This 1912 Burford lorry bought in New Zealand in 1936 when WW2 surplus vehicles were sent to Australia & New Zealand. It as bought by Mr E. Sinclair when the Cheltenham Co-operative Dairy Company replaced their trucks in 1936 and was used for farm work on their Cheltenham farm.
After many useful years the aged truck was parked under trees and left to decay. 1999 saw Keith Ireland remove the remains of the Burford and take it to Tauranga. By now a tree had fallen across the lorry, the back diff was pushed around by the front wheels which were decayed, the cab had deteriorated completely and the chassis had perished.
What a work of persistence, skill and love it must have been to restore this vehicle to today’s condition.
In April 2011 Keith Ireland donated this lorry to the Coach House Museum providing another wonderful link to the past, which will stir many memories for visitors. It is thought that lorry’s similar to this were used in World War One because they had small trays and could stand up to the rough roads and tracks over dry ground. They were sometimes used as ambulances or carried supplies to the armed forces.
After the 1914-1918 war, surplus armoury and vehicles were sent to Australia and New Zealand. Dairy factories found uses for them, replacing the horse drawn carts used to distribute milk. Stacked on the lorry deck are a collection of milk and cream cans, complete with supplier’s factory numbers.