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Page 96
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Gerry Aston
• The managing director of Guymer's Transport Ltd and national chairman of the Lorry Driver of the Year competition, Mr. G. W. Aston has spent most of his 50 years in transport. This includes the period when he served as a commissioned officer with the 31st Independent Brigade in Yugoslavia. Greece and Albania in Hitler's war. Having been a Territorial, in the RAOC, Gerry was transferred to the REME as an MT officer and while in the Mediterranean threatre of war was decorated with the Military Cross and mentioned in despatches.
Before the war, he served an apprenticeship with Jennings Brothers Motors, in Walsall, and later joined the family business. In those days, his father was running the very successful but now extinct company—Transport Economy Ltd, Came nationalization and the business was acquired by BRS. Like so many good hauliers, however, the Astons were not to be forced out of business and so they bought a four-vehicle fleet---Guymers Transport Ltd which was operating under a suspended notice of acquisition.
When denationalization came, Guymers bought a number of small BRS units. In all, they acquired 30 vehicles and, at one time, were operating 50.
Gerry has watched the trend in transport carefully and has trimmed his fleet back to 40 vehicles; he now offers a warehousing anti distribution service in addition to haulage.
Gerry Aston has no hobbies; he tells me he is too busy financing the hobbies of his four children. Whereas he used to rebuild vintage cars, especially the chain-driven Frazer-Nash, his son now does the reclaiming and he foots the bill.
For 16 years, Gerry Aston was clerk of the course for the LDoY national finals—an exacting and not very enviable task. He is not a rule-bender. As an approved RAC steward, he cannot afford to be. Unfortunately, there are those who will not accept that rules are made to be kept, so Gerry was involved in many wordy battles. He won most of them and he has retained his friends.
There is something in Gerry's personality which breaks down barriers and opposition. Not many men could walk into Fort Dunlop as he did during the war and dig slit trenches all over the cricket field and return as an honoured guest a few years later! If the Dunlop people hadn't realized he was the same chap it's too late now—they've been entertaining him every year for the past 16.
I.S.