I suspect that as my Grandfather’s vehicles and staff were moving out the remains of the contents of the munitions factory, the new management of Smart & Brown were looking round their new premises and by logical progression they used him for their first transport needs.
Smart & Brown’s first work was making Fluorescent Fittings & tubes for Atlas Lighting which was one of Jules Thorn’s first companies.He also bought out Echo Lighting & some boxes had Atlas on & others Echo, no doubt all the same. We carried loads of these to the Leeds & yorkshire area and our Bedford OBs & then the SB’s were really down on their anchors as they pulled out of Spennymoor fully loaded (Or grossly overloaded by weight) The other Hauliers who regularly carried the light fittings was Davison’s Transport (In the days run by Dinkie Davison) Their vehicles were heavier and so were more economical for the longer trips. However with a name like Jules Thorn it doesn’t take long to realise he was from the Jewish faith and as we know are known as being tight with money, so most of the London and South traffic, certainly the most in volume was offered as back loads. Merchandise Transport the transport arm of Lebus furniture had vans in every day, and Jeakins of Basildon was another regular.
As a young boy I can remember day in day out sitting in a cab waiting as we loaded at Spennymoor with al the London vans in loading docks next to us.
Thinking back now Lebus were often O model Bedfords & Jeakins Thames & later Thames Traders. Also Thorn had vans of their own that had travelled north delivering TV sets with ‘Fine sets these Fergusons’ on the front & sides. All of these would have been equally overloaded.
In those days the Lighting factory, warehouse & loading bay were the old Nissan Huts and They were the old munitions factory, and they survived well onto the early eighties.
NMU Transport from york got the contract for the distribution of the lighting in the early seventies and they ran a Guy drawbar that did night trunk with 4 lift off bodies and had 3 Bedfords to deliver locally during the day time and they engaged us to provide a service for them where our wages department worked out the wages & paid the cash to the drivers & we oversaw the drivers. One day we were asked to check how the Guy driver was picking up & dropping off the demountable bodies as they were having a lot of ‘broken legs’ and I remember going over to Smart & Brown , parking my car in hiding round the corner of the old Nissan huts so I could not be seen and waiting and watching how NMU’s driver of the Guy Draw bar reversed the trailer under each of the two boxes & then the two boxes onto the Guy Chassis cab & set off.It was not an easy job and he did it perfectly and next day I was pleased to confirm that to NMU. Lorry drivers never realised when they were being ;watched’
I am sorry I am drifting out of sequence but as I write my memory goes back but tomorrow I’ll be back to the early 1950s
Although it was before my memory the first non lighting product produced at Spennymoor was Radiograms. Ferguson was Thorn’s trade name for televisions and radio and so they were made under that label.
Dad says we took so many loads of radiograms to Scotland that nearly every home must have had one. I remember when NUP our 1952 Bedford SB had an accident on its way up to Scotland and another vehicle ran into the rear it almost disintergrated as the body was not too strong and the radiograms just broke up into splinters of wood.
I think when TPT918 our Ford 4D luton turned over on the A! between Catterick & Leaming Bar in 1957 once again it was loaded with radiograms and the load being so light no doubt added to the vulnability.
For anyone who remembers Spennymoor there were some prefabricated industrial buildings just passed Grayson Road where Middlestone Moor Estate was built. One of these was occupied by the Tax Office (Spennymoor Branch) and the remainder were Remploy. At that time Remploys main output was making the cabinets for the radiograms for Thorn. For anyone from the Wigan area, Entwistles who were based in Wigan and ran quite a few Bedford Marsdens used to deliver the wood etc into Remploy. After the end of the radiogram cabinets, Remploy started making what was described as a twinset. A wardrobe with a small set of draws on the side. We delivered the production of these throughout UK until they stopped production when their popularity wained
The radiogram production soon reached saturation and as we approached the sixties Smart & Brown, now owned by Thorn moved into other things.
The Remploy factory moved from Middlestone Moor onto the Smart & Brown site and continued making components for them until the closure of the factory.
During the 60s we were always busy, handing work over to sub contractors. Local removals were often handed over to Fred Elliott of Durham Here is one of his parked up after a hard life. Unusually for Fred this one was bought new
mizzo:
Hello Carl, I don’t know if you’ve seen this photo before, I found it on Facebook. Regards, Mizzo.
Hi Mizzo thank you for adding that photo. I am always so pleased when anyone comes up with a photo. However that was one of mine which has already been on the thread.
If you saw it on facebook on the same subject as I saw it was Billy Dixon’s daughter who was telling the tale of how her dad was driving down the A! with that tractor & trailer, when almost new and a car unfortunately whilst overtaking swerved and went underneath the trailer and came to stop as it hit the rear wheel. However unfortunately the bottom of the trailer had sliced off the top of the car and the car driver was dead,
Somehow, I don’t know how, I was not aware of this incident, which is unusual as I got to know about most things.
Once again Mizzo thank you for adding it, and if anyone else sees any photos anywhere please add or tell me so that I can try to get a copy.
Just heard Anne Askwith has died aged 58. Joining us from school as an office junior she worked many years, meeting her husband Ian when he worked as a driver and I remember her most as the ‘Removal clerk’ speaking to would be customers, arranging estimates and completing all paperwork for removals. I always remember when an article appeared in Northern Echo her amusement at the reporter describing as how the excitement & enthusiasm of the 17 year old who answered the phone was reflected in the attitude of all other employees she had met Anne was so pleased to take this home for her mother to read. So young and such a lovely person, and still the same at W.H.W reunion the year before last. I am so sorry & if Ian happens to read this I hope he realises the effect in life Anne left.
I will continue my narrative about Thorn EMI (Smart & Brown) in a day or so, but in the mean time I’ve heard a rumour that Colin Watson & others are hoping to arrange another reunion, and trying to contact everyone. I am trying to contact Colin at the moment & put more on here as soon as I hear.
Going to Anne’s funeral on Wednesday & know Gordon Ball for one is also going. Might meet more ex staff there
Going to Anne’s funeral at lunchtime. I know Gordon Ball and Colin Watson will be there & me with my chauffeur (my son Paul), I wonder if any others are there?
Been to Anne’s funeral,very sad. She died of a brain hemerage, suddenly unexpected,Me & my son Paul, Colin Watson, John Ward, Gordon Ball, Phil Reiily, were there, also of course husband Ian & his brother Brian, who both worked for us. We are hoping to hold another reunion between Mar to May next year, in Ferryhill. More info later
Talking about AEC Mercuries to Colin Watson at the funeral, he was saying several times he Spennymoor driving a then new Leyland Lynx with Alan Brown driving a three year old AEC Mercury, both with 40 ft box trailers loaded with white goods. He said the AEC would be off and no way could he get anywhere near with the slower Leyland
Talking amongst Colin, Phil, John & Gordon on Wednesday we are going to try to organise another reunion March -May 2015
Here is a up to date list of employees (Sadly quite a few not here now) We want to contact as many as possible to exceed our turnout last time.
If you would like more information please let me know either on this site or private ale me.
If you have any info f how I might contact any please also let me know
Aaron Smith
Alan Angus
Alan Brown
Alan Henderson Fleet Engineer
Alan Robinson
Alan Stout
Allan Graham
Alister Godsmark
Alan Wharrier
allan Madrell
Andrew Sottt Commercial Director
Angela Newcastle office
Anne Walton/Askwith Spennymoor Office
Arthur Crooks
Arthur Overton
Arthur Ridley
Barry Lauder
Bev Easter
Bill Bailey
Bill Dixon
Bill Foster (Bilco)
Billy Sainston
Bill Welford
Bill Westgarth Fitter
Billy Bennet
Billy Petty Security
Billy Raine
Billy Turnbull
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 Sheldon Accountant Spennymoor office
Brian Spark
Brian Winter
Brian Wragg Apprentice
Carl Williams Director/ Company Secretary
Caroline Vane
Cess Ramsey
Charlie Brown
christine Ede Female Class 1 Driver
Christine Harland Spennymoor Office
Christine Heale Spennymoor Office
Christine Oliver Spennymoor Office
Chris Kitchen
Clifford Smiles
Colin pinkney
Colin Porter Fitter
Colin Sumpton
Colin Troughman
Colin Watson
Colin Wilson
Colin Williams
Dale harrison
Darren Brown
Dave Brannon Fitter
Dave Hastie
David kirk
Dave Heron
dave Pope
David Dalrymple Removal Sales
Davina Spennymoor office
Dennis Bradey
Dennis Lee
Dennis Gough
Diane Spennymoor Office Lived in Durham
■■■■ Lowes Fitter
■■■■ Porter
Eddie Brown
Eddie Worthington
Eddy Donnelly
Eddy Ramsey
Eddy Thornton Workshop Manager/Transport
Eric Nelson
Eric Richardson
Farrah Clark
Frank Morgan Orriginally driver then went on, after loosing arm to look after Wilcomatic Vehicle Wash and parking
Fred Nelson
Fred Trotter
Fred Thirlaway
Fred Winter
Freddie Belcher
Freddie Prest
Freddie Wallace
Geoff Pye
Geoff Welford
George Gleason
George Graham
George Hardy Fitter
George Meek
George Sykes
George Todd
Gordon Ball
Gordon Evans
Gordon Elsom
Gordon Jackson
Graham McKenna
Harry Blatchford
Harry Blyth
Harry Brain
Harry Hawkins
Harry Smith
Harry Whitehead
Henry Barras
Hillary Harrison (Dryden)
howard Rushton
Ian Askwith
Jack Birch
Jack Hull
Jack Wilkinson
James Sproull
Janette McDonald Drove 4 wheeler Laird Flat to Oldham each day Roping and Sheeting
Jean Penman Accounts Clerk Spennymoor Office
Jeff Cooper
Jeff Pye
Jenny Myers Spennymoor Office
Jim cairey
Jim Ferguson
Jim Kirk
Jim Lutton
Jim Wilson London Depot manager
Jimmy Clements
Jimmy Hennesy
Jimmy Robinson
Jimmy Testo
Jock Ethington Spennymoor Transport Office Ex ATM and Ramar
Jock Weatherstone
Joe Pennington
Joe carpenter
John Beaumont
John Chapman
John Clancey
John Coed Aprentice Mecanic
John Glancey
John Goundry
John Hetherington
John Hughes
John Mortimer
John Nixon
John Storey Apprentice Transport Manager
John Tobin
John Vasey
John Ward
John Willets
John Wood Coachskill body shop
joy Bunting Spennymoor office nicknaed Blondie
Keith Brown Fitter
Keith Dixon
Keith Payne
Keith Winter
Ken Armtrong
Ken Atkinson Painter
Kenny Archer
Ken Dagga
Kenny Hardy
Kenny Hodgson
Kenny nelson
kenny Smallman
Kenny Smith
Kenny Thompson Apprentice
Kenny Thrower
Laurece Petch
Laurie hawkins
Les Aislesby
Les Davies
Les Warnet
Linda Hopwood (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 Holiday
Martin Wade Fitter
Mick Robson
Mickie Solo Fitter
Mrs Dennis Marmaduke Street/ Green Lane office
Neil Evans
Neil I’anson
Nigel Evans
Norman Flatman Transport Magager Spennymoor office
Norman Robinson
Norman Snowball
Ozzie Boomfied
Pam Receptionist Telephonist Spennymoor Office ex ATM
Pat Mccabe Spennymoor Office
Patrick Cavagner Newcastle Office manager
Paul Sandford
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 Chappell
Ronnie Harris
Ronnie Hodges
Ronnie Wensley
Ronny Allison
Shiela Marmaduke Stree/ Green Lane office
Shiela Juler Office cleaner Green Lane
Shirley cuttey Spennymoor Office
Stan Harper Fitter
Stehen Cairns
Steven Patterson
Steven (Stevie) Newcombe Fitter
Susan Spennymoor Office Lived in Darlington
Susan Firth Spennymoor Office
Sydney Credit controler ex Homeworthy Accountant
Taffy Evans
Ted Sawley
Ted Wells
Terry Ford 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
Trevor Heale
Tony Kirk
Trevor Shaw
Valerie Powell Spennymoor Office
Vic Britton
Vic Young Fitter
W.H.Williams (Harry) Managing Director
W.H.Williams Snr Founder and orriginal Propriator
Yvonne Spennymoor office
When we met up last week, Colin was telling the story, prob from late 60’s early 70’s
He, Ronny Harris and Bill Bailey were parking up in Stroud. Colin & Ronny were driving ‘Sleeper cabs’ (Bedford Marsdens Integral TKs), Bill was driving JUP945C, a Bedford SB Marsden. They parked backed up to a wall with Bill in the middle. Bill was sleeping in the back of the SB and in the morning as they woke, both Ronnie & Colin (In their cabs) saw Bill, through their mirrors, squatted over a cardboard box which he was using as a toilet.
So simultaneously they pulled forward leaving Bill on full view, and Colin said as they were pulling out onto the road a double decker bus was passing and they could see the passengers on the top deck pointing at Bill
The night before the funeral last week I had been watching a documentary n the life of Dusty Springfield, and it brought back memories of how our drivers used to say that when they had been parked in the East End and gone out for a drink they often saw Dusty, drinking with her girl friend ,long before it came out that she was a lesbian.
Whilst Colin, John, Gordon,Paul and I were talking I mentioned this, and perhaps it will bring back memories to other drivers who read this.
Colin was the only one wh had worked for us back in the early sixties and he said in those days when they had central London deliveries on they usually parked up in Vallance Road, on a Lorry Park. Colin reconed that it had gates on which were locked on a night, and so you had to be parkedup before the gates were closed or you didn’t get in. However there was a side passenger gate that drivers could use to get through to go to the pubs and then get back in to sleep in their cabs (No sleeper cabs thought of in those days)
Colin said the rumour was the land had been an old bomb site and belonged to the Krays, who received the parking fees from the drivers. Nearby was the 'Blind Begger’pub which later got noriety as the pub where Reggie Kray walked into the bar and shot someone dead.
Colin reconed that they often saw the Krays about in the pubs mixing with the Lorry Drivers and others and there certainly was never any trouble and Vallence Road was known as one of the safest places to park.
Colin reconned he thought one of their regular haunts was a pub called The Red Lion, and it was in their that Dusty Springfield was a regular, & somewhere she could relax in privicy, away from the prying eyes of the press
I used to park there Carl , you could buy anything off the back of a wagon , I once got some hankies one night , they even had my initial on the corner .
At the funeral.talking to Ian Askwith, Anne’s husband, he told me in his last year or so he had been the regular driver of RPT602M the Ford Passenger chassis with turbo charged engine we ran. Photo below (in fact Ian might well have been the driver).
Ian said, although by this time it was getting on a bit, and well past it’s best, it was still very fast.
Talking about a driver (I cannot remember who) being pulled in doing 95 mph, he remembered, and said he was travelling up M6 and saw the police following and was hoping to beat them over the border into Scotland as he thought they had no juristriction there. I don’t know if this would be correct in mid to late 70s or he’d been watching ‘Convoy’. perhaps someone would know if that was true?
In about 1957 they started the manufacture of Electric cookers at Smart & Brown Spennymoor.In those days the design was ‘The eye level grill’ and initially the cookers were produced for delivery with the grill up aheight above the rings & oven and as such were almost 6 ft high and were unable to be stacked.#
Initially we did not get involved in delivery. Thorn bought a small fleet of Thames Trader artics with van trailers about 28ft. It was much later in life I learnt that these were automatic coupling, a little strange as they ran them like rigids and very rarely separated the trailers.
We still were involved in delivering lighting to Leeds & Scotland, but found new work collecting from a company in Rotherham called Backer Electrics Ltd who maid the spiralled rings that were known for their fast heating. We did two loads a week back to Spennymoor, that kept the cooker production in full stream, and worked for Backer doing this until the avent of the ceramatic hob in the late 70s
The first Managing Director of Smant & Brown (Engineering) Ltd, after it had been bought out by Thorn Electrical Industries was Danny Neil, who was Jules Thorn’s nephew.
We moved him from his home in Southern England to Darington and back to the South when he handed over to Alec Ellis, who had long been his assistant in the 1960’s
Thorn was a very shrewd man and the appointment of his nephew was not just a job for his boy. Neil oversaw the vast increase in the size of the plant at Spennymoor well towards its nearly 9,000 employees. and yet still gave the employees the feeling that they worked for a family business.
One fact I was told about Danny Neil which I was told of first hand was he had the ability of walking through a competitors factory, and whilst giving the appearance of not taking things in and just chatting to the people taking things round, he could come back to Spennymoor and sketch what he’d seen and work with the Smart & Brown toolmakers to copy and make similar machines that were being used. This came in very handy when he was, in about 1960 invited to an Italian Fridge Manuyfacturer, probably Zanoosi (Who we had never heard of in those days in England) and come back and within a few months Smart & Brown had a virtual identical production line in operation.
Carl like many truckneters i have read every posting of yours since the W.H.Williams thread was started and for the last few weeks it as gone very quiet, just as youve got us all waiting for the next episde in the Thorn Industries/Williams saga, hope you keeping ok and be back at the desk soon. Thanks Dave
3piece-wheel:
Carl like many truckneters i have read every posting of yours since the W.H.Williams thread was started and for the last few weeks it as gone very quiet, just as youve got us all waiting for the next episde in the Thorn Industries/Williams saga, hope you keeping ok and be back at the desk soon. Thanks Dave
Thanks Dave,
Problem is I dropped my laptop, and am waiting of insurers deciding whether to repair or replace. Will be back within a week or so
Hi Carl
I haven’t posted anything for a while because I was disappointed and angry about a post put on in May by an ex Williams driver he should have kept his thoughts to himself as I think he virtually destroyed this site by his comments.I know what is true or not probably better than anyone else I will start to put more posts on shortly . Hope this draws a line over this as I don’t want it to cause problems Peter
