Talking about the painting of vans and Eddie saying about Ozzie Broomfield spraying without a mask might have caused his early death made me think about my experiences of spraying without a mask.
From about 1937 until mid 60’s dad hand painted all vans himself. All our vehicles painted at Spennymoor were hand painted with only two exceptions that were sprayed.
Harry hardy (hardy was his nickname because in the early fifties he drove Hardy’s van that was parked in our garage in Marmaduke Street, and in fact was Peter Wilson’s father) started working in the sixties for Eddie Howe (OK Motor Services) as his mechanic. As nothing ever went wrong with the AEC buses he had an easy life. However he said the top part of the buses that was painted cream was difficult to keep clean and staining and persuaded Eddy to let him spray above the widows grey, which I personally thought ruined the look of the buses, but as far as spraying went he did a good job.
When UPT149E came along in grey primer we forbid dad painting it as he had suffered his heart attack and stretching to paint could have been dangerous, so we paid Harry to spray it for us. I watched him and took it all in and when shortly afterwards VPT 828F came along I decided to spray it. When I think back they must have been mad to let me but I suppose it was thought if I made a dreadful mess it could have been rubbed down and started again.
No one told me about a mask and when I finished my nose was blocked and my eyelids coated for a few days, and I was deaf. Perhaps that is what has caused my brain shrinking.
No one ever said it was a mess and it didn’t turn out that badly, but we employed a painter from then on and as I said all further vans were brush painted.*
*Apart from new vans painted by Marsden and Van plan who both brush painted until they switched to the inferior spraying to reduce costs and speed up production.
Hi Carl & Peter…Well there is one thing for certain Carl, whatever we forget,Peter will remember, I thought the pig thing was Dale Harrison but now Peter mentions it was him, it would be especially on a Saturday, you could not get away from him, he did like to be in the vans and riding around, I will have to be careful what I say now he is watching 
, you asked if I could remember my first journey away with one of the big vans, it was the TK what your dad bought from coulsons and had the Marsden body fitted to it, I had 16 drops for the Midlands from Ness on it, I think your Dad gave me that one just in case I wrote it off and he would get rid of it that way met Harry Hawkins on my way to Birmingham and I followed him around for my first 5 drops and then I was away as they say.
On my way back your Dad asked me to call at leicester for a load of biscuits to Dragonsville, Durham (think it was Wilsons) anyway on my way into leicester a bus overtook me me and there was a car coming towards me, as I braked the bus driver cut straight in on me and caught the offside of the luton, by the time I had got out of the van the car driver was shouting at the bus driver and calling him allsorts and he told me he would give a wriiten statement to say it was the bus drivers fault, when the bus driver saw I was holding my jack handle he also volenteered to give me a wriiten statement, your dad was over the moon and the van went straight into Raines, by the way the bus driver was shall we say Tanned. .
The small Thames van in the photo, I was driving with Tommy Stoddart sat with me, we had just gone up into Toronto from the Newton Cap side, when on the other side of the road a wagon (Geest Bananas) was heading towards us at a slow speed as it came to pass us we could see the driver was slumped over the wheel, we stopped and I ran after the wagon, catching it I jumped onto the drivers step and opened the door and just put my leg into the cab and onto the footbrake as hard as I could and it came to a shuddering halt, when I got out there was a lot of people around and a nurse that lived opposite the incident looked at the driver and said, he was a diabetic and had not had his insulin, he was called Newton from Bishop Auckland, still waiting for my gong form buck House.
Eddie
edworth:
Hi Carl & Peter…Well there is one thing for certain Carl, whatever we forget,Peter will remember, I thought the pig thing was Dale Harrison but now Peter mentions it was him, it would be especially on a Saturday, you could not get away from him, he did like to be in the vans and riding around, I will have to be careful what I say now he is watching
On my way back your Dad asked me to call at leicester for a load of biscuits to Dragonsville, Durham (think it was Wilsons) anyway on my way into leicester a bus overtook me me and there was a car coming towards me, as I braked the bus driver cut straight in on me and caught the offside of the luton, by the time I had got out of the van the car driver was shouting at the bus driver and calling him allsorts and he told me he would give a wriiten statement to say it was the bus drivers fault, when the bus driver saw I was holding my jack handle he also volenteered to give me a wriiten statement, your dad was over the moon and the van went straight into Raines, by the way the bus driver was shall we say Tanned.
The small Thames van in the photo, I was driving with Tommy Stoddart sat with me, we had just gone up into Toronto from the Newton Cap side, when on the other side of the road a wagon (Geest Bananas) was heading towards us at a slow speed as it came to pass us we could see the driver was slumped over the wheel, we stopped and I ran after the wagon, catching it I jumped onto the drivers step and opened the door and just put my leg into the cab and onto the footbrake as hard as I could and it came to a shuddering halt, when I got out there was a lot of people around and a nurse that lived opposite the incident looked at the driver and said, he was a diabetic and had not had his insulin, he was called Newton from Bishop Auckland, still waiting for my gong form buck House.
Eddie
Hi Eddie
I think that Peter was the best driver we never had.
As you know we always liked to start someone directly from school, like yourself who could be taught our ways. Peter had several years travelling with my uncle Jim before he joined the likes of you and me. If he hadn’t been so clever at making things and become a Tool Maker who knows?
Can you remember, Eddie, when you started if we still had the Thames 4D TPT918, also NUP (Petrol Bedford), which Roger Owen drove, also HTH (Petrol Bedford)which my uncle Jim used on Leeds run. And I was wondering if we had the 15cwt Bedford CA Luton KMM which Don Clegg bought? (I think it was replaced by the 2 Tonner DPT100B
4479PT would have been driven by my uncle Bob
1372UP by Tommy Stoddard
367MPT by Harry Hawkins
Hoping you have a good 2012
Best wises
Carl
Gordon Ball has been in touch and says he has lots of stories to share, but is having difficulty getting onto the site.
He can read but not put on so here is his first
Ball
Hi Carl i have tried to get into your web page for WH Williams & not successful @ the moment for photo’s.I still cannot see me mentioned
I do remember getting an invite to the Houses of Parliament for a drink or tea by Greville Jenner MP for Leicester after stopping the traffic on a saturday morning around 1980 after he had a blowout in his Rover car outside Luton on the M1 when all traffic came to a halt i got him & two Indian origin male & female from the car which was a write of it was jammed up against the crash barrier facing in the opposite direction, he sent me a message of thanks on the House of Commons note paper WOW.Unfortunately a long way to go for a cuppa.
Can I ask what the problem is getting onto the site 
as depends when he registered it will have to be approved but could take a few days as think some of the Admin team have taken time out over the hols just be a bit patient if it is not this the contact 1 of the Admin team ( Mrs Mix normally deals with this )
Nice to see you back posting Carl & friends some good stories to read
Just looking round the internet to see ex employees I can contact to tell about this site and its frightening the number who have died. Appart from those I already knew about, Eddie told me of Arthur Crooks, and I have read the orbitury of Ronny Harris (who was 84), but also I have read the orbitury of a Alan Henderson of Hartlepool, and although I cannot be certain it seems like Alan too has died, and he would have just been around 70.
The hard working civil servants who are striking over their greatly inflated pensions, saying they have stress at work, should experience what life is like as a lorry driver, or in the transport industry in general and they would then undertand what stress truely is.
Hi Carl…I personally thought Peter would have made a good Rocket scienctist, clever lad (his head will be swelling now), the Bedford CA you mentioned was there for about two weeks when I started and it was sold, I remember the two petrol bedfords Nup & HTH and the Ford 4D was it the ford that tipped against a tree, not sure myself. Sat in NUP in Bishop market place, while Roger was getting the delivery notes at Hardy’s, when the drivers door opened and this guy mumbled something about checking the fuel, I just agreed and carried on reading my map, the door opened again and this guy was calling me alsorts and slammed the door and went, when Roger came to the van I told him about this guy and he started laughing his head off, it was the ministry checking for dodgie diesel and you have guessed it HTH was petrol I like DPT 100B it was a hell of a puller and it could go without anybody mucking about with it, I came back from a pyjama run at Altringham with no brakes from Oldham the hand brake was really good and I got back with it.
Eddie
Have you spotted the deliberate mistake, sat in NUP and said it was HTH it was one of them, both being petrol.
Eddie
edworth:
Hi Carl…I personally thought Peter would have made a good Rocket scienctist, clever lad (his head will be swelling now), the Bedford CA you mentioned was there for about two weeks when I started and it was sold, I remember the two petrol bedfords Nup & HTH and the Ford 4D was it the ford that tipped against a tree, not sure myself. Sat in NUP in Bishop market place, while Roger was getting the delivery notes at Hardy’s, when the drivers door opened and this guy mumbled something about checking the fuel, I just agreed and carried on reading my map, the door opened again and this guy was calling me alsorts and slammed the door and went, when Roger came to the van I told him about this guy and he started laughing his head off, it was the ministry checking for dodgie diesel and you have guessed it HTH was petrol
Eddie
Hi Eddie
Do you remember the back entrance of Woodhouses the furniture shop in Bishop Auckland where we used to load? I was loading up with DPT100B when they came and tested my diesel. The shopping area of Bishop Auckland was a strange place to try and find people using red diesel.
You mention us going down to Banner Textiles at Altringham with the two tonner. If you remember we use to load at Cosgrove’s factory in an old cinema in Wheatley Hill and we used to leave at 5.00AM in the morning to try to miss the Leeds and Manchester traffic. This was well before the M62 was built and I was travelling over between Huddersfield and Oldham and going up a short stretch the road went into a short three lane and as you said the 2 tonner pulled in top gear and I was passing about 3 HGV’s doing about 45 when it started slowing a bit so foolishly I decided to change down to third. The governor kicked in like throwing an anchor out of the back and the speed dropped instantly to 25. Seeing the third lane ending in front of me and running out of road I managed to cut in no doubt to the annoyance of the wagon I was passing at the time., but the consequence of not doing so stared me in the face as I saw a Scammell heading towards me.
I was lucky as cutting in might have cost me the side of the van but failure to do so would defiantly have cost me my life. We were all young and daft once
Best wishes
Carl
edworth:
Eddie Worthington and Harry Blatchford fishing on the tweed.
Hi Eddie
Just looking at te photo you sent. Is Harry Blatchford still alive? Also I head that Roger (Roger the lodger) is still with us. he must be very old now ?
Looking at what obviously were orriginally black and white photos of 367MPT, how on earth did you colour them?
Hi Carl…Both Harry & Roger are still alive, Harry lives at Eldon, think his house belonged to the Colliey manager as it is pretty big for that area, Roger is still kicking about until somebody’s husband catche’s him (old dog), I remember Cosgrove’s at the old cinema in Wheatley Hill and the one in Trimdon Village, the Wheatley Hill factory had a few of my female cousins working there, as my dad was born in Wheatley Hill, have I mentioned I was born in Thornley Colliery and my parents moved to The Colliery Inn at Croxdale when I was eight years old and guess who moved them, I think your Dad was there and old Jimmy and Bob Marsden who where both your Great Uncle and Uncle, I was put on the settee in the well with my Dad, I thought it was great but never ever thought that I would be working for W H Williams and indeed moving into the old place in Marmaduke street, when you mentioned about john Willetts when he bought it and when he walked into the warehouse how he felt was nothing to how I felt the day I walked into it when I bought it, I was so emotional, when I walked in it was empty and looked so big, I turned around and said, to Brian Archer " what the hell have I bought" I never thought we would fill it with furniture but we did and I loved every minute in that building, it as so many memories for me with your family and mine,when my marriage broke down I slept in the warehouse for a few weeks and some of the lads used to try and scare me about ghost’s etc, and I always said, if there was any ghosts of your grandad etc I would have nothing to fear and I used to sleep like a top in there, my hobby is photography and colouring black and white is okay with Photoshop (software) it is getting the colour right, if you have any to do let me know, it will not hurt the original and that old photo of your Grandad stood at the front of the warehouse with the rover and one of the vans on the right side, is that HTH.
Eddie
edworth:
Hi Carl…Both Harry & Roger are still alive, Harry lives at Eldon, think his house belonged to the Colliey manager as it is pretty big for that area, Roger is still kicking about until somebody’s husband catche’s him (old dog),
Eddie
Hi Eddie,
If you ever see Roger or Harry will you please tell them about this site as I’m sure both will have very interesting tales to tell?
You would be there when I had to sack my uncle Bob and he punched me. Can you remember? I’ll tell the tale later. Saying about Marmaduke Street, before it was lengthened it had a coke burning stove at the top where everyone gathered round on cold days. I cannot remember whether it was moved forward into the new part. Was it still in when you moved in? I’ll tell the tale later when I went in, one night and put out a fire with the fire extinguisher.(Both my Grandfather and Dad were standing at the side door shouting t me to come out as they thought it would explode at any minute.
Marmaduke Street was redundant to us but we could not part with it until my granddad died. We were constantly thinking of what we could use it for and one of the favourite thoughts was as an Auction hall, with me being the auctioneer. (I would have had to done it in my sleep as I certainly didn’t have time during the daytime).
It briefly came back into life as we waited to build the second (longer) workshop at the other side of the wash bay at Green Lane. ■■■■ Porter was moved down with an apprentice to do MOT preparation on the tractor units as workshop space was tight at the time at Green Lane, but as Alan Henderson introduced the night shift and the new workshop was completed it again was empty and we were so pleased when you bought it. However I cannot count the number of times in the last ten years that we had wished we had kept it.
In the photograph that shows my Grandfather’s grey Rover 60 SUP351 registered June 1955the van on right is HTH. I cannot recognise the van in front, but as it appears unlettered I think it probably was LPT. That was a 1949 Bedford Pantechnicon we bought from Sawrey Gill that replaced GPT (1946 Bedford O model 3 tonner) LPT, which was known as Gills was mostly driven by my uncle Jim on ‘The Leeds run’ and although my dad started painting it, giving it a coat of cream undercoat it was never completed and ran almost 2 years in undercoat until it was replaced by 4479PT in 1961. I seem to remember Peter saying he had gone to Leeds several times with Uncle Jim in it, which I hope he might confirm.
That will date the picture to about 1960. My Grandfather replaced the Rover 60 with the white Rover t which you have previously referred. (He only had it a matter of months till he got a Rover 2000 for himself and dad took it till he had a heart attack) I am sure it was you who I took down with me driving my Grandparents down to St Albans and we made a detour to somewhere near Leicestershire to drop you off to meet a van coming home and he needed a porter to load a removal on the way back. Can you remember or am I mistaken and it was someone else?
Carl
hi carl and eddie…rocket scientist■■?..both the transits AUP241F . DPT368G were supplied in primer and painted in marmaduke street. EUP488G was painted at marsdens but didnt they get the shading the wrong colour on the signwriting? . i did go to leeds on many occasions with uncle jim in HTH he wasnt a fast driver 28mph all the way to leeds and back. we were always last back to the garage . i always had to fill it up for the next day 16 gallons of petrol .it always used 16 gallons no more no less . for your information carl the fodens reg no was UHN 304L. i have lots of good memories i will have to share with you . PETER
pbsummers:
hi carl and eddie…rocket scientist■■?..both the transits AUP241F . DPT368G were supplied in primer and painted in marmaduke street. EUP488G was painted at marsdens but didnt they get the shading the wrong colour on the signwriting? . i did go to leeds on many occasions with uncle jim in HTH he wasnt a fast driver 28mph all the way to leeds and back. we were always last back to the garage . i always had to fill it up for the next day 16 gallons of petrol .it always used 16 gallons no more no less . for your information carl the fodens reg no was UHN 304L. i have lots of good memories i will have to share with you . PETER
Hi Peter,
You ae right. They did make a mistake in the writing on EUP. Instead of red it was done brown.They managed to get the white with black shading right. We didn’t complain and took it. For a while there was discussions as to whether we should use bown instead of red in the future. It certainly was not as brash as red, but we decided not as noticable.When EUP was repainted it was painted with red letteing where appropriate.However when we had plain cream painting on service vehicles and the breakdown we used brown writing. Also when just before we finnished and updated the livery we orriginally decided to use brown lettering (unshaded lower case) however red was finally once again chosen.The more sophisticated look was regected.
When you think The Leeds depot was well on the far side of Leeds making the journey a good 80 miles each way,so old HTH was averaging about 10 miles per gallon which was very good, especially as uncle Jim’s style of driving wouldn’t be the most economic, as when the old bus was getting up to speed he would ease off, also it was carrying about 8 ton of light fittings with each load.
Best wishes
Carl
Hi Carl…When I think of it Peter might have made a better brain surgeon yes I remember the old stove, it used to get very hot, after that your dad bought a Salamder think it fired on diesel and everyone used to stand with there backsides towards it, when anyone of the lads had just returned to the warehouse they sometimes would press the back of your trouser onto your backside which would burn like hell, but you still went back for more heat I also remember the day you sacked Bob (uncle) and he clipped you, your grandad came into the warehouse with his braces hanging down and a vest on, think he had been getting washed when he was told about it, he came in wanting to box Bob and was sparring around telling me he could box, never heard Bob Marsden swear but he called you “A young whipper snapper” I remember there used to be a photo on the mantlepiece in your grandads and it was him in a clowns outfit, any info?..come on Peter you were never this quiet. 
Eddie
edworth:
Hi Carl…When I think of it Peter might have made a better brain surgeon
Eddie
hi Eddie,
It was the salamder tat was the problem. They wee very dangerouse and one night just as We were leaving to go home i was locking up and it had not gone out and was well alight.Dad and grandad were both with me and tryin to stop me going in, expecting it to expload at any minute. I managed to put it out with the fire extinguisher.You were right, we just burnt diesel on it out of the tank, not red diesel even. With the price it is no a day nonone would do that.
As fa as my uncle Bob, I understand he is stil alive,in his nineties, but I have never again seen him from that day and my father and mother never spoke to himfor over 30 years.
best wishes
Carl
Hi Carl. I can remember when I got my driving licence, your grandfather wanted to learn me how to drive. I had reservations about this as he had never taken a driving test himself, he was also getting on in years and his sight was also something to be desired but I took him up on his offer. I think the only thing that he taught me was to aim the car in the right direction, but saying this i did pas my test first time within 2months . I used his rover 2000 for my lessons!!! and also my test I was very grateful to him for wanting to do this for me Eddie can you remember when doing free mans deliveries in the wonderful J2 NPT 719D we were going through Houghton Le Spring trying to find an address . You indicated and pulled into the side of the road to look at the street map, when we looked up people at the bus stand opposite were looking at us and pointing at us, we just went back to looking at the map .they then started to run over to the back of the van when we decided to get out to see what was the matter.we then found people extracting a young man and his motorbike from underneath the rear of the van, fortunately he was not hurt. We tried to get his address but didn’t want to give it ,as there was no damage to the van and he said he hadn’t seen us and it was his fault we let him go on his way but he had to push his bike home . We extracted his headlamp from under the van at our next delivery all I can say Eddie you never did anything wrong . Brain surgeon Hmmmm ■■? Peter
Peter, I was going to mention the biker but you have given a better description than I could, I think the reason he never saw the indicator was the tailboard was down as we were only going a short distance, still think you would have made a better brain surgeon than a wagon lad carl the last I heard about Bob was that he is in a home up Hexham way.
You mentioned in a earlier post about taking money around the banks, I was on many of these journey’s and I am sure Peter would have been on some, would not be allowed today, it was a lot of money in those days, some of the bags were really heavy, think if anybody was mad enough to try and steal them they would not have gotten far
Peter remember when you told me there was a old abandoned Austin westminster around were the doctors surgery now stands (back of weardale) I was there a solid couple of days, got the wheels and carbs and alsorts off it, then I came in from work one night and was told I had to go down to the Police Station, when I got there, they took my wheels off to check the paint and started asking about parts that someone had stolen from a Austin westminster that had been parked behind the weardale cafe, the guy who owned it had broken down and left it there to return later as he lived in Barnard Castle, poor sod, bet he got some shock, of course being innocent the police let me go .
Eddie
pbsummers:
Hi Carl. I can remember when I got my driving licence, your grandfather wanted to learn me how to drive. I had reservations about this as he had never taken a driving test himself, he was also getting on in years and his sight was also something to be desired but I took him up on his offer. I think the only thing that he taught me was to aim the car in the right direction, but saying this i did pas my test first time within 2months . I used his rover 2000 for my lessons!!! and also my test I was very grateful to him for wanting to do this for me Eddie can you remember when doing free mans deliveries in the wonderful J2 NPT 719D we were going through Houghton Le Spring trying to find an address . You indicated and pulled into the side of the road to look at the street map, when we looked up people at the bus stand opposite were looking at us and pointing at us, we just went back to looking at the map .they then started to run over to the back of the van when we decided to get out to see what was the matter.we then found people extracting a young man and his motorbike from underneath the rear of the van, fortunately he was not hurt. We tried to get his address but didn’t want to give it ,as there was no damage to the van and he said he hadn’t seen us and it was his fault we let him go on his way but he had to push his bike home . We extracted his headlamp from under the van at our next delivery all I can say Eddie you never did anything wrong . Brain surgeon Hmmmm ■■? Peter
Hi Peter,
My Grandfather taught a lot of people to drive (never charged) Dr. Brauer, Dr Hernet and their wives were four examples.
I think his ability was that he just let you drive and teach yourself. Maybe his lack of sight was an asset as he perhaps couldn’t see the danger he was in. My mother always said when he was teaching her 3 point turns he used to shout turn the buggar when she was trying to turn the steering.
I was very fortunate that when my turn came to drive my dad, ‘the most patient of men’ decided he would teach me. I remember having one of these ‘lessons’ when he decided to teach me to double de clutch (An essential part of the test in a 1964 Rover 2000 with synclomesh box) taking me back home after about 10 minutes and storming in saying to my mother that he never will learn. When my mam asked him what was wrong she took me out in the car and we went down to the four lane ends turned left and went down Whitworth Lane till we could turn round and went back home in less than 10 minutes and she told him that I could now double de clutch.
I think it was about the next day that I took my test about a week after my 17th birthday and failed as when I was asked to do hand signals in the middle of Bishop Auckland I put my right hand out of the window and changed down with the other. In fairness dad had intended to teach me hand signals just before we went to Bishop Auckland for the test and guess who held him up and took up this time (JC was the initials a close relative of both you and I and not the religious one)
My grandfather then took over the responsibility of teaching me and strange as it seemed we never argued. However I also went out with anyone who was available including my uncle Jim who went mad at me when I pulled the handbrake on for wearing the ratchet. He told me I should hold the button in and I told him I liked the sound to make sure I was putting the handbrake on.
I took my test in my first 2000 which I know you remember the reg no and it was a disadvantage because it was a longish car. Did you suffer the same taking your test in my grandfathers? Which one was it?
As you know, Peter, I did quite a few miles in NPT 719D (a vehicle that cetainly added a flavour in the fruits of life in driving). I seem to remember a similar incident to you describes in Station Avenue Redcar delivering Freemans, but I cannot remember the details. The one thing I emember most about NPT was on a Friday late afternoon I was using it to deliver the groceries for Thompson’s Ferryhill and was finishing off delivering at East Howle and the exhaust came loose (I might add it was newish at the time and just one of the many things that went wrong with it). As I had a date with a girl that worked in the office at Woodhouse Furniture shop at BP Auckland and as I was short of time took some string from one of the boxes of groceries and tied it up. When I got back to Marmaduke Street dad and George Hardy laughed at me saying the heat from the exhaust would burn the string, but I did get back and to my date on time.
Best wishes
Carl
edworth:
Peter, I was going to mention the biker but you have given a better description than I could, I think the reason he never saw the indicator was the tailboard was down as we were only going a short distance, still think you would have made a better brain surgeon than a wagon lad
You mentioned in a earlier post about taking money around the banks, I was on many of these journey’s and I am sure Peter would have been on some, would not be allowed today, it was a lot of money in those days, some of the bags were really heavy, think if anybody was mad enough to try and steal them they would not have gotten far
Peter remember when you told me there was a old abandoned Austin westminster around were the doctors surgery now stands (back of weardale) I was there a solid couple of days, got the wheels and carbs and alsorts off it, then I came in from work one night and was told I had to go down to the Police Station, when I got there, they took my wheels off to check the paint and started asking about parts that someone had stolen from a Austin westminster that had been parked behind the weardale cafe, the guy who owned it had broken down and left it there to return later as he lived in Barnard Castle, poor sod, bet he got some shock, of course being innocent the police let me go
Eddie
Hi Eddie,
You have to laugh, now at tose bank runs
If anyone had pointed a gun at me I woud have handed the van over, never mind the cash
Best wishes
Carl