125 reasons to be proud to be a Saddler

Whilst searching for Walsall born players today, I came across this blog which was on the Express and Star site, I have to admit that I had not seen it, so thought that all of you Saddlers supporters out there would maybe like to view it. enjoy!

Blog: 125 reasons to be proud to be a Saddler

In a week of celebration here are 125 reasons to be proud to be a Saddler, writes Walsall blogger Mark Jones.

1. This season – It perfectly encapsulates the roller-coaster ride that comes with being a Saddler.

It’s been good and bad, there’s been fantastic highs and extreme lows, pessimism followed by optimism.

And, just when we were least expecting it, the very welcome development of a Walsall team well worth watching who play some superb football. It is very much on boys.

2. Alan Buckley – Legend as a player, legend as a manager.

3. Andy Rammell – The ultimate No 9, my all-time favourite player of all time.

4. Sir Ray Graydon – Without question our greatest ever manager.

5. Martin O’Connor – Walsall boy, midfield dynamo and he kept coming back.

6. Super Jimmy Walker – The ultimate No 1.

7. Adrian Viveash – A proper central defensive hard-man. If I’d been any good as a footballer I’d have wanted to be like Ada.

8. Gilbert Alsop – The first Walsall legend. When I was a kid he’d be walking his dog past where we played football and he always said hello.

9. Walsall 2 Arsenal 0 1933 – Forget kids in parkas, this was THE greatest giantkilling.

10. Colin Taylor and Tony Richards – My dad’s heroes.

11. Bill ‘Chopper’ Gutteridge RIP – Sad news on our anniversary.

12. Ken Hodgkinson – Met him by chance in the 1980s, a thoroughly nice bloke.

13. Bill Moore – Double Promotion winning manager 1959-60-61.

14. Taking over Shrewsbury since 1961.

15. George Kirby and Allan Clarke – A front two I wish I’d seen

16. Ronnie Allen, Doug Fraser, Dave Mackay, Tommy Coakley, Kenny Hibbitt – Managers who weren’t always great but had their moments.

17. Bert Williams, Phil Parkes, Mark Wallington, Mick Kearns, Ron Green, Fred Barber, Clayton Ince – Some of our other great goalkeepers and Big Mick’s never gone away.

18. The Reverend Peter Hart – Captain for the Milk Cup Run 1984 and throughout the 1980s.

19. Colin Harrison, Nick Atthey, Stan Bennett – Loyal servants of the 1960s and 1970s

20. Bernie Wright and George Andrews – Feared Forwards of my early days as a Saddler.

21. Brian Caswell and Alan Birch – Local boys made good.

22. Walsall 3 Manchester United 2 in 1975 – My first taste of the Saddlers making the big time.

23. Walsall 1 Newcastle 0 in 1975 – Fellows Park bursting at the seams, a proper 1970s mud-bath and a top division side put to the sword.

24. Fellows Park – The sights, sounds and smells of a proper football ground with its own kind of savage beauty.

Floodlight nights were the best, would love to relieve the experience if it were possible.

25. Birmingham 2 Walsall 1 in 1975 – My first away match, over 40,000 at St Andrews and no segregation. Awesome.

26. Alun Evans and Mick Bates – The 1970s midfield duo.

27 Walsall 1 Leicester 0 in 1978 – Evo’s last-minute winner.

28. Don Penn, Ian Paul, David Edwards, Martin Goldsmith, Stuart Ryder – Lads who could have made it big but for cruel injuries.

29. Kenny Mower and Mark Rees – Local boys who blazed a trail, cult figures.

30. Easter Monday in 1980 Walsall 2 Tranmere 0 – Going up for the first time in my lifetime.

31. Staying up at Sheffield United 1981 – Mental.

32. Arsenal 4 Walsall 1 in 1978 – As an 11-year-old hearing your dad shouting abuse at a former Wolves player does tend have a profound effect on your outlook on life.

33. Arsenal 1 Walsall 2 in 1983 – It took them 45 years to gain revenge and, five years later, we turned them over again.

34. Ally Brown, Richard O’Kelly and Kevin Summerfield – League Cup goal-scoring heroes.

35. Rotherham 2 Walsall 4 in 1984 – Totally and utterly dominant. Fact: the mighty Saddlers have never lost a major cup quarter-final.

36. THAT night at Anfield.

37. Coventry 0 Walsall 3 in 1984 – Who were the top flight team? We had even given them a goal start in the first leg.

38. Quality football throughout the 1980s – when there wasn’t much else to celebrate.

39. Preece- Shakespeare- Childs-Handysides – Young, short but possibly the most skilful midfield ever.

40. David Preece RIP

41. Ian Handysides RIP

42. Anton Reid RIP

43. Matt Gadsby RIP

44. John Whitney – A fantastic servant, much more than Ginger Mourinho’s Physio.

45. Micky Halsall – A great servant to the club.

46. Jukey – I worked on his house once while Ken Hodgkinson was working for him – and his legacy of first class scouts and a fine youth development team.

47. Lee Sinnott, Mark Taylor, Clive Platt, Julian Bennett and Manny Smith – proof that we produce great talent even though they move on.

48. Nicky Cross, David Kelly and Trevor Christie’s moustache – A fine front three.

49. Defeating Ken Wheldon – genuine fan power.

50. The beating heart of the fans past, present and future: ISSA, SWAG, the Saddlers Action Supporters, Unity and the Trust – I salute you all.

All the fanzines too– SaddleSore, Blazing Saddlers, One Step Beyond, Chasing the Dream, 90 Minutes From Europe, that other one from 2005ish and yes even Moving Swiftly On.

I wrote for all of the first five and loved doing it.

51. 1987 Charlton 1 Walsall 2 (Part 1)

52. 1987 Walsall 1 Blues 0 – Paul Jones’s corner in a game where defeat to Wheldon’s team was simply never an option.

53. The 4-4 at Watford FA Cup 1987 – Possibly THE most astonishing game ever, a real ding dong.

54. PLAY OFFS 1988 – Do it the hard way.

55. PLAY OFFS 1988 – DK’s tekkers at Notts County

56. PLAY OFFS 1988 – A record 7 goals for DK

57. PLAY OFFS 1988 – An odd penalty shoot out win.

58. PLAY OFFS 1988 – May 30th Walsall 4 Bristol City 0. A hat trick for Ned, one for Phil Hawker and at last we had finally done it.

59. Oo Stuart Rimmer – What could he have done in a better Walsall team?

60. Colin Methven – You never beat Big Colin 1990 until 1993.

61. Rod McDonald and Charlie Ntamark – When times were hard they brightened things up a little.

62. Dean Smith the player – Five good years then he was sacrificed to finance a promotion team.

63. Oo arr Chris Marsh – Stepovers, long-service and some pretty tasty stories.

64. Chris Nicholl – The boss who achieved what was asked of him and liked us so much he moved here.

65. May 1995 Promotion at last. Scarborough away followed by Bury away in two days. The five long bottom division years somehow made the celebrations at Gigg Lane even sweeter.

66. Kyle Lightbourne – 75 goals in three seasons and a cool dude. Welcome back Kyle.

67. Kevin Wilson – Top top quality.

68. Scott Houghton, Charlie Palmer and Wayne Evans – Stars of 95.

69. Derek Statham and Colin Gibson and Neil Pointon – Vintage left-backs who served us well.

70. Tony Barras, Andy Tilson, Richard Green – Hard as nails. Colin Brazier too.

71. Ian Ian Roper – A pure defender.

72. Dean Keates – Local hero, 17 years a professional and still going strong.

73. Visits to Blackpool – Always a riot. A MOC-inspired win in the sunshine in 96 when they’d already awarded themselves promotion springs to mind.

74. Big Fat Jan and the Cup Runs season – Andy Watson’s goals; Forest, Sheff U (them again), revenge over Fat Barry (twice) and Boli’s goal at Old Trafford.

75. Roger Boli – A player who genuinely had you thinking ‘what’s he going to do today’ when you walked into the ground, in a good way … while it lasted.

76. Jeff Peron – Beautiful to watch.

77. THAT goal against Sarfend (August 97) Jeff crosses to Roger, he’s still got a lot to do though….

78. Pedro Matias and Jorge Leitao – Our two finest overseas stars. Happy days.

79. Aranalde, Padula, Bukran, Siggi Eyjolfsson, Darko Mavrak etc – Other notable imports who had their moments.

80. Paul Hall and Fitzroy Simpson – From the Jamaican World Cup team at France 98 to the Graydon Dream Team circa 2001.

81. Darren Wrack – Proper winger, goalscorer and all-round entertainer.

82. Wracky’s goal at Bournemouth (April 1999) – Possibly the best goal I have seen. Go on Daza.

83. Lincoln away April 1998, Manc City bottled it, we waited forever for Wracky to score, defending like Trojans.

We left Sincil Bank working out we needed just two points from three games – even Walsall couldn’t blow it from there.

84. May 1st 1999 Walsall 3 Oldham 1 – Promotion Day, when everything fell into place. Near Perfection.

85. Party like its 1998-99 – I could relive the 1998-99 Season in its entirety over and over again.

86. Beating Albion, Stoke and Forest lots of times.

87. 28th August 1999 – A little local skirmish settled by Tony Barrass, Rambo and a phenomenal challenge from Wacka.

88. May 2000 Ipswich 2 Walsall 0 – Going down with dignity and defiance.

89. Ian Brightwell and Brett Angell – Putting the pro into promotion.

90. Don Goodman with his hair…and goals.

91. PLAY OFFS 2001 – Walsall 4 Stoke 2 – Pedro’s greatest game, Stokies leaving us so soon and all hail Sir Ray.

92. PLAY OFFS 2001 – Walsall 4 Stoke 2 – Shhhhh!

93. PLAY OFFS 2001 – May 27th: Soaking in the anticipation and atmosphere of a day out at a proper Final

94. PLAY OFFS 2001 – The Don equalises , retribution for Rougier and an inspired triple substitution.

95. PLAY OFFS 2001 – BYFIELD! Tony Barras wanting to play on with concussion and sulking because he wasn’t allowed. The final whistle.

96. PLAY OFFS 2001 – Tom Bennett lifting the Trophy at the Millennium Stadium.

97. PLAY OFFS 2001 – Ray Graydon celebrating with his people.

98. Darren Byfield – He scored that goal and a decade later he helped keep us up.

99. January 2002 Charlton 1 Walsall 2 (Part 2) – A kind of wake, a tribute to 442 and a fighting spirit that would soon be laid to rest … with a screamer from Jorge and a Wacka penalty save.

100. Staying up at Sheff U 2002 – Jorgey Jorgey Leitao.

101. Merse – Forget the managerial nonsense, what a talent.

102. Vinny Samways, Paul Ritchie, Gary O’Neill and Mark Kinsella – A different class of player, albeit only seen fleetingly.

103. Super Matty Fryatt – Genuine goalscorer.

104. Dicky Dosh – Grumpy but great.

105. Clayton Ince – Big Bad and from Trinidad. Clean Sheets galore.

106. March 2007 – Wracky scoring late on at Milton Keynes Dons for a mossive point.

107. April 2007 – Kevin Harper and Trevor Benjamin at Notts County.

108. 2006-07 – The return of Dean Keates driving us to the title.

109. The 93rd minute at Swindon May 5th 2007. CHAMPIONEES!

110. Michael Dobson – Title winning captain.

111. Anthony Gerrard – Who needs Steve?

112. Scott Dann and Daniel Fox – Great while it lasted.

113. Michael Ricketts and Martin Butler – both showing a lot of bottle to come back for a second time.

114. Troy Deeney – Prepared to put in a shift and to prepared to try and put things right. Got a feeling he’ll be back one day.

115. Tommy Mooney , Jabo Ibehre , Julian Gray and Steve Jones – glimpses of quality in a sea of mediocrity.

116. Walsall FC Sierra Leone and the Flemish Saddlers – Love these guys for their commitment, glad to have them as part of the family.

117. Ledesma and Flo – Proof that classy players always feel at home in Walsall and they always like to come back.

118. All our loan keepers this season – Karl, Aaron, Ian and Sam – getting better every time.

119. Andy Butler – Captain Fantastic

120. Dean Smith the Manager aka The Ginger Mourinho – the Great Escape January to May 2011 and the Great Revival December 2012 to (fingers crossed) May 2013.

121. O Febian Brandy, Will Grigg, Jamie Paterson, Nicky Featherstone, James Baxendale and Ben Purkiss, Andy Taylor and Craig Westcarr, Adam and James Chambers, Sam Mantom and Paul Downing.

He’s Dean and he’s Holden and he’s N0 5, George Bowerman, Mal Benning and all the ones for the future – sexy football.

122. 19 December 1998 – Walsall 1 Stoke 0. Neil Pointon’s cross for Andy Rammell’s phenomenal diving header to seal the win and my new-born son’s middle name was sorted.

123. My boys – When you are a football-supporting parent there is always a moment of immense pride when you realise that you’ve passed it onto your children and they are hooked in just the same way as you were.

I’m proud to say I’m the father of three Saddlers supporting sons.

124. Friends – As a Saddler I’ve made friends for life (Daz, Al, Evo, Steve, Stubbsy, Ross) who I’ve travelled the country with.

Countless others who might now get the hump cos I haven’t named them personally. You get to see people who you only know through football and people whose names you will never know.

Last Saturday two of the people stood by me (Asps and Belg) were people I stood with at Fellows Park over three decades ago.

Yet we are all part of the Walsall family. I just hope I’ve not forgotten anyone important. And clearly I have left some players and managers out on purpose).

125. So forget what the record books tell you, what the pundits say or the sneers of fans of other clubs, they are only jealous.

Walsall FC are by far the greatest team the world has ever seen.

Walsall Players from Walsall

A few weeks ago I published a blog about Dean Keates, as one of my Beechdale stars, this set me thinking, How many Players who played for the Saddlers, were actually born in Walsall. I may extend the area where some of the players come from , but players will have to live close to the Borough as the place  may not be in todays Walsall because  of the modern change in Borders, like for instance Wednesbury used to be part of Walsall but is now Sandwell.

Number 1.

Jack Aston-Nickname was Soldier

Jack Aston
Personal information
Full name Jack Aston
Date of birth 1 July 1877
Place of birth Walsall England

Date of death February 1934 (aged 56)
Place of death West Bromwich, England

Playing position Inside forward

Youth career
– Walsall White Star
– Fullbrook Saints
– Willenhall Pickwick
– Bloxwich Strollers
– Wednesfield
Senior career*
Years         Team                      Apps†       (Gls)†
1896–1899 Walsall                       88            38
1899–1900 Woolwich Arsenal        11              3
1900–1902 Small Heath                 55            24
1902–1903 Doncaster Rovers         30             3
1903–1904 Walsall
1904–19?? Bilston United
– Walsall Blakenhall St Luke’s
– Walsall Wood

Jack Aston (1 July 1877 – February 1934) was an English professional footballer born in Walsall, Staffordshire, who played as an inside forward. He made 184 appearances and scored 68 goals in the Football League.
He began his career with a team called Walsall White Star in 1892, played for Fullbrook Saints, then moved on to play for Willenhall Pickwick, Bloxwich Strollers and last Wednesfield before he was signed by Walsall
Jack was a natural footballer and one of The Saddlers earliest goal scoring hero’s, with 38 goals in 88 League matches for his home town club, he was a vital member of their front line! It’s said that he gave everything in every match that he played. He was a powerful player and was teamed up with David Copeland and Alf Griffin in 1896-97, when he scored 10 times in 28 matches.
The following season he was joint top scorer with G Johnson and in 1898-99 he shared top spot with Vail and was the club’s leading goalscorer in the 1898-99 season. He was signed by Woolwich Arsenal in May 1899, making his debut on 2 September 1899 against Leicester Fosse. After playing 11 of the first 12 league games of the season and in four FA Cup ties, he lost his place to Paddy Logan in December 1899 and was unable to regain a first-team place. In total he played 15 times for Arsenal, scoring five goals.His place in the Walsall team was taken by Joe Connor
He moved on to Small Heath in the summer of 1900 and contributed to Small Heath’s promotion as Second Division runners-up in the 1900–01 season. He finished his career at first with Doncaster Rovers and then his old club Walsall.
When he returned back home to The Midlands, he played for Bilston, Blakenhall Saint Lukes and retired in 1906 from Walsall Wood f.c. I have not been able to find a photograph of Jack (Soldier) Aston, and do not know if there are any available, you never know some where out there there may be a descendant of him with that illusive picture!

Cecil George Harper

Cecil George Harper was born 1897 at Five Ways, Cannock (36 Hednesford Road was the home address, the approximate location of Harpers Heath Hayes garage). His parents were Edward Joseph Harper (b 1866, Birmingham – Kings Norton registration district) and Ellen Elizabeth Harper nee Cooper (b. 1871 Brownhills). They married in 1896 in Cannock district.

OFFSPRING of Edward and Ellen Harper
There was another brother, Eric J Harper, b. 1900 d. 1906. (I have to assume that he was a twin of Victor)

Victor Edward, b.  1900
Albert Edwin, b. . 1903
Eileen, b.. 1908

Felix, b.  1909  he died in  2000)
Mary, b. 1911. ?

Cecil’s  parents were Edward Joseph Harper (b. 1866, Birmingham – Kings Norton registration district) and Ellen Elizabeth Harper nee Cooper (b. 1871 Brownhills). They married . 1896 in Cannock district.

Hednesford Road, Heath Hayes, Cannock
•The bus operations of Harper Brother (Heath Hayes) Limited were started in 1922 by Cecil Harper, initially trading under the name Gloria-de-Luxe, and grew to become the largest independent stage carriage operator in the West Midlands with a fleet of 50 vehicles in the late 1960s.

The business of Harper Brothers (Heath Hayes) Limited, and its wholly owned subsidiary Tudor Rose Coaches of Sutton Coldfield were acquired by Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) on 22nd April 1974. The company’s garage at Hednesford Road, fifty vehicles, and eighty-nine full-time staff transferred to Midland Red at this time, including Mr. Brian Harper who was appointed Area Engineer (Eastern) with Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) on 1st August 1974.
• Control formally passed to Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) on 7th September 1974.
• Site closed on 6th February 1977, as the premises were considered inadequate and shabby. Vehicles and services transferred to new premises, Cannock depot.
• Used as an ATS tyre depot.
• Demolished June 2003.

Not much more information available to search, unless someone out there knows any different. I would appreciate any information given. Especially of the staff as I worked on Walsall Corporation Buses, some of my friends and work colleagues also went to work for Harpers and Midland Red.

I would like to publish more about Harpers but like Stevensons of Utoxeter, Green Bus company Cheslyn Hay and Middletons of Rugeley, all local bus company’s, there is not a lot of information about.

 

 

Britain will pay the price for shafting the working class

This article, believe it or believe it not, first appeared in of all newspapers ‘THE GUARDIAN’  on Friday 13th December 2013

Britain will pay the price for shafting the working class
The middle class has taken over, and the price we’re paying is the destruction of all we hold dear

Of the attributes Britons hold dear, the most potent is stability. Our traditions endure, institutions survive. We seem loth to countenance revolution. And yet we have experienced a coup d’etat of sorts and the question must be asked: just when did the middle classes take untrammelled control of the levers? It always was a force; but now there is hegemony. Today, a glimpse of what has happened to the vanquished.

According to the conservative think-tank Policy Exchange, the under-representation of people from working-class backgrounds in public spheres such as parliament and magistrates courts can be reasonably described as shameful. It suggests an inquiry is necessary, perhaps run by the government equalities office and the equality and human rights commission. One can disagree with its diagnosis of the problem. Policy Exchange, true to its leaning, says the diversity policies of the last Labour government were too narrow – too much focus on race and gender – but that feels like scratching at the surface. Still, who can dispute that the problem exists?

One can look to the figures. According to the Sutton Trust think-tank – which focuses on social mobility – 68% of “leading public servants” went to private schools. It says 63% of leading lawyers were privately educated, as were 60% of the upper ranks of the armed forces. Independent schools produce more than half of the nation’s leading journalists, diplomats, financiers and business people. Policy Exchange says just 4% of MP’s  previously worked in manual trades.

A few weeks ago, I spoke to a would-be Labour councillor: a busy man; a professional. So busy that he thought the task of actually campaigning to get himself elected might be too time-consuming. So he placed an advert online seeking someone to do his campaigning for him. The powers that be took a dim view and the ad was promptly withdrawn, but I took to wondering what the councillors I knew in Newham in London, where I grew up and was a cub reporter, would have thought of him.

These were people who had graduated to the council having been shop stewards and tenants’ association leaders. Charlie, the taxi driver; Lew, the tube driver; Jim, the car plant worker. I think of activists such as Sue, the diffident single mother who galvanised the residents in one tower block and then another and then built a campaign that culminating in a clutch of dangerous tower blocks being demolished. There were working-class people in representative positions, voicing the concerns of people from their communities. Fewer now. What happened?

Thatcherism happened. The social geographer Danny Dorling details how the grocer’s daughter from Grantham fractured the post-war reality of the poor becoming less poor and the narrowing of the gap between the very poor and very rich. “By the time Thatcher left office in 1990, the annual incomes of the richest 0.01% of society had climbed to 70 times the national mean.” For them to win, as they did under Thatcher and New Labour, others had to lose. Those who lost most were working-class communities.

With their institutions unravelled and a daily battle for subsistence, how are they to seek office in meaningful numbers? With what support? There are excellent groups building capacity, such as Citizens UK, but still the fundamental problem remains. Dorling recently estimated that of the bottom 50% of people in Britain by income “all are financially insecure”. How is that a springboard?

The total capture of the professions by the middle classes happened. Take journalism. I entered national journalism 27 years ago with no degree – just a year’s college training, funded by a council grant, and after an apprenticeship on the Newham Recorder. That was when journalism was a trade, not a profession, and there were routes of entry for other than the middle classes. People took those routes to senior positions in our industry. With the middle class self-selecting, we wouldn’t stand a chance today.

The country ticks along, stable and first-world prosperous. So why does the absence of working-class representation matter? Because it conflicts with everything we say we want for Britain: inclusion, fairness, equality of opportunity. Because without the broadest input, our institutions become myopic; our democracy atrophied. Isn’t that the story of the last 30 years?

Twitter: @hugh_muir

• This article was amended on 13 December 2013. It originally stated that the Sutton Trust had found that 68% of public servants were privately educated. This should have read “leading public servants” – the missing word has now been added, along with a link to the study

 

 

Visit To Dudley Zoo

Yesterday the Great Grandchildren were taken to Dudley Zoo, for the day, by their Aunty Shan.

Here are some of the pictures which were taken of the animals.

Ping-Pong Is a Craze (1902)

Ping-Pong Is a Craze (1902)

(From the Washington D.C. Suburban Citizen – May 3, 1902)
Has Invaded All Sorts of Places from Clubs to Hotels
One Factory is Turning Out a Thousand Sets a Day – The Passion for the Sport has Grown Up Suddenly – Picturesque Language for Game Terms
In the past few days persons walking through the quiet uptown streets have remarked about the number of houses through whose open windows came the staccato “ping! pong!” of the xylonite “table tennis” ball. According to the stories which are told by dealers in sporting goods, thousands of sets of this game have been sold to families in the city, and the demand appears to be increasing.
One factory at Chicopee Falls alone is turning out 1000 sets daily, and is far behind its orders. Ping-pong outfits are going in numbers now to suburban golf clubs. It shows what a hold the sport has taken on its devotees that even the golfing enthusiast must take his ping-pong to the links with him.
“Our greatest demand for complete sets, including the regulation tables, has, of course, come from the clubs,” said a dealer yesterday. “But the women and children have got the fever as bad as the brothers and fathers. If you’re writing about the ping-pong craze you can’t make it too strong. So far as I know we haven’t sold a set to any old ladies’ home yet, but I dare say the game will reach them in time. This craze beats anything I ever heard of. Our belief is that it’s only beginning. Hot weather may affect our sales somewhat but we look for an increased demand next fall.
“Our indoor putting green in the back of the store has been occupied by a ping-pong table for several weeks. Lots of people who never saw the game come in here and watch a few sets, get fascinated by the play and end up buying racquets and balls and a net to take home and set up on their dining room or billiard table. There’s a game going on here almost every hour of the day. People can’t seem to get enough of it.”
The clubs have been and are still the stronghold of the craze, although the newspapers have had more to say about the play in brokers’ offices and on ocean steamers. So sudden has been the passion for the sport, and so much room does the regulation table take up that most of the clubs have had to give up some other sport, in whole or in part, for a time, or else sacrifice part of their dining room space. Nobody seems to object, however. Even the most sedate of club loungers, although he may begin by scoffing at the “child’s play,” ends in becoming either an enthusiast or a disappointed but persistent “duffer.”
College clubs or other clubs frequented by younger men are the worst sufferers from the ping-pong malady. The Harvard Club, early in the winter, put up the little nets on its billiard tables, and billiards have scarcely been played their since. Members pay the same amount per hour for playing ping-pong that they formerly were charged for the use of the billiard tables. The club has since set up, in addition, a real ping-pong board. The Yale Club has four tables in one of the class dining rooms on the ninth floor. The Cornell University Club gives up half its dining room to the pasttime, and the House Committee now talks of letting the whole apartment be used for it, so many of the members want to play; and ping-pong tables can be used as dining tables, if it takes too long to make the change. In a Brooklyn athletic club the ping-pongers have invaded the handball court. Most of these resorts have had or are having ping-pong tournaments, and clever players have been developed in the course of a few weeks.
Boarding houses in all parts of town have been hard hit by the craze. The long table in the back parlor makes a good ping-pong board, and the young man in the hall bedroom two flights up takes delight in making the star boarder look like thirty cents. The landladies are not enthusiastic over the game, because when played in the evening it has a tendency to develop a robust appetite for late suppers.
The vernacular of the sport has not yet reached a high degree of development. For the present, as is the case with any new game, players make free with words and phrases proper to other branches of sport. Expressions like “You dealt ‘em the last time,” “This cue is rotten,” “Off side” are heard around the board. Picturesque language of a different character is also common. The elusive celluloid sphere is as conducive to profanity as the gutta percha. A well-known lawn tennis player has a novelty in the way of ping-pong profanity. When he makes a fault he shouts “Fudge!” or “Goodness gracious!” He explains that he learned the game by playing with his sisters, and it isn’t worth cussin’ about anyway.

Collins Express Seek More Vehicles, While B.R.S. Surrender Six

Collins Express Seek More Vehicles, While B.R.S. Surrender Six

This is the last post (at Least for the time being) as I have run out of free time on Commercial Motor site. I may try At a later date to see if i can get more time! This one is from:-
11th September 1959
Page 65

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Keywords : Liverpool, Studley, Business / Finance
[ON on the application by Collins Express Parcels, Ltd., Walsall od—to increase their A-licensed fleet by 16 vehicles and their receipts estimated £50,000—was reserved by the West Midland Licensing ity, Mr. W. P. James, when the case closed in Birmingham last week.
Much thought and deliberation had gone into the application, which had been part heard during April and May (The Commercial Motor, April 24 and May 29) said Mr. Harold Rogers for Collins. Earnings per vehicle had risen from £2,737, in 1957, to £3,186 in 1958, he added. There had been serious complaints from customers and the company had decided to increase their fleet.
British Railways, British Road Services and Hunts of Studley, Studley, Warwicks, objected to the application. Mr. B. W. Lennard, branch traffic superintendent of B.R.S,, said that 292 vehicles were operated by B.R.S. in the midlands area affected by Collins’ application. There had been a fall in traffic and B.R.S. had surrendered, or were in the process of surrendering, licences for six A vehicles.
Mr, J. S. Owen, a British Railways passenger official, confirmed a fail in traffic, but admitted that there had been a 10 per cent_ rise in rates, in August, 1958.
Hunts traffic manager, Mr. W. Spilsbury, said their business had not been falling off. Their vehicles were fully employed, and they had a number of common customers with Collins, he added.
Mr. R. C. Oswald, for the Railways and B.R.S., said Collins admitted that they were seeking new customers. Between 1954 and 1957 there had been a rapid build up from 58 to 79 vehicles, which they were now proposing to increase further.
For Hunts, Mr. D. E. Skelding said there had been an estimated £27,756 from new customers during 1958—almost doubling the existing figures. Collins were “over vehicle-ized,” he said, and added “it is easy to prove a need for increase when vehicles are only partly employed.”
CARS CAUSE OF TROUBLE
THERE had been a reduction of 7m. 1 passengers on Liverpool transport department vehicles during the past two years, stated the general manager, Mr. W. M. Hall, in his annual report. He said that this was due to the increase in the number of car owners—which went up by five per cent. each year, This fact also caused the congestion which reduced the average speed of a Liverpool bus, through the city centre during the peak hours, to 6+ m.p.h., he said.

Read more at http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/11th-september-1959/65/ins-express-seek-more-vehicles-while-brs-surrender#vA5AruI58bOKxHSW.99

UNITED CARRIERS THE PHASE OF CONSOLIDATION

UNITED CARRIERS THE PHASE OF CONSOLIDATION
13th December 1968, Page 54
13th December 1968

IN road transport timing is often the crucial factor in success. New types of transport services or new designs of vehicles can be spectacularly successful if introduced at the right time. If the innovation is premature the market does not respond and much money may go down the drain.
A timely approach by Mr. Geoffrey Willis*, the then chairman of Frank Willis and Son (Carriers) Ltd, of Wellingborough, to Mr. Rex Kearsley, managing director of K and 0 Transport Cc. Ltd., of Earls Barton, led to an operating merger and the formation of United Carriers Ltd. in June 1963. UCL now includes nearly 30 road transport concerns, mostly specializing on parcels and smalls. The group operates sortie 550 vehicles and employs about 1,250 people.
It would be surprising if UCL’s rapid development does not continue—any business obviously fitting into the planned group structure would, I suspect, be courted. But Mr. Rex Kearsley, UCL’s chairman, stressed that the holding company’s directors were chiefly preoccupied by the need to consolidate the activities of the group as a whole. All the separate companies are managed by local boards of directors—their collective experience of the highly specialized parcels business is a priceless asset—but the holding company must clearly exercise the co-ordinating and development roles. Major policy matters are referred to the main board.
Northamptonshire has always been notable for enterprising parcels carriers probably because its staple industry of boots and shoes provided a natural need for fast nationwide delivery services to warehouses and retail shops. Firms founded between the wars—PX Transport, T. H. Clark, Valentines, Miles—are still familiar names in local towns though they were absorbed by BRS Parcels Ltd. long ago.
It was logical that post war, as pre-war, the successful newcomers should develop their own specialized routes and traffics. The Frank Willis organization developed services to and from the London area, Bristol and Scotland; K. and 0. operated services to London, Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Most of the companies now controlled by the UCL holding company fit naturally into a non-competitive pattern as regards routes and services so that together they provide virtually a national coverage. (No services operate specifically to Kent, South Lincolnshire or Central and North Wales but there are agency arrangements for traffic to areas beyond the radius covered by the countrywide UCL depots.) The list of acquisitions from the time of the Willis/K and ID merger in June 1963 is proof of the virile expansionist management philosophy. In November the same year, Lance, Midlands and Yorks Carriers Ltd., with depots at Leicester, Bury and Norwich, were acquired. In January 1964, Grants Transport Services Ltd. with depots at Irthlingborough and at Hursley, near Winchester, opened up another valuable territory. Also in 1964 A. C. Pope (Keynsham) Ltd. joined the group and in 1965 R. Knowles and Sons (Helmshore) Ltd., and Harrison and Page Ltd. of Bradford were assimilated. Then 1966 saw the acquisition of H.K.R. (Transport) Ltd., of Little Lever, near Bolton, Willmotts Motors (Howden) Ltd., Howden, near Goole, and the Starmont Warehousing concern, and in 1967 Collins Express Parcels Service Ltd., with three depots in the West Midlands, and East Anglian Carriers Ltd., became part of the family.
Mr. Rex Kearsley told me that most of the firms taken over approached UCL. The reasons varied from concern over death duties if the owners died to the obvious advantages . of amalgamating with a group, thus being able to give greater services. Acquisitions have been made for cash, shares or both.
Several premises in the organization are inadequate for UCL’s requirements. -We sought help a long time ago from numerous estate agents in London where we urgently need larger premises—I’m hopeful that we can finalize the purchase of land shortly”, said Mr. Kearsley.
He explained that new London premises were needed to avoid the need for transhipment at Wellingborough of Northern and some Midland trunk services. “The Willis depot at Plaistow can cope with its own services from Northants but it is too small for all the services we would like to send in direct.”
The main board of UCL meets fortnightly at the Wellingborough offices, which are certainly palatial by road-haulage standards. It would be quite untypical of road transport if all the directors agreed on everything. Mr. Keith Willis, managing director of the Willis Group, said there were many ideas about the economical life of vehicles. Some member firms thought the best policy was to operate light vehicles for three years of 100,000 miles; others felt that five or six years was a reasonable working life with perhaps seven-or eight years for bigger vehicles. “Yet”, said Mr. Willis, “it’s very difficult to get good men tocIrive vehicles more than five years’ old. It’s questionable whether it pays to.keep vehicles a long time.”
The group image may sound an easy thing to promote once a consortium of firms has a common ownership, but there are practical problems not readily solved in the short term. A standard UCL group livery is applied to new vehicles put into service but it will be some years before all the separate company vehicles are in the same livery. Indeed there are strong reasons for maintaining the well established liveries of some constituent companies such as Collins Express Parcels Service or the VVillis Group—both go back several generations. A UCL insignia with the acquired company name may provide a solution to the vexed problem of a standard livery.
Group training needs have been recognized Dy the appointment of a group training officer —formerly the personnel officer of Collins Express Parcels Service. A training prog.amme for drivers, clerical and maintenance ;toffs is being drawn up and this will be mplemented as far as possible at depot level. romising employees of all grades will have Nide promotional opportunities within the 3roup.
Any lafge-scale merger brings with it inherited problems of labour relations, differing wage rates and bonus incentive schemes. The Collins companies productivity schemes with specific rates and job and finish incentives continue. The Willis drivers on the Wellingborough/London services are paid on a trip basis. Other group companies incentive schemes are being studied and ultimately some assimilation may be possible. But circumstances at each depot vary a lot—the motto on this front seems to be “hasten slowly”.
Maintenance facilities are being extended so that there is a well equipped workshop to service local depots in each area. New depots at Durham and Leeds incorporate modern , repair workshops. There is a well equipped repair shop at Wellingborough and an associated bodybuilding department. It is planned to send Northamptonshire-based vehicles for “trial runs” through the new Ministry testing stations at Weedon and Peterborough. The little things will be the problem”, said Stanley Grant, in charge of group maintenance at Wellingborough.
Although parcels organization is heavily dependent on local managerial know-how, efficient operations and economical labour utilization are more readily obtainable from modern premises equipped with mechanical handling aids. The new UCL depot at Leeds, opened in June, utilizes an Acrow drag-link system for the circulation of platform trucks. At Bidfnrd-on-Avon, the Collins Express Parcels depot opened last year uses EMI Robotugs—the first such installation I have seen operating in a parcels depot. A train of trolleys towed by the battery-powered tractor follows a predetermined route round the load ing platform and the adjacent warehouse, stopping at selected points automatically. The guide wire, followed automatically by a steerble sensing fork on the tractor, is buried in the floor surface material, but it is not difficult to plan a new path for the Robotug if necessary.
Any parcels operator brought up in the sack-truck era—still, alas, with us in many depots—could profitably visit the Bidfordon-Avon depot. The system cost some £13,000 to install but, as Mr. S. A. Collins told me, it saves the labour of three porters —say £60 a week—and will pay for itself in three or four years. I have always advocated mechanized parcels sorting and I was delighted to see the Robotug system operating so smoothly. The tractor carries a nylon “antenna” to bring the tug-train to a standstill if a human or solid obstruction is met.) Bidford-on-Avon is a very interesting depot in itself. The Collins organization was fortunate to get planning permission to build there after a manufacturing concern had changed its plans to develop the site, The construction of the depot on the uneven site of an old clay pit involved substantial piling and half the area of the depot and vehicle access road are built on stout concrete piers. This added substantially to the building costs but the depot is well placed to serve the southern part of Birmingham and the Kidderminster carpet trade and it is a real asset to the large village of Bidford-on-Avon. It was pleasant to be directed to Waterloo Road by a housewife who answered my query as to the location with genuine pride. “Yes, I can certainly direct you to Collins Express; my husband works there.”
UCL has no prejudices against using Freightliners and whenever there is a customer advantage in so doing the matter will be pursued. Mr. Kearsley stressed that everything depends upon the timing of the Freightliner trains. “If goods had to be at the new Nottingham terminal by 6 p.m. you’d lose a day. We give next-day delivery from Northants to London and Lancashire services now. When Freightliners will help us give a quicker service anywhere at reasonable cost we’ll look at the possibilities.”
On the advantage to the participating companies Mr. Kearsley was in no doubt that the merger had helped everyone. “By joining an organization able to offer a national collection z nd delivery service the turnover of each company has been increased. As new depots become part of the network inter-depot trunking services will be stepped up with consequent improvement in delivery times. We have not yet fully exploited our growth prospects.”
Mr. P. H. Dodson, the enthusiastic young secretary of UCL, said the company hac 1,000 shareholders. The original issued share capital of £120,000 had now been increasec —Ordinary shares issued totalled £484,322 and Deferred shares £88,888. “Our turnover outside the group, is nearly £3m per annurr —now we have to work towards maximizinc. our profits.”
UCL is not doing so badly in the profit race Profits last year were well up at £304,07 against £266,171 in 1966. This exclude: £60,573 earned by subsidiaries before ac quisition. Treasury permission was secured tc raise UCL’s dividend by 3 per cent to 23 pa cent—approaching the 25 per cent paid ir 1966. There is no doubt that the energetil top management of the group will use thi present phase of consolidation as a platforn for future expansion. Perhaps the success o UCL in a mere five years will inspire simile consortia to be set up in our fragment& industry?
“Mr. Geoffrey Willis retired from the company through ill health in 1968.

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New structure for United Carriers

New structure for United Carriers
22nd January 1971, Page 18

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Keywords :
• As from February 1 the subsidiary companies in the United Carriers Group will lose their individual identities and be divisionalized. The first move takes place in the course of the next few days when East Anglian Carriers Ltd, of Silvertown, London, merges with Frank Willis and Sons (Carriers) Ltd, of Barking. The manager of the amalgamated unit is to be Mr J. C. Smith, Willis’s managing director. United Carriers operates 600 vehicles and has a storage and distribution organization.
The wholly-owned subsidiaries include: Willis and Sons (Carriers) Ltd; K and D Transport Co Ltd; Lancs, Midlands, Yorks, Carriers Ltd; Grant’s Transport Services Ltd; R. Knowles and Sons (Helmshore) Ltd; H.K.R. (Transport) Ltd; Willmott’s Motors (Howden) Ltd; Collins Express Parcel Service Ltd; East Anglian Carriers Ltd; United Carriers, Yorkshire Ltd; Southwestern Ltd; Scotland Ltd.
There will be 20 divisions in the new structure and no further mergers are anticipated.

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Threat to Haulier’s Fuel supplies

Threat to Haulier’s Fuel supplies

 

19th November 1965, Page 18

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Keywords : Walsall
From a Special Correspondent SHORTLY before an official strike at the Walsall Wood depot of Collins Express Parcel Service Ltd. ended last week-end, Regent Oil Co. Ltd. warned a Birmingham garage firm that it would deliver no further fuel supplies unless the firm gave an undertaking not to supply Collins. This resulted from a TGWU decision to warn its tanker driver members not to deliver fuel to any garage known to be supplying Collins.
Mr. Lionel Mayman, managing director of the firm—Hunts (Birmingham) Ltd.— said that Regent had told him that regretfully no supplies would arrive until he had given the undertaking asked for. “I sought the advice of the Ministry of Labour on this matter “, he said: ‘1t is extraordinary that retailers such as ourselves, whose job is providing a service for the public, should be hit in this manner by a dispute in which we have no part.” There seems no doubt that if the strike had continued Hunts would have had to stop supplying Collins.
Mr. Alan Law, regional commercial trade group secretary of the TGWU, said that his members at the Regent company’s Stourport depot, who were contributing to the strike fund, had complained that Collins’ drivers were filling up their vehicles at Hunts.
The dispute at Collins began on September 30 after the dismissal of a shop steward for disciplinary reasons. Now the company has agreed to take the dispute to arbitration. However, on the day before the strike ended the management claimed that all but 21 of the men had returned to work. Collins have more than 200 drivers and depot staff at Walsall Wood.

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