My grandfather, John Garrett, the same one as my last Sepia Saturday post,
had heaps of trucks – a whole warehouse full!
He owned and ran Garrett & Griffiths racehorse
transport, see my post on Melbourne Cup Day.
My brothers and I would sometimes go to his 'work' and
‘play’ on the trucks, climbing all through them, often while our Dad did some
paperwork there.
Sometimes we were allowed go to the races IN THE TRUCK
with the horses! – well not in with the horse(s) but with the driver.
One time
I went with six police horses and had to sit on the policeman’s knee (I was
much smaller then!).
I’m allergic to horses and would get awful hayfever and often asthma but that wasn’t enough to stem the excitement of ‘going in the truck’.
Here are some of Pa’s trucks through the years and a photo of him and my Nanna all dressed up going to the Trainer’s Ball in 1955.
Pa would love it that he was getting so much attention / publicity on my blog!
There are more trucks on another blog post about my Pa
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| 1955 All dolled up for the Trainer's Ball |
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| 1929 a Leyland motor vehicle demonstration |
Your ancestors are sooooo interesting, Jackie.
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling their stories.
Jackie, this reminds me of the many horses we (KLM) carried by air in Boeing 747 Combi aircraft. Often they also went to races, three in a stall. Transportation to/from the airport took place in exactly the same kind of truck as operated by your Dad. We even had (and have) an Animal Hotel at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport where also the horses could take a rest.
ReplyDeleteA very nice set of pictures you have! And thanks for reviving my memory.
Lovely pictures..Melbourne races is one of only two races I have ever been to.
ReplyDeleteInteresting pictures Jackie and how exciting.................that you got to sit on a policeman's knee!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you so much for turning word verification off - we all appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a truck like that before with apparently no seat for a passenger. Is that right? It must have been fun being a part of the "behind the scenes" action of the racehorse business.
ReplyDeleteThe front of those trucks looks very different from any truck I have seen.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen trucks like these either. What fun you must have had playing on them! Great photos.
ReplyDeleteThe trucks look much more interesting than the horse boxes that go up and down our lane to the local riding school.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting. I wonder how he realised that here was a niche there that could provide him with an income.
ReplyDeleteWhat interesting trucks your grandfather had. They look so much roomier and safer for the horses than the ones that I see now.
ReplyDeleteYou must have really loved being able to ride in them. Too bad about the allergy though.
Nancy
Thanks for sharing these images. This style of truck with the enclosed half-cab always seems so weird to me.
ReplyDeleteWhat pictures - perfect Sepia Saturday material. I have never even thought about "racehorse transport" before, but I suppose the poor horses have to get to the racecourse somehow.
ReplyDeleteWow! I have never seen trucks like these before. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteKathy M.
So very interesting indeed! Tell us more, and what a wonderful and different truck that was!
ReplyDeletethey're amazing, brilliant history lesson
ReplyDeleteWell done Jack. Certainly brings back memories, interesting trucks, interesting horses, but the trainers and owners were something "different". If you knew what went on you would never back a racehorse again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the comments. I'll write a little more about the trucks soon. Meanwhile you can read a bit about the life of a racehorse transport driver on my Melbourne Cup blog - the link is above. My Dad used to drive for my Pa and I cornered Dad one visit and asked him about it.
ReplyDeleteWith that family background, you were in an ideal position to contribute some great pictures for this photo prompt.
ReplyDeleteJackie, Loved your style in this post. I felt a "litle girl" excitement about the horses,truc and policeman --- much like you may have felt -- or so it seemed. Enjoyed the pictures and backstory.
ReplyDeleteGood post!
ReplyDelete