Hi Carl…Got message about Gordon and my parents, I suppose you do not forget things like that, I am feeling much better now but have been really bad with food poisening, last time I saw Colin watson,Brian Sheldon,Doc Holiday,Norman Flatman and Phil Riley was at your dads funeral also there was Dennis maughan from Ness (Great bloke), I will have to try and meet Gordon at Tesco,s cafe, hope they don’t try and poison me again (bought the salmon fillet there)
Did not reliase how many names have cropped up out of the past, can you point me to the photo with Tommy Bowen (Crackers) on, worked with Tommy at yours and at ogdens, never seen him for years I was his son Paul’s godfather (I think, I was drunk after the night before).
Correct Eddie i never forgot the generousity, i would like to meet up when we have time for a cuppa Eddie.Regarding Harry’s funeral i was sorry to have missed it i heard a little while afterwards after being told by little Kenny Hodgson a very sad day.Seeing your photo on a horse with your friend reminds me in that field (Barnfield Road) many years ago a young lad drove a car for enjoyment now i wonder was that you Eddie?
edworth:
Hi Carl…Got message about Gordon and my parents, I suppose you do not forget things like that, I am feeling much better now but have been really bad with food poisening, last time I saw Colin watson,Brian Sheldon,Doc Holiday,Norman Flatman and Phil Riley was at your dads funeral also there was Dennis maughan from Ness (Great bloke), I will have to try and meet Gordon at Tesco,s cafe, hope they don’t try and poison me again (bought the salmon fillet there)
Did not reliase how many names have cropped up out of the past, can you point me to the photo with Tommy Bowen (Crackers) on, worked with Tommy at yours and at ogdens, never seen him for years I was his son Paul’s godfather (I think, I was drunk after the night before).
Eddie
hi there, that photo of tommy bowen is on the " DENTS OF SPENNYMOOR" thread page 5
edworth:
Hi Carl…Got message about Gordon and my parents, I suppose you do not forget things like that, I am feeling much better now but have been really bad with food poisening, last time I saw Colin watson,Brian Sheldon,Doc Holiday,Norman Flatman and Phil Riley was at your dads funeral also there was Dennis maughan from Ness (Great bloke), I will have to try and meet Gordon at Tesco,s cafe, hope they don’t try and poison me again (bought the salmon fillet there)
Did not reliase how many names have cropped up out of the past, can you point me to the photo with Tommy Bowen (Crackers) on, worked with Tommy at yours and at ogdens, never seen him for years I was his son Paul’s godfather (I think, I was drunk after the night before).
Carolyn Vane was another female driver who took her work seriously. Gordon says she was liked by everyone. Often on nights out when a group of drivers were sitting together in a pub having a drink, one would inadvertently swear. They all would immediately say I’m sorry about that, Carolyn ‘and she would tell them to forget it had happened.
One day Gordon tells me that he had a rigid and she had a forty foot van trailer in the center of York Gordon explained to me ‘You know how the some of the streets are very narrow in the center of York; well we had to reverse up a very narrow alleyway. She was reversing blind side and had two goes. I told her to give in and we could carry the load in but you could see the determination on her face and she told me she would manage. Third time she did manage,
Gordon explained one thing to me that I didn’t know. We always suspected that she started driving so she could write about it, but Gordon told me that she had from being very young being interested in wagons and driving one had been her ambition. My dad always said if he ever met Lord Barnard what Caroline had achieved and that he should be very proud of her. Gordon said that he had recently visited Raby Castle with his wife and there the first thing he saw was a photo of Caroline with her family. She drove for us over ten years.
edworth:
Hi Carl…Got message about Gordon and my parents, I suppose you do not forget things like that, I am feeling much better now but have been really bad with food poisening, last time I saw Colin watson,Brian Sheldon,Doc Holiday,Norman Flatman and Phil Riley was at your dads funeral also there was Dennis maughan from Ness (Great bloke), I will have to try and meet Gordon at Tesco,s cafe, hope they don’t try and poison me again (bought the salmon fillet there)
Did not reliase how many names have cropped up out of the past, can you point me to the photo with Tommy Bowen (Crackers) on, worked with Tommy at yours and at ogdens, never seen him for years I was his son Paul’s godfather (I think, I was drunk after the night before).
Eddie
Hi Eddie,
There were a lot of people at Dad’s funerall, and I tried to make out who was there, but everything was blurred. I would have liked to thank everyone but i honestly didn’t know where I was. You mentioned Dennis from New Equipment being there, and I am so pleased to read that as it helps to illustrate how thought of dad was. I often think of Dennis in the assembly shop, as he tried to help us get bits of furniture we were waiting for to complete loads made as quickly as possible, and certainly was a excellent worker for them.
I would really like to meet up with you again so please give me a ring when it is convenient. Most times are OK with me because appart frm hospital visits I have little to do
I’ve added the following to the employees list on previous page
John Tobin
Mickie (Don’t know surname ) driver from Bishop Auckland
Joy Bunting (Blondie) started as office junior
Pat McCabe was wages clerk for a longish time
Yvonne fom Chilton
Clifford smiles
Hilary Harrison
Dave Pope
Bryan Sheldon
And Christine the female driver was Christine Oliver.
I’m up to about 200 now but there still are many more.
Some that might be more difficult.
Newcastle Office: Woman that worked with Pat Cavagner
Sunderland Office: Girl that ran the office
Sheffield Depot: Manager 2 females in office 4 drivers
London Depot: I have identified Jim Wilson the manager but 1 female in office and 1 driver
Wellingborough Depot: Husband and wife who managed between them and 1 driver.
As Gordon Ball as said everyone who worked for us wee characters one way or another and all would have stories to tell including the office staff who got weaved into the web.
I know probably over half have now passed away, but over the time I have got left I am going to try to meet as many as I can and talk about old times, so it can be recorded on this site.
I would appreciate an help I could get in putting me in touch
Hi Carl& Gordon…Will have to call and see you and your mam, will have to sort something out, my wife Elizabeth is a Williams and is related somewhere down the line, her Dad was Harry also a W H Williams he was chauffer over the factory for years also had “The Ship” at Middlestone Village, see if my memory is correct or not (your mam might know) Harry who I have just mentioned also had a relation (brother I think) who had the “Salvin Arms” for a few years, but am I right thinking your Mam actually lived or worked in the “salvin Arms” did your dad meet her there, all the conversations your dad and I had when I was a wagon lad, sure he mentioned the Salvins, Gordon…you must have a good memory, me and the other lad on the horse in the field on Barnfield Road, is Keith McCrone (died when he was 45 twenty year ago) as Carl as mentioned before about Ozzy Broomfield, Ozzy was Keith’s uncle and he used to get lots of old cars for scrap, most of them where still runners, so he use to let us take them into the field and drive them around, as a kid it was fantastic, we had Austin’s, Morris’s and even a Alvis, one day we had one that the petrol tank was knackered, so Keith sat on the front mudguard with a gallon tin of petrol and gravity fed it straight into the carb, we where flying around the field and the petrol was spilling all over and it set the car on fire, we were alright and it did not matter about the car, Ozzy also made stock cars out of them and raced all over including Aycliffe Stadium, Carl…with all the story’s you could write a few books about some of the things we use to get up to, think some of them would have to be put on the top shelf with some of the shananagins we all got up to.
Eddie
edworth:
Hi Carl& Gordon…Will have to call and see you and your mam, will have to sort something out, my wife Elizabeth is a Williams and is related somewhere down the line, her Dad was Harry also a W H Williams he was chauffer over the factory for years also had “The Ship” at Middlestone Village, see if my memory is correct or not (your mam might know) Harry who I have just mentioned also had a relation (brother I think) who had the “Salvin Arms” for a few years, but am I right thinking your Mam actually lived or worked in the “salvin Arms” did your dad meet her there, all the conversations your dad and I had when I was a wagon lad, sure he mentioned the Salvins, Gordon…you must have a good memory, me and the other lad on the horse in the field on Barnfield Road, is Keith McCrone (died when he was 45 twenty year ago) as Carl as mentioned before about Ozzy Broomfield, Ozzy was Keith’s uncle and he used to get lots of old cars for scrap, most of them where still runners, so he use to let us take them into the field and drive them around, as a kid it was fantastic, we had Austin’s, Morris’s and even a Alvis, one day we had one that the petrol tank was knackered, so Keith sat on the front mudguard with a gallon tin of petrol and gravity fed it straight into the carb, we where flying around the field and the petrol was spilling all over and it set the car on fire, we were alright and it did not matter about the car, Ozzy also made stock cars out of them and raced all over including Aycliffe Stadium, Carl…with all the story’s you could write a few books about some of the things we use to get up to, think some of them would have to be put on the top shelf with some of the shananagins we all got up to.
Eddie
Ho Eddie
I believe he was dad’s cousin. My grandfather’s oldest brother’s son.
mam and dad met in the Salvin arms.My mother’s mother was landlady.
As far as X cert goes. i am sure there are so many stories that you and the rest of the driver’s know better than me,as I only saw what went on at Spennymoor but one comes to mind. Perhaps you will know the true story or will have heard. Apparently there was a young ‘lady’ living in Leicester who used to frequent the pub where our drivers met up on an evening. You will remember that every night apart from Saturdays there were always up to a dozen vans in Leicester on nights. This 'lady was a dwarf and I was told that one evening, perhaps more than one she asked to be tied spread eagled, naked insideone of the vans to the tie rails, with the ties, used to fasten furniture. .Rumour has it that she was there for hours waiting for them to return from the pub, ■■■■■■■ waiting to be untied.
Also I was told of one of Devereux drivers who was nicknamed Jesus who used to drive down to London, laid back strumming his Guitar steering with his legs.In a post replying to me describing how dad used to drive dwn to London at 2.00AM in the morning do three or four deliveries and come straight back non stop Angie said that it couldn’t happen today. How true those words were.
Another two names to be added Harry Blyth from Bishop Auckland and also Mick Robson.
I always remember overhearing a discussion between Mick Robson and Joy Bunting (Blondie) out of the office.
Mick was asking if he could make an 'arrangement with her. Apparently Mick’s problem was that his white shirts that he wore to go out in when he was away overnight tended to get lipstick on the collars and he didn’t want to give them to his wife to wash, as no doubt it would have led to his divorce. He was wanting to arrage to pay Joy about 20p per week to wash his shirts for him.
Carl Williams:
Another two names to be added Harry Blyth from Bishop Auckland and also Mick Robson.
I always remember overhearing a discussion between Mick Robson and Joy Bunting (Blondie) out of the office.
Mick was asking if he could make an 'arrangement with her. Apparently Mick’s problem was that his white shirts that he wore to go out in when he was away overnight tended to get lipstick on the collars and he didn’t want to give them to his wife to wash, as no doubt it would have led to his divorce. He was wanting to arrage to pay Joy about 20p per week to wash his shirts for him.
hiya,
Carl you obviously did’nt give your lads enough work to do, when I used to hit the digs
all I wanted to do was hit the sack and get fit for tomorrow, either dedicated or daft
that’s me and I didn’t get any medals for it.
thanks harry long retired.
Eddie it made my day looking back to that sighting of the wee lads in Broomfields field with the OLD & it was you what a coincidence.
Carl Joy Bunting was Charlie Waywan’s relation ( the England footballer.
Gordon.
Carl Williams:
Another two names to be added Harry Blyth from Bishop Auckland and also Mick Robson.
I always remember overhearing a discussion between Mick Robson and Joy Bunting (Blondie) out of the office.
Mick was asking if he could make an 'arrangement with her. Apparently Mick’s problem was that his white shirts that he wore to go out in when he was away overnight tended to get lipstick on the collars and he didn’t want to give them to his wife to wash, as no doubt it would have led to his divorce. He was wanting to arrage to pay Joy about 20p per week to wash his shirts for him.
hiya,
Carl you obviously did’nt give your lads enough work to do, when I used to hit the digs
all I wanted to do was hit the sack and get fit for tomorrow, either dedicated or daft
that’s me and I didn’t get any medals for it.
thanks harry long retired.
Hi Harry,
I would tend to agree with you, but they would think differently. The problem was that they had multidrop loads and were governed by the opening times of where they were delivering to. (Usually shops and factories)
Also the loads were high value and so they could justify travelling over to places like Leicester and Kingston on Thames and other popular overnight stops as the loads were safe parked there. Also they had even in the early sixties sleeper cabs.
However an average driver with a Bedford did 1400 miles and 25 drops a week- not bad going. The artic drivers had an easier time, in fact as they tended to do one drop load with one collection point for return.
What I can say was for most of the years I was there we had one of the best set of drivers you could meet who usually were quite happy. As I said earlier on this thread they were all characters in their own ways.
Best wishes
Carl
Gordon Ball reminded me of an incident and it is still very faint in my mind. Can anyone remind me of what exactly happened?
Fred nelson, Eric Nelson’s brother was riding round on the side of one of our staff driving one of our fork lifts and got his foot jammed between the fork lift and the wall. Does anyone remember that incident that could remind me exactly what happened?
One of the stories dad told goes back before the war, as from the way he described things it was before he had passed his driving test (1939).
Unfortunately for him dad had travelled with my Great Uncle Jim (a man known for his speed of driving) down to London with a removal. Anyone who knows of my uncle would realise it would have been a very long journey, and he would have had to unload himself without much help.
As it was towards the war, on a night in London they switched off the traffic lights to save electricity, and in the early hours of the morning after unloading they were heading along in the East End as they were making their way to St Albans, the home of Uncle Jim’s sister when he stopped as there was a set of traffic lights on red.
Dad says my uncle just sat, and wouldn’t drive across the lights even though the streets were empty and after ten minutes dad got out of the passenger seat in the cab and went and sat on a seat at the other side of the road thinking that they would be there until the lights were again switched on.
Another part of uncle Jim’s personality was he was not a quiet speaker and dad sitting outside a fair distance from the van could hear him telling him ‘I was just thinking. This is the area where Jack the Ripper used to kill’.
At that dad went back and got in the cab. I am not sure what he said to my Uncle but knowing dad can imagine. As a result Jim drove through the lights and about arrived just in time to be let into the house at St Albans as my aunt’s husband was going out to work at 5-00AM.
Talking of driving in London during wartime and shortly afterwards i wonder how many realise that all road signs were removed. Dad told me that the theory was that should the Germans invade London, life would be very difficult for them, and they would get lost. Dad said the same could be true for himself and our drivers travelling down from the small North East town of Spennymoor.
For drivers today who rely on their Sat Navs, try to imagine what it must have been like. Even earlier drivers who relied on their Ato Z map books would have been unlucky as at that time, noone had come up with the idea. But no sign posts at all must have made life very difficult.
But life went on and we were moving people down to London.
Hi Carl…Dwarf, it would not surprise me at anything they got up to, what a education for life , I was entertaining in my van one night in Leicester, when two very well known drivers opened my van and proceeded to settle down on the wrappers for a gossip, I was in the luton, when they relized I had company the whole car park lit up, how some of us where never locked up baffles me, mind in all the city’s and Town’s we stopped at on a regular basis, we all got on well will the police, anybody remember Griff Fender’s from South Wales…I remember Jesus he was a character, Dev’s eued to deliver cheese around London and when you pulled into Kingston for the night you knew if they where there from the smell, the lads had to soak there hands in hot soapy water for a long time to try and get the smell off them…What about Betty’s Bar,Elliott Street, Glasgow anybody remember, come on you guys, we all did not go straight to bed like harry (alright mate) …what about Oldham and Walsall…Woeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Someone was saying earlier I should write a book, but unfortunately I don’t think that ever will happen as my health is not good enough, and I could never do it credit, but if the true story was ever told it would make a film, although it would be difficult to find actors ugly enough to play some parts (Joking)
Although as far as the female office staff we had some good lookers over the years. One I remember in particular was over in UK for about six months from New Zealand and she was absolutely gorgeous. I cannot remember her name, but she started working for us during the first few months of moving to Green Lane.
At Marmaduke Street we had two service vans. A Morris Minor van and a Minivan, and they both came to Green Lane. One morning for some reason I had been out with the Minor van and just passing the entrance of Watson Carriers I saw two girls walking along after getting off the bus, so I pulled in to give them a lift along, and they both got in the front. The New Zealander I had mentioned got in the middle with each leg parted and the gear leaver between them.
How I drove that van the short way to work I never will know, but I must say that never before or again have I concentrated so much on my gear changing.
as Carl as mentioned before about Ozzy Broomfield, Ozzy was Keith’s uncle and he used to get lots of old cars for scrap, most of them where still runners, so he use to let us take them into the field and drive them around, as a kid it was fantastic, we had Austin’s, Morris’s and even a Alvis, one day we had one that the petrol tank was knackered, so Keith sat on the front mudguard with a gallon tin of petrol and gravity fed it straight into the carb, we where flying around the field and the petrol was spilling all over and it set the car on fire, we were alright and it did not matter about the car, Ozzy also made stock cars out of them and raced all over including Aycliffe Stadium, Carl…with all the story’s you could write a few books about some of the things we use to get up to, think some of them would have to be put on the top shelf with some of the shananagins we all got up to.
)