Hi Carl, have you seen the thread gone with the wind it’s about high sided vehicles,thought you could contribute?
jeffrey ellener:
Hi Carl, have you seen the thread gone with the wind it’s about high sided vehicles,thought you could contribute?
Hi jeff,
I really have no tales to tell. We only ever had one van that blew over, about 1959-60 A Ford Tames 4D with a 1600 cu ft. luton body on it that was probably too big for such a light weight chassis.
We had a Seddon passenger chassis with a pantechnicon body by Seddon’s subsidiary company Pennine, that was stopped blowing over by being parked next to a building which stopped it and wedged it up, but once again it was 36 ft. long by 14ft 6in high and far too big.
We had a demountable luton van body blow off its stand at our Spennymoor depot, but once again it didn’t count.
However I think our problems didn’t occur because the majority of our vans were pantechnicons by Marsden and Vanplan and were both well designed with skirts down the sides near the ground and the wind simply didn’t get underneath them to lift them over. (If you understand my double Dutch)
The other thing was with regard our small vans with single wheels on the back were not sent out if we considered the wind too strong as I have no doubt one or two of them (Thinking of Morris. BMC J2 and JU’s with large luton bodies) wouldn’t have taken much, but also we told drivers ‘If in doubt park up’ because far better to lose a few hours’ work than have a van’s body destroyed in the wind.
Carl
Terry Fullard has been in touch via Facebook. He never heard about the reunion and would be pleased to attend if ever another is planned.
Asking Terry what he drove he told me that at first he was allocated Leyland Boxer CBB271J and eventually got a Bedford KF with a Coachskill demountable boxvan body KYY798K.
Terry has kindly sent a photo of himself and his, then young daughter standing infront of KYY. He says that she herself has now a daughter. Time waits for no one!
Bringing back memories of us delivering Rolls washing machines that were built in Newton Aycliffe by Tallent Engiineering Ltd and delivered by us here is an advert from 1962 of Rolls twin tub from 1962. Bring back memories?
Carl Williams:
Bringing back memories of us delivering Rolls washing machines that were built in Newton Aycliffe by Tallent Engiineering Ltd and delivered by us here is an advert from 1962 of Rolls twin tub from 1962. Bring back memories?
John Bloom was way ahead of his time with the way we delivered Rolls washing machines. No cardboard packaging Each machine was wheeled on the casters out to the loading area at Tallents (At the side of the road. No loading docks way back then) as it was shown on the photo with no packaging. Thick muffs purpose made were put over the top to cover and protect them on our vans journey As we delivered we took off the muffs and they were returned to Tallents were they were carefully counted off, making sure non had gone astray Tallents paid us both ways to cover the return of the muffs and return of any faulty machines (which there were very few).Vans were loaded with these machines three high and full to the rear (About 140 machines per load), and put on the vans directly from the production line, with no warehousing as such used.
yesterday I bought a new microwave, and I have a massive cardboard box and lots of other packaging. John Bloom made sure the costs were kept to an absolute minimum, which he passed onto his customers, and using muffs instead of all the packaging, not only saved on all the packaging but offered the product better protection, whilst in transit.
Gordon Ball rang me yesterday and told me of the sad death of Trevor Shaw. i must admit I cannot remember the age of Trevor but from memory I would have thought he wouldn’t be much older than late sixties.
although Trevor didn’t make it to our reunion, perhaps he didn’t know or wasn’t in good health, most who did attend will have fond memories of working with him. Its always sad to hear of the death of one of us, and if anyone reads this that knows members of his family, please send my condolences on behalf of all who worked with Terry during his days at WHW
Hi Carl, I saw another death in the obits this week. Trevor Shaw and was wondering if it was the same one who worked for WHW. Trevor was off sick for a long time with ulcerative colitis and eventually returned to work after having a colostomy. He was 66 and lived at Aycliffe. Chris
825christineh:
Hi Carl, I saw another death in the obits this week. Trevor Shaw and was wondering if it was the same one who worked for WHW. Trevor was off sick for a long time with ulcerative colitis and eventually returned to work after having a colostomy. He was 66 and lived at Aycliffe. Chris
Hi Christine,
You are correct, I got muddled up. I apologise to Terry Sumpton, and hope he has not read, the stupidity I wrote about him, and hope he didn’t get the shock of thinking he was a ghost, reading about himself. I must be excused , because not only was I born stupid and have lived my life with that condition, I now have dementure.
Carl
Carl Williams:
Built by Spurlings of Edgware London and exhibited on their stand at 1948 Commercial Motor show in our Cream/Brown livery, but unsignwitten. When dad arrived to see it at the stand it had a side door fitted on the near side, which he did not want. It had a second deck for sheep which fitted on the luton when not required and dad had tailboard and doors for the rear that could be substituted for the high cattle ramps so that it was suitable for muti-use as a van as well as livestock. Dad went down to Spurlings after the show and after they had removed the side door (Which he always said ‘Look as he might there was no evidence it ever was there).
Travelling up the A1 not far from London he was pulled in by two police officers, and when he asked them what was wrong they replied they just wanted to look at the van as it was so beautiful. When it was brought back to Spennymoor Professor Norton from Crook, who for many years had done all our sign writing, put W.H.Williams Removals & Haulage Spennymoor on the cab doors (white writing with black shading) and W.H.Williams Removals Spennymoor (Red writing with pale blue shading) on the two rear doors and tailboard that were used as alternative to cattle ramps.
Somewhere I have professional photos taken outside our garage at Marmaduke Street Spennymoor after it had been sign written. This photo must have been taken somewhere en route home from London, when he had stopped for a break. As no side doors, no sign writing
Dad died 5 years ago and if he had seen the photo, no doubt he would have remembered it being taken and where. One time when he stopped he went to dip the oil and the dip stick was chrome and no oil showing. he had to ask another driver to borrow his dip stick. The rocker cover was also chrome, from the days that Bedford went to special effort to show off their chassis that were exhibited. I understand it never carried any cattle, and only on two occasions used for the carriage of race horses. Almost all the time it was uses with rear doors and tailboard as a van
Article about Spurings stand at 1948 Commercial Motor Show
SPURLING Stand 21
THE mobile canteen shown by this company–one of a number built for London Transport–is the only one of its kind in the Exhibition, It embodies a modern kitchen, a dining room to seat 16 people, a snack bar, a hatch at the rear for coffee-stall service, and has washing facilities. The body is built on a BedfordScammell articulated unit.
By way of contrast, there is an all-steel tipping body mounted on a Bedford 5-ton short-wheelbase chassis and fitted with an Anthony No. 17 slant-type hoist.
The Spurting de luxe ambulance body has accommodation for one recumbent and four or five sitting cases, or two stretcher patients with attendant.
Another exhibit is the Spurrnobus. whtch is a small passenger vehicle with accommodation for eight people and 95 cubic ft, of luggage, or [2 passengers with hand luggage. It is based on a Bedford chassis. Another contrast is afforded by a doubledeck container for cattle tiansport. mounted on a Bedford 5-ton long-wheelbase chassis. When not-in. use, the sections forming the upper deck are stored in the Luton extension.–Spurling Motor Bodies. Ltd., The Hyde, London, N.W.9.
the last vehicle listed was our Bedford 5 ton as the photo last week
Can anyone help by telling me why I cannot add some pictures
Get this message Could not upload attachment to ./files/77234_99b7b295440b181704cc72a62ac1a05f.
Just a normal photo
Just couldn’t resist creeping into a “bus” photo, eh, Carl? 
hiya,
Carl you and your Family have a good Christmas and Carl stay well in 2014
you’ve got to keep your readers informed, there’s a lot of them, and many
of them are like me and have never worked for you so your pages cannot
be added to by the likes of me, but your stuff is well read and believe me
very much appreciated, I personally look in daily and enjoy the read.
thanks harry, long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Carl you and your Family have a good Christmas and Carl stay well in 2014
you’ve got to keep your readers informed, there’s a lot of them, and many
of them are like me and have never worked for you so your pages cannot
be added to by the likes of me, but your stuff is well read and believe me
very much appreciated, I personally look in daily and enjoy the read.
thanks harry, long retired.
I endorse everything Harry says Carl, by the way there’s a good article in the January edition of Heritage Commercial. Your cousins? Barry and Peter Summers Foden has a feature in there, its very good reading. When you speak to Peter remind him of his promise to allow me to have a “cabby” in this motor. 
Regards Kevmac47.
Phil Reilly called to see myself and my mother yesterday. Still looking fit at the age of 67, we were so pleased to see him.
Phil came, direct from Southern Ireland with a team of six manual workers to fence our Green Lane Industrial Estate site which included the horse-work of digging out the holes where the posts were concreted in. At the end of the work, we had been so impressed by their efforts that we offered to employ Phil and another of his friends.
At the time we had a training scheme running with Darlington Driver Training School where we were offering non-drivers to go onto three week training courses where they took their car test followed a week later by their class 3 HGV. Phil passed his car test but was unsuccessful with his HGV and stayed with us for about 14 year, originally as a porter, then driving a small van and finally as warehouse manager in the household removal warehouse.
Phil, in about 1973 went with me on our epic journey to bring a removal back from Naples with a Leyland 350FG luton van. I have recounted the journey on here before, but yesterday it gave the opportunity for us to have a laugh about it again.
As Phil said dangerous as it was, travelling al that way in a grossly overloaded 3.5 ton gvw vehicle, that was designed for local, urban deliveries, like bread vans, it was one of his life experiences, that never regrets, being something he can tell his grandchildren.
Where are all the WHW drivers? Are you hibernating for winter. Peter, I came across this photo taken by my brother-in-law, thought you might like it. Seasons greetings to everybody.
Mysterron:
Where are all the WHW drivers? Are you hibernating for winter. Peter, I came across this photo taken by my brother-in-law, thought you might like it. Seasons greetings to everybody.
Hi Keymac
Thank you for telling me about Peter’s foden being in Heritage Commercials. I was in our new post Office in Ayciffe, and went to get a copy, but it was just a preview, so am looking forward to reading as soon as it’s in.
Also Ron,
Thank you for putting a photo on this thread. Peter has put so much work into getting this vehicle into this condition and any publicity is insufficient to praise him.
It was couple of months since I bumped into Peter. (He was coming into Tesco as I was going out) I had a taxi waiting outside for me to take me home and didn’t have time to talk, without clocking up a big taxi bill, and hope I didn’t offend him as I rushed off.
He mustn’t have read this thread yet or we would, no doubt have read his reply. No doubt within the next few days he will be giving his comments.
To both of you, complements of the season, and I am always so pleased to read your contributions to this thread
Carl
Earlier in this thread I described how Durham County Council used to garage this library with us.
In 1954 Durham County Council introduced a mobile library in the Spennymoor area. The Council at the time had their own workshops including a bodyshop and had taken over two years building a library van on a new Commer passenger chassis which was two year old by the time tey had it completed and on the road.
They approached us at W.H.Williams Removals and Haulage and arranged to garage it at our Marmaduke Street Garage at Spennymoor. Straight after finishing the comer they set about converting this ex Leyland bus into another van. Again it took about two years and they decided to allocate the Commer into another area and send the Leyland, which I think was ex Northern to stay with us.
Shortly after arrival my father complained it had an extremely heavy oil leak and my father, being a perfectionist was having to clean it up each day off the concrete garage floor. Durham County Council’s workshop had the answer, not repair the engine but to supply a 6ft by 4ft deep drip tray, which in itself was a nuisance. Another problem was the Leyland was almost impossible to start on a cold morning, with the driver/librarian, a chap called Benny Waugh lighting fires under te engine and anything else he could think up to get the diesel engine going. Until one day it would not start no matter what he did. The old bus needed a new battery. He rang up and the workshops sent out a van with two fitters with batteries and jump leads and started it, but instead of putting new batteries on did this every day for about four months. Imagine the costs involved and the inconvenience of the library not turning up on time to the annoyance of the general public who used the service. It was a nuisance in our garage as we had to ensure it was parked in the front row of vehicles or the next morning vehicles parked in front of it would not be able to get out if we couldn’t move it. I remember as a young boy having to wait may nights for hours, with my father for the library to come in particularly on it’s late nights when it was parked later at night to allow people who worked to get access to the books
Then one day the library had to go into te workshops for its annual service, which took three days for Durham County Council’s hard working fitters. My father said to Benny Waugh ‘Well at least they will put a new battery on’. After three days late on the afternoon the library was returned and next morning it would not start. They had not replaced the batteries and the only evidence of any work being done was t would hardly move, once fitters had started it because in the workshop their idea of adjusting the brakes was simply to turn up the adjusters as far as possible and make the brakes bind.
Particularly as we started struggling for space at Marmaduke Street it became a nuisance as we needed where it stood for one of our vehicles, but even with my constant complaining, I could not get my father and grandfather to agree to give it marching orders I think they felt it gave them a bit lever with Durham County Council .The only good thing was they Leyland was eventually replaced with a Karrier which was a bit smaller.
The library stayed with us until about 1976, moving with us to our new depot at Green Lane industrial Estate, when it was built and replaced Marmaduke Street. When they built the new library, which today seems quite dilapidated on Cheapside Spennymoor they built an integral Garage to accommodate the mobile library.
Here is the Leyland in all its glory doing business in Ferryhill Market Place.
