Just like to know if anybody has pictures of williams vehicles,contacted carl williams through this site and has been very helpfull by having a few pictures added but admits he doesnt have many.Any drivers who may have worked there or knows somebody that worked there may have the odd picture laying about would be great,incidentally my father jim ferguson would also appreciate getting to see any pictures of williams or getting to hear of any drivers that are still kicking around he would love to hear from you,hope some of you can help?
Thank you Parcelman for opening up this topic.Rightly as you say I have only a few photos as so many never were taken or have been lost. But much more interesting is the photos that show the drivers or porters that made the vans work. Also the fitters that worked in the wokshops and the office staff. I hope this site opens up the possibility of those who remember our times together to dig out any photos but more important discuss and talk about old memories and the names of who they remember working with,I know that sadly over the years many have passed away but please ,if you remember add your comments and hopefully happy memories and bring the past back to life through these memories. Through te photos on Scrapbook memories and old North East Hauliers a few have contacted me and I hope to encourage them to add their thoughts and memories, I specially valued your memories, Parcelmsn of going through the van wash with your dad Jim Ferguson. I am so pleased to hear Jim is now living in Aberdeen and please tell him to let you add any memories he had and who he remembers. I am so sad that my dad died before this has had the oportunity to happen because he would have enjoyed reading and contributing his thughts and memories so much. Often before he died he had visions of the vans, that were so much his life.
For my part I will add all the photos I have over the next weeks but also more importantly add details of the drivers that drove and all memories I have. It is fortunate that I have the opportunity to do this now because I have been diagnosed with dementia, and by hopefully bringing it back to life I can tell my daughter Alexis and her two sons( My grandsons Lucas and Jensen) and my son Paul a bit of what life was like working with my dad and grandad. Please add your comments of the old days
Here is the first of three airial photos of Green Lane taken at the same time at various angles. If you click on these they magnify so you can make out quite a lot. They must have been taken on a Sunday morning as it would be the only time that so many vans would be present. We didn’t know until we were approached by the photographers to let us buy the photos. I am so surprised the vans, trailers and tractor units are parked up so tidily.
At the front of the office you can clearly see my dad’s cream Mercedes and my red triumph stag I dont know who the other car belongs to or the red car oppsite the gates.
Coachskill sign on the gates must make it about 1975. Bill Bailey must have been working in the warehose building van bodies. If anyon knows him please ask him to look at this site.
The night watchmen’s hut is not there. My dad put it there with some of my Grandads money when he died as a dedication.He died 1975 so it must have been late 1974 or early 1975
The Van Wash, Workshop that was built for sevicing the Artics or stores that linked the two workshops was not built. I cannot remember the name of the storeman who ran the stores, but he lived in Wolsingham and his wife ran a cafe there.
Van at front behind Diesel tank was an Ex ATM AEC so we were doing their work and it appears back row is two ex ATM vans that apear to be waiting to be painted. The other five that worked ou of ATM would be parked at the factory at Crook.For people ho remember Dennis Lee (One of ATM drivers that eventually drove the Seddon Boxvan) will be sad to know of the trajic death he suffered. He was driving a tipper after we finnished and it went out of control on Crawleyside Bank. Dennis jumped from the cab but was trapped by his coat and killed by a tree.Some of the Courtaulds Vans had their name obliterated which would indicate it was during their strike.(We had but masking tape over their name and painted it green so that we could use these vans elsewhere during the strike. The red Bedford Boxvan Ken Daggar used on the Thorn Heating job is clearly visible as is Fred Johnson’s mobile butchers van which appears to be in the process of being steam cleaned. There is only one car in the drivers car park which would again indicate it is on a Sunday. At the back I can also see one of New Equipments Blue tractor units which I seem to remember we werev using about that tim
Here is Green Lane from another angle. On the left hand side of the warehouse is the body taken off HUP. We bought it from Halls Durham who had used it basicly as a mobile shop delivering glasses and other things they sold mainly to pubs. We altered the rear to shutter and tailboard as orriginally it had only one door in the centre of the rear. It was small and not very high inside and was mainly used on local removals and I seem to remember Alan Wharrier drove it. When we took off this body we extended the chassis and put on a demountable box body which was painted white in NESS livery. The cab was cream & brown. Memory fades me but it was then driven by Alan (I cannot remember his second name) In front you can see the dump truck, Landrover and TK breakdown. Our first attempt to deal with breakdown was the Landrover. How it managed to pull large loaded vans is unbeleivablr. On one occasion I was towing a Bedfotd which had broken down on the bottom of Crawleyside Bank. I was in bottom gear and it seemed to be having no problem so i changed up to second and broke a half shaft. I then put it in four wheel drive and managed to tow it back to Spennymoor.The next effort was a Bedford RL ex army to which we fitted a crane. It was petrol and very unstable. We took of the wheels and put on conventionnal wheels with twin rears that made it a bit better. Next came the Scammell 9 miles per hour flat out. Ken armstrong had collected it from Southampton and rang me up crying that it was so slow. I drove down to Watford Gap and gave him my car to return with and drove it back o Spennymoor> On the evening my mam and dad drove down to Wetherby to see how I was going on only o see in the distance this great high Scammell going at snails pace coming towards them with a great line of traffic held up behind. The Scammell was parked up along the end of the warehouse more or less where the van body is in the photograph and strangley whilst we had it we never had a breakdown. When we got the TK we sold it to Colin Noble who said afterwards he had made his money back within a week towing off his fellow showman from a flooded Town Moor at Newcastle. On the front row second along from left in front of the warehouse was the Seddon driven by Eddy Ramsey, who sadly dropped down dead loading a van in the warehouse shortly before his 65th birthday. Eddy was one in a million never beat and alwats resoursfull and happy within his life.On the back row of artics one of the ill faited Dodge Tractor units is clearly visible as is further along an AEC and one of the again ill faited Leyland Lynx
The third Arial Photo of Green Lane
There is a digger parked up which was removing the top soil and spreding the dolamite and black askover the remainder of the site. I wonder if anyone reads that can remember the TK tipper we used to remove the soil and redeliver the black ash and dolamite. Any driver who was in the rest room was often sent to collect a load of dolamite from the quarry.
The first van seen lined up backed up to the soil was Seddon with Vanplan body driven by Cess Ramsey on his twice weekly Havant journey. Next to the transit luton outside the workshop was a Morris minor Van used by the fitters.
Here is the photo put on Scrapbook Memories on this website that started the mention of W.H.williams
Atkinson 32ton Gross with Gardiner Engine. I also seem to recolect we had a Guy Tracor with gardiner engine about the same time . I hope someone comes up with a photo of this as well of a photo of the Foden with Rolls Royce engine we operated.
It would appear that the Atkinson was photographed in the Bristol area and if you click on the photo and make it bigger you can see what appears to be the driver looking at something on top of the ngine cover (perhaps a map). As Colin Watson usually drove the vehicle I wonder if it was him. If so he was a lot younger then. If anyone can recognise who the driver is please make a comment
Phoo of Bedford TM with 40 foot trailer in Thorn Livery. We had three new Bedford TMs. The first was supplied by Bedford as a demonstrator taxed but bran new to us. We had free three months trial with an option to buy after th three months at a highly discounted price. It ran for three months unpainted and after the three months we bought it and it was painted (Lettering as usual by Peter Butler). The Bedford in the photograph appears not yet to hav been registered with no number plate, so it isn’t the first. I am not sure which it is
Photograph of AEC Mercury 26 ton gross tractor unit with Ness Trailer. I m nearly sure Ronnie Allison who is no longer with us after dying so young drove this when it was new
There may be some on this thread if not could always ask
W.H.Williams (Haulage) Ltd was truely a family business, particularly in the 60’s and 70’s. The nucleous of employees stayed loyal, for years and were like large family. So many funny things happened over the years with people like Ray and Sheila Juler being like Stan and Hylda .Ogden from Coronation Street.There were sad times when a driver died of a heart attack whilst driving a Bedford SB and nearly ran into a row of people waiting at a bus stop (I cannot immediatly remember his name). Also Eddy Ramsey from Brandon and Allan Wharrier from Spennymoor who both died at work whilst at Green Lane.I hope this forum is read by either old staff or their friends and relatives who can add their memories and experiences. I will from tiime to time try to recall and add recolections.I hope if you worked for W.H>Williams or your mam or dad did or you know someone who did, please post a reply with their name and what has happened to them since.
Similarly over the years we used sub contractors like T. T.Liddle at Stanley, Hayward and Robinson at Darlington, Cracknells from Darligton to name a few an it would be so nice to see photographs of their vans either on here or Old North East Hauliers.These times represent the last times we had individual vans built, often more because of their looks and style, than on a pure cost basis. I do hope if you are reading this you post a reply with your thoughts and comments
A Bedford TK being driven round Thinford Roundabout on A167. The van was SUP417M and the driver was Bob Bradley. The photograph was taken by Bedford for February 1975 Bedford Truck Magazine. I can only appologise for the quality becaue it was spread accross 2 pages
Our 1937 Bedford 2 tonner. We also had a 1938 30cwt but try as I may I cannot find one of these. I’m sure many will remember Frank Morgan who ha lost his arm used to attend many HGV rallies with thes two vehicles. Also Ken Armstrong one of our fitters was a regular.I believe Ken is still living in Spennymoor and Frank living in South Wales, where he moved to after we finnished. Frank was well known as he operated the van wash which was used by other hauliers to wash their vehicles. Amongst them I remember Taffy Davies continental wagons and moffits from Ponteland (Greyand red vans), also I believe Conway Tyres. Trajedy struck Frank again when his wife and daughter, who was just about to get married were killed in a car accident on the way home in Wales from shopping for a wedding Gown. I do hope the power of the internet allows Frank to get in touch again. I also remember when Alan Madrell was away overnight he always rang up his newly married wife. On the last occasion he rand and when he received no reply he was worried and went to the nearest Police station to be told his wife had been killed in a car accident with a head on collision near Gretna Green Wedding Inn at Aycliffe on A167. It was a Wyncombe vehcle from Bristol and I believe Allan knew the driver. Life can be very cold and lonely for a long distance lorry driver in circumstances like this. I believe Allan is well running a driving school now. Once agan I hope he gets in touch
A photograph of our stand at an exhibition of employers and businesses in County Durham to promote trade in that area in the newly completed Recreation Centre at Spennymoor. The young lady in the background was Linda Turnbull one of our office staff at that time around 1978.The offuce staff took turns to be on the stand along with myself to greet guests and perhaps give them a cup of coffee and answer any of their questions.I well remember the girls from Metro Radio together with presenters who were airing their programs live. Linda Turnbull used to live in Kelloe and I’m sure will have married and changed her name since that time, but if anyone from Kelloe, Coxhoe area recognises her I am sure if they let her know she would be pleased to be able to look back at this photograph, and who knows but it is possible she has photos from her time at W.H.Williams she could share
Two :Leyland (BMC) Lairds. I don’t know who drove these perhaps someone might remember? All I remember was they cost us a lot of money as they were continually breaking down. Along wit Leyland Boxers, Leylnnd Lynx tractor units andDodge 24 ton gross tractor units with Perkins 634 engines they contributed towards the end of our country. The Leylnd Lynx with the fixed head was a good start for Leyland. Our first broke down in Leicester at about 3 months old with gearbox problems. Apparently they were OK on the level but the oil ran out when they went up hills. Fprd and Slater towed it in and toldus it needed a new gearbox. But they were on back order and they had several in the workshops aiting for them and they thought they would take at least 6 months to get them. Who can afford new vehicle off the road for six months waiting for spares? and we were in the process o painting two more new Lynx’s we had bought. I read in Commercial Motor tht Des Pitchard had been appointed as head of Leyland Trucks and intended to sort them out. My dad made a ‘Person to person’ telephone call booked to Des Pitchard, who was taken back when he received the call and was full of appologies and said ford & Slater would receive a gearbox within 48 hours. We rang Ford & slater and tol them they would have a box within 48 hours. ‘We’ve heard that all before’ they joked, but within two days they rang back saying’how on earth did you manage that’. Person to Person phone calls were a good idea, I don’t know if they are still available.
We bought 2 second hand Dodge luton vans with Marsden Fibreglass bodies, fitted with Perkins Diesel engines from J.M Ridley of Allendale. The reg nos were RTY5G and RTY6G. They were about two to three years old and in very good condition, and we ran then for many years. They didn’t do bad fuel consumption and were reliable and quite liked by the drivers.We then went on to buy three Seddon Penine Passeger chassis two from Marsden and third from Vanplan once again they were ideal for our work with the softer passnger chassis springs they were better than for furniture and domestic appliances.Also drivers liked the manouvablity they provided with the front axel set well back ino the body.(Passnger chassis design to let passengers board easily). They were certainly as good as the Bedfords, the only problem was we could buy three Bedfords for the price f two Seddons and the additional Capital expenditure was not justified. We also bought three second hand Seddon Penines about three year old and they all contributed to the profitability of the fleet. Why is it that when we required two 24/26 ton tractor units did we find that the Dodge’s we chose with Perkins Engines were continually breaking down with engine problems. At the time we were onsidering new Foden 32 tonners (overspecified) with Gardiner engins which were offered to us well discounted at that time for not too much mre than the Dodges. After not much sucess with Bedford< Leyland, Ford and Dodge tractor units we went ion to buy 5 ERF with Gardiner. They were excellent, liked by th drivers and good fuel consumption and they would run for ever.The British Truck manufacturing came to an end thanks to the efforts mainly of Leyland, but isn’t it a shame that ERF, Seddon Atkinson and Foden are no more.About a couple of years before my dad died I had to go to Sandbach to pick up office furniture and my dad went out for a ride with me.We stopped at a Pub at Sandbach for a bite to eat and when we asked where the old ERF facory was we were told it was flattened and a new Aldi was now on the site. Governments go on about our country needing more manufacturing surely they could have invested to keep ERY going and surely it would have been money well spent to help Gardiner develope a new engine that had less emissions.
A photograph of my Grandfather W.H.Williams senior. SUP351 was his Rover 60 which he bought new in 1955 the vehicle on the right of the picture was HTH a Bedford SB Pantechnicon first registered 1953. I therefore would date this photograph about 1956-7… It was taken within the garage adjacent to 14 Marmaduke Street Spennymoor, which was first the home of my great grandfather and Great Grandmother, then my Grandfather and Grandmothers home. My Father also W.H.Williams was born in this house in 1921.
My grandfather had started the business in 1919 with the gratuities he received after serving in First World War. He was I believe in that year also married to my Grandmother. He had bought a horse and cart and the major part of his work was delivering groceries for a shop in Spennymoor called Broughs. Soon after starting he decided to buy his first motor vehicle a Ford 1 ton model T this was registered in 1920 and I believe the registration number was J 9629 (J being the letter given to vehicles registered in Durham County
His horse was called ■■■■■■ and I believe he still used this along with a fleet of 4 motor vehicles until the early 1930’s. Also we carried groceries for Broughs until after the war and also Thompson Stores at Spennymoor, Chilton and West Cornforth until late 60’s. This was a job I used to do driving a small van on school holidays
Coincident does happen. John Willets was giving a price for supplying and fitting a fireplace at my daughter, Alexis’ neighbours home and he called at alexis’ for a chat and a cup of tea. He told Alexis he had just purchased our old garage in Marmaduke Street. (Seen in the previous photograph. He said it was strange when he first went inside. I suppose it must have been like going back in time, because John worked for us there in the nineteen sixties and early 70’s. The van John drove was a Morris 2 tonner with a Marsden body new to us in June 1964. It as built on an FG chassis scuttle and Marsden had used a cut down revised cab using the mould they used for the Bedford SB’s at that time. The original Morris cab as both would know was the old threpenny piece cab with the doors tucked round the back. With Marsden’s full fronted cab made it feel very large a bulbous to drive. The standard engine was a 2.2 litre diesel engine but we had specified as an optional extra 3.4 litre diesel engine. Even then the top speed was 50 mph, although it did pull quite well in the top gear of its four speed crash box. All in all it was a pig to drive having to double declutch to change gear. John had discovered without telling anyone by removing the seal on the governor and changing the settings it transferred into a real racing machine, which eventually did cause the engine to blow up. He used to carefully put the governor back as he returned back to base. One day he slipped up and turned it down too far. A fitter needed to work on it later that night and when he took it out on a test run couldn’t get it out of third gear. John’s trick had been discovered. I suppose it shows how resourceful he was which is proved by his own highly successful business.
The reason for buying the FG at that time was I was approaching 17 and it was something I could drive, but as I progressed to A levels and was at school most of the time it needed a full time driver. It used to do a weekly run to Altringham in the early years taking pyjamas and shirts from the manufacturer to Banner Textiles. As was the norm, leaving at 5-00AM two or three times I took it. On one occasion I was travelling over Stanwich (long before the M62 was built, going uphill I started passing a line of crawling vehicles up the bank. In the distance I could see the road going back from its three lanes to two and the Morris was slowing on me. In error I decided to change down to third, the speed instantly dropped by about 10 miles per hour and I could see a large lorry looming before me. I managed to cut in and no doubt save my life, and I bet I received a few curses from the vehicles I cut across. We all do silly things when we start driving.
The Bedford shown below is NUP registered 1 January 1953. It was our first Bedford based on the SB passenger chassis powered by Bedford petrol engine. It was built by Blakes of Manchester and when my Grandfather accompanied by his brother in law, my uncle Jim (Who worked for us since the mid twenties for almost 50years) came back from Manchester after seeing it nearly completed said it was far too big and useless. In fact my uncle Jim said ‘They’ll need a bloody ladder to get up into the cab and you won’t even be able to see the road and pavements when you are up there. My dad was delighted as when it went on the road although with a speed limit of 20 miles per hour gave us an advantage over all other removers as it was s much larger than anything else in the area, and we could do long distance removals with this one van where others had to use two.
In those days vehicle taxation was based on unladen weight and it was necessary to get it under 4 ton unladen. My father stripped off everything, including rear doors, the inner rear wheels and front bumper, tying the registration plate onto the front with wire. A policeman had by law to accompany him to the nearest weighbridge at Whitworth Colliery where it was to be weighed. It just scraped under 4 ton. The policeman commented on what a nice looking vehicle it was, but wasn’t it a shame they could not have but on a bumper on the front as it looked unfinished. My dad didn’t know what to say when later in the day as he was putting the missing pieces back on the same constable came to get some more information he required.
NUP was the first of three 1953 Bedford SB petrols we operated. They were a Hugh success and got us a good reputation. The last driver I remember driving NUP was a ‘cockney’ living in Coundon called Roger Owen and he had a nickname Roger the Lodger, and was well known it is alleged by one of the female staff in the Quernow Transport café on the A1. Drivers in the 50’s had to learn to drive looking through their mirrors as with the 20 plate on the rear they fragrantly broke the speeding law. One thing that helped them those days was stop lights had not been introduced and if they saw a police car behind they could slow down applying their brakes without displaying any signal from the stop lights… Amazingly these petrols achieved 12 miles per gallon on average. Also there were no indicators or flashing indicators so hand signals were manatory.
Carl Williams:
The Bedford shown below is NUP registered 1 January 1953. It was our first Bedford based on the SB passenger chassis powered by Bedford petrol engine. It was built by Blakes of Manchester and when my Grandfather accompanied by his brother in law, my uncle Jim (Who worked for us since the mid twenties for almost 50years) came back from Manchester after seeing it nearly completed said it was far too big and useless. In fact my uncle Jim said ‘They’ll need a bloody ladder to get up into the cab and you won’t even be able to see the road and pavements when you are up there. My dad was delighted as when it went on the road although with a speed limit of 20 miles per hour gave us an advantage over all other removers as it was s much larger than anything else in the area, and we could do long distance removals with this one van where others had to use two.In those days vehicle taxation was based on unladen weight and it was necessary to get it under 4 ton unladen. My father stripped off everything, including rear doors, the inner rear wheels and front bumper, tying the registration plate onto the front with wire. A policeman had by law to accompany him to the nearest weighbridge at Whitworth Colliery where it was to be weighed. It just scraped under 4 ton. The policeman commented on what a nice looking vehicle it was, but wasn’t it a shame they could not have but on a bumper on the front as it looked unfinished. My dad didn’t know what to say when later in the day as he was putting the missing pieces back on the same constable came to get some more information he required.
NUP was the first of three 1953 Bedford SB petrols we operated. They were a Hugh success and got us a good reputation. The last driver I remember driving NUP was a ‘cockney’ living in Coundon called Roger Owen and he had a nickname Roger the Lodger, and was well known it is alleged by one of the female staff in the Quernow Transport café on the A1. Drivers in the 50’s had to learn to drive looking through their mirrors as with the 20 plate on the rear they fragrantly broke the speeding law. One thing that helped them those days was stop lights had not been introduced and if they saw a police car behind they could slow down applying their brakes without displaying any signal from the stop lights… Amazingly these petrols achieved 12 miles per gallon on average. Also there were no indicators or flashing indicators so hand signals were manatory.
Hi ,thanks for the pm its good to see how this thread as taken off lets hope it keep going Vic, never worked for the company but delivered your fuel for a lot of years thanks for the memories.
]
Hi ,thanks for the pm its good to see how this thread as taken off lets hope it keep going Vic, never worked for the company but delivered your fuel for a lot of years thanks for the memories.
[/quote]
Hi Victor nice to hear from you, which fuel company did you deliver for? Its been a lot of years ago and its good that someone still remembers