One from an old cm
The guy driving the Leyland comet was Colvin Lee one of the nicest blokes I ever meet
he was based at berinsfield Oxfordshire or the old warborough pit as it was known then, my dad
worked out of there with him on a 6 wheeler Leyland bison reg no ORD 716M for John and Allen Long
my dads name was Allen Stanley and I think pit managers name was Don Winterbourne it was a long
time ago now,little things stick in your mind if I remember right the phone number of the pit
was Warborough 273
mixer 11:
The guy driving the Leyland comet was Colvin Lee one of the nicest blokes I ever meet
he was based at berinsfield Oxfordshire or the old warborough pit as it was known then, my dad
worked out of there with him on a 6 wheeler Leyland bison reg no ORD 716M for John and Allen Long
my dads name was Allen Stanley and I think pit managers name was Don Winterbourne it was a long
time ago now,little things stick in your mind if I remember right the phone number of the pit
was Warborough 273
Yes Colvin was a very popular driver along with the legendary Long brothers and Don Winterbourne -another long serving employee I’m annoyed with myself because i cannot recollect Allen Stanley at the moment ,but must have known him -i remember most of that era --toshboy
Hi Ivor
Do you remember ‘Lofty’ Collins he was my Dad’s (Fred COX) best mate. He used to drive an old ERF and me Dad had a Foden, there was a lot of rivalry about who’s wagon was the best.
Coming back from Scotland after picking up RJB 567F with Bob Blowing by the cab. Original picture was under exposed, this is as good as I can get it.
I remember Colvin Lee when he had a Hanson liveried ERF 6w (F reg I think) running out of Cassington normally to Horspath premix. Horspath seemed to be always done with a 6wheeler, recently with one of Cleavers doing it (anyone remember Herbie who drove for them?) I think Steve Wall does Horspath a lot now with his Foden Alpha 8wheeler.
Talking of the Wall family, Harold Wall is still going strong.
Hi Toshboy
My dad Allen Stanley worked for John and Allan Long for quite some time,before that
he was in the office on the weighbridge when don winterbourne and jack ched was there.
My dad won the G.R.Cooper Cup [ Lorry Driver of the Year ] in 1960 with Ameys and was
a Finalist in 1962 aswell.
I must know you because I was with my dad in the truck every chance I got,it where I got the lorry
bug,learnt to drive in the Leyland bison in the pits, I loved the bison he had and would buy it
if it was still around
mixer 11:
Hi Toshboy
My dad Allen Stanley worked for John and Allan Long for quite some time,before that
he was in the office on the weighbridge when don winterbourne and jack ched was there.
My dad won the G.R.Cooper Cup [ Lorry Driver of the Year ] in 1960 with Ameys and was
a Finalist in 1962 aswell.
I must know you because I was with my dad in the truck every chance I got,it where I got the lorry
bug,learnt to drive in the Leyland bison in the pits, I loved the bison he had and would buy it
if it was still around
Hi Mixer 11, I certainly remember Jack Chedd at Dorchester (Berinsfield) he later went to Stanton tipper transport office ,you mention the years 60/63 and thats my missing years from Oxford area so that answers my 'memory loss '!! —I returned in 64 for the power station contract. Ameys were very keen those days in the LDOY comps at Cowley.
davidcox:
Hi Ivor
Do you remember ‘Lofty’ Collins he was my Dad’s (Fred COX) best mate. He used to drive an old ERF and me Dad had a Foden, there was a lot of rivalry about who’s wagon was the best.
Hi David .I knew Lofty Collins --lofty for obvious reasons ! on tippers at one time and if i’m not mistaken he drove the AEC Matador and loose trailer on Cowley Concrete beams to Chiswick flyover late 50s . There was another JIM Collins later from BRS Kidlington who i used to work with me on BRS who joined ameys and was on the beams and general low load .its quite possible that i am mixed with the two same names without the defined years to confirm. -ivor
PS Alf Penny senior i knew very well .he was with me at Sutton when we hired a continuous mixer set up from Ameys Asphalt for the power station contract.quite a character he was! .
Hi Ivor
the two collins you mention were two different people. The non ‘lofty’ Collins drove 122 ERO before Bob Blowing I did know his name but one of my failings nowadays is remembering names. He must have left Ameys at or about 1965 which is when I started there (Wootton).
There used to be some of the Chiswick fly-over beams on the corner of Kidlington (London Oxford) airport, by the traffic lights. Bob told me they tested some there. Don’t know if that was right.
David
Hi Ivor
Have been looking back over the previous pages and found this picture. Back in the 60s they had, I presume this AEC as a breakdown truck at Wootton.
Two stories come to mind;
The first concerned my Dad, Fred, one day off he goes to Letchlade pit to tow back to Wootton a broken down tipper. The tipper had conked out while tipping. Me Dad got it going as sorts and fixed the rigid tow bar onto the front of the tipper and asked the driver to pull forward up to the AEC. As he drove forward with me Dad holding up the tow bar, the raised body hit the high voltage power lines (the type with three wires and big transformers on two poles). It was that sort of electricity that keeps you held on and he couldn’t let go. Eventually the power built up and spat him off 5yds he said. 22500 volts he was told. The driver jumped clear and ran for help, the tipper burnt out and me Dad had big burn holes in his clothes but managed to crawl halfway up the pit track. He survived and in fact it cured his black-outs that he used to have due to a prior head injury accident. He was back at work before the driver who suffered shock, forgive the pun.
The second (sorry for going on) but the driver, forgive me for forgetting his name — ‘Barry’? I’m sure, was asked to go and changed the front wheel. For people who don’t know (and Barry was one of them) the wheels on these old AECs were in two parts held together by the wheel nuts. Barry unwittingly didn’t let the pressure out and started to undo all the wheel nuts until it couldn’t take the pressure any more and blew one half of the wheel off straight at Barry who received serious life changing head injuries.
David
Can anyone remember seeing the bomb disposal men at Stanton Harcourt? I can remember as a boy Dad telling me they were there about three days in a row one week, either at Dixs’, Browns or Smiths.
Muckaway:
Can anyone remember seeing the bomb disposal men at Stanton Harcourt? I can remember as a boy Dad telling me they were there about three days in a row one week, either at Dixs’, Browns or Smiths.
Being a wartime airfield allsorts of parts were found in the dig but only once did i see part of the pit roped off at Dix’s and a army vehicle there but dont think any problem found --there were many disruptions from the ‘Bone brigade’ though when historic remains were uncovered like many other pits around Oxford. toshboy
davidcox:
0
Hi Ivor
Have been looking back over the previous pages and found this picture. Back in the 60s they had, I presume this AEC as a breakdown truck at Wootton.
Two stories come to mind;The first concerned my Dad, Fred, one day off he goes to Letchlade pit to tow back to Wootton a broken down tipper. The tipper had conked out while tipping. Me Dad got it going as sorts and fixed the rigid tow bar onto the front of the tipper and asked the driver to pull forward up to the AEC. As he drove forward with me Dad holding up the tow bar, the raised body hit the high voltage power lines (the type with three wires and big transformers on two poles). It was that sort of electricity that keeps you held on and he couldn’t let go. Eventually the power built up and spat him off 5yds he said. 22500 volts he was told. The driver jumped clear and ran for help, the tipper burnt out and me Dad had big burn holes in his clothes but managed to crawl halfway up the pit track. He survived and in fact it cured his black-outs that he used to have due to a prior head injury accident. He was back at work before the driver who suffered shock, forgive the pun.
The second (sorry for going on) but the driver, forgive me for forgetting his name — ‘Barry’? I’m sure, was asked to go and changed the front wheel. For people who don’t know (and Barry was one of them) the wheels on these old AECs were in two parts held together by the wheel nuts. Barry unwittingly didn’t let the pressure out and started to undo all the wheel nuts until it couldn’t take the pressure any more and blew one half of the wheel off straight at Barry who received serious life changing head injuries.
David
Hi David -That one was the breakdown truck,before that they had a 6 x6 gmc ex us army flyer,i remember hearing about the lechlade incident but not the tyre one ‘Barry’ had not obviously not been in the Services - not an unusual occurance i’m afraid with ex service vehicles
davidcox:
Coming back from Scotland after picking up RJB 567F with Bob Blowing by the cab. Original picture was under exposed, this is as good as I can get it.
Hi David
, Do you remember who the crew of this ERF was, I know it was not under the Heavy department as you were- but interested the origins of this ex BRS W&G ,Ameys bought quite a number of assorted lorries formerly of the Reading group on denationalisation.
Hi Ivor
No I don’t remember these vehicles. My Dad had this model of Foden as a tipper, Lofty had an ERF and there was great rivalry between them as to which was best. Remember being with him delivering a load on the Ridgway (on the hill by the ‘blowing stone’) Me Dad made it but Lofty couldn’t, maybe it was Lofties extra weight that made the difference.
Looking at the picture it crossed my mind as to how many drivers nowadays could tie a ‘dolly knot’?
My dad used to deliver stone chippings to Sutton Courtney and Stanton Harcourt in the 1950s and 1960s from the whitwick granite company in Leicestershire . I think they were both Amey owned
robinswh:
My dad used to deliver stone chippings to Sutton Courtney and Stanton Harcourt in the 1950s and 1960s from the whitwick granite company in Leicestershire . I think they were both Amey owned
Hi Robinswh,
Yes , in those years Amey imported stone from all over, although most limestone was collected from Nunney (Frome) by ourselves ,later of course the ARC amalgamation made sure it was all in house from the Mendips.
davidcox:
Hi Ivor
No I don’t remember these vehicles. My Dad had this model of Foden as a tipper, Lofty had an ERF and there was great rivalry between them as to which was best. Remember being with him delivering a load on the Ridgway (on the hill by the ‘blowing stone’) Me Dad made it but Lofty couldn’t, maybe it was Lofties extra weight that made the difference.Looking at the picture it crossed my mind as to how many drivers nowadays could tie a ‘dolly knot’?
I forgot that you were a mere youngster then David as I would think it was around 54/55 when Amey restarted general haulage , regarding dolly knots well I only know two of us !! regards
Is Lechlade pit exhausted yet? I don’t see many Hanson lorries in the area and I’ve been in the area on and off recently.