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Herbert Dunkley Collection


John Brightley

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In case people are not aware, the CRT archive is gradually digitising Bert Dunkley's slide collection and they are available to view online at

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197

Because Bert was photographing canals and boats from the 1950's onwards, there are some real gems amongst the collection - ones that I have particularly noticed so far include:

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.35.11

post-23238-0-07478000-1475176277_thumb.jpg

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.35.3

post-23238-0-87329800-1475176521_thumb.jpg

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.35.5

post-23238-0-70483900-1475176681_thumb.jpg

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.35.7

post-23238-0-46088500-1475176803_thumb.jpg

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.35.12

post-23238-0-19530600-1475176399_thumb.jpgpost-23238-0-01183600-1475176411_thumb.jpg

I'm particularly interested in the last photo - does anyone know the history of this Courtaulds motor ?

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In case people are not aware, the CRT archive is gradually digitising Bert Dunkley's slide collection and they are available to view online at

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.35.12

 

I'm particularly interested in the last photo - does anyone know the history of this Courtaulds motor ?

From my scraps and notes:

 

The motor is Courtauld Ltd.'s No. 7, built by Gilbert Brothers, Charity Dock in 1937. No. 7 was Oxford Canal Company gauged as 5662 (71'6'' x 7'2'' x 31 tons @ 48.13'') on 22 June 1938, but does not appear to have been health registered. No. 7 was powered by a 12hp Petter and had 13 iron containers on board when gauged.

 

By April 1961 No. 7 had been converted to the house boat ALICE MAY, and by August 1972 the Petter 12hp had been replaced by a Lister JP3 (serial number available) - the Petter ending up dumped on the bank at 'Shop Lock', Long Itchington before being rebuilt a few years ago and is currently fitted in the exF.M.C. Ltd. CRANE.

 

My records indicate that ALICE MAY sank at Norton Junction in the late 1980's and was subsequently broken up captain.gif

 

edit = ALICE MAY was operated by the Warwickshire Fly Boat Company as a charter boat for several years.

Edited by pete harrison
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In case people are not aware, the CRT archive is gradually digitising Bert Dunkley's slide collection

 

Just curious, but do you have evidence or knowledge that much new is being added to the CRT digital archive.

 

I must admit that every time I go back to it in the hope of finding something new, I can usually only see stuff I have seen previously.

 

I was convinced not a lot new was being put up. Do you know otherwise, please?

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Just curious, but do you have evidence or knowledge that much new is being added to the CRT digital archive.

 

I must admit that every time I go back to it in the hope of finding something new, I can usually only see stuff I have seen previously.

 

I was convinced not a lot new was being put up. Do you know otherwise, please?

 

You probably know more than me Alan, it just seemed to me that there were more online now than the last time I looked.

 

From my scraps and notes:

 

The motor is Courtauld Ltd.'s No. 7, built by Gilbert Brothers, Charity Dock in 1937. No. 7 was Oxford Canal Company gauged as 5662 (71'6'' x 7'2'' x 31 tons @ 48.13'') on 22 June 1938, but does not appear to have been health registered. No. 7 was powered by a 12hp Petter and had 13 iron containers on board when gauged.

 

Thanks very much Pete - I thought you would have the answer !

I guess that it was purely used on the short-haul Courtaulds waste traffic from their Coventry factories to their tip at Hawkesbury and that nobody lived aboard, hence no health registration needed.

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The more I look at the collection, the more interesting boat photos I find, some of which won't be obvious from the titles unless you go through them one by one.

Here are a few more:

FMC Quail: http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.29.49

post-23238-0-20650500-1475183649_thumb.jpg

Alder: http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.29.1

post-23238-0-10679200-1475184566_thumb.jpg

Columba and Union Jack: http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.24.11

post-23238-0-26548500-1475184149_thumb.jpg

 

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The first photo in post No1, is the motor Hawke with the butty Susan at Sutton Stop. These boats were at the time Captained by William Humphris and family. Their son, Mike, whom I visit had left the fold by this time and was in charge of other Barlow Boats.

 

I am working off a tablet and am finding it difficult to copy etc.

Edited by Ray T
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  • 2 weeks later...
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You probably know more than me Alan, it just seemed to me that there were more online now than the last time I looked.

 

Thanks very much Pete - I thought you would have the answer !

I guess that it was purely used on the short-haul Courtaulds waste traffic from their Coventry factories to their tip at Hawkesbury and that nobody lived aboard, hence no health registration needed.

When I worked at Courtaulds in the 80s I got very excited when I discovered some old boat maintenance tools in one of the many abandoned sheds on the site.

 

My colleagues fed that excitement by sending me a spoof internal memo saying that Courtaulds was reviving its fleet and was looking for someone to manage the maintenance of the boats and the planned new yard.

 

Apparently they still chuckle about the ease I was taken in to the extent that I sent my application and CV to the lass in HR who was in on the joke.

  • Greenie 1
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More boats found in the collection:

Duchess of York, Heather Bell and Sickle

attachicon.gifDuchess of York, Heather Bell and Sickle.jpg

 

Sickle is carrying a special livery that seems to have been applied for a big exhibition of work boats in Brownings Pool a few years previously'

 

We have at least one other picture believed to be Sickle carrying the same special paint job.

 

We would dearly love to find more photos that give greater details of this colour scheme, and if we could be fairly accurate about it might consider it for Sickle's next repaint.

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Effingham

attachicon.gifEffingham.jpg

Unlike the other Pimblott built motor's EFFINGHAM was repainted shortly after this photograph was taken, and was also fitted with conventional cants on the back deck. These two alterations make it easy to identify EFFINGHAM when the name can not be seen captain.gif

Edited by pete harrison
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  • 2 years later...

As I had some time spare I took a trawl through Bert Dunkleys slides in the box #10 Su canal there is a photo of Bellerophon ib BW colours captioned Bellerophon tied alongsde a motor boat at Norbury 1967 the back end of the motor is the boat I owned at that time "Lily"I had just returned from a trip Norbury /Hillmorton picked up & towed back Bellerophon to Norbury for coversion to horse drawn trip boat to re place wooden "Iona "

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12 hours ago, Ray T said:

The man himself, he was a Coventry Headmaster.

Bert Dunkley.jpg

Bert & Evelyn Dunkley.JPG

Ray -that seems to be the headstone of another Bert Dunkley.

The Bert who took the photos and is shown in your photo didn't pass away until 20 years later - here is the plaque to his memory at Coventry Canal Basin.

(from  https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plaque_in_memory_of_Herbert_Ralph_(Bert)_Dunkley.jpg  )

448px-Plaque_in_memory_of_Herbert_Ralph_(Bert)_Dunkley.jpg

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