Well as for strike busting, I wouldn’t think so, I left about 6 months before they went bust, and we had been strike in 78 when ,iirc the union was after 60 pounds a week Dines offered us 90 pound salary, but the union wouldn’t let us back to work, so we went down to transport house in Oxford and occupied it, called the Oxford Mail got then down, and they had to conceed, back to work we went. It’s true Dines were not liked much, by some of the bigger unionised companies, but it was a great firm to work for as a youngster learning to ropes and we were all in the union.
Be interesting to know how many drivers nowadays are in unions. I’ve no time for them, but they must do good for somebody-even if only for the topdogs in their big houses. I think Comrade Scargill has a lot to answer for as to how they are viewed today, as a schoolboy all we were made to believe was that Unions were troublemakers. (The Miners strike benefitted my family as it kept Dad busy hauling coal when Mum had my sister)
Hi Muckaway,
Wee bit of a pregnant pause on this thread, so a bit about my experience of the unions, a necessary evil I would say, writing as an one tme cartransporter driver and because of a strong TGWU our wages were good, only bettered by Shell tanker drivers, the downside at times was the same union was also strong in the car factories. I was turned away from Rover at Solihull once, they were out in support of “Red Robbo” at Longbridge, With Landrovers for export I was also turned away from London Docks, this time it was Jack Dash who was in charge. in fact his antics were the start of the rot setting in and eventually closing one of arguably the busiest ports in the world. Harding’s transporter work was all export and mostly to King GeorgeV and Royal Albert in London, their drivers were not always happy bunnies. Working for Progressive if our storage cars dried up we were sent to depots where they were still woking, so wages never really took a hit. Oh that I could do it all again.
oiltreader
bubbleman:
BigG-unit asked me to put this pic on here
Cheers Marc.
Priors’ yard at Middle Barton is now a small housing estate, Washington Terrace.
BigG-Unit:
Does anyone know where these were based and were they anything to do with the John Allen factory at Cowley?
Isn’t the site of their yard now where B and Q is, John Allen Centre off Between Towns Road, Cowley? I vaguely remember going with Dad in a Leyland Constructor there when it was being built/extended.
M & M Skips oldest hookloader
oiltreader:
Another firm was Crapper and Sons( Charlie, Sidney and Harold) Oxford Rd Cowley, next to the bus garage, they did a bit of general, also work connected with the car factory, I think they may have had a couple of transporters and a few coaches, one of the drivers was Bob Wilkie, I can picture the others but can’t find names, the foreman was a scot Bill Wightman.
I can remember Partridge’s yard at Cassington, agent for Dodge, in that yard was also Jock Fraser (J S Fraser, coachbuilders) now at Eynsham building racing car transporters and John Thorne vehicle signwriter, he moved to Eynsham along with Fraser, Ken Kerr Jock Fraser’s brother in law worked for him as workshop manager, but split and went back to Partridge’s yard and started his on coachbuilding firm.
oiltreader
what about tony poyser ex crapper, MAT transport
Muckaway:
BigG-Unit:
Does anyone know where these were based and were they anything to do with the John Allen factory at Cowley?
Isn’t the site of their yard now where B and Q is, John Allen Centre off Between Towns Road, Cowley? I vaguely remember going with Dad in a Leyland Constructor there when it was being built/extended.
Hi Muckaway, Yeah that was John Allen’s works, where they made the famous Villiers engine powered Sythes, but I don’t know if the firm that owned that wagon were one and the same! 
John Allen Ltd. were taken over in the '80’s by Grove Cranes, but I don’t know if they went to John Allen & Ford before that or whether they were two completely different Companies. adr was going to see if he could find out anything from a chap that used to drive that motor, but I haven’t heard anything yet. Looks like a Berkshire Reg. (I think) so That’s why I asked on this thread, could be way off though! 
■■■ is an Oxfordshire reg Big G. Smiths first Constructor came from Hartfords and that was PBW 500W. If I remember right, other Oxon regs were FC,JO,UD,WL and of course BW. That Prior lorry in the pic was blown up according to 2 of Priors drivers; something about a cooker modification and some burning curtains… 
Oh yeah! I remember now, Going back a bit, JO FC & WL were Oxford (Borough) BW & UD were Oxfordshire. I can remember a lot of farm tractor with those two Reg’s on.
G.Hill, surfacing contractors of Minster lovell loading concreting ballast at Gill Mill Quarry
Muckaway:
G.Hill, surfacing contractors of Minster lovell loading concreting ballast at Gill Mill Quarry
Hope he never gets a bucket full, poor little old girl will be on her knees
I’m sure Dylan’s had 10 tonnes in that bucket in one go! Long way from the 2yrd Weatherill tractors…
cartran,
The name Tony Poyser does ring a bell, the only guy I knew on MAT was Brian Wharton, we were neighbours , I sent you a message back on Aug23rd with a mention of this.
oiltreader
I remember the John Allen and Ford low-loader outfit, possibly a joint venture between Allen and Ford. A friend of mine Charlie Sneddon worked at John Allen since a boy. John Allen was previously The Oxford Steam Ploughing Company (1880s) They made steam traction engines and the ploughs that went with them, also traction engines for haulage and road rollers. Of all of their product the Allen scythes were best known and longest in production along with graders, land drainage machines etc. John Allen was taken over by Grove Cranes(USA) early 1980s. They started building cranes at Cowley for a brief time before moving to Bicester, the John Allen name disappeared, becoming Grove Cranes Bicester then to Sunderland (Coles Cranes part of the Grove Group). The John Allen factory with its staff and Social Club to be demolished to make way for The John Allen Centre, which had within the planning permission a stipulation that part of the John Allen era would remain, it does, it is the main entrance to the original office building, on the corner of Between Towns Road and Rhymers Lane. The John Allen factory boundry was surrounded on, if I remember rightly 3 sides with tall poplar trees, with the development most got the chop,caused a hoohah with the conservationists, a few were saved on the Between Towns Road side.
oiltreader
A nice Foden B911 JHH which i drove for Burys out of Addebury/Banbury biulding the M40
in 1988 I may have a couple more of M40 days.
Drove this Scammell on Grundons in 87/88. Mostly loading waste Dream Topping out of General Foods Banbury taking it to Ewelme. Look back with fond memories but remember only getting Long Wave Radio 4. I was only 21. I have heard they still have this truck somewhere !
In the trailer park at British Alcan Banbury, My New truck A great big DAF 2100 but compared to my old cruiser a lovely truck !
I would love to see sany old Alcan pics.
Bookers Banbury Now 3663 L130 GMJ This was a fantastic truck I would love to have it back !
Had this truck brand new, On the Monday morning of the new reg I was pulled over by a
copper at the bottom of a hill south of Exeter on the way to Plymouth.
It was the first L reg he had seen, he stood out in lane 2 of a dual carrigeway and wanted me to stop. I was
probably doing 65/70mph limited to 100kmh then. Nothing was wrong and copper apologised, he just wanted to stop a new one ! This pic Leicester square London
Bookers turned into Holroyd meek 1995 only good thing a 33 ft trailer
still hard work though ! N834 YBA Monday morning start a t 01.00am, tip plymouth 06.00 do about 10 drops
run back as far as you could 9 Hours off run back and go home about 07.00.am
Wednesday morning bit of a lay in, Start at 03.00am another load of crap round Norwich/Ipswich, run back as far as you could 9 off then home for 6 or 7 am. Friday morning good run start about 4.00 am Swindon Reading get back early sat morning Go Home! If you wanted to go back out on tuesday thursday or saturday as you was finished about 6-7.00 am they would pay you a overtime.
Earnt some good money here but very hard work couldnt cope now !
Left within the year !
