By Gordon Sloan
Michael Parsons mentioned the Scottish connections in his article (Driving for Lebus), Glasgow depot, Sid Smith etc, all of these being very familiar to me. To explain my father Joseph Sloan was a driver with Lebus having moved there from Ralstons of Milngavie.
In the very early 1960s we re-located from Penrith to Bellshill when Joe came off the road to take up a staff position in the London Road Depot of Merchandise Transport. My father’s younger brother Jim Sloan was transport manager with Glenroy Transport when Merchandise took them over and they worked together in Glasgow until made redundant in 1971.
The Glasgow depot was manned by Bill Burns, Joe Sloan, Jim Sloan, Jimmy Stevenson and George Aitchison.
Michael’s mention of Morphy Richards, India Tyres etc are all familiar as I frequently went with various drivers to load up at these facilities. The Glenroy vans had another regular run taking steel mesh dustbins from Levin (Fife) to the new towns being built in England. As far as I know the drivers used casual labour to help with the deliveries.
Other Lebus drivers I can recall are:
Eddie Cocurran
Ike McMillan and his son Albert
Sid Smith
Pat Quinn (Hull)
Charlie Irvine (another uncle of mine)
Joe Sloan with Jensen (940 EWE)
From left to right, Danny Alexander, Eddie Cocurran, Ike McMillan, Joe Sloan, ?, ?, ?, ?
Joe Sloan on the left
Group photo of the loading porters, possibly at Harwood
Joe’s wife Mollie with the AEC
Group photo of the loading porters, possibly at Harwood
Joe Sloan with AEC and entourage on the Beacon Café care park at Penrith
Charlie Irvine with Jensen (1367H)
Charlie Irvine (top standing)
Joe on holiday 1953
Joe Sloan (Transport manager) in the London Road (Glasgow) office of Merchandise Transport circa 1963/64
Joe Sloan with Charlie Irvine
A full tailboard load on Jimmy Rennie’s Dodge (Rennie’s transport were sub contractors)
Jimmy Rennie with my mother Mollie at the Beacon Penrith
Another of the van drivers (not a Lebus vehicle)
i remember eddie cocorran what a nice man,sid smith who would not drink tottenham water so he brought his own ,ike and son ,tommy archibald did his son drive for lebus as well and ian cadger another chap was called ian something from monifeth.i along with george bassetivor thomas,,freddie lee,pete manton and ernie garnish worked on all their wagon at sometime or another.never had any bother from anyone
My name is Iris my mother and fathers friends were Joan and Charlie Ivine,Joan and her sisters ran the Beacon cafe in Penrith in the 80s,when in the summer school holidays we would spent time there play in the farmers fields amongst the shieths of corn hide and seek.Charlie worked for Ralstons then Lebus.He would stay with us when in London also his son Bob did when he got a job in London.I remember the sisters Margeret,Joan and Marge ran the Beacon cafe I used to help Marge make the meat pleas which were a great hit with the drivers.What great guys they all were.I would love to know if the Beacon cafe is still there and what has happened to all the people we new, only my sister Joan and I are left so I hope I’m not being nuisance.
the Beacon site still there changed a bit my dad was a driver from london on furniture he stopped at Mollies and hid mate was jimmy Rennie
my Dad was on furniture deliveries also from East LOndon Jimmy Rennie was a friend of Dads as a kid we stopped at the beacon dad spoke abt Molly and the girls
My dad stopped at the Mollies Beacon and friends wirh Jimmy Rennies great to see pic
im from walthmstow my dad and me drove in the furniture industry allour working life my dads friend wasjimmy rennies and stopped at the Beacon i met Jimmy wen i was a kid always wen i drive past the old beacon brings back memories my dad worked Beautilty and Bluestone andElvin furniture Walthmstow