The Bedford TK is one of the bestknown lorries of its generation and gained a reputation as a modern and reliable workhorse. Ian Wilde from Shropshire owns a superb example, writes Bob Weir
The Wilde family has been trading for 85 years and is involved with plant hire and supplying parts and engines for contractors’ plant. “A T Wilde & Son Ltd is a family run business and started in 1937,” Ian explained. “My grandfather, Alfred Thomas Wilde, originally ran a blacksmith’s shop near Shrewsbury. He earned a living shoeing horses, tractor repairs, and supplying generating sets and Lister Petter engines.”
The company’s current three-acrestate-ofthe-art premises is a far cry from the blackand-white timber framed building that was A T Wilde & Son Ltd.’s first home, but the rural setting in South Shropshire offered a business opportunity.
“My grandfather realised there was a shortage of electric power within the rural areas of the county and began to market Lister generators,” Ian said. Three generations later, the company has expanded its product range to include parts and engines from all the leading manufacturers.
