THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A WEEKLY AFFAIR, BUT WITH ONE THING OR ANOTHER, THATS FAILED, HOWEVER, HERE IS THE LATEST YEARS REPORT, 1955, AND ALSO AN IMAGE INCLUDED FROM 1954 WHICH WAS MISSED LAST TIME AROUND.
Front cover as usual for this period shows a painting of a Euc, possibly taken from an original photo. Shows a couple of either 15TDT (Cummins) or 16TDT (Detroit) tractors with a 13/14 yard box, an example of twin-power.
Again we have the "Empire" image recreated, this time with the flags of each nation where there was a BH presence at that time.
Another example of expansion, this time in Dublin, and as usual, there was no messing about with the quality of celebrity to open the new place, Mr Sunley gets the An Tainste, and Minister for Irish Industry, Mr T.D.Norton, to open the builing on June 24th, 1955.
Others notaries present, are from the left, George M Perry, MD Euc GB, Ray Armington, GM of Euc Div of General Motors, Mr Shapland, two more guys from Euc/GM, the US Ambassador to Eire, Mr Sunley, Mr Norton (on mike), R.J. Walby, GM BH Ireland, and Mrs Sunley & Mrs Walby.
BS certainly attracted class !!
Similar times saw the new replacement works & offices in Brussels, one of the first European operations that had come into the fold.
Although this image is headed up Berkeley Square, quite a lot of you will realise that the subject is the boardroom in the Bungalow in Northampton.
We have not frequented that many boardrooms, but there cannot be too many out there that competed with this one in its day. Beautiful furniture, a great view across the Works, clocks that told you the time on 3 continents, and….oh…..of course, a minor point really, one of the best stocked bars going, behind the "books"….. in the photo, behind the camera. We never have seen a shot from the other end of the room, and it would be shame if that image was never recorded.
If these walls could have talked, a few reputations would never have reached the so-called heights that they did. As it was, quite a few people made arses of themselves before the Antiquary ran out.
Another few overseas outposts…..Melbourne, Leopoldville (Belgian Congo), Lisbon, & Nairobi.
Not all photos shown have been of direct association with BH, as you will have noticed, and another here is in that category, supplied one assumes by Euclid GB, this shows a couple of TDT tractor scrapers on the Ohio Turnpike, on which it is reported that 400 Eucs were involved !!
Ohio again above.
Back to civilisation once again, with yet another set of views of Northampton. General aerial view, the new Engine Test House, and a sample of the 1950`s Service Dept vehicle, a Ford Esquire (??) 2 door estate we think, in its red & yellow livery. Like the saloon version, it was a 3 gear job with a 45hp lump…..and they probably did as many miles then as John James would do today, but without all the modern comforts….. Eh, John ??
Costain Mining, Acorn Bank OCCS, Bedlington Northumberland, 1955.
At that time the largest concentration of Euc trucks, comprising of 51 of R-22`s, working arounbd the clock almost, on what was at that time the largest single contract ever given in UK.
If you cant read the shpeel under the fotos, the left one says….
"22 ton capacity Euclid trucks negotiating "Euclid-Bridge" over the Hartford Road near Bedlington, to reach the Ewart Hill Tip.The bridge was officially opened by Mr J Roberts Bazley, the American consultant to the National Coal Board.
……and the second one reports……
"Euclids, Euclids, and more Euclids !! As far as the eye can see, 22 tonners filled with overburden rumble by at the rate of one every 17 seconds to the Ewart Hill Tip."
Lastly, another of those wonderfully non-PC adverts….does anybody know who wrote these things back then ??….was it an agency ?? Uncle Ted, do you know ??
"Power…..the power of the mighty African bull elephant, six tons of bone & muscle which can clear a path through dense jungle as easily as a man scythes grass.
Power…..the power of the giant Euclid Earth Movers, which in all the Africas and Americas, in much of Asia and most of Europe, are working twenty hours a day, seven days a week to make fruitful the barren & undeveloped lands."
Told you this before….there aint anything better !!
And the very last item, the missing photo from 1954……
Depicts one of a pair of Marion 7800 Walking Draglines ordered by the N.C.B. for UK opencast use, and at this time, this was the largest standard production dragline, with between 200 & 280 feet booms, could handle 20 to 35 cu yd buckets.
Wonder if "Sledgehammer" helped to build this one ??
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