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Transport Companies in Birmingham.

Dumfries.jpg
It was obviously years after this image but The Sands is where I used to have bed and breakfast when I did 3 trips a week to Dumfries. Lovely place and lovely people.
 
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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.
Hi Stitcher , in 1961 I put one of these Hippo's in the river at Water Orton. I did a stint for Horace Bridges in Minworth. Coming down the hill out of Water Orton towards Minworth freezing cold ,black ice everywhere, overloaded with railway scrap from Water Orton sidings, had to hit the brakes because an idiot car driver coming the other way over the single carriageway bridge, went into A skid, SPLASH through the parapet. Took all day to recover it but we did it ourselves, using our own cranes and the Hippo was back on the road next day. The river was only about 2 feet deep. Happy days.
Bryan.
 
Hi Stitcher , in 1961 I put one of these Hippo's in the river at Water Orton. I did a stint for Horace Bridges in Minworth. Coming down the hill out of Water Orton towards Minworth freezing cold ,black ice everywhere, overloaded with railway scrap from Water Orton sidings, had to hit the brakes because an idiot car driver coming the other way over the single carriageway bridge, went into A skid, SPLASH through the parapet. Took all day to recover it but we did it ourselves, using our own cranes and the Hippo was back on the road next day. The river was only about 2 feet deep. Happy days.
Bryan.
Just jumping onto an old post. All the eight wheeler Leyland I've ever worked on, including the pre LAD cab, were called Octopus. All the Hippos I've ever worked on were 6x4 six wheelers. Was the Hippo in the picture a Norde conversion where the second steer axle was added ?
 
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
Dear Dave,
I have just joined this site. I was interested to see that your father had been a driver for A,J, Gupwell Transport. This company had been established, in 1920, by my father, then 17 years old, and his elder brother, who had been an officer in the artillery during the First World War. My uncle had been aware that the United States Army, which had entered the war in 1917, had used a lot of motor transport, rather than horses. At the end of the War, the Americans decided to leave these lorries in Europe, rather than bring them back to the United States, and they were going cheap. My uncle, L.W. Gupwell, persuaded his father, A.J. Gupwell, who ran a shopfitting company in Birmingham, to purchase about sixty of these lorries, with a view to keeping a few for the shopfitting business and selling off the rest at a profit. However, in the depressed economic circumstances after the War, he found that he was unable to find buyers, so he decided to set up a road haulage business, then a new phenomenon. My father, C.G. Gupwell, who was mechanically-minded, was happy to join him in this venture. The company eventually had depots in Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Manchester and a fleet or around sixty long-distance lorries. My uncle became a prominent member of the Road Haulage Association in Birmingham and, seemingly, was on good terms with Ernest Bevin, then the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union (later Foreign Minister under C.R. Attlee). During the Second World War, the company worked under the Ministry of War Transport and was then brought into public ownership, in 1948, as part of British Road Services. However, the two brothers then established a new company, Gupwell Transport Contracts Ltd, which focussed on short-haul delivery vans, which had been exempt from nationalisation. They eventually built up a fleet of over one hundred vans, operating mostly for the Cadbury-Fry chocolate business, covering much of northern England and Scotland and operating our of depots in Leeds, Gateshead and Paisley. My uncle passed away in the mid-1950s, after which my father took over the running of the company, until he retired in the late 1970s, shortly after which the company was wound up, I worked with my father for a short time at his office in Bradford Street after leaving school in 1962 and before going to university in 1964. During that time, I attended evening classes at the Birmingham College of Commerce and managed to pass the graduate exams of the Institute of Transport. However, after completing my university studies, in 1970, I went abroad the following year in pursuit of work and only returned to the West Midlands in 2014. I should be grateful to read any other stories regarding the Gupwell transport businesses, as I should like to write a paper on this if ever I can find the time. Kind regards, Richard Gupwell
 
Dear Dave,
I have just joined this site. I was interested to see that your father had been a driver for A,J, Gupwell Transport. This company had been established, in 1920, by my father, then 17 years old, and his elder brother, who had been an officer in the artillery during the First World War. My uncle had been aware that the United States Army, which had entered the war in 1917, had used a lot of motor transport, rather than horses. At the end of the War, the Americans decided to leave these lorries in Europe, rather than bring them back to the United States, and they were going cheap. My uncle, L.W. Gupwell, persuaded his father, A.J. Gupwell, who ran a shopfitting company in Birmingham, to purchase about sixty of these lorries, with a view to keeping a few for the shopfitting business and selling off the rest at a profit. However, in the depressed economic circumstances after the War, he found that he was unable to find buyers, so he decided to set up a road haulage business, then a new phenomenon. My father, C.G. Gupwell, who was mechanically-minded, was happy to join him in this venture. The company eventually had depots in Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Manchester and a fleet or around sixty long-distance lorries. My uncle became a prominent member of the Road Haulage Association in Birmingham and, seemingly, was on good terms with Ernest Bevin, then the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union (later Foreign Minister under C.R. Attlee). During the Second World War, the company worked under the Ministry of War Transport and was then brought into public ownership, in 1948, as part of British Road Services. However, the two brothers then established a new company, Gupwell Transport Contracts Ltd, which focussed on short-haul delivery vans, which had been exempt from nationalisation. They eventually built up a fleet of over one hundred vans, operating mostly for the Cadbury-Fry chocolate business, covering much of northern England and Scotland and operating our of depots in Leeds, Gateshead and Paisley. My uncle passed away in the mid-1950s, after which my father took over the running of the company, until he retired in the late 1970s, shortly after which the company was wound up, I worked with my father for a short time at his office in Bradford Street after leaving school in 1962 and before going to university in 1964. During that time, I attended evening classes at the Birmingham College of Commerce and managed to pass the graduate exams of the Institute of Transport. However, after completing my university studies, in 1970, I went abroad the following year in pursuit of work and only returned to the West Midlands in 2014. I should be grateful to read any other stories regarding the Gupwell transport businesses, as I should like to write a paper on this if ever I can find the time. Kind regards, Richard Gupwell
I was only 8 years old when "nationalism" was established in Britain, so I have very little to offer regarding Gupwell's transport. I know that my father drove for them prior to becoming BRS, because it became a big topic of conversation that I quickly became aware of. My dad was a very prominent member of the Transport & General Workers Union and was elated that transportation was to become publicly owned. My brother and I had a large collection of Dinky Toys Lorries that my dad proceeded to paint red, added the BRS lettering and logo's, all by hand...However, the reality of public ownership soon became a major source of disappointment for my dad. The pride that most drivers took in their vehicles pre BRS, quickly disappeared as lorries were no longer driven by the same drivers and subsequently drove my dad to seek employment elsewhere. I must add that this was the beginning of the end for my dad's socialist dreams.
Dave A
 
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


Hi Kingsley, I see from your later post that your dad was called Ragg. Are you of the Ragg family that lived in Hove Rd next to the Kirby family,two sisters Linda & Arlene?

NoddKD. (Formerly Bernard Dunn of Circular Rd)
 
I was only 8 years old when "nationalism" was established in Britain, so I have very little to offer regarding Gupwell's transport. I know that my father drove for them prior to becoming BRS, because it became a big topic of conversation that I quickly became aware of. My dad was a very prominent member of the Transport & General Workers Union and was elated that transportation was to become publicly owned. My brother and I had a large collection of Dinky Toys Lorries that my dad proceeded to paint red, added the BRS lettering and logo's, all by hand...However, the reality of public ownership soon became a major source of disappointment for my dad. The pride that most drivers took in their vehicles pre BRS, quickly disappeared as lorries were no longer driven by the same drivers and subsequently drove my dad to seek employment elsewhere. I must add that this was the beginning of the end for my dad's socialist dreams.
Dave A
Very well written Dave!
 
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
I am new to this web site, my name is Balbinder, I work at Overland Transport, I started my apprenticeship there. I worked Bob Stokes and Nick Hands ( Donald Hands) Brian Ragg and many others, I am looking for Bob Stokes and I seen some of your post regarding Overland Transport, could you help me in anyway that may help me contact anyone from Overland Transport.
Thanks
Balbinder
PS anyone called be Big Bal
 
Dear Dave,
I have just joined this site. I was interested to see that your father had been a driver for A,J, Gupwell Transport. This company had been established, in 1920, by my father, then 17 years old, and his elder brother, who had been an officer in the artillery during the First World War. My uncle had been aware that the United States Army, which had entered the war in 1917, had used a lot of motor transport, rather than horses. At the end of the War, the Americans decided to leave these lorries in Europe, rather than bring them back to the United States, and they were going cheap. My uncle, L.W. Gupwell, persuaded his father, A.J. Gupwell, who ran a shopfitting company in Birmingham, to purchase about sixty of these lorries, with a view to keeping a few for the shopfitting business and selling off the rest at a profit. However, in the depressed economic circumstances after the War, he found that he was unable to find buyers, so he decided to set up a road haulage business, then a new phenomenon. My father, C.G. Gupwell, who was mechanically-minded, was happy to join him in this venture. The company eventually had depots in Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Manchester and a fleet or around sixty long-distance lorries. My uncle became a prominent member of the Road Haulage Association in Birmingham and, seemingly, was on good terms with Ernest Bevin, then the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union (later Foreign Minister under C.R. Attlee). During the Second World War, the company worked under the Ministry of War Transport and was then brought into public ownership, in 1948, as part of British Road Services. However, the two brothers then established a new company, Gupwell Transport Contracts Ltd, which focussed on short-haul delivery vans, which had been exempt from nationalisation. They eventually built up a fleet of over one hundred vans, operating mostly for the Cadbury-Fry chocolate business, covering much of northern England and Scotland and operating our of depots in Leeds, Gateshead and Paisley. My uncle passed away in the mid-1950s, after which my father took over the running of the company, until he retired in the late 1970s, shortly after which the company was wound up, I worked with my father for a short time at his office in Bradford Street after leaving school in 1962 and before going to university in 1964. During that time, I attended evening classes at the Birmingham College of Commerce and managed to pass the graduate exams of the Institute of Transport. However, after completing my university studies, in 1970, I went abroad the following year in pursuit of work and only returned to the West Midlands in 2014. I should be grateful to read any other stories regarding the Gupwell transport businesses, as I should like to write a paper on this if ever I can find the time. Kind regards, Richard Gupwell


A.J. Gupwell (Shopfitters) Ltd.. off for a dav in the countrv. Park Street, Digbeth, 1924.
(Birmingham at Work)

IMG_0488.jpeg
 
some input on gupwell on the below forum migh be interesting to some
 
A very old tale of life on the road.
....................

When I was a mechanic at Charles Churchilll in the early 1960's there was a man in his eighties who served petrol at Burgess & Garfield who told me he was a (steam) lorry drivers mate in his youth. They would fire up the lorry around five in the morning to go from Birmingham to Bromsgrove and back, and it would be ten-o-clock in the evening by the time they got back and tended to the lorry ready for the next day.

He also said that occasionally they went to London, having their first night out at Warwick where they slept in the cab. They carried a map which told them where the streams were along the way so they could draw up water for the boiler, sometimes having to climb down the bank to smash the ice with a hammer. The lorry had an open cab, with just a tarpaulin sheet to pull over their knees when it was raining.

He was such a quiet unassuming old gentleman always ready to talk about a world which has now vanished forever. I'd like to think he's now looking down as we all hurl ourselves like demented ants along the motorways .................. and smiling.
 
A very old tale of life on the road.
....................

I'd like to think he's now looking down as we all hurl ourselves like demented ants along the motorways .................. and smiling.
More likely shaking his head at the madness on the roads today!

When I was starting my bus driving career at Midland Red, Digbeth, there was an old driver who had in his earlier days been a steam lorry driver, and I got a few stories out of him. One was about him speeding along the Chester Road. "A police car came past, its bell ringing. They each had an arm out of both side windows waving me down, so I put on the steam brake. The wagon would stop on a sixpence, and they had a long walk back from their car!"
 
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