Father’s Day commercial vehicle gathering at Bressingham Hall

Posted by Chris Graham on 20th August 2024

We report on this year’s Father’s Day commercial vehicle gathering that took place at Bressingham Hall, in Norfolk, recently.

Photos: Rachelle Vandersloot

Commercial vehicle gathering: ERF quartet: a trio of ECs, owned by Jamie Newton, plus Rachelle Vandersloot’s 1990 Cummins-powered E10 tractor unit.

Organised by Gary and Julie Woodruff, the Father’s Day commercial vehicle gathering at Bressingham Hall, near Diss, in Norfolk, has already established itself as an important event in the local lorry-show calendar. It was envisaged originally, however, as a slightly lower-key alternative to Gary and Julie’s Norfolk Showground event which, due to problems related to site availability, was unable to go ahead.

Locally-based Postbus enthusiast David Cott arranged a special display of Post Office vehicles including several from his collection. Vauxhall Brava X432 AHT was built for service on Colonsay, in the Hebrides, and its route included a low-tide ‘wade’ through seawater to the neighbouring island of Oronsay.

Though vehicle entries are by invitation-only due to lack of space at Bressingham, the venue has many other attractions, including narrow and standard gauge railways, a fine Dad’s Army museum (the outside scenes from the iconic BBC series having been filmed just down the road in Thetford), vintage fairground rides, fine gardens and more. And, with the additional attraction of lots of lorries, a Father’s Day trip to Bressingham takes some beating as a treat for a dad who’s interested in transport.

Ford Fiesta Postbus P678 OEH inaugurated the only Postbus route in Shropshire, which ran from Whitchurch to Whixall. Purchased from service for preservation in 2000.

Anyway, here are a few of the interesting vehicles that attended this year’s event.

Steve Knight’s Austin Maestro mailvan is a real rarity, while BT made significant use of Maestro vans, the Post Office did not. This van is now in lovely condition, despite having been stolen for use in a cash dispenser ram-raid shortly after completion.

Neal and Nigel Davis’s Fordson pick-up is now normally resident at the Mid-Suffolk light railway; hence its restoration in British Railway’s ‘Blood and Custard’ livery of the 1950s.

1934 Shelvoke & Drewry Freighter with Chelsea bodywork is owned by the Southern Counties Historic Vehicles Preservation Trust, but has been on loan to the Dad’s Army Museum since 2015, as it appeared in the 1971 Dad’s Army film.

1949 Bedford M Type Pantechnicon has been in preservation for some years, though for some strange reason we haven’t seen it before! A pity, because it’s absolutely stunning.

Wayne Blake’s 1985 Volvo F10 tractor unit, the restoration of which we featured back in May 2021. It was new to Kammac International of Rochdale. Still looking very good, of course…

Stephen Peck’s stunning restoration of the 1952 Sentinel 4/4DV GWW 190 is also a past CVC cover feature lorry, this time from 2018. It was new to John Smith’s and later served with Duffield’s.

1968 Bedford CA LWB with Martin Walter Utilabrake conversion to people carrier. A remarkably tidy and original looking example, with an entirely believable 45,000 miles recorded.

This report comes from the latest issue of Classic & Vintage Commercials, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE