• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Bread Vehicles

Cowgowns.

I have just spoken with a friend whose farming credentials go back at least 100 years, his father and grandfather both being dairy farmers. They both wore brown cowgowns for daily tasks, and apparently they were also known as slops, that’s a new one on me.

The farmer in my posted picture was at a show, so he was in white for the event.

My friend, having seen dairy farming from the inside, became an accountant.
 
Cowgowns.

I have just spoken with a friend whose farming credentials go back at least 100 years, his father and grandfather both being dairy farmers. They both wore brown cowgowns for daily tasks, and apparently they were also known as slops, that’s a new one on me.

The farmer in my posted picture was at a show, so he was in white for the event.

My friend, having seen dairy farming from the inside, became an accountant.
If they have legs in, in France they are salopettes.
 
Nico, it seems during my apprenticeship we wore something like that and it was called a boiler suit...which we apprentices thought is was another name for overalls.
They call dungarees salopettes too. Like children wore. And what painters wear..
 
My grandad drove the bread van around the time of the depression for Naokes's in Stourbridge. They gave him an hour off to get married. He was told to teach their daughter Betty to drive which he did. Then they sacked him.
 
Cowgowns.

I have just spoken with a friend whose farming credentials go back at least 100 years, his father and grandfather both being dairy farmers. They both wore brown cowgowns for daily tasks, and apparently they were also known as slops, that’s a new one on me.

The farmer in my posted picture was at a show, so he was in white for the event.

My friend, having seen dairy farming from the inside, became an accountant.
wise man:) last time i saw a farmer in a cow gown was in Heartbeat
 
April 1953 Morris-Commercial. LC3 I think, (later info says it's an LC5 model) but the designation depends on the size of the load it was built for. Single back wheels suggest 30cwt at most is about right. This design originated pre WW2, and was updated a bit as the years wore on, I have driven a 1959 builder's truck based on this chassis but slightly heavier, with twin rear wheels, it was no fun with a load of wet sand in it.

TOC, on the Standard 8 or 10 behind it is March 1956, so Willson's, or the driver, looked after the van, which would be at least 3 years old..
 
Last edited:
Most certainly the bread delivered by our co-op rounds man was wrapped in a greaseproof paper. Ironically it was called Golden Crust, but in reality, the crust was soft and stodgy. Mum would use the wrapper to wrap our sandwiched for work.

Pen: the man in the brown cow gown and who a very large basket over his arm was called Les. He worked the round with a younger chap with curly hair.

I do recall Les saying he had worked at the co-op bakery for over 30 years.
Hi
I worked as a lad in 1962/5 at the coop in Stetchford If I recall the sliced loaves thick or thin were one and penny a loaf ,the tin loaves were a shilling,batches about 6d in the baskets we also had various biscuits which included Tunnocks Caramel bars still on sale today ( lovely) I worked with a great chap called Wally Smith we served all around the Perry common area and clearly recall he used to serenade the housewives when they came to the door for the bread ( what a different world then)
Peter
 
Hi
I worked as a lad in 1962/5 at the coop in Stetchford If I recall the sliced loaves thick or thin were one and penny a loaf ,the tin loaves were a shilling,batches about 6d in the baskets we also had various biscuits which included Tunnock's Caramel Bars still on sale today ( lovely) I worked with a great chap called Wally Smith we served all around the Perry common area and clearly recall he used to serenade the housewives when they came to the door for the bread ( what a different world then)
Peter
I like the occasional Tunnock's Caramel Bar. It is claimed that they flog 5 million per week! And 3 million of their tea cakes are apparently sold each week, though it was only 2,999,999 on this week ....

squirrel[1].jpg
 
I can remember the CO-OP bread van in the late 50's delivering bread to most of the Shard End estate. We had our regular roundsman named Harry; at about the age of 9 I had a Saturday morning job with him delivering the bread. He was always cheerful and totally reliable and his electric 'float' was similar to that of KVP 144 earlier in this thread. The fully charged CO-OP floats would come from the bakery, in Garretts Green, and return at a much slower pace - but would always get back to the depot.
 
I had a friend who worked at the stechford bakery. he drove a electric bread van. one day i met him on the cov rd going back to to depot. the van was creeping along. so I said whats up. he said the battery is flat. no probs i said i will give you a tow. i put the rope on and away we went. i was driving a sherpa van.we was going ok so i went a bit faster. about 20 mph.then there was an almighty bang from behind and i felt the rope pull. i got out and had a look.there were bits of electric motor and such all over the rd. so i said call the depot. but don't say anything about being towed.and i scarpered leaving my mate to face the music....... .... sorry.joe
 
I can remember the CO-OP bread van in the late 50's delivering bread to most of the Shard End estate. We had our regular roundsman named Harry; at about the age of 9 I had a Saturday morning job with him delivering the bread. He was always cheerful and totally reliable and his electric 'float' was similar to that of KVP 144 earlier in this thread. The fully charged CO-OP floats would come from the bakery, in Garretts Green, and return at a much slower pace - but would always get back to the depot.
Where have all those lovely cheerful types gone? :(
 
Another Co-op electric van as per #40, but this one in action. A happy delivery boy with a good basket full of loaves. This one is OVP 134 - does that mean it's a later or earlier van to that in #40 ? Viv.

View attachment 119486
The clear (and obvious, since O comes after N in the alphabet) is that OVP is later than NVP. NVP 144 was first registered on 23.10.53; OVP 134 is May 1954.
 
There were anomalies with the licensing system applicable to Birmingham. The series JOJ - all allocated to BCT - ran from a date in 1949 until late 1953. Some of the registrations appeared before than those of an earlier number. This was due to delivery times as some of the orders for buses were delayed.
 
There were anomalies with the licensing system applicable to Birmingham. The series JOJ - all allocated to BCT - ran from a date in 1949 until late 1953. Some of the registrations appeared before than those of an earlier number. This was due to delivery times as some of the orders for buses were delayed.
Yes there were a very few exceptions - especially JOJ which lasted for years as you say, and FOP is another (that's a complicated one - I won't go into it here!) - but essentially the system was alphabetical. Other exceptions are minor, such as goods series FVP, FOX, FOV, FOP being issued in that (reverse) order, and a few similar examples in 1960 and 1961, but the first letter, at least, retained its integrity, e.g. all C's pre-date all D's without exception. (Naturally a 'special' such as 1 DOA was likely issued a few weeks before the last number in CVP was cleared, but that would be an even more minor quibble.)
 
There were anomalies with the licensing system applicable to Birmingham. The series JOJ - all allocated to BCT - ran from a date in 1949 until late 1953. Some of the registrations appeared before than those of an earlier number. This was due to delivery times as some of the orders for buses were delayed.
Operators of large fleets can pre- book blocks of numbers, as Birmingham City Transport did with JOJ 1-999 and MOF 1-226. Glasgow did similar with FYS 101-999 and BUS 101-200. Even more recently, West Midlands booked a number of BU51 prefix registrations (BUS1 !). London Transport would book blocks of 500, and split them between various types of bus, or even car or lorry in the service fleet.
 
Back
Top