Lawrence Dunbar:
Can anyone on this thread remember Parffits IIRC Was the name of a famous S Wales haulage firm, Smiles for Miles used to load them with fire bricks from Henery Fosters at Backworth when they were in the Newcastle area with their return load to Britton Ferry steel works in the 50/60s days,Regards Larry.
Hi Larry,
I can’t recall Parfitts Haulage,though I remember two ex Joint Motorways drivers that drove for them,Cliff Ashley and Geoff Passant.They Drove bonneted Scammells on steel from Ebbw Vale to Scotland.Im guessing this to be during the early to mid 60’s? I do remember a beige coloured fleet of coaches with Parfitt on them,maybe the same company? In the back of my mind is a firm called,B.T.Reece,I’m not sure if they were something to do with Parfitt? I gather B.T.Reece ran dozens of tippers for Shirley Bassey (Seriously) during the construction of Llanwern steelworks.Reckon member Bookworm or Gah1950 would know more about this?
Regards Andrew.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Can anyone on this thread remember Parffits IIRC Was the name of a famous S Wales haulage firm, Smiles for Miles used to load them with fire bricks from Henery Fosters at Backworth when they were in the Newcastle area with their return load to Britton Ferry steel works in the 50/60s days,Regards Larry.
Hi Larry,
I can’t recall Parfitts Haulage,though I remember two ex Joint Motorways drivers that drove for them,Cliff Ashley and Geoff Passant.They Drove bonneted Scammells on steel from Ebbw Vale to Scotland.Im guessing this to be during the early to mid 60’s? I do remember a beige coloured fleet of coaches with Parfitt on them,maybe the same company? In the back of my mind is a firm called,B.T.Reece,I’m not sure if they were something to do with Parfitt? I gather B.T.Reece ran dozens of tippers for Shirley Bassey (Seriously) during the construction of Llanwern steelworks.Reckon member Bookworm or Gah1950 would know more about this?
Regards Andrew.
Hi all. There were two companies at the heads of the valleys called Parfitts.
One was from Ebbw Vale, worked at the steel works although I remember them with 6 wheel tippers in the early 80s.
They may of done flat bed work prior to that as did Fred Hann and Sons.Their yards were close to each other.
Andrew you may well be thinking of Parfitts of Rhymney who ran cream and red coaches and red and marone four wheel tippers. Elwyn and John took the business over from their parents. They sold the tipper side around 82, but kept the coaches until they sold out to Stage Coach early nineties.
The families were not related, but along with Ford & Reames and Chivers of Brynmawr supplied RIchards, Thomas & Baldwin steel works In Ebbw Vale with dust from the original Trefil quarry.
Hello Andrew, you are quite correct about Shirley Bassey running a fleet of Thames Trader tippers on the Llanwern construction job.
When I left school in 1961 I was an apprentice at Len Williams Transport in Porthcawl, which was when Llanwern was being built .We had tippers on that job and the drivers were full of tales about her fleet, all driven by coloured blokes from Cardiff. They very often said that under the steelworks are quite a few of her lorries which were buried by bulldozers if broken down, rather than try and recover them. Apparently she had the money to just replace them without worrying about it.
Best Wishes
Mike
Bookworm:
Hello Andrew, you are quite correct about Shirley Bassey running a fleet of Thames Trader tippers on the Llanwern construction job.
When I left school in 1961 I was an apprentice at Len Williams Transport in Porthcawl, which was when Llanwern was being built .We had tippers on that job and the drivers were full of tales about her fleet, all driven by coloured blokes from Cardiff. They very often said that under the steelworks are quite a few of her lorries which were buried by bulldozers if broken down, rather than try and recover them. Apparently she had the money to just replace them without worrying about it.
Best Wishes
Mike
Jogged a few memories there! I remember my Dad telling me about the Traders. If they went over when tipping too close to the bank, they were buried where they were.
Mrsteel:
Hi Larry
If I remember correctly Parfitts were a well established firm based in Ebbw Vale
Regards , Allan9
Hi all,
I’ve just rang retired Joint driver and Shrewsbury foreman,Cliff Ashley.Cliff is in excellent health and is 89 in March.He told me that Parfitts red fleet of around 40 lorries were based on the top of the old original black rock road,They worked out of Ebbw Vale steelworks and ran alongside a firm called E.B.Reece from Newport gwent.Cliff Drove for Parfitts for 6 years,he had a 1950’s Leyland Beaver,4 in line artic.Two round trips to Scotland,Paid £44 a week in those days and a £100 bonus every three months,if accident free? Big money in the early 60’s.Geoff Passant (R.i.p) drove a bonneted Scammell on the same job.Great input on this topic boys.Long May it continue.
Regards Andrew.
Mrsteel:
Hi Larry
If I remember correctly Parfitts were a well established firm based in Ebbw Vale
Regards , Allan9
Hi all,
I’ve just rang retired Joint driver and Shrewsbury foreman,Cliff Ashley.Cliff is in excellent health and is 89 in March.He told me that Parfitts red fleet of around 40 lorries were based on the top of the old original black rock road,They worked out of Ebbw Vale steelworks and ran alongside a firm called E.B.Reece from Newport gwent.Cliff Drove for Parfitts for 6 years,he had a 1950’s Leyland Beaver,4 in line artic.Two round trips to Scotland,Paid £44 a week in those days and a £100 bonus every three months,if accident free? Big money in the early 60’s.Geoff Passant (R.i.p) drove a bonneted Scammell on the same job.Great input on this topic boys.Long May it continue.
Regards Andrew.
Hi Andrew,
Good to hear that Cliff is doing ok, last time I saw Cliff was at a rally held on Shrewsbury Showground 18 odd years ago.
DEANB:
I reckon there must be more photos of Wynns trucks than any other heavy haulier.
Hi Dean,
Thanks for the WYNNS Scammell photo,Yes I reckon your right about the photos of that firm.Though Afaiaa ,ironically the Crusader pictured never was a WYNNS motor. Here are a pair of images,from I’m guessing the 80’s? A T.D.Williams 1633 Merc,clearing customs in Milan…
pete 359:
Hi all,a couple of Transcontinentals and a Gwynne Bowen LV ERF,Courtesy of Colin Knapp.
AP Transport run some tidy motors. Remember the Scania’s well used to come through Poole back in the late 80’s.
Think one was driven by Glynn ■■ Long time ago.
Well I used to get return loads from Gwyn Bowens Transport on a regular basis when I worked for Smiles for Miles my late great uncles firm, It was allways tin plate , Either from Bowens yard or Bryngwyn Mill IIRC, It was in the late 50/s Earley 60s, I used to load for the Metal Box Co at Westhoughton wich suited me then I reloaded from the ICI At The ICI at Northwich with bagged stuff the the North East, The good old days before mobile phones Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well I used to get return loads from Gwyn Bowens Transport on a regular basis when I worked for Smiles for Miles my late great uncles firm, It was allways tin plate , Either from Bowens yard or Bryngwyn Mill IIRC, It was in the late 50/s Earley 60s, I used to load for the Metal Box Co at Westhoughton wich suited me then I reloaded from the ICI At The ICI at Northwich with bagged stuff the the North East, The good old days before mobile phones Regards Larry.
You have stirred the memories up Larry of the days I was a Trailer mate on Brady’s Octopus and we were down in S.Wales more or less every Sunday night and we tipped Signode strapping sharp on Monday morning in the Abbey then we would reload ex Gwynne Bowen either out of MB at Eaglesbush or sometimes ex Velindre or Trostre for usually MB Westhoughton or MB Aintree. Occasionally it was for MB Carlisle which wasn’t really what we wanted as it put time on our return to Barrow. But Bowens were a great outfit , straight as dyes !! Sometimes, but very few and far between, Bowens couldn’t load us so Eric would ring Trevor Phillips and they always came up “trumps” with the same loads but it was never without a bit “rub” eh! " Oh! can’t Bowens find you Brady Boys a load " but it was all in good part as they knew that Bowens had the first call on us ! Those were the days when loyalty was valued !! Long gone happy days ! Cheers Dennis.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well I used to get return loads from Gwyn Bowens Transport on a regular basis when I worked for Smiles for Miles my late great uncles firm, It was allways tin plate , Either from Bowens yard or Bryngwyn Mill IIRC, It was in the late 50/s Earley 60s, I used to load for the Metal Box Co at Westhoughton wich suited me then I reloaded from the ICI At The ICI at Northwich with bagged stuff the the North East, The good old days before mobile phones Regards Larry.
You have stirred the memories up Larry of the days I was a Trailer mate on Brady’s Octopus and we were down in S.Wales more or less every Sunday night and we tipped Signode strapping sharp on Monday morning in the Abbey then we would reload ex Gwynne Bowen either out of MB at Eaglesbush or sometimes ex Velindre or Trostre for usually MB Westhoughton or MB Aintree. Occasionally it was for MB Carlisle which wasn’t really what we wanted as it put time on our return to Barrow. But Bowens were a great outfit , straight as dyes !! Sometimes, but very few and far between, Bowens couldn’t load us so Eric would ring Trevor Phillips and they always came up “trumps” with the same loads but it was never without a bit “rub” eh! " Oh! can’t Bowens find you Brady Boys a load " but it was all in good part as they knew that Bowens had the first call on us ! Those were the days when loyalty was valued !! Long gone happy days ! Cheers Dennis.
I once loaded out of the Abbey for Whessoe at Darlington,I had a LAD Reiver and it was 1968. I got the load off Swansea BRS,two lifts for about 12 ton. I remember that before I sheeted it the load had to be strapped on and I had to trail to a warehouse somewhere to fetch the banding machine so the loaders could band it on.A union thing IIRC.It was the only time I loaded out of there.
Hi all. Hope no one here was affected by the storm and flooding.
Looks as if the river Taff caused flooding around Taffs Wells and Pontypridd, and the Rhymney river down in Bedwas and Llanrumney. Bridgend and Tonddu had problems also!
Suedehead, weren’t mk 1 and 2 lotus cortina’s always white with the green stripe?
