LOCAL TRANSPORT IN THE VILLAGES
As we know, the transport in and around the villages in the 1800’s, and before, consisted of the local carriers who used a covered – in, horse drawn trailer or trolley and ferried people and goods from the various villages to and from the town of Boston. Some would want to get to the town to pursue a business role, others would go to the town to shop or visit relatives. We know from records that some ladies took chickens along in baskets, and farm/garden produce, to sell. These were carried on top of the vehicle (See the first book).
This is how it was once done!
An Austin lorry owned by Mr E Francis of Leverton loaded and ready to deliver to one or more of the national markets.
In the early to mid 1950’s, local transport was very much dependant upon the agricultural industry as a very welcome supplement to their business activities. Some transport companies relied solely upon agricultural produce as a means of generating income while others, with the right type of goods licences, travelled the country looking for varying types of loads from warehouses and docks (Known as 'A' licence, and 'tramping'). Vehicles specifically designed for carrying heavy goods were now improving. They were becoming hugely more advanced in every department compared to the early tentative beginnings. As mentioned above (See Farming in the books of Leverton) there were several companies that were very much involved in moving large quantities of farm produce to different parts of the country and all of them began in a very small way, gradually building their companies to become the large efficient operators we see today, with some very impressive modern machinery with which to carry out their tasks.
In the early 1900’s, compared to today’s specifications, the vehicles were decidedly primitive. For instance, there was no heating system: totally inadequate screen wipers: no screen washers: no inner cab lining: no sound proofing, etc. etc. Whilst driving some vehicles, looking down towards the pedals the driver would see the road whizzing by underneath through the holes in the floor that were there to accommodate the metal pedal arms. The metal that formed the cab on many vehicles was very thin indeed. The Vulcan was one such lorry. This vehicle was manufactured at the Vulcan Motor and engineering works of Crossens, Southport, Lancs. The works was founded in 1904 but went into receivership in 1936 and was bought by J Blockhouse, the manufacturer of trailers. They didn’t want the lorry production which was was transferred to the Tilling Stevens works at Maidstone, in Kent.
The only businesses in this area running these lorry’s were Mr Cooper of Butterwick and Staples Brother’s of Sibsey who had at least one each of the 6VF models. All the vehicles in those days were of the same ilk: cold, draughty, noisy, smelly and mostly not being very comfortable at all. But the bone chilling cold on those long hauls on winter nights was by far the worst discomfort, particularly if there was the incessant fog experienced throughout most autumns and winters. In the cities, particularly London, this fog was called ‘smog’, a derivation from the two words: ‘fog’ and ‘smoke’. This mixture was all pervading and was caused by the burning of coal fuels, the smoke from which, when mixed with the fog on windless days and nights, came down to street level and caused all sorts of chaos with the traffic. It also caused, understandably, the associated medical complaints that went with those conditions. The lorry driver in those conditions would very often drive with his head out of the driver’s window and watch the white lines going by the side of the cab. With all the grime and soot plus the fog on the windscreen the driver had difficulty seeing where they were going. Many came to grief during those conditions.
Many drivers carried a bottle of water and, while they were still on the move, would lean out of the side window and attempt to throw water from the bottle over the windscreen, while, in most cases, the tiny wipers did their best to wipe the dirt away. In really dirty road conditions it was very difficult to see out of the screen on occasions, particularly in bright sunshine. Later, that operation became much more 'modernised' with the advent of the plastic container which, still, while leaning out of the side window, could be squeezed to eject a jet of water over the screens. (The forerunner of the electric powered screen washer?)
Winter driving could be, and very often was, hazardous, and as most of the driving was done by night carrying local produce to the national markets, the drivers encountered some of the worst weather conditions. When driving in very cold conditions the inside as well as the outside of the screens would develop a coating of ice. The inside ice was of course the drivers breath freezing on to the screen. Also the inside of the metal cab would glisten with frost.
Drivers tried all sorts of ways to alleviate this coldness and freezing conditions inside the cab. One local driver had a pump – up paraffin Primus stove placed on the floor in front of the passenger seat. This was all right until a sharp bend or heavy braking caused it to topple over – so he placed it in a biscuit tin. Whether that was a success or not can only be imagined. It is difficult to even imagine the fumes and smell in the enclosed cab during a journey, in fact, with those fumes, it could prove quite dangerous. Hot water bottles and blankets around the knees were quite common too.
To make matters even worse: in really cold conditions the diesel in the main tank and in the supply pipes could freeze and thicken. It was quite common in these extremely adverse weather conditions, to see vehicles from our local areas pulled in at the side of the road with the driver trying to ignite some old hessian sacks (Carried for the purpose) under the main fuel tank and along the route of the delivery pipes to the under side of the cab. An addition of farm tractor paraffin was the answer although the authorities frowned upon this, as it was cost subsidised and therefore cheaper (In fact, it was illegal). This paraffin contained a colouring dye to make it easily distinguishable. But it was added, nevertheless.
When travelling to the northern markets during the winter months the driver could expect some really adverse weather conditions. When arriving at the destination it was sometimes almost impossible to bend the ropes because of the frost in them, that is, when they finally managed to free them off the load in the first place. Any sheet placed to cover the load would be the same, totally rigid. The only thing to be done was to fold them as best as one could and deal with them later when the morning warmed up a little.
Tarpaulin sheets were extensively used in the transport industry and they were essential to any transport associated with the agricultural industry. The sheets taken off a load of potatoes, or some other freight that needed to be kept dry, was folded in a certain way. The ropes were also folded neatly. This folding and neatness was essentially to make life easier when the driver, or loader, came to use them again. A properly folded sheet, when placed on top of the load and unfolded would cover the load without much adjustment being required, and then tied down via the attached rope ties, to hooks provided for that purpose at both sides, and to the rear of the vehicle body.
Some very large loads could require as many as three, or even four, full sized sheets to cover. This amount of coverage was, in the main, for specialised loads. Most loads of agricultural produce required only one sheet to cover with minimal roping to the rear of the load.
A picture of George ‘Tiny’ Thompson with his ‘trailer boy’: Derek Anderson.
This was an E.R.F., one of the better lorries of the day. It was powered by a 5 cylinder Gardiner engine with a top speed in the region of 39/40 m.p.h. Mr Kime senior had had this lorry rejuvenated to ‘as new’ condition, including the shiny wooden interior. Most drivers kept the interiors of their cabs in a good clean condition (There were exceptions, of course) as it was, in most cases, like a second home to them. There were at least two Maudsley’ s, one driven by Chris. Spikings and the other by Reg. Atkinson. To start this beast the starting handle could be used (‘Tiny’ was about the only driver who could do this on his own) but generally it took two men, one of those pulling a rope tied to the handle.
Journeys to Scotland to pick up seed potatoes could prove a little hazardous as these trips usually took place at the beginning of the winter season and even on the very first journeys, snow could be seen on the mountain tops. It was not unusual to drive up there and be snowed in for a day or two. At the time of the loading of Scottish seed potatoes the load was covered with a good layer of straw before the sheet was applied then; another thick layer of straw and then a second sheet was applied and secured with rope. These sorts of precautions had to be taken, as the frosts at certain times of the year could be several degrees below zero. The load of seed potatoes was very valuable (Minimum 10 tons) although the overall cost of fetching them all the way from Scotland was offset to some extent by delivering a load of farm produce to, possibly, Glasgow market on the way to the pick – up points. One must bear in mind that in the early days of transport there was very little restriction in the number of hours driven by the driver, therefore, a lorry loaded with potatoes and vegetables would leave Leverton, for instance, at 4 or 5 o-clock in the afternoon and travel up to, probably, a Yorkshire market – manually offload a few tons at one of the premises and then deliver the rest of the load to Glasgow – manually offload (Dump, or handball, coll.) the remainder of the load and carry on to the company that would issue the driver with his pick- up notes (G.H. Kime’s driver’s would typically travel across to Montrose harbour, on the east coast of Scotland).
Once he had the addresses of the farms where he was to collect his potatoes he would go from one farm to another, picking up a ton or two from each (It was rare to pick up a full load from one farm) until he had his full complement. When the loading was complete it was time to head for a place of rest and a bed for the night. A driver could quite easily be on the road, actively working, and behind the wheel in excess of 20 hours at a stretch. Some drivers were encouraged to work even longer hours, as their companies frowned upon staying in digs overnight, preferring them to carry on and when tired, have short sleeps in the cab en route to their home depot. A typical night’s lodging in transport accommodation in the late 1950’s would cost from 15/- to £1 (75p to 20s). For this, one would expect: an evening meal: a clean bed for the night and a good breakfast next morning, although the quality of digs varied enormously and in most cases drivers chose their digs through ‘word of mouth’ recommendation.
Jack Tosney remembers his time driving for Staples Bros. of Sibsey. He drove a Comma lorry. Jim Epton was also a driver there and had been with the company some time before Jack started there. He informed Jack that in 1946 when he started with the firm he was paid £1:10s (£1:50p) for a trip to London and back. He would typically do six trips per week for £9 per week wages. Sometimes on a Saturday three men would go to Barnsley and sell directly from the lorry to the customers. They would leave at three o-clock in the morning and arrive home at about six o-clock in the evening. For that they were paid £2 each.
A picture of Mr Jack Clayton with a Bedford lorry, owned by Mr Robert Bowser of Leverton, loaded with sugar beets destined for the sugar processing factory at Spalding, Lincs.
It was generally the drivers’ responsibility to change a wheel if there was a burst tyre (A blow-out). It wasn’t often there was a puncture it was mostly a full-blown ‘Big Bang’ when a part of a tyre wall would be completely blown out. Then it was a case of pulling in to the side of the road and getting out the big hydraulic jack and tools. In those days, on many of the roads there was a distinct camber to each side of the road and which – ever tyre blew it was beneficial to have that part of the tyre to the high side of the camber which in some cases it meant pulling over to the opposite side of the road, if it was safe to do so, to keep the load weight off the affected wheel during the change. Remember, too, that the main trunk roads were generally much narrower than today. Even the A1 trunk road was only two lanes and narrow in parts and if there was no lay-by near it was a case of ‘get out and get under’. It wasn’t feasible to travel far with a blown tyre because on many occasions the 'guv'nor' was ‘generous’ with the loading weight and a lorry could be a little over the rated load weight for the vehicle.
A very good picture of two of Mr Ernest Kime's articulated lorries loaded and sheeted. They are parked on a dual carriage way, possibly the A1.
The jack would be placed under the rear axle (Or maybe stood on a block of wood carried for the purpose, to gain height). Once positioned, the wheel nuts would be ‘cracked’ loose and jacking began in earnest. Once raised the offending wheel was taken off, wheeled along, and leaned against the lorry. Getting the spare wheel on was a little harder and there was a knack to doing it without too much of a struggle. The wheel was placed into position with the holes aligned with the bolts. Then it had to be raised to the correct level. This was done with two metal bars, one in each hand and slid under the front and rear of the tyre and with the driver's forehead placed against the uppermost part of the tyre. Then lifting commenced. Just at the right moment – and a push forward with the forehead, the wheel would/should slide on to the bolts, then very quickly a nut was loosely screwed on to the top bolt, at this stage just to hold the wheel in position.
A front wheel blow-out was, of course, the worst of them all as, particularly when loaded, the whole vehicle from that point on could be very difficult to control, and many drivers had lucky escapes.
Many drivers also carried diesel injector pipes. When one of these pipes burst there was no mistaking what was the problem. Depending on where the pipe was positioned, the stench in the cab could be overpowering after a while. But the job was mostly quite straightforward even though the smell lingered on the hands and clothes afterwards and made driving that little bit more uncomfortable.
There are many more stories that can be told of those early days of long distance commercial driving, and the above just gives an insight into what the 'old' drivers had to endure to 'put bread on the table', as it were. They became used to conditions that drivers of today possibly wouldn't tolerate, conditions that would have the 'Health and Safety' people of today rushing out reams of written condemnation of such practices; even suffering cardiac arrests in the process? I doubt it.
However, the cameraderie and the willingness to help a fellow driver in trouble was paramount, even though in many cases it meant the delivery deadlines being very tight indeed.
It is good that today's conditions are so much improved from yesteryear. Todays transport vehicles are sheer luxury by comparison but I fear the up-to-date technology involved can put unnecessary pressure on the driver with even tighter delivery deadlines to adhere to. A very difficult task given the amount and mixture of vehicles using the same roads. They include many vehicles where the drivers have no strict times to follow and whose only concern, in many cases, is to get from point A to point B regardless how long it takes. Uneasy 'bed – fellows' indeed.
Alan.