The Craftsmen Week Commencing 5th October 2020 Issue Number Twenty Seven

Welcome to the twenty seventh edition of the Ross Masonic Club Weekly Round-Up.

A great big thank you to our two regular contributors to this issue, Patrick and Harry. I am sure we all appreciate your efforts each week. This week we have:

• Patrick and Harry continue the story of their varied careers • A reminder of the question from Dennis in last week’s ‘Would I know, did I know’ on the significance of the gavel • Two new regular features; 1. ‘When I were a lad’ - do you know who is in the picture? 2. How I became a Mason, where John Mole tells his story • An article on the Railway coming to Ross by David Hudson.

All thoughts and suggestions for future articles welcomed. Please keep your input coming with, once again, a special thank you to all those that contributed.

Keep safe Brethren and keep in contact.

The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 1 Keeping in Contact and Staying Sharp Facebook We have set up a Facebook Group for Ross Masonic Club. We currently have 28 members across the Lodges and Chapter. Any members of Lodges or Chapter that meet at Ross Masonic Hall are welcome to join in.

Would I know the answer? Did I know the answer?

By W.Bro. Dennis W. Roberts, PAGDC Group Leader Information and Guidance Group

A reminder that last week I asked: What is the significance of the Gavel? You can always check your thoughts by visiting ‘Solomon’ of course! https://solomon.ugle.org.uk Dennis Roberts - Group Leader Information and Guidance Group e-mail: [email protected]

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run; To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind; Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep, Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers: And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep Steady thy laden head across a brook; Or by a cider-press, with patient look, Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,-- While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn Among the river sallows, borne aloft Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft, And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

By John Keats

The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 2 How it All Began

John Mole describes his route Into Masonry.

My family and friends never had any With experience and a dissertation I thought a moment, and at the time, connection with Freemasonry and I had become a Chartered Gas did not realise how much it would how I became involved is a short story Engineer. change my life. in itself. One afternoon in 1992, leaving a I called the emergency team and told After leaving school in 1960, I became building site meeting, I was contacted them to remain on site until I returned. an apprentice engineer with Stewarts by radio by one of my supervisors The supervisor was contacted and and Lloyds (later British Steel) in requesting I attend at West Bromwich told to move a second team to the site Halesowen spending five years Masonic Hall as soon as possible. to assist. training in all aspects of practical Arriving a few minutes later I found engineering skills. With day release at the supervisor and one of my direct By 7.30pm that evening a replacement Dudley Technical College I obtained labour emergency teams standing gas service had been installed. an HNC in engineering. On completion around an excavation on the gas Nothing was ever discussed about the I spent some time assisting with the service to the Masonic Hall. There incident, but a couple of weeks later, development of plastic extrusion was a strong smell of gas and it was Jack Graham explained he was a machines for the coating of steel obvious the service was leaking. member of Murdoch Lodge, no 3480 tubes. By 23, I was the supervisor of a and would my wife and I like to come galvanising plant. When a gas service to a commercial as his guests to their Ladies Night at or industrial property is leaking, there the Chateau Impney. I was invited to I quickly realised that I did not want are two problems. One is safety, the join the lodge soon after, which I did a life confined to a factory or office other is who is going to pay for the in 1993. and with the then expanding laying replacement? Cutting the gas off of North Sea gas pipelines I joined usually sorts out both. In this case, Murdoch Lodge, named after William a company MAPEL, designing both the emergency team and their Murdoch, founder of the gas industry, and installing cathodic corrosion supervisor had been reluctant to do met 4 times a year at Stirling Road, prevention systems. I spent a few so, following approaches from the Birmingham. It was formed in 1911 years, although based at home, Masonic Hall. There was a meeting by a group of Gas Works Managers. on sites all over the UK. The that night and meals needed to be There were strict by-laws that all commissioning of these systems provided. members should be employed in involved liaison with the local utilities, the gas industry, hold responsible particularly gas companies. This led I did not hesitate and instructed positions and be chartered engineers. me to be well known by engineers at the team to cut off the gas supply. It had similar sister lodges, Northern the then West Midlands Gas. When I did a brief survey of the route of Star in Manchester and Evening Star a vacancy became available in 1974, a replacement service; the meter in London. These restrictions limited I was approached and joined West position was acceptable and I new membership, and in my time, they Midlands Gas. informed the hall that one of our were amended, first to include other commercial representatives would be utilities and then gas contractors. Spending time initially at Dudley and contacting them (to sort out payment) then a year in Birmingham as part of and left the site. I slowly progressed in the lodge, and the team converting over to Natural even after retirement and moving to Gas, the remainder of my time was It was only a few minutes to the office. Gloucestershire in 1997, continued based in West Bromwich. The District Manager, Jack Graham my membership. I was Worshipful was waiting in the car park. ‘’What’s Master in 2000, which some of you I progressed through the ranks from going on at the Masonic Hall?’’. How attended. assistant engineer to, by 1990’s, the hell did he know so quick! the District Operations Manager. I As I became involved in other orders was responsible for all gas mains, ‘’Just cut them off, gas leaking into the in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, services, plant and equipment, three building, service pipe needs replacing, my visits to Murdoch lodge grew less, supervisors and over 50 direct and when it’s been sorted who’s paying, I attended the 100-year anniversary contract employees. perhaps a couple of days to get them in 2011, but Murdoch Lodge did not back on’’. I replied. survive the closure of Stirling Road. I was ‘Mr Gas’ for the district which Membership, like me had dispersed. encompassed Sandwell Metropolitan He looked me straight in the eye. ‘’If I shall never forget my visits to Borough. With the Open University I you wanted to, you could get them Murdoch Lodge. It had a very formal had obtained a degree; back on tonight’’. He said no more atmosphere; ritual was always good and walked away. and the festive board enjoyable. The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 3 ‘When I Were A Lad’ A new feature which we hope we can run over a few weeks Please send in your pictures of you as a child and a short clue. We will publish the photo one week so people can guess who you are and publish the results the following week. Either a scanned image or take a picture of the photo with your phone and send it in with a few words of description. Just for a laugh - nothing too serious!

Here is Tim looking very elegant

Did you Guess? This is Tim Fycun WM Any idea who this young chap is of Ariconium and a Zoom attendee. with is Grandmother around 1947 in Worcestershire?

I completed this only to be told by my Harry’s in Hot Water! (Part VIII) force that I would not be promoted The further adventures of Harry Holwell whilst on the Crime Squad. I was disappointed at this, so immediately Return to my home force requested to return to Swindon CID as being a Detective Sergeant was my ambition at that time. I consequently The date now is early 1984 and I I spent the next two weeks at home returned to Divisional detective duties have been on the crime squad for a locked away studying. We had three within weeks. I got my head down and year. Although we work long hours exam papers to take. The first was worked hard. In these duties I also and accumulate considerable hours Traffic law. The next was General spent a lot of time performing acting of overtime there is an unwritten rule police duties and the last was Criminal duties as the sergeant on my shift that you will only be paid a certain law. I studied really hard in that two was away on a courses and leave. number of hours each month. weeks and was able to catch up Before going she asked me to check and was well prepared for the exam her basket and if I could address any The remainder of hours worked be put which followed almost immediately issues I found. At this time I did not onto your overtime card from which after. I must say I felt quietly confident know the impact this would have. One you can claim payment in the months walking out the exam room at the end of the things that had been left was of ahead, or take time off at your choice. of the day. It was a couple of months a witness making certain allegations This was in theory only because we before the results were released and of a missing woman possibly having were always busy and in fact building I passed. I was still on the squad and come to some harm. Over the next up even more hours. had another eighteen months to go. couple of weeks I interviewed this witness over a long period of time, I had a considerable number of hours That year I put my name forward for taking detailed notes. The witness on my card and I had been studying promotion. The promotion race splits was an alcoholic. She had split with hard to take the sergeants exam so down into two parts. You have to pass her husband, who was the subject of decided to take two weeks off just through your home force divisional the allegations. She had been having prior to the exam. I had been studying team to be forwarded to a divisional an affair with him whilst he had been when I could but had fallen behind in board with the ch/Supt, in my case the with his previous wife with whom my studies due to work. crime squad boss recommended me he’d had three children. The affair for a divisional board. had gone on for some time, with his wife having no knowledge of it. He eventually left his wife. The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 4 I had subsequently attended another Harry’s in Hot Water! (Part VIII) Contd...... promotion board and later that year The further adventures of Harry Holwell was promoted straight to Detective Sergeant on our force surveillance Return to my home force unit. I was really pleased as in our force you normally had to return to The family home was sold and the I filed a long report including uniform duties on promotion and also proceeds used to purchase two estimates of some £14,000 to dig up move house to a different area in the homes, one for the separated wife a garden and knock down a garage force. I didn’t have to do either. This and the other with his new girlfriend at the premises we suspected she made both me and my wife happy (witness). His wife and children lived was buried at. Consequently at a high as the children were very settled in with her mother while he, who worked powered CID meeting at which I was Wootton Bassett. I was posted to our in the building trade, had her new not present, they turned down my headquarters on our force surveillance home renovated. She eventually request to dig and demolish, saying unit as a Detective Sergeant. I spent moved into this new home with the there was insufficient evidence for the next year on this unit and we were children and without her husband. this. very successful as a unit. This unit also had responsibility for carrying On the day after moving to this new I had also put a case together for fraud out bomb searches. This was very home she took the children to their and forgery whereby the husband had relevant in the mid 80s due to the Irish school In the morning and that was forged his missing wife’s signatures issue. I had a happy year on this unit the last that was ever seen of her. to sell her house. I also proved by a returning home every night. I expected The children returned home that day handwriting expert that he had in fact to be on this unit for several years. This and their mother was missing. They forged his wife’s writing and signature wasn’t to be as one day I was called went back to grannies home and she on the birthday card supposedly sent into the Head of CID’s office and he reported her daughter was missing to by her to her mother. The suspect had asked me to go to Chippenham. He the police several days later . He had always kept in touch with his mother also informed me that it was the Chief persuaded her that her daughter may in law and it was him who suggested Constable’s intention to send me back have had a boyfriend and run off with she had run off with another man. He onto the Regional Crime Squad when him. The mother just wanted to hear had also heard her mother say they a vacancy arose. This had come from from her daughter that she was safe she just wanted to hear from her my answers to his questions on my and well. Some weeks after she went daughter to ensure she was alright. promotion board when he asked my missing the mother had a birthday The following week the birthday views on the regional drug squad card posted in South Wales allegedly card arrived!!! I could also show that set up. I had been quite blunt on my from her daughter saying she was at the time of her going missing she answer to this and outside the stock alright and she had met someone was a full time mother. There was no answer expected for this sort of else and when she sorted her life she evidence at all of another man in her question. Apparently my answer had would be in touch. No meaningful life and the husband had significant coincided with his thoughts on the police enquiry took place at this point. financial issues which would have matter. This remained the same for some made it almost impossible to finance 14 years until I took a statement the two mortgages required of him. More next time on my move to from the alcoholic woman alleging Chippenham CID. that she suspected with no direct Over the following months he was evidence that her husband had in fact charged and went through the Crown murdered his ex wife and disposed court system. He was convicted of of her by burning her body and then the fraud and forgery even though he burying the remains under a garage in sought to divert blame to his second the back garden of their new home. I wife who gave evidence against him. put together a case file and conferred He received a suspended prison with my Det/Ch Insp. Over the coming sentence. months I investigated this missing person, interviewing family relatives The barrister who tried him spoke to and friends. There was no doubt in me after the trial and said he would my mind the husband had murdered be happy to go ahead with a new trial his wife. His wife was unaware he was for murder without a body as there having an affair until he told her and was a very good circumstantial case. then left. From family and friends she This didn’t happen and my head of was loyal to him and thought he would department closed the case. I was a return to her. They described her as little frustrated as was my immediate being devoted to her children and boss Ch/Insp. However I knuckled would never leave them, also that she under and got on with my work. (This was totally in love with her husband. will resurface later). Are you ready for autumn?

The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 5 The Railway Comes To Ross By David Hudson There was great excitement in the Following his sudden death in made the first cricket bat with a cane- town. Reportedly, some 5,000 people 1860 a fountain was erected by spliced handle, and invented and assembled at the new station to meet public subscription at the junction of made a catapult for bowling a cricket the special train officially opening Station Road and Cantilupe Street, ball. the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester approximately where the mini- Railway. The Ross Town Band roundabout now stands. The fountain Mr. Richardson died on the 10th played, and 2,000 local children had is now a short distance away at the February, 1896, at the age of eighty- a celebratory tea in the goods shed. entrance to Smallbrook Gardens. one, six days after a parasitic seizure. His modest and benevolent disposition At 8.50 am, 1st of June 1855, the Approval to build the line was prevented his being more famous. train pulled in for a brief stop before granted by Act of Parliament in 1851. proceeding to Hereford. The train had Although an independent company, The line was 22.5 miles long from commenced from London, stopping at from the beginning it was designed, the Grange Court Junction on the Gloucester to pick up local directors constructed and operated by the Great Gloucester and Forest of Dean line, and dignitaries. It left Gloucester at Western Railway. Its Chief Mechanical constructed to the Great Western 8.00 am carrying 150 people, and Engineer, , broad-gauge standard of 7 feet and arrived in Hereford at 9.25 am was consulted before the Act was passed and, on its passing, appointed The celebrations continued into the Charles Richardson as Residential evening with a public tea and ball Engineer. Not being satisfied that at the Town Hall, another ball at the the best route had been chosen, he, Swan Hotel, and a dinner for the with one assistant, made the survey navvies at the Royal Oak. of a new line, which was adopted by Brunel and afterwards carried out. A major player in the development of the plan was Ross banker and solicitor, and local benefactor, James Wallace Richard Hall of Springfields House, now the site of Vaga Crescent and the Oaklands Estates. He became the solicitor for and, later, a director of the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway Company.

JAMES WALLACE RICHARD HALL was born in 1799, the son of Rev. John Hall who was a naval chaplain, who, when he retired, moved to in Wallace ¼ inches (2,140 mm.). Four tunnels Cottage, Much Birch (now the Old were to be built on this line. The Cedars). He married twice although tunnel at Lea was 771 yards long, that both of his wives died prematurely at Fawley 540 yards, the Ballingham and out of his 10 children only one of tunnel was 1,210 yards and the them reached old age (Mary Sarah Dinedor tunnel 110 yards long. There who attained 105 years). were also to be four viaducts over the James Hall was made a Freeman of CHARLES RICHARDSON, born on River Wye, each one made of timber the city of Hereford in 1822, the year the 14th August, 1814, at Capenhurst on stone piers with six openings 44ft after becoming a practising solicitor Hall, near , was the third wide. It was recognised that the Lea in Hereford. He established the Ross son of Mr. Richard Richardson, J.P., and Ballingham tunnels would take Dispensary and British and Foreign Deputy Lieutenant for the County and the longest to construct, so work was School (now the Masonic Hall), was Chairman of Quarter Sessions, who commenced. treasurer of Webbe’s Hospital, vice- died when Charles was six years old. chairman of the Union Workhouse, At the age of nineteen Mr. Richardson The construction work was sub- a trustee of Baker’s Charity and was apprenticed to Isambard contracted to a partnership of Mr. the Ross Turnpike Trust, a Ross Kingdom Brunel, and, as a pupil saw , Sir Improvement Commissioner, clerk to much work in the Gloucester area. Bart. MP and Edward L Betts. the Wormelow Hundred, a solicitor to These gentlemen were not local, the Harewood End magistrates and He moved to Ross and became but were involved throughout Britain he was pivotal in setting up the Forest involved with local cricket. He became and overseas in construction and of Dean Bank which is now part of an enthusiastic player until late in life, investment in many railways. Lloyds. and it is not generally known that he The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 6 THOMAS BRASSEY was a major including part of the London sewerage In partnerships, primarily with Edward and highly regarded English system, still in operation today, and Betts he was involved in numerous civil engineering contractor and was a major shareholder in Brunel’s railway construction projects in Britain manufacturer of building materials The Great Eastern. and overseas. He was at one time who was responsible for building regarded as the largest employer of much of the world’s railways in the In later life the family established labour in the world! 19th century. a more-or-less permanent base in Lowndes Square, , London. The Peto and Betts partnership Born in 1805, Thomas Brassey was became insolvent in 1866 due to a the eldest son of John Brassey, a Brassey developed cancer, but combination of the failure of the bank, prosperous farmer, and his wife continued to be involved in his Overend, Gurney and Company, and Elizabeth, living at Aldford, near projects. On 8 December 1870 he their involvement in the failure of the Chester. Thomas Brassey was died from a brain haemorrhage in London Chatham and Dover Railway. educated at home until the age of 12, Victoria Hotel, St Leonards and when he was sent to The King’s School was buried in the churchyard of St In 1844, Peto bought Somerleyton in Chester. Aged 16, he became an Laurence’s Church, Catsfield, Sussex Hall in Suffolk. He rebuilt the hall articled apprentice to a land surveyor where a memorial stone has been with contemporary amenities, as well and agent, William Lawton. erected. The Oxford Dictionary of as constructing a school and more National Biography describes him as houses in the village. He next built Brassey set up his business in “one of the wealthiest of the self-made similar projects in . Peto , expanding into quarrying Victorians”. He left a fortune of over served for two decades as a Member and brickmaking; he supplied many £5 million, equivalent to about £600 of Parliament. He was elected a of the bricks for the expansion of million in 2020. Liberal Member for in 1847 . to 1854, for Finsbury from 1859 to SIR SAMUEL MORTON PETO, 1865, and for Bristol from 1865 to 1st Baronet, MP, normally called 1868. During this time, he was one of Morton Peto, was born on 1809, in the most prominent figures in public Woking, Surrey. As a youth, he was life. He helped to make a guarantee apprenticed as a bricklayer to his towards the financing of The Great uncle Henry Peto, who ran a building Exhibition of 1851, backing Joseph firm in London. When his uncle died Paxton’s Crystal Palace. in 1830, Peto and his older cousin, Thomas Grissell (who had been a In 1855 Peto was made a baronet; partner to his uncle for five years), (1st of Somerleyton Hall) but in the went into partnership. The firm of 1860s his businesses ran into trouble, Grissell and Peto (1830–1847) built so that in 1863 he sold Somerlyton many well-known buildings in London, Hall and in 1866 became bankrupt. including the , the Oxford His reputation as a trustworthy & Cambridge Club, the Lyceum, St businessman was badly damaged James’s Theatre and Hungerford and never fully recovered. He died in In 1831 he married Maria Harrison, the Market at Charing Cross. obscurity in 1889. second daughter of Joseph Harrison, a forwarding and shipping agent In addition, they built Nelson’s Column with whom he had come into contact and the new Houses of Parliament EDWARD LADD BETTS was born during his early days in Birkenhead. (1843) and the infrastructure of the in 1815 at Buckland, near Dover, They had three sons. By 1847, he had London brick sewer. son of William Betts (1790–1867), built about one-third of the railways in a successful contractor’s agent and Britain, and by time of his death in railway contractor. 1870 he had built one in every twenty He was apprenticed to a builder at miles of railway in the world. This Lincoln. However, becoming more included three-quarters of the lines interested in engineering, he then in France, major lines in many other worked as agent for Hugh McIntosh, European countries and in Canada, building the Black Rock lighthouse, Australia, South America and India. Anglesey, then the He also built the structures associated on the . He with those railways, including docks, became involved in numerous rail bridges, viaducts, stations, tunnels projects, entering into partnership and drainage works. with Peto.

As well as railway engineering, In 1843, Betts married Ann Peto, the Brassey was active in the development sister of Samuel Morton Peto. Both of steamships, mines, are interred in the family vault in the factories, marine telegraphy, and water supply and sewage systems, The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 7 OPENING OF THE HEREFORD, there is not a mechanic in London ROSS AND GLOUCESTER who may not enjoy, at the cost of one RAILWAY. day`s labour and three days` wages, a treat hitherto only within reach of the “At length we have the satisfaction to wealthy.” record the opening of this line Railway, which took place on the 1st day of Regular services commenced the June last, with great rejoicings. On a following day; six trains from Hereford Rocky eminence looking over the Wye to Gloucester, and five in the opposite stands the town of Ross. Nothing can direction. The first trains of the day be more picturesque than its position crossed at Ross at 8.55 am., whilst from the Railway. the last train left Ross at 7pm. The Sunday service was one train in each direction. Although the original plan was for a double tracked railway, this was never built, the railway remaining single track with passing places at churchyard of St Peter and St Paul’s several stations. Parish Church, Aylesford. They had eight children.

Their family home was Preston Hall, near Aylesford. He became a The woodcut associated with the magistrate and High Sheriff of . article.

Following the bankruptcy of the We should add that the opening of this railway company he was forced to sell line of railway gives the tourist cheap the Hall. On doctor’s advice he moved and easy access to the tour of one of to Aswan, Egypt, dying in 1872. the finest rivers in Europe. The Wye tour, considered not to be excelled by Building began in 1851, and the first any in Switzerland, can, by means of part open on schedule in 1853 from this railway, be accomplished in less Grange Junction to Hopesbrook, than two days; and, by an excursion- where a temporary station was built. train of Great Western, However, the remainder was subject to several delays. Lea tunnel proved to be even more difficult than expected. Although the highest point of the line in was subject to water problems, in 1853 being completely flooded. There’s more than one way to earn a Despite this the line was expected to be completed by November 1854. living Part 10 Bad weather and further water Patrick Eyre continues to recount his career moves. problems delayed the official opening until Friday 1st June 1855. Having installed the conveyor and routine with his boss in due course. To ensure all was well for the opening mixer unit on the Hino chassis The first port of call was in Seven a heavy locomotive (reported as cab the driver arrived from Dublin. Oaks Kent and meeting the regional being 50 tons) thoroughly tested Out of interest I asked him to drive manager of an area taking in all of the tracks and infrastructure on 31st it onto a public weigh bridge to Kent and Sussex with 35 batching May. This was completed without check its unladen weight ,and by plants. I had originally arranged the difficulty. The Hereford Times of 25th my calculations it would be down to appointment with him who in turn 3 May had announced that Brunel and carrying a payload of 5m or less on had contacted his area managers the partners would be attending for the UK roads. Chatting to the driver who would find a site in their area of a celebratory dinner at the Green before he left he thought there were operation currently delivering concrete Dragon Assembly Rooms, but all sent no such restrictions on weight limits in to a customer who had offloading their apologies. the Republic, but if there was he didn’t problems involving the use of a crane know of any. He thought the conveyor or concrete pump. I had previously The opening did not just make local attachment was a great idea and he sent the regional manager descriptive news but was celebrated nationally, hoped his boss would let him put it to information showing the feasibility of being reported in the “Illustrated work. He also thought our mixer unit what the conveyor could do or could London News” for July 14, 1855 was far superior to the ones his boss not do. The site just happened to be in describing the line opening and Ross was buying, as indeed I did, and I Sevenoaks and not Worthing. as: would be going through the after sales The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 8 There’s more than one way to earn a living Part 10 Patrick Eyre continues to recount his career moves.

We had to wait around for a couple The company I was hoping to sell the I should mention at this time that of hours before the concrete was conveyor too was already a buyer of right through the 60s 70s and into due to be delivered. Our truck was my truck/mixers, and had purchased the 80s there was an explosion of then loaded with 5.5m3 of concrete 8 over the last couple of years. He companies entering the ready-mixed with a high cement content, and thought the concept was just great but concrete business. In the main they had to travel about 5 miles to the required a great deal of thought. The were businesses who were both site. The building contractors were only point of criticism was the fact that quarried stone and gravel producers constructing a concrete retaining wall the carrying capacity of the truck was who had the resources and finance to about 8ft high and 4ft thick, heavily reduced to 5.5m3. I explained that it join the growing demand by builders shuttered with reinforced steel. It had to be that way to meet the weight to buy their concrete ready-mixed. involved a scaffolded platform for the regulations, but the aluminium and Mixing concrete on site was too slow, guys to work from with their vibrating steel conveyor’s installed weight was laborious and in turn costly. In the machinery. just about the weight of that 5.5m3 of early 80s the average radial mile from concrete. We agreed to a lunch date the base batching plant was just 3.5 They had already competed half sometime in the future, and we parted miles. the job with the help of a tower with him saying he would consult with crane and concrete skip. Access for his directors and let me know the This figure is almost unbelievable but truck and conveyor was good and outcome. it was a fact. It was this figure across Tony got it all into position with the the whole of the England and Wales, conveyor extended over the wall. At Three weeks on the road, and keeping and published by the BRMCA monthly, a vertical angle of about 20 degrees 17 appointments for the demonstrator, but it just highlighted how many and a slewing angle starting at 0 we managed to get home four times concrete batching plants there were in and finishing at 45 degrees to the but I decided we would cancel the the Country competing against each truck, it only required the truck to proposed Northern Ireland visit for we other for market share. be repositioned a couple of times to had covered a great deal of England complete the job. It was possible to and Wales and we were both feeling This inevitably lead to PRICE FIXING shorten or lengthen the conveyor by a the strain. We only covered parts of AND WAS THE MAIN REASON I couple of feet by cranking the length, Scotland to customers I already had LEFT THE INDUSTRY!!! but more than 30 degrees vertical on the books. On the whole, most of would result in material running back the sites we were asked to deliver to, It was an Illegal Cartel and some of down the belt; the manufacturers we handled well with the conveyor you will no doubt remember it was of the conveyor would have known access and placing of concrete. We exposed on a television programme that using a chevron type belt would did have our share of disappointments, and the rest of the media had a field improve the required angle but would but this was only to be expected. I day. No one could hold up their hands create a real mess if used with wet contacted the office every day by and say ‘What me?’ Everybody was concrete. phone to find that six companies had at it, from the aggregate producers to decided to buy the conveyor and the black top boys and beyond. To finish the job in hand required one in Ellesmere had ordered two. a further 3.5m3 of concrete, and a Five of the Companies were firms I Of course it all ended in tears but second truck mixer duly arrived, had already done business with and the number of batching plants in the and by extending the mixers chutes one had ordered a large batching UK probably reduced by half and the discharged the concrete into the plant for a new site in Guildford. The number of owner drivers too. Several conveyors receiving hopper. sale of mixer units was exceeding companies in the UK were named and all expectations. Our workshops shamed So this first job went extremely well, couldn’t keep up with the mounting both the regional and area managers of mixer units on vehicle chassis, Price fixing in Germany and the rest were in attendance and were suitably and my assistant had arranged for of Europe was rampant and RMC impressed; the site manager too who a local construction and engineering Limited was fined millions. made his feelings felt remarking that company to take over some of the it made placing the concrete much work. This was the same company Remember the batching plant in quicker and cheaper to place. who had purchased the batching plant Ross? It was taken over by a French in Tanzania. Their workshops were conglomerate and then closed. By Tony went through the routine of almost next door and my assistant arrangement with others? We will washing the conveyor with the mixers spent most of his time making sure probably never know. high pressure hose; returning to the they were fitted on the truck chassis batching plant to wash out the drum in the right position over the axles. and the vehicle itself.

The Craftsmen Newsletter Page 9