It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that my brother Barry passed away on Monday 6th July 2015. Barry who was 69 retired three years ago and was diagnosed with cancer a year later. Although he coped quite well with his chemo therapy he picked up a chest infection about a month ago which the hospital just couldn’t cure. Although he wasn’t a significant poster on Trucknet he enjoyed many years of reading about other members experiences in the transport industry and seeing all your photos. I am sure that he will be missed by all those who knew him.
Now I don’t know who took this photo which was shown on Trucknet some years ago and whoever took it I hope that you don’t mind me reshowing it. I have a feeling that it was taken on Birch Services during a Trans Pennine Rally and I am sure that somebody will know who the driver is in the Atki who Barry was talking to at the time.
R.I.P. Our kid.
Moved here and made sticky by dd.
condolences Steve to you and your family . RIP Barry
Thanks Jeff, if you see Alan Morrey could you please let him know.
Best regards Steve.
My sympathies for your loss Steve, may your brother Rest in Peace.
Far too soon to lose him. Sincere condolences to you and the rest of the family.
Thank you Ian and Casey for your kind thoughts, I thought that somebody may of recognised who the driver of the Atki was or I might even find out who took the photo.
Barry was always fascinated by lorries and looking back I wondered why he started an apprenticeship as a plumber and not a motor mechanic although I can’t remember him being a hands on mechanical minded kind of person.
In the mid fifties while the slum clearance programme was sweeping over Britain, a local company had a contract to demolish a couple of old streets nearby to where we used to live. It was during the time of the seven week school summer holidays and almost every day he would drag me down to the site to watch the demolition men with their lorries a Bulldozer and a J.C.B. He would always ask the workmen if they wanted any errands running for pies, newspapers and Fish and Chips for their dinners. When we got back from the shops they would always give us a threepenny bit or a tanner but Barry would refuse it and say is there any chance that I can have a ride out to the tip, which was about seven miles away. After a couple of weeks all the drivers knew him and some days we would get three trips to the tip. The highlight of the summer holidays for him was a ride in an O type Bedford, a parrot nosed Dodge or some ex W.D. conversion with a tipper on the back.
When he was in his twenties he started driving a four wheel tipper for Greenbooth Construction in Oldham and in 1973 the boss told him that he was thinking of buying a low loader and would he like to go for his class one and drive it. Barry jumped at the chance and ended up driving an A.E.C. Mandator, a Seddon and a Foden which were all bought new during the 40 year period that he worked for them.
Maybe those school holidays were not wasted after all. 
My sincere condolences to you and your family Steve. Although I didn’t know your brother personally, I certainly remember Greenbooths as I lived in Oldham when they were around and used to see the low loader’s, Mandator, Seddon & Foden, regularly. RIP Barry.
Regards
Dave Penn;
Hi Dave, I hope that you are well, I had an e-mail a couple of days ago from an old workmate of yours who you worked with at Ossie Ingrams in the eighties, Dave Shawcross. He is still looking after himself and enjoying his retirement.
I remember Barry telling me years ago that when ever low loader drivers used to see each others they would always flash their lights and wave to each other like they were working for the same company. I wonder if they still do that nowadays.
Regards Steve.
Hiya…can’t say i ever spoke to Barry but certainly knew all those lorries so must have given way to him or cursed him
on some hill or narrow road. i’am very sorry Steve you’ve lost your brother so young . rest in peace driver…maybe
catch up another time you never know…another Foden man gone…
John
Hi John, it’s strange that you should say “another Foden man gone” as I have only just found out today that Barry was a member of The Foden Society although I have no idea what that involves. Just after his grandson was born he sent me a photo of him and his grandson who was wearing a baby suit with the word “My grandad drives a Foden” but can I find it at the moment, nooooooo.
I have been meaning to ask you for about 5 years now John if you can ever remember tipping at Dairy Produce Packers, Bentley Avenue, Stakehill, Middleton when you worked for Adams Butter. Barry worked there at one time and I can remember seeing Adams Butter lorries being parked outside many times circa 1965. It might jog your memory if I mention that there was a great transport cafe just around the corner called The Cabin Café near Slattocks Bridge. This was years before the industrial estate, the M627 and the M62 were built.
I thought that somebody might of known who the driver of that Atki was before now.
Regards Steve.
My condolences Steve to you and your family on the loss of your brother Barry at such a young age.I remember Greenbooths from chaddy, they were about during my time at Townson Tankers Oldham. R.I.P Barry
Hi John, I don’t know when you started at Beisty’s but the first driving job that Barry had was for a company called Falks Electrical which was just a bit further along Rochdale Road near the junction of Miller Street. He travelled all over delivering electrical equipment in an Austin LD van and he took me on a trip to Newcastle once in the school holidays. If you remember the Gould street Gas works, well the first car that Barry bought was an old Austin 10 van which was an ex North Western Gas Board. If you remember the Gas Board had a fleet of red ones along with the G.P.O.(mail). G.P.O. (telephones) had a fleet of bottle green ones and the North Western Electricity Board had a fleet of blue ones. I can’t remember how much he paid for it but hey it was a car and it went (well most of the time). I can remember watching Children’s Hour on the black and white telly between 5-6 p.m. every night and at about 5.30 my mam would get up and say “here’s Barry I had better get his tea out of the oven” and less than five minutes later in would walk Barry. I used to think that my mother had some kind of super natural powers as she could always predict when Barry was just about to come home.
About twenty years later I asked her one day how she knew when Barry was about to walk into the house all those years ago. She replied “it was that old red van that he had, whenever he was at the top of the street the television used to crackle and show wavy lines on the screen”. 
I realised then that it must of been electrical interference from Barry’s van. The next time that I saw him I mentioned this story to him and he said “oh yes the bloke next door was always saying when are you going to get a (z.b.) suppresser on your coil.” 
Great memories Steve, 
I remember all them vans running around Manchester and surrounding areas.I started at Beistys in 69 and their yard was in the top half of the old gas works on Rochdale rd has you will know,and i have a faint recolection of an electrical company nr Miller Street
John Beistys yard on Rochdale Road
Hi John, Falks was in a building called Veritas House which was on the left just past Thompson Street.
I think it was on the corner of Cable Street but I shall have to go and have a look on Google Earth now to see if it’s still there.
P.S. I have just had a look and it seems that the building has been replaced by a block of flats. 
Regards Steve.
The Greenbooth foden 4350 is now owned by Peter at commercial services sandbach he told me it was well looked after and in excellent condition .
Hi Dan, is there any chance that you can get hold of a photo of it and put it on here as I am sure that the rest of the family would love to see it. Barry drove that Foden from new and he thought the world of it. He drove it for the next 21 years and we used to joke that when he retired he wouldn’t ask the boss for a gold clock he would ask if he could just keep the Foden. It’s great to know that it’s being well looked after and that it’s in excellent condition. 
I have got about 50 old photos of G 915 YRF if Peter would like to see them.
B.T.W. Dan, I thought that somebody like yourself might of known who the Malcolm Harrison Atki driver was.
Regards Steve.
A picture may take some getting Steve as he dosent keep the Foden at his yard ,but next time I go over I will ask ,sorry don’t know the man in the picture ,Dan.
Sorry for you and your familys loss Steve.
Barry just three years retired,and one fighting cancer-not much of a retirement.
Life (and death) can be cruel.
Sympathies once again.
Didn’t know of your brother, sincere condolences to you and your family! RIP driver
