Septimus Cook was to be the youngest of the seven sons – and 11 children – born to Thomas and Isabella Cook at Consett in County Durham. And while his own subsequent transport operation may have been more modest than the one ran by his elder brother Siddle, he was still a highly respected haulier in the long load game. Sep’s son Donald talks to Bob Tuck as they go through the family archives to recall some of Sep’s many memorable times – especially about the million miles (and more) covered by the 1938 DG Foden ‘Lady Mary’.

It may be natural to have fond memories of where we were born and brought up. And while I may be totally biased, for anyone interested in road transport, my home town of Consett in County Durham was an absolute Mecca. Right up until 1981 when British Steel eventually closed what was known locally as Consett Iron Company, the place generated all sorts of haulage concerns to service the various needs of both the area and ‘The Company’. And while I’ve often waxed lyrical about my own particular Consett-based hero of Siddle C Cook, he wasn’t the only son of Thomas Cook to make his mark in the transport world.

We’ve all heard the expression ‘The University of Life’ and it’s apparent that Thomas Cook was a great believer in that. “My Dad Sep used to say that his father – Thomas – would regularly pull him out of the school class saying to the teacher that he’d learn far more working on the back of his cart than he would behind a desk”.

Sep was born in 1913 and by then, his father had already been in the carting game for 22 years. Based then at Taylor Street in Consett, the Cook horse & cart business had originally started out by clearing up the contents of folks’ outside toilets. Donald recalls his father telling him that even as a youngster, Sep would often be required to ride on the back of the wagon. Armed with a whip, his job was to keep the thieving fingers of passing folk away from the Cook cargo. “I’m sure he drove his first vehicle – a chain drive Albion – at the age of 13,”, says Donald. “But even as a teenager, he’d work as a conductor taking fares on the Cook buses.”

The 1940s was obviously a traumatic time for many and the decade ended with most large long distance hauliers losing their livelihood, as the newly elected Labour Government nationalised their vehicles to create British Road Services. While his elder brother Siddle had 11 vehicles taken into BRS in May 1951, Sep kept his operation below the radar by doing local work only until the later change to a Conservative Government withdrew that compulsory purchase threat.

In ’52, Sep was to marry Mary Elizabeth (Vincent) although it wasn’t until 1955 that ‘Lady Mary’ – SPT 403 – came into being. Prior to that Donald recalls his father had a miscellany of motors. In 1953, an ex military Canadian Dodge four wheel tipper – MPT 375 – had a dual purpose role in that it could also have tjhe tipping body removed to be adapted for long load work. While prior to that (October ’49) Sep had began using JUP 626 – an ex military DG Foden 6x4 – on contract timber work to Arthur Green: “I’m sure he sold that one to his brother Siddle,” says Donald, “as he thought it was far too heavy for general haulage work. He said the tyres on this Foden cost £100 each – they could have been 1400 x 20. He called it ‘The Roamer’ and he said the two horns on the front were 6 volt working off a 12 volt supply so they were very loud. When Siddle bought it he used it for a while still carrying my Dad’s name.”

Determined to get something that would be better suited for his line of work, Sep decided to rebuild a weathered DG Foden which had started life (in 1938) for the well-known Iveston-based cattle moving concern of Parky Bates. For something like seven years (’55 – ’62) this little 4x2 unit (powered by a Gardner 6LW engine of course) was to do Sep proud and apparently Foden went into print to extol the virtues of this hard-worked DG.

When you become a long load specialist – like Sep – your services can be in great demand. And of course if you’re an owner driver in the 1950s, you can’t afford to turn down work even though it may play havoc with your home life. Sep may have been happy enough behind the wheel of his Foden but he could be away on the road for weeks at a time. Donald recalls that Sep found it very difficult to get (and keep) good drivers. It’s a fact of life, that no matter who you employ, no-one will probably work as hard – or put the time in – as much as someone who owns the business. And even when Sep was at home, there was still demands on his time as his vehicles had to be maintained.

In the late ‘50s Sep realised he could cut out some of his dead mileage by moving house. Home for his wife and children had been Dacre Gardens in Consett. But with most of his traffic being generated out of the long load steel mills on Teesside – or even further afield – it seemed common –sense to move the 30 miles South to Darlington and use that as a start of point.

First Septimus Cook motor to have the Darlington address on the door was to be 789 GPT – a 4x2 Atkinson. Although fitted – as standard – with the Gardner 6LX engine, it came in 1960 with an extended wheelbase to enhance long load stability. The Atky was coupled to an extendible semi-trailer (with four-in-line running gear) which was built by the Gateshead-based fabrication specialist of Wright Anderson & Co. Also coupled to a pole semi-trailer was the 4x2 Guy Invincible – 3456 PT – that was new in April 1963. This had the similar Gardner 6LX-150 engine as the Atkinson and probably replaced the DG Foden which was sold on to keep working.

Sep’s last purchases were a six-wheeled Leyland Hippo – EUP 249B – and the 6x4 Atkinson RPT 676D. However, in 1967 the decision was made to sell up: “I was only about nine at the time,” says Donald, “but I’m sure my Dad sold the ERF eight-wheeler to his brother Martin – who then had a general haulage business at Riding Mill near Stocksfield – and the others went to Stiller’s who were then based at Middleton St George near Darlington.”

Sep may have sold his vehicles but he stayed in the trade. At first he sold trucks for the Guy agency of Harrogate Hill Garage in Darlington but then moved to the Middlesbrough depot of Cooper Transport Services as a transport manager.

In 1972, Sep and Mary decided they could make a go of it as a clearing house. The change to ‘O’ Operators Licensing in 1970 had done away with the restrictive Carriers Licensing and this allowed almost anyone to enter the road haulage world. With all his knowledge and expertise, Sep reckoned he could be a conduit to these newcomers by providing them with back loads through his assortment of contacts. And of course, such a service could be operated from their Dalrington home which was suitably equipped with extra telephones. “My dad always had a fantastic knowledge of roads,” says Donald, “and many times I heard him explain to drivers exactly where to go – and how to get there – using the individual road numbering.”