Heritage Commercials

When I was an apprentice signwriter back in the 1970s, I heard a man who had just purchased a lorry from where I worked ask my foreman if he could have a Union Flag painted on the front of his new vehicle. The foreman said no, we don’t do that sort o

Heritage Commercials Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL Editor: Charles Waters Email: hc.ed@kelsey.co.uk Art Editor: Philip Silk Contributors: Bob Tuck, Ed Burrows, Mike and Julie Blenkinsop, Pip D

You think you have seen it all and then wham – all of a sudden you find yourself looking at something you have never seen before. Just where the heck did this come from? Even trying to describe the stunning job Rod Richards has made in rebuilding – o

Make / Model: Atkinson Searcher S2066X Chassis No: FC 21865 Year: 18.1.71 Registration: WMA 836J Engine: Gardner 6LX-150 10.45 litres 150bhp @ 1,700rpm Gearbox: David Brown 6-speed overdrive Gross train weight: 20 tons Tipping gear: Edbro front mount

The club’s annual run to Portpatrick has been one of the standouts in the vintage commercials calendar in recent years, but the 2020 event was modified to take account of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The modified run kicked off at 10am from the Rou

Wally was born in his grandparent’s house in Trebanog, in the Rhondda valleys, one of six children. During his school years at Porth he was an army cadet. Leaving school, he went to work at Coedely brickworks with his grandfather. He met and married

John Henderson was privileged to call Brian Harris a friend for more than 20 years and his pictures from regular visits to the firm’s Bovey Tracey depot, up until it closed in 2001, are complemented by images of the Devon trucks’ weekly trips to Scot

Well known Somerset classic commercial owner, Tony Thompson organised a classic vehicle road run from the Sedgemoor Livestock Market near Bridgwater to Blue Anchor Bay, near Minehead on Sunday, 2 August, writes Joseph Lewis. Tony’s 1975 Atkinson Bord

The Second World War saw General Motors deliver over half a million GMC 2½-ton CCKW 6x6s. The amphibious DUKW derivative was designed in 1942. All told, some 21,000 examples were deployed in support of US Army and US Marine Corps’ island hopping war

It was just two little words but I immediately knew who was on the end of the phone in early ‘94: “Mr Tuck,’ was the distinctive greeting from good friend Roger Mortimore. While I had no idea what he was then going to say, the slightest intonation in

To show what the museum has to offer, here are a number of vehicles on display. As already mentioned, the museum needs money and you can make a donation online at firemuseum.uk where you can make a one-off donation or join the Standing Order Supporte

Volvo invested heavily in the new model. Rather than just update the venerable Volvo F7, the company utilised a lower, wider new cab (FL – Forward control, Low level) and its angular looks were very much in keeping with the styling trends of the eigh

Rod Richards sits proudly in his 1971 Atkinson Searcher. It started as the remains of a burnt-out wreck which Rod skilfully restored into this absolute stunner. ■

Like the Pioneers, the Explorers were sold-off at auction to begin a second life as commercial breakdown trucks or as showman tractors, invariably they were re-engined with a less thirsty diesel, like the Gardner 6LW. Hundreds of garages up and down

Sadly, the firm sold-out to a larger concern over 20 years ago now and the once familiar brown and red lorries are just a memory, so I thought it would be nice to look-back at some of the motors the firm operated by way of a tribute. It all started i

The folk at Paccar, the American giant that owns DAF, do not like to waste money where it’s not necessary and you only have to look at the longevity of American truck cabs to see that. And that philosophy is now true of its DAF models. Now the critic

There was a letter in the August issue of Heritage Commercials titled MEMORIES STIRRED, unfortunately, the writer’s name was missed off the bottom. It was written by Ed Valentine of Aberdeenshire, our apologies to Ed for this error and thank you for

The mention of Bircher Brothers in the feature on Fletcher’s – Heritage Commercials April/May and July – reminded me of this snippet of information. Having been supplied many of their Seddons by Douglas Weir of Leicester, Bircher’s used them mainly f