After everyone was getting nostalgic about Marathons i managed to get hold of my Dads photos of his first trips over the water with a camera.Unfortunately we never had a camera when he used to go over in his AEC Mandator.Pity really as i would have loved to see them on his trips to Luxembourg,Belgium,Holland etc.Here’s the first few which were took near Antwerp in Belgium after tipping moulding powder at a electrical plug factory near St Nicholas.
Here he was clearing customs at Lykes in Antwerp.
Here loading cooking oil at Ooigem,for Cory’s Transport at Newport,Sth Wales.All were took in 1975.
Next are some took outside of our house in Smethwick around 1976 getting ready to ship out again,even managed to fit our Ford Zephr in one of them.
Here he goes on another trip,
Then in 1978 he was given a brand new Marathon with a sleeper cab(still a rarity at the time)with a TL12 engine.I thought it was great,and used to go with him at every oppurtunity,even if it was the ten minutes upto the yard.
Note the hazardous board to fit the “kemlar” chemical codes to as Butlers used to send bulk tankers over to Europe.
Heres a few with me and my brother in,my brother never got the bug like me and was totally disinterested in trucks,only i followed in my fathers footsteps.
Hope you enjoyed them.
Jase, hope you dont mind but I’ve edited your post to make it easier to see the pics - AndyM
Sorry Pete - that’s the only Butler’s picture I have - it was sent to me by my mate Kevin (Teacake) Battersby, because there is a myth being perpetuated out there that I hated Marathons (which isn’t actually true).
He thought three in one picture was a good way of taking the mickey, but it’s actually a good photo.
SMUDGER:
Great pix mate. Drove one myself for Hills of Cardiff a few times on trunk work between Dartford and Cardiff.
Nice motors but such tiny steering wheels eh?!!
True, but you get used to those. That 3-spoke Marathon steering wheel first saw life on the Atkinson Viewline - I had one for 19 years and really did get used to the little wheel.