Commercial Vehicle Album 2. Minor postwar UK Manufacturers

In Auto Review 189 we told the stories of some companies which made minor contributions to British commercial vehicle history, from the earliest days up to the Second World War.  In this publication we look at another selection of minor British manufacturers, this time mostly from those working in the postwar years. 

By the 1940s the motor industry was firmly in the hands of those companies which had been successful in the prewar years, followed by large and lucrative wartime contracts. It was very difficult for smaller firms to break into the commercial vehicle business in later years, having to compete with those large established manufacturers. 

Mostly they had to find a specialised niche which the big firms had neglected, or which required a high degree of one-off custom building.

These products were often, therefore, in areas such as off-road dumptrucks, heavy haulage of abnormal loads, or aircraft tugs. If they were successful, they ran the risk of being taken over by a bigger manufacturer, but if a small company was  less successful they usually ceased production. 

This publication covers these brand names; 

Annis, Argyle, Baron, Bruce-SN, Beardmore (and Multiwheelers), DJB (and AWD), Douglas (plus Reliance and Mercury), Dennison, Haulamatic, Heathfield, HHT, Robert Hudson, Jensen (and Hindle-Smart-Helecs), Mack, Norde, Proctor, Quest 80, Reynolds-Boughton, Rotinoff, Rowe-Hillmaster, Rutland (and MTN), Stonefield, Thompson Bros, TVW, Unipower and the Wynns Pacifics. Some of these manufacturers have been mentioned in other Auto Review publications, but we give them a fuller description in these pages. The inclusion of some names may be questioned by enthusiasts, as their vehicles were ‘only’ conversions, or were solely intended for a company’s own use. They are included here because they have been seen on the road under their own badges, so their stories need to be told.