bird's eye view by the hawk Commercial Motor takes road
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haulage very seriously. However, once a week our quirky correspondent, the Hawk, steps off his perch to take a humorous look at the industry to keep us all sane. If you have any off-beat yarns that illustrate the stranger, or sillier, side of the business, he'd like to hear from you. As a softhearted old bird, he's also happy to publicise charitable works— and is always interested in events for the vintage vehicles he drove as a fledgling. Drop the Hawk a line at Commercial Motor, Bird's Eye View, Rm H203, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, or fax him on
0181 652 8969.
Born to run
A s a confirmed
oldie, the Hawk
A s a confirmed
oldie, the Hawk
always enjoys a good vintage run. So nothing could keep him away from the Thornycroft centenary run in north Hampshire. Despite the superabundance of mud and a series of unfortunate incidents, the vehicles gamely battled on, clocking up more than 2,000 miles in one morning. Due to the rugged simplicity of these early engines, drivers were able to successfully carry out roadside repairs. Sean Wiles ran into difficulty when his 1917 Thornycroft delivery lorry sheared a pin in the waterpump that resulted in a hot shower for him and his passenger. This did nothing to dampen spirits and they bravely soldiered on to the Memorial Park which, by then, was vying with the Glastonbury pop festival as the ultimate in mudfests.