Herbie was, to the best of my knowledge, my Grandfather's younger brother. I believe he lived in Gillingham. Every so often he would visit me and my mother.
He was of medium height, tending to be fat. Had a shock of white hair. He had a heavy white moustache on a roundish face and blue, friendly eyes. Herbie was always kind to me.
I remember him well but as the older I become the visits became less regular and stopped towards the end of the war, by which time I was, quite a mature kid.
Herbie had lead a charmed life. He had never married but was, obviously (looking back at him) a ‘ladies man’.
He worked at Aveling & Porter's as a steam fitter. He also moved around a lot working on such things as the construction of the Welsh Dams and Pembroke Dock. But he was ‘in and out’ of Avelings for most of his working life. He worked for their long-term lease department.
Then many County councils only hired their Steam Rollers (Kent County council actually owned their 30 plus rollers).
Uncle Herbie delivered many new rollers to their new owners (anywhere in the country) And brought back those that were to be refurbished and then sold on.
He thought nothing of driving a roller to, say Cornwall and bring a well-worn one all the way back to Aveling & Porter's factory.
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| The former Victorian steam roller company, Aveling and Porter, and later Wingets' Factory building, Strood. |
On one such trip Uncle Herbie had a roller run away from him on Star Hill, Rochester. He was bringing it back from Brighton – Years later my dad told me that its brakes were "clapped out", and "the valve-gear was sloppy and rattling". Plus the steering had about a turn and a half slack both ways.
The steam roller was skidding and slewing on the tram lines and to make matters worse, it was also towing Uncle Herbie's living van.
Unfortunately at the time two trams were travelling up and down Star Hill and were closing on each other. The driver of the ‘up’ tram could see what the driver of the ‘down’ tram could not – a run away steam roller coming down the hill more or less sideways and travelling about 20 mph.
The driver of the ‘up’ tram stopped and no doubt started to pray. Uncle Herbie's roller passed the ‘down’ tram without some how hitting it. The roller passed through the ever-narrowing gap between the two trams, but the living van side-swiped the ‘up’ car which rocked violently and almost went over on its left side. It recovered, but Herbie’s living van had taken most of the waist panels off the trams right side. The living van was de-stabilised by the collision and flipped over to explode in plum-coloured match boarding, a stove, bedding, food and clothes were scattered everywhere.
The tow-bar remained attached to the roller together with the frame and the four wheels.
This lot was being dragged along on its side when Herbie reached the bottom of the hill. Ahead of him was a Jeweller’s shop and he had a decision to make. A tight left or a tight right turn. Left into Rochester High Street or right, towards Chatham.
As he was, in any case intending to go along Rochester High Street, and then over Rochester Bridge and thence to Aveling’s works, he decided to GO FOR IT !!!
The steam roller, astoundingly made the corner but the frame of the living van did not.
It side-swiped the shop which was not, obviously built as well as the tram.
The front of the shop caved in and jewellery, clocks and watches exploded out onto the road.
Herbie finally stopped the roller just in front of a tram travelling along the High Street that was heading for Star Hill.
Amazingly no-one was seriously hurt.
The policeman on point-duty at the bottom of Star Hill sprained his ankle sprinting for safety. Several people on the damaged tram were, lets say ‘over-excited’ and the jeweller was found filthy, angry but more importantly unhurt.
Herbie was arrested for dangerous driving, and fined. Aveling & Porter refused to help Uncle Herbie by paying the fine. It was deemed as "absolutely none of the Company’s business".
From some of the things I have read about him he would of been wonderful company over a few pints in the local of an evening.
If anyone has or knows of any more information, IE Newspaper clippings or old photos of the accident. Sentinel S4 would love to hear from you. You can contact Sentinel S4 at the wonderful Kent History Forum.
Magic story. My late father in law Frank Tubb from Minster in Thanet drove for John White Transport starting as a footplate man/stoker on Foden steam lorries at the age of 14. He became a driver of both steam, Foden and Sentinal and petrol and later diesel engined lorries. One incident was of a wet day taking produce from Minster to Covent Garden Market and on starting to descend Chatham Hill the old external band drum brakes, on the rear wheels only, of his old Thornycroft flat bed lorry gave our halfway down the hill and he told his mate to keep the klazon horn blowing as they ran down to the policeman at the bottom controlling the traffic and sailed past his outstretched arm missing all the crossing traffic, eventually coming to a halt along the highstreet and receiving a suitable dressing down from the irate lawman. The steam lorrie were hated in the summer months, as the cabs were like ovens as conversley the petrol and diesel lorries were hated in the winter months as the open side-window less cabs were freezing and it was always a bun fight to get a steamer in winter and a petrol or diesel lorry in the summer.
ReplyDeleteNice Read Rex. Thanks for taking the time writing it. Much appreciated.
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