STORYLINE 1951-1952
Ernest Holmes, Managing Director of Ernest Holmes (Langley) Ltd listened patiently as Arthur Whitaker, the Jaguar Director and General Manager outlined over the phone what was required in moving the Jaguar Cars factory lock stock and barrel the seven miles from Holbrook Road, Foleshill to Browns Lane, Allesley, as the crow flies. Whitaker concluded by saying, “Of course it's only a ten-minute journey via Keresley Heath and Brownshill Green, so we want you to give us your very best firm price, Ernest.”
Holmes had done some of the biggest, heaviest haulage jobs in England, including moving whole tank regiments during the war, any amount of 100-ton plus power station turbines with his Scammell trucks, and naturally, being Midlands based, lots of vehicle manufacturing machinery with his fleet of bright-red Fodens: body panel presses, line borers, crankshaft lathes, assembly line conveyer tracks etc. Moving heavy machinery was his bread and butter. “A firm price you say, Arthur. For moving the complete factory,” he said, underlining the enormity of the undertaking. He was treading cautiously; Whitaker was known as one of the shrewdest buyers in the automotive industry.
“Come over and have a look,” the Jaguar man said, jovially. “Bring your tape measure and that clipboard of yours. I'm sure we can come to a suitable agreement.”
“It's more like 20 minutes via the Holyhead Road, which our trucks would have to take,” Holmesreckon you'll want to take machinery and materials, so we are going to need several fleets of trucks, I'm going to have to use a few other firms.”
