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Harwood Lodge |
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Fine tuning being carried out at Harwood lodge |
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We had to have a rethink to make best use of the available space in the workshop to start trading as soon as possible, I cleared the floor area and built a mezanine floor over half the area to give us a stores facility to get organised.teh underside of the mezanine was sufficent to get one car in and close the sliding doors . |
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To get access to the underside� we had a ramp in a bay near to the poultry sheds� run by David Clarke for the production of battery� eggs. |
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The aroma� for these units�� was powerful indeed especially� when� the excrement clearing� belts under the� hen cages� broke as they�� often did and� repairs had to be made� to the conveyer� belt in situ,� thankfully� not in my �remit of� duties.. |
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David Clarke enjoyed outdoor farming persuits he was heavily into the� hunting shootin and fishin� brigade to the degree� that air� rifle� practice was often� heard whistling past the open end of the ramp bay some� 80� yards from the sunken kitchen� with its� window sill below� ground. |
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And� land army type� girl Maria� I think the feed� for the poultry� was kept in the upstairs loft above one part of the� work area, extreme� care had to be. Taken� on any� open surgery on mechanical� components ingress� of� foreign matter totally eliminated. |
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Contemporary� customers� and callers included� such names as Don Grimshaw , Bobby Parkes, George� Humble, Roger Willis,� later on Castrol comp� manager.Tom� Warburton, John� Mcartney, Geoff Allen, Jim� Bullough, Tony� Mason Geoff� Allen, most of� whom went on to fine results� in their chosen field of motor sport.� All in the space of the blink of an eye.In these� early days� Help was usually� by the kind� thought of a Mr Bob� Smith,he spent many a happy hour with me preparing� for events� in� his spare time. |
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Bob being an ex� guards man who once served in her Majesties household division� of the��� Grenadier Guards having had racing success� at the TripoliGP� representing the� army motorcycle racing team.�He had owned many british sports cars over the years�� finishing up with an XJ6 Jaguar saloon . |
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TheXJ6� being a 2.4� was not the� most popular of the range� but in our own way we� serviced� out all potential�� problems that this unit showed in the hands of less caring owners. Giving� several hundred of thousands of happy� miles to Bob.� His� help� came to me FOC in exchange for� assistance on his Jaguar� servicing. |
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.A� kindred spirit in� approach to the motor engineering standards that are needed if� competition success� is to be achievable accompanying me� on several support outings on to the continent, on the� Monte Carlo rally three times in particular. |
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As� time passed� the need� for more turn over and� output became apparent if the natural potential of the results� achieved was to be capitalised upon. |
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�We� built a Vauxhall VX 4/90.� For Geoff Allen of Altringham for the Monte Carlo rally to� run with works event assistance as a private entrant.The factory car was Sam� Nordell�� with north country navigator Ted� Rowlands.� Both suffering in a big accident on a mountain pass in the Alps,� while making Ice Notes prior to the event ,they left the road and went down a ravine for some 150meters rolling� all the way,� Sam� was killed, Ted trapped for many hours struggling up to the road to raise thealarm. |
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Returning to the uk some weeks later Ted complained of a stiff neck a call to his� GP and an X ray� showed�� he� was carrying a broken neck any adverse movement would been bad if not fatal.� |
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Tom warburton at home on the northern hills in the 60s with his 1293 cooper S and his roadgoing Etype |
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