Bump…any more pictures Altury?
I used to spend my Saturday afternoons welding cracks in Lathams trailers.That would be about 1970-71.I did it for Craig Dymock at Blackburn.Think they were mainly Atkis then as I sometimes took them for a spin round the estate.
Hi Gridley51 Lathams was mainly Fodens then they only had Atkis in 73 after I left. They had Fodens Guy big Js a couple of AEC Mercury’s a Scania 80 and various others but I think the first Atkis were the 8 pot Gardner wagon and drags.
here one i found lads 
Nice one Mark I remember that Hoyner trailer it was a bich in the wet.
altury169:
Hi Gridley51 Lathams was mainly Fodens then they only had Atkis in 73 after I left. They had Fodens Guy big Js a couple of AEC Mercury’s a Scania 80 and various others but I think the first Atkis were the 8 pot Gardner wagon and drags.
I could easily be wrong,it`s a long time ago.I worked in that place 69-71 or 2,was away a year and back a year,so might have been 73 when I welded them.It was when Lathams had the depot in Blackburn Rd,Bathgate or was it Bathgate Rd,Blackburn? 
I do remember I welded the same bits every week as Dymock would not pay to get it done right.
Dieseldogsix:
Mark R:
Nice photos…Did;nt Lathams also have Atkinsons? Did;nt they also become part of the Cartransport group?Yes they did become part of Cartransport (BRS) in the early 70’s, it caused a lot of ill feeling when redundancies came round a few years later.
Altury, what was Martin’s Brothers name, in the 90’s when I was on for Richard Lawson I delivered to a garage in Belper, or near there, a VW dealer called Lathams, when I went into the office, the walls were absolutley covered in photos of Lathams transporters, going way back and when I asked about them , he told me he was Martins Brother. would be nice to get hold of them and put on here.
Mike Latham bought E.M.Knifton [Truck Services]Ltd off Jim Knifton, the yard was in Kilburn, on the Belper road, right by the pub, next to the level crossing, its now a cosy little housing estate…
Mike had big plans for the business, but, IIRC, M.A.N. thought differently, they wanted bigger “national” brands to run their dealerships, and, that`s how LEX come onto the scene, it went downhill very quickly after that IMHO 
For those with “tipper” knowledge, Bill Kerry died a couple of weeks ago, aged 83 [R.I.P.]
Gridley51:
altury169:
Hi Gridley51 Lathams was mainly Fodens then they only had Atkis in 73 after I left. They had Fodens Guy big Js a couple of AEC Mercury’s a Scania 80 and various others but I think the first Atkis were the 8 pot Gardner wagon and drags.I could easily be wrong,it`s a long time ago.I worked in that place 69-71 or 2,was away a year and back a year,so might have been 73 when I welded them.It was when Lathams had the depot in Blackburn Rd,Bathgate or was it Bathgate Rd,Blackburn?
I do remember I welded the same bits every week as Dymock would not pay to get it done right.
Lathams did have a depot near Bathgate when you said Blackburn I thought you meant Lancashire. I think it was Bill Hain the manager up there not sure.
Bump.Bump …any more pictures Altury?
altury169:
0
Great photo’s I think the VW ones were probably taken at Ramsgate, we used to load out of there along side the Lathams lads.
The Hoynor Mk 2 is one of the dual purpose ones that could also carry general, don’t know if they were ever used for anything other than cars. There wasnt many of these built, Silcocks and Glendinnings also had some of this model.
Lathams always used premium trucks with big engines at the time, the majority of the operators used lower weight units.
transporter man:
altury169:
0Great photo’s I think the VW ones were probably taken at Ramsgate, we used to load out of there along side the Lathams lads.
The Hoynor Mk 2 is one of the dual purpose ones that could also carry general, don’t know if they were ever used for anything other than cars. There wasnt many of these built, Silcocks and Glendinnings also had some of this model.
Lathams always used premium trucks with big engines at the time, the majority of the operators used lower weight units.
Hi Transporter man, You were correct the Foden with VW’s on was at Ramsgate it is the same wagon as in pic earlier on this page with me stood in front of it. I had just got back to Cov. depot from Ramsgate. The wagon went to Ramsgate depot after I got a new Guy big J. It looks worse for wear in this photo. The other Foden was at Southampton docks loading Renault’s near the dry dock. The wrecked one was an S type Bedford with Reliant’s on, before my time at Lathams. Edd.
What’s the story behind the wreck, hope the driver was ok.
hi altury169 i remember ramsgate well been many times with my Dad loading vw,s happy days thanks altury169…mark
the foden next to Queen Elizabeth as a covenrty reg cant make out the driver was it you altury169
Dieseldogsix:
What’s the story behind the wreck, hope the driver was ok.
The driver of the S type Bedford did get out alive just. He is the bloke in the pic. stood with his son in front of a Foden further up this page.
foden 01:
the foden next to Queen Elizabeth as a covenrty reg cant make out the driver was it you altury169
Hi Mark, The driver of the Foden next to Q E. was same bloke as the one with his son further up the page Ray Waddington.
He is still around 76 years old now. Edd.
Dieseldogsix:
What’s the story behind the wreck, hope the driver was ok.
Hello, dieseldogsix, I can’t tell you much above the crash only that it was before my time a lathams, the driver was Ramon Waddington,who is still around. He was based at Preston after recovering from the crash ended up on trunk out of Preston Ray’s partner was John Kirkby they had one of the 2, 8 cylinder 240 Atki’s GHP668L and the other GHP667L was based out of Coventry the driver there was Alf Fletcher. The company also had some more but with 180 Gardners, one out of Coventry driven by Brian Evans, ther was quite a few Guy big Js which went to Ramsgate, I remember Tony Smith, and Ike,sorry the old grey matter is running out, but all these lads worked hard and there was good competion to be the high earner. The body kits were made by Municiple trailers of Bamber Bridge, Preston. They were all back lowders,and quicker to load than the ERFs and Foden, which had carrimore bodykits all with York big D 5th wheel couplings one had to drive through the bottom of the trailer up and on to the top deck of the rigid, then you would pull up the lever and the top deck raised up level with the top deck of the trailer and we would reverse over on to the trailer. Lathams was a good place to work.I will show Ray your coments. regards h186j
h186j:
they had one of the 2, 8 cylinder 240 Atki’s GHP668L and the other GHP667L was based out of Coventry the driver there was Alf Fletcher. The company also had some more but with 180 Gardners
I think it was GHP 668L which was later owned by Donald Sharples, a farmer from Darwen. It had a 180 in it then (the mid-1980s) but he reckoned that it had previously had a 240 in it. I recall that the headboard was set back about 2’ from the cab, as though something was missing - 2 cylinders I presume! He used to run it with a trailer, delivering hay and/or straw.
GHP 669L worked for many years on the well-known small fleet of Bostock’s of Congleton - would that have had a 180 in it from new?
altury169:
0
This picture I believe was took at VW’s Doncaster yard , the driver is definately Ray Waddy and his son who has followed his dad into driving. I have passed this on to ex Coventry driver Brian Evans who will now doubt add some of his memories. Some of you may remember 54H the foden 2 stoke wagon and drag 9 car outfit which was driven by Gordon Farrall, it made so much noise screaming its head off and that was the only way to make it go, Gordon allways had his flask and a full packet of chocolate wholewheat, I’ll see if Gordon has a photo to post
.h186j