Fire-fighting veterans
Page 57
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
0 t's funny what some folks are persuaded to buy when they pop into their local for a quiet pint. Dogs, watches, video recorders, Spanish cigarettes...talk to enough customers in any pub and someone is sure to point you in the direction of some or all of these goods.
But Philip Hoskin, boss of Parsons Transport in Aylesbeare, Devon, added a novel twist to this shopping list when he stopped for refreshment at his local hostelry— he ended up buying seven veteran fire engines for £10,000. A regular pointed him in the direction of components supplier Tecalamit which happened to be storing the seven appliances and was anxious to offload them. Hoskins looked them over and decided he could sell them on to collectors.
The collection includes a pair of Merryweatherbodied Dodges built for an export order that was never completed and a pair of AECs. But pride of place goes to a 1939 Leyland Tiger which spent the war years extinguishing incendiary bombs in Manchester. Hoskins has decided to renovate the old battler and keep it: "It's in running order and could fetch up to £6,000 in prime condition," he says. As for the rest, if you fancy a fire engine contact him on 01395 232252.