In 1954 as a twelve year old nosy git, I was always following my Dad around and wondering what he was up to.

One evening I inquired of my Mum why he was carrying all these scaffold poles into the garden.  She replied “I’m not sure, you had better ask your Dad”.

I wondered out into the garden and asked him what he was up to. He replied “I’m making a trailer to carry our tent and stuff on our holiday”.

The next few weeks Dad was hack sawing and gathering scaffold clamps.  He laid them out on the lawn and it looked like the incredible hulks Meccano set.

On assembling there was a 6X6 foot square held together with clamps.  The draw bar was an extra long scaffold pole with a swivel clamp to attach it behind the bike.

 

Not being too clear on trailers I said “don’t it need wheels?” the reply was “sod off”.

He disappeared into the shed and came out with two wheel barrow wheels and a length of iron rod. On asking “what’s that Dad?”  - “That’s going to be the axle”.

But he found he had to saw up a couple more scaffold poles to bolt the axle together.

After assembling the wheels he had no bearings at all and very thin wheelbarrow tyres.  He said “that’s looking good”.

Stage two.

He broke up an old wardrobe and used the corner pieces to make the supporting slates for the floor.  Being only twelve at the time it never entered my mind about bearings, lights, hitch or suspension. I naturally thought my Dad knew what he was doing.

On reflection, knowing what I know now, it makes my blood run cold.

 

Once loaded with a 14 X 14 foot army tent plus the lower part of a wardrobe with clothes for six people plus all the cooking utensils etc even now I awake in a sweat hearing the 25 mile canaries i.e. the wheels with no bearings in need of oil.

The trip from Worthing to Port Talbot seemed to go on forever and very rarely did we make it in one day.  It was only in later life when driving to Port Talbot for a holiday, I said to my wife Penny “this can’t be the same Port Talbot we used to come to. It’s only taken us five hours”  Penny replied “yeh, but your Dad was a steady driver.

 

Fred "Mr March" Weare