way streakes were eveywhere. When Bryan cleaned and polished a car it would appear like new.
I am sure Bryan and all others that thought so highly as My dad and I did of the late Ray Juler could only think of the one thing he played without exception, and probably be pleased to be described as such, the company joker. Always whereever Ray went something laughable happened. I am meaning this in the nicest way but comical happenings just followed him round. I aways remember when he and Sheila bought the house near the park enterance in Spennymoor, and somone was walking past one Sunday and there was Ray holding the ladder whilst Sheila painted the guttering.
I was reminded of this recently whilst watching Coronation Street Kark left the stella to live with Sunita and was asked to repair the roof, she ended up doing it as he daren’t get up.
In the 70s when it was the fashion to have a curly perm, I can remember Ray coming in for his pay and his daughter had permed it only it hadn’t turned out right. All he had was two frizzy bits on either side of his head that looked liked poodle ears. I know I shouldn’t have but I burst out laughing and Ray took umbrage and the next time I saw him he had cut them off. Chris
825christineh:
In the 70s when it was the fashion to have a curly perm, I can remember Ray coming in for his pay and his daughter had permed it only it hadn’t turned out right. All he had was two frizzy bits on either side of his head that looked liked poodle ears. I know I shouldn’t have but I burst out laughing and Ray took umbrage and the next time I saw him he had cut them off. Chris
Hi Christine,
Ray always reminded us of ■■■■■■■■ Coronation Street. Always getting up to funny anticks but always beng well thught of by all, with the exception of, I suspect Allan Henderson
Over the years I have often been asked what was the best buy as far as vehicles go.
Thinking about it it must be the one in the photo below.
This Bedford breakdown did over 300,000 miles in our use. It towed every type of vehicle we operated one time and another. In many cases artics complete with trailers. Our three Leyland Lynx tractor units were towed nearly half of their working lives. The score was for whoever took the breakdown, often Ray Russell to go to wherever the vehicle was broken down, and if loaded tow the vehicle to it delivery point or points, make the delivery and tow back home to Spennymoor. This simple little Bedford pulling up to 32 GTW trator units complete wit 40 ft trailers. so in reality that 300,000 miles must be more than equivalent to 1 million of normal use.
Here is a photo of my grandfather W.H Williams (Senior) who founded the business. in the photo he probably was in his late seventies as most of us would best remember him
A photo of my dad W.H.Williams Jnr (Harry) taken during his time running the business. Note he is holding my daughter Alexis, his granddaughter. Alexis is 32 years old later this year.
Carl Williams:
A photo of my dad W.H.Williams Jnr (Harry) taken during his time running the business. Note he is holding my daughter Alexis, his granddaughter. Alexis is 32 years old later this year.
A photo of my dad W.H.Williams Jnr (Harry) taken during his time running the business. Note he is holding my daughter Alexis, his granddaughter. Alexis is 32 years old later this year.
JAKEY:
Great pictures Carl , have you still got the Stag ■■?
Hi Jakey
No I bought it new and had it three years and sold it for a profit. To tell you the truth I didn’t particularly like the car and it certainly was not one of my favourites, however I wish I had it today, in that condition.
YUP492F Bedford TK with Luton body by Northern Assemblies Consett. This Bedford had the ill fated 380 cu in diesel engine fitted. A big useful luton body with the 380 cu in engine and 2 speed gearbox should have made a very good vehicle, but it was mired with engine problems. i was a littlle perturbed when Dad anounced he was not fitting yet another 380 short motor, but insted fitting a new 330 engine.
unfortunatly the result was dreadful. The back axle ratio and gearbox was wrong making it a dreadfully slow vehicle to drive with a top speed of abut 45 mph when it eventually got there. We used it mostly on local work until eventually we found a buyer and disposed of it. Had he fitted the 466 engine it would have been a great success, but at that time we had only just started buying bedfords with the 466 engine, and hadn’t fully been convinced of their reliability. Dad’s responce had been, when choosing the engine. ‘Look out there at all those vans fitted with 330 engines and everyone has never been a problem’
My grandfather got one of the first phone numbers in Spennymoor (93) in the early twenties, but I surpose it would be difficult to ring anyone if just a few people had telephones, so sending a post card would be the best way to confirm when he was comig to collect.
Government cuts are not a new thing.
Back in 1954 Durham County council introduced a mobile library in the Spennymoor area. They needed somewhere to garage this overnight and made arrangements with us to park in our garage in Marmaduke Street. I wonder if Eddie, Colin and Peter can remember the library there?
They had built themselves, taking about three years (fast workers- the county council) and it was a Commer about 27 ft 6 in long. Giving them credit it was well built and strong bodywork, and the librarian/driver was a chap from West Cornforth called Benny Waugh.
A few years down the line they decided to allocate the Commer to another part of the County and as they had bought and ex Northern bus and converted it to a mobile library. It was a Leyland, I think Titan about 1938 vintage. At that time vehicle preservation was not particularly thought of and to me an old piece of scrap.
When it came dad immediately complained as it had a severe oil leak, and dad was fastidious about the cleanliness of the garage floor. Their solution was to provide a huge about 4 x4 metal ‘tray’ to collect the oil. I can remember dad remarking that as it spit about 2 to 3 pints a night, that they should collect the oil and re pour it in the engine. Needless to say Benny Waugh used to put about a gallon of oil a day (New oil) into the Leyland Engine. For those who were around that time will remember, although Plating and Testing had not been introduced Ministry of Transport Inspectors were still quite keen on issuing GV9 s at roadside inspections, but as it was Durham County Council they never would have waved it in. In fact dad said that it was in pretty bad mechanical condition and would have received a full sheet if it was examined.
As many on here will have first-hand knowledge of old Leyland oil burners were not the easiest of vehicles to start on a cold winters morning, and Benny Waugh had to light fires underneath it, use Easystart and every conceivable means to start it, until one morning no matter what he did the battery would just not turn it over. For the next six months he had to ring County Hall at Durham and they used to send out a service van out with two fitters with a set of Jump leads to start it as the batteries were finished, but BECAUSE OF CUTS, the County Council could not afford new batteries. Typical as I’m sure it is the same today they couldn’t work out that new batteries would have cost a lot less to fix the batteries than send out from Durham each day.
The biggest laugh was that eventually it was decided that it needed servicing, and had to go into the workshops at County Hall for a week (Once again fast workers) and when it came out you still had to turn the steering for five minutes before the wheel started to move and still the next morning we had the daily visit to start it, as they still had not bought new batteries.
Just before we moved to Green Lane it was replaced with a smaller Karrier which used to park at our Green Lane depot until a new library was built in Spennymoor with garaging for the mobile library incorporated.
Another company that cut costs ridiculously was Courtaulds.
When they brought important people round the Spennymoor plant the chauffer used to bring his car to wash and valet to our place, whilst his client was being shown round the Spennymoor plant and entertained.
On one occasion it was George Brown the labour polititian in who was an important member of the Harold Wilson government.
Dad went out to talk to the chauffer and look at the car and noticed the front tyres were bald with virtually no tread, completly illegal ad dangerous. Dad told the chauffer and he said he knew but tey would not buy new tyres as Courtaulds were cutting costs and would not spend anymore that month.
