Good afternoon one and all. So just been looking through old pictures to use on my blog and came across these. Sadly a little damaged but still viable. The child is my Dad! Got me too thinking how many now are in the industry because it runs in Family, as used to be most common way, and how many are the first in their family as is increasingly common. My Grandad died years before I was born but I’ve always loved the thought that I’m connected to him because I do what he did, that he heavily influenced his grandchildren’s lives (brother/s are/were same) and frankly I cant think of a better thing to bed remembered for.
Ah, Naphill, just along the road from where I went to school in Lacey Green. High Wycombe was a massive furniture producing town, Ercol’s being one of the biggest and still going today. My Grandfather was a Carpenter for Ercol’s in the days of bespoke carved dining chairs either side of the war. One of the chairs he carved is displayed in the chair museum (yeah you read that right, a museum for chairs) in the town.
Hence the nickname of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club being “The Chair Boys”
My Dad was a bus driver and thats where I started before getting into lorries
Fuzrat:
Ah, Naphill, just along the road from where I went to school in Lacey Green. High Wycombe was a massive furniture producing town, Ercol’s being one of the biggest and still going today. My Grandfather was a Carpenter for Ercol’s in the days of bespoke carved dining chairs either side of the war. One of the chairs he carved is displayed in the chair museum (yeah you read that right, a museum for chairs) in the town.
Hence the nickname of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club being “The Chair Boys”
My Dad was a bus driver and thats where I started before getting into lorries
Delivered flexible foam to most of the furniture manufacturers in HW over the years.
My lad has carried the torch forward, tried to persuade him not to but he does have his Spanner skills to add to his repertoire, which he has used when he has got in a rut.
He did have a head start as I used to take him with me when he was off school, something a lot of people on here have done no doubt.
Good god, no! Dad worked on a farm, although he did make it into “semi-skilled” engineering via the back door of being employed as a storeman and then acquiring skills/experience to become proficient at turning/milling/welding etc. As for myself, after a short-lived session at being a RAF Technician/Apprentice I worked in accountancy and later purchasing before doing a whole 25 years as a copper, then on leaving (jumped before, or about the same time I was pushed) I sort of fell into lorry driving some 15 or more years ago. Been here ever since.
Dunno where the itch to drive came from. I was bunking off school at 15 to help rope and sheet and handball loads off for pocket money and Players number 6.
My old Granda was a mechanic, he started as a driver at a firm, who gave him all the trucks to drive that had faults so he would repair them until he got wise to it I remember him telling me…different times.
My Dad started driving when he left the Royal Navy, I spent all my hols as a kid going away with him, old Albions,.Commers, and BMCs over Shap in winter in the 60s.
I always wanted to be a driver ever since,.and my kids 2 boys and 2 girls always came with me…not altogether btw.
I managed to talk my lads out of following me , I’m glad to say they’ve both got good trades.
Im waiting for Carryfast to say his dad was a truck driver before Switchlogics Grandad came in and stole his job.
I bet Carryfasts dad used to move goods across the country with his trusty horse and carriage. Then Switchlogics grandad came in with his fancy motorised truck and drove him out of business.
Edit: Carryfast’s grandad then had to work in a warehouse because he was out of job. Causing him to break his back.
All sadly true. Well sadly for Geoffrey, great for me. Our two families, the Fasts and the Vernon’s are opposite sides of luck. We are a blessed family, they blighted and kept down by the man.
Yes for me.
I used to go with my Dad every Saturday morning and every school holiday.
Leyland Octopus eight wheeler tipper then an ERF C series artic later on.
I always wanted him to get given a Volvo F10 but no such luck sadly.
Happy days though all the same.
Going back 4 generations all have been owner operators or had small fleets from Great Grandad ,Grandad Great Uncles to Father and his brother and cousin to my 2 brothers & me plus our 3 cousins never has anyone done anything else .
adam277:
Im waiting for Carryfast to say his dad was a truck driver before Switchlogics Grandad came in and stole his job.
I bet Carryfasts dad used to move goods across the country with his trusty horse and carriage. Then Switchlogics grandad came in with his fancy motorised truck and drove him out of business.
Edit: Carryfast’s grandad then had to work in a warehouse because he was out of job. Causing him to break his back.
Carryfasts dad ended WW2 single handedly in Italy using a wagon and drag, he parked it across a German blockade and nobody else could drive it.
It was probably Carryfasts Grandad and Henry Ford who advised Schitell Gruber on the best way forward.
adam277:
Im waiting for Carryfast to say his dad was a truck driver before Switchlogics Grandad came in and stole his job.
I bet Carryfasts dad used to move goods across the country with his trusty horse and carriage. Then Switchlogics grandad came in with his fancy motorised truck and drove him out of business.
Edit: Carryfast’s grandad then had to work in a warehouse because he was out of job. Causing him to break his back.
My Grandad actually did drive a team of horses and a wagon then he progressed to a Foden steam lorry.
As you’ve seen here my Dad drove tank transporters and fixed things when he wasn’t driving, as a REME conscript in WW2.Ironically my Dad had no interest whatsoever in driving trucks and went back to working in factories as an engineer when he was demobbed.
i got the poll wrong, grandfather on mothers side drove, mother drove, i drive, my children not interested, i used to get a lot of stick off of the loaders at our local marley tile works as mother was fine with hand balling 7 ton on and off 3 trips a day poole to southampton,
Wheel Nut:
Carryfasts dad ended WW2 single handedly in Italy using a wagon and drag, he parked it across a German blockade and nobody else could drive it.
More like the Germans couldn’t aim straight for laughing at the Brits uncoupling and re coupling trailers under fire because they didn’t seem to know how to reverse them.
Then ended WW2 under threat of WW3 if we didn’t hand over Istria to the Yugoslav Commies and their Russian allies.
Demobbed in Villach Austria not Italy at the end of a run back from Trieste and luckily not sent to ‘Palestine’ from Trieste, like others were.
