DORCHESTER TRANSPORT
Gone, but not forgotten.
Following his demob in 1945, Harry returned to Dorset, but didn’t quite know what to do with himself. Working as a cowman once again, he couldn’t see a future for himself in farming and so instead decided to get involved with road haulage. Harry purchased an ex. War Department Bedford QL tipper and through his acquaintance with the secretary of ball clay merchants and clay mine owners, Pike Bros., Fayle & Co. Ltd, at Furzebrook, near Wareham, was able to obtain his first work.
Ball clay was transported from the mines at Creech to the works at Furzebrook at a cost of 7/6d per hour, man and lorry. It wasn’t long before he was asked by Pike Bros., to transport the clay to other locations. He was now transporting the renowned Purbeck ball clay to Tunstall in Stoke-on-Trent to such companies as H & R Johnson, Daniel Platt, Doulton’s and Wedgewood’s, where it was used in the manufacture of pottery and ceramics. Back-loads of coal were obtained from the collieries in the Midlands for delivery to local coal merchants.
Harry also started buying and delivering timber for use as pit props in the clay mines. By day Harry could be digging trenches at 1/6d per hour and at night he would be cutting timber from woods at Briantspuddle and Wareham.
In July 1952, Harry purchased Northport House in Wareham and 2.5 acres of land there which was developed into a haulage yard, with garages and also a sawmill erected on the site. It was here that the Wareham Transport Company Ltd was formed to
