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Transport Companies in Birmingham.

My grandfather Fred Cooper worked for Ernest Holmes. He started his career driving a Scammell 100 tonner and finally became Managing Director of Ernest Holmes (Langley) Ltd, the heavy engineering division of the Holmes empire. Roy Larkin author and researcher of heavy haulage has written a book called 'We Can Do It' about their lives, the vehicles and their heavy loads carried during WW2. Find it here https://www.historicroadways.co.uk/
 
Worked as a apprentice and spent the bulk of my youth on/in the lorries of A S Ward Ltd, Haulage Contractor. In the early 50s they were based in Ladywood (near the Police station ).Then they moved to the only commercial building at the time in Smith St Hockley. 3 lorry gate ways and the office entrance, with the top half of the building was a pebble dashed green very smart, for the early 50s.At the most 20 lorry,s all box vans with a few luton bodied, all painted British Race Green with gold and white signwriting some in Atlas Express livery but mainly A S Wards. Drivers names that I can recall, Eric" Sam" Cooper, George Powel( mechanic )Tommy Cox (foreman)Kenny Cox, Charlie Cox, Tommy Sheldon, Ron Davies, Cyril Tuckley, Barry Tuckley Peter Storrie, Arthur Smith, Reg Laraine Alan Swain , George Gaynor, Barry Yaker " Yates, Margret and Isabell office staff and Bob Ward the boss. Any memories jogged ? Would love to hear from you. A s Wards ceased trading circa 1967.
i
 
I was employed in 1957 by Atlas Express who had opened adepot in Birmingham they had purchased a firm Ladywell Transport in Old MeetingSt. to acquire the licenses. Shortly after opened a new depot at Lawden Road Bordesleyand later a larger place close to West Bromwich Albion football club. Themanagers were D.F. Dowsett--Bob Wells --Tony Arnsby. I left and started a depotin Leicestershire
 
My Gramps Fred Cooper negotiating a roundabout in Wolverhampton in a 30 ton tank transporter. This vehicle was originally supplied to the war department in 1944 and was used by American Forces in the UK. Post war it was registered and used by Edward Box as 80 ton ballast tractor.
 

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Oh wow Luluco what a fantastic photo. My hubby will love this he was once a tanker driver but nothing like this. No power steering then!!
 
My brother worked as a mechanic the in early 1960's at Potters Transport, they were based on Washwoodheath Road at the gate Saltley from memory they run a fleet of Leyland Comets most were tractor - trailer units.
 
The location of photo in post 69 is almost certainly The Vine (public house) roundabout on the Stafford Road, Wolverhampton. The roundabout (only recently demolished) had an unusual tight kink in it to allow better flow of traffic on and off the new post-War industrial estate (out of view to the right) which is why the vehicle is going wrong way round the conventional circular side. Unfortunately the geezer with the hat (centre) is getting in the way of us see the load's origin/destination.

https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki...pg/250px-Vine_Island_Junction_Temporary_2.jpg

Here's the diagram of the location from the south to explain how the roundabout was designed.
 
Hi All,

My brother in law, Joe Ratcliffe worked for his uncle (Gairs Transport. Bordesley Green) until he went into the army about 1941. On his demob Joe decided to set up on his own account by buying a lorry and getting to work. He was settling in nicely when the government decided to nationalise road transport and set up British Road Services. They took over the large companies but told the one man businesses that they could carry on but were restricted to a 25 mile radius from their base Joe tried to carry on but the restriction proved too much and he packed up and became a driver for a local company delivering goods locally. Joe has now passesd on but his son is carrying on the family tradition of driving for a living.

Old Boy
 
hi sticher i no this is an old post Overland contracts was started but a guy named joe hands who use to drive coaches for a firm in acocks green i think it was (james coaches) which is where my dad first met him after his dmob joe set up with one truck and buit up and moved to lincon rd which is about the time my dad started to drive for him he moved a lot of plant for the construction of the m1 then turn to fork lift trucks (lancing bagnull coventry climax eddison plant etc)joe past the runing of the company buy now quite big depo's spred all over
overland transport lincon road acocks green moved to new yard in aston lane next to coopers needle works
repair shop Berkley road haymills
overland fork trucks repair sale service War lane harboun
overland trailors (desige and manafacher in lee ?
and a transport yard in london buy heathrow airport

as i was sayin joe pass runing over to his son donald hands
my dad worked his way up and became an owner driver (Ragg and partners)and buit up to 3 trucks then he merged with with overland and became a partner /transport manager it became very sucsesfall un till donald hands locked my dad out of the company after some 30years with out going in to to much detail my dad took donald hand all the way thro the courts and won as it was the first case of its kind it is now set as a president in law (Ragg v hands)


donald manage to save some of the comany and sold it to walkers transport

as kids for me being the youngest of five lads this would have been about 68/69 dad use to grab the first one of us he seen on a saterday morning and take us to lincon road to sweep the yard i can allso remember the loading bay ramp ther was an old guy called len ? who had an " office" garden shed right on th eadge which one of my older brothers knocked of with a fork truck and racing the little lancing bagnull tow truck i remember dad coming home late one night like you one night in heavy rain he stop and picked a couple who had a small baby girl with them thay had come over from ireland no money no car no where to go as it was late he brought them back to our house where he and my mom some food for them thay agreed than she sheila and baby stay at ours and dad took him (paddy) patrick to a local b&b the next day my dad offer paddy a job which to gladly excepted and the soon found a flat thay remaind friends for years
 
Hello Kingsley, I remember Don Hands from when he drove a coach and lived in Oakhurst Road. He is the only one of those that you mentioned that I remember from Overland. I enjoyed my time there and travelled all over the country with a low loader.
 
Caledonian.jpg
Earlier in this thread I said I drove for Road Services Caledonian, This is the same model eight wheeler that I drove for thousands and thousands of miles for tat company.
 
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Earlier in this thread I said I drove for Road Services Caledonian, This is the same model eight wheeler that I drove for thousands and thousands of miles for tat company.
Its quite interesting that this is badged as a Leyland Hippo. The eight wheelers were normally badged as Octopus and the Hippo was normally a three axle model.

Simon
 
Probably had a damaged front panel and changed for a spare from a Hippo. Other opinions from other forums are that a second front axle was added or spare Hippo badge fitted. I bet there was a Hippo running round with Octopus on the front panel.
 
Hi Stitcher, Did Overland Contracts of Lincon Rd, run Coachs?.
hi my dad worked his way up from driver to transport manager with overland transport from early 60s untill just befor sold out to i think walkers? no thay never run coachs but thay did drive them for james coachs old joe hands started overland then his son donald and my dad dennis started driving for him
 
I can only reiterate what I posted previously. Don Hands lived in Oakhurst Road on the left hand side as you go down the hill from Shirley Road, about 50 to 60 metres before the small bridge that tunnels the brook running from the playing fields into the park. There was a coach outside the house at some time on most days and I was under the impression that Don was the driver, I may be wrong but it was a long time ago.
 
Stitcher, I wonder how many people have heard of Tubby Isaacs shellfish stall, i never had any of whelks etc but he was a well known character.
My dad was a lorry driver most of his life. He worked for A.J.Gupwell. He would often drive to London, which was an overnight trip (can you believe it) 20 mph all the way...A big treat for me was going with him, not very often, because most of the time he had a trailer, which required a mate, so I would have to sit on the bonnet, which had a metal cover with a blanket over it, it wasn't very comfortable and it was hot & noisy in the cab. It was worth it though...My dad had digs in Bermondsey and we would stop at Tubby Isaac's on the way home. I would have whelks and my dad had cockles. Incidentally, there was a Tubby's transport cafe on the A45, not sure where it was...
Dave A
 
My dad was a lorry driver most of his life. He worked for A.J.Gupwell. He would often drive to London, which was an overnight trip (can you believe it) 20 mph all the way...A big treat for me was going with him, not very often, because most of the time he had a trailer, which required a mate, so I would have to sit on the bonnet, which had a metal cover with a blanket over it, it wasn't very comfortable and it was hot & noisy in the cab. It was worth it though...My dad had digs in Bermondsey and we would stop at Tubby Isaac's on the way home. I would have whelks and my dad had cockles. Incidentally, there was a Tubby's transport cafe on the A45, not sure where it was...
Dave A

Hello Dave, a few years ago I posted the story of when I had reloaded for the north after unloading in dockland, I would stop at Tubby Issacs and get a pot of whelks and Tubby would dice up a couple of thick slices of crusty bread for me to eat on the way home.
 
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