ben wyatt of wyatts of snetterton

[rogerjones]

crazey horse worked for ben for 26 and a half years the best years i had in muck shifting,has any one got any photoes of 657s.i operated the 3rd 657 ben bought,it was at westfield in scotland.for costains.we moved to bath gate to costains open cast.we where the first motor scrapers to cross forth bridge.at 5 miles a houre.left armadale traveled to castle donnington airfield.to excavate the new runways.when we where stripping topsoil we uncoversd the old electric cables.ben was on site he used to pull up the endof the cable we use tye on back of 657 and tear off down the airfield.we never opened our wage packets.we where.gettihg so mutch money from cable.sold it at long eaton scrap yard.what a job.never had so mutch money.i was a genral forman for ben for 20 years.worked on jobs allover te country/.bens favorit saying was have a job just down the road.it would be about .300 houndred miles away.he would look at you with a little smile on his face.the best gaffer i worked for .a proper gentleman.not a pig like some so called gaffers.sad day when i left to go back home to work for f l gambles 20 years as fg.till i retired 2006.bought pub in workington.where i now live,a treat not to get phone call day and night work related.now spend our time traveling the country in our motorhome what a good life i am going to visit some old work mates this year when i go to norfolk to look them up.many thank to all the people i worked with muckshifting roger jones better nown as crazey horse all the happy years.

[Osgood]

Has anyone recorded the history of Wyatts? If I have this right, in the 1930s Ben's family moved their entire farm, including all stock and machinery, in one go by train from Scotland down to Norfolk where land was readily available (tenant farmers were abandoning large areas during the '30s). His brother had contracted polio as a youngster hence the sticks.

I know someone who couple of years back tracked down an old New Zealand chap living in Diss - who as a young man just before WW2 had come over with the ambition of driving machines. Ben had just bought a couple of big Cat dozers (I think he was a Cat agent for a while?) and once the war was well underway Ben had a visit from a 'man from the Ministry' who summoned him to an office in Whitehall. There he was told he and his dozers were needed for priority work. There would be contract in writing, but he would be supplied periodically with plans and was to work to these for which he would receive payment.

So off set Ben and the young Kiwi, busy bulldozing out tracts of land - obviously runways. After a while out of curiosity they went back to see what was happening at the first sites, but instead of acres of fresh concrete all they found were a few folk weeding the graded areas. It then dawned on them that they had been creating 'dummy' airfields to act as decoys!

Apparently obtaining spares for things like Gardner engines during the war was next to impossible. Ben had a Gardner powered welder which needed a new flywheel. The work described above was important enough for him to get a priority authorisation - he had to take a train up to Gardner's factory in Manchester, and after waiting all day received the all important 'freshly machined' flywheel.

[bob]

When I first worked for Ben it was trading under the name of J Wyatt Junior same as fridge freight of Diss I seem to remember something about Diss construction ltd also being part of group .Then the name was changed to Wyatt of Snetterton in early 70s their is also a brother Pearn who has a farm at Snetterton where Wyatts ww2 aircraft hanger which was used as workshop was .Ben also done car racing at Snetterton in early 50s driving a Frazer Nash FN48 , he also had a Ferrari, Aston Martin,and other sports cars which where in the hanger. When the miners strike was on and the 3 day week that old gardner engine was running outside the hanger doors running the welders but I think it was a generator not a welder but I could be wrong

[rogerjones]

crazey horsey roger jones 26 years with ben.the last job I worked on for ben was thrapsdon by pass.i was the first person to know ben hsd sold out to phellans.he came on site and said he would see me in the pub that night.when I got to the pub ben bought me a pint and we talked about old time.then he told me he had sold out to phellans .after a couple of pints.ben gave me an envelope and said don't open till I got back to my caravan,when I opened it £50 pound notest totalling 6 grand.with a note saying thanks for all the years service what a great gaffer ,one of my best memories of be was when we went meet English china clay about work ay lee moor where public works where thrown off the job,ben tock the job,we went back to the London road hotel in iveybridge.that night we meet some off bens old mates he bought the beer all night.next morning I went dowm to the lounge for breakfast.satdown the the waitres shouted mr wyaat ben was on the floor with financial times spreadout on floor put his hand and said over hear.another memory was in Kinross in Scotland when we where doing the m90.ben came back to hotel with mud allover his shoes walked through lounge up staires to his room,the jumped up maneger went ape shit where is the person that made the mess I will throw him out on his ear.down comes ben maneger confronted him an argument tock place.bens reply was to say he wouid buy the place and first job would be to sack you you jumped up soandso the maneger went away with his tail between his legs.what a laugh we had.me and my brother in law where the first to go from diss to snetterton hanger to clean out john clarrey was the forman then.for the move to snetterton full time then bob honeywood came over old mr mack was in charge in office.bruce bailey was contracts maneger.thoes where the days proper muckshifting.thoes days you had to be an operator not a .socalled driver.likenow.thoes where the days proper muck shifters,the old school thouse days will never come back.still miss the crack to all the old school muckshifters out the whish you all a happy Christmas and new year from crazey horse

[Jim M]

Interesting story Roger about Lee Moor . I live about a mile from there and work with a local bloke (Keven) who worked for public works . He said they were a funny bunch as he wasn't a proper PW man they wouldn't let him in to have snack with them in there canteen he had to sit in his car instead. He also remembers Ben's scrapers turning up on site , someone posted a pic and i scanned it of to show him. Roger do you have any pics of the Lee Moor job at all ?

Jim

[rogerjones]

jim I misplaced all my old photos when we moved to Cumbria 7years ago.we had a local lad worked at lee moor for us his name was brian he had ginger hair he had a smallholding.we dug out the old winding house and used it as workshop.we had our caravans at rosemount guest house in plymstock.lee moor was a verey depressing place in winter damp and misty and loads off rain nice to hear from you.

[rogerjones]

bens family didn't move from Scotland they moved from devon to Norfolk all cattle where moved by train. ben operated under several name ie diss plant and trading-fridge freight/j wyatt junior-diss construction=wyatts of snetterton was the last when he sold out to phellan plant I stayed there for six months after buy out could see where they where going and jacked and when to work down south for f l gamble where I stayed for19 years then retired to Cumbria where I bought a pub the sailors return,which we have turned into our house total renovated still has the bar and built new house next door for daughter.crazey horse

[rogerjones]

correct ben did have an old schammel lorrey out side hanger door running the power for hanger then built the offices and mess room.good old days

[rogerjones]

correct ben did have an old schammel lorrey out side hanger door running the power for hanger then built the offices and mess room.good old days when I started for ben on Washington bypass in 60s the plant 5 dw21 2 657 aec 8 wheelers no 5-951-2 d6-1 19a I 18a 2 22as and onionsboxes cat grader 38rb -10rb -37rb -33rb -and link belt navvie-schammel low loader driven by tom Collins.peter dunn was site fitter john clarrey gf-ben then bought 5 631bs and d966a from haiges who went broke.then bought 3rd 657 when we where at west field open cast for costain which I operated.when he got the m90 for fitspatrick he bought 3 627s 4 ts24s 988 d65 4 r35s.ackerman 25.5 Shawnee pools. in 1969.70

[Jim M]

Roger i know the guy with ginger hair. The man is called Brian Rendle and the small holding is just down the hill from Lee moor called Tin park which is a riding stable and is still run by his ex wife. I grew up at Cholwichtown farm which is on the same site of the works and where my gran did B+B for the workers who came to work at Lee Moor. The hotel in Ivybridge where you stayed was knocked down about 20yrs ago and flats rebuilt on it called London court flats. Shame you have no photo's of that time as i would loved to have seen them . I also worked at Lee moor pit for a time driving a D8R and excavator, i now work across the road at wbb / sibelco's china clay pit. As regards to the weather it can be a miserable and disorientating old place .

Jim