Wigan Album

Hi Tom, do you happen to be Alan's son?? That sure looks like him on that barge. Nice pics - haven't seen these before.

Tom do you know that Ambush is based in Crooke now

Many thanks for these interesting photos Tom, can you remember when they were taken?

As was said previously this boat is moored at Crooke village there used to be another one Victoria i read recently that they were both going to be renovated in Burcough thats probably where Victoria is now

Ive just been to Burscough where Viktoria is moored now and saw some more old photos of Ambush in there mini museum.

I used to drive a tipper in 1965 I used to load these boats
Ambush used to carry 60tons of coal this boat had a engine
others had no engine Drag boats they were called and had to
be dragged to Westwood P.S. I remember a bargee named Ted he
had only 1 arm he used drive a dragboat,good memories EH of
me in my 20TS D.C.

To answer some of the above questions about Ambush. I am Tom Davies, Charlie Davies' son who was the captain seem wearing a flat cap and belt. The other 2 people on board were from the newspaper. Ambush is still afloat and working as a mobile refuelling station working out of Crooke. She appeared on TV recently with Tony Robinson on board during one of his Walking Through History programmes. Viktoria is the sister boat. At an early age (10yrs old) I was allowed to steer a dumb boat being towed behind either Robert (a wooden boat) of Ambush (a steel boat) and had a bike which I would use to race to prepare the locks as we approached, leaving the dumb boat to look after it self! Wooden boats and dumb boats could take about 40 tons of coal but Ambush could take almost twice that. Nerve wracking time loading as you had to keep the boat moving slowly forwards as the coal fell out of the tippler truck or rail wagon so you got uniform loading and did not sink!

There is a picture of Ambush returning empty, passing Dover Lock, Abram. Located in Album/places/abram. This would be around 1966/68.

I used to drive a coal wagon round the streets to coal fired houses, great days.

Derick, they were called a drag boat because a horse would pull the boat with a large rope.

Garry,Did you drive one of the horses that they used to pull
the Drag boats with because I never saw any horses they used
to drag them with a boat with a engine D.C.

Yes sometimes the boats had small petrol engines, but mainly horses.

The boat being towed were also called butty boats ,never heard them called drag boats

Garry,All the boats I looked at had small diesel engines ie
Villiers,Petters,Gardner,Perkins,Magirus Deutz,Cummins,Ford,
one boat had a Leyland Comet 350 wagon engine in,but I never
saw horses pulling boats D.C.

Derick those engines powered narrow boats, barges were horse drawn like you see in the photo, I've had dealing with them over the years.

Garry ,look at the turbulace in the water ,it is be being cause by the engine prop.I have never seen horse pulled barges in my lifetime

Well that all depends on how old you are PW.

Garry, With what you are telling us on W.W.about your age I
recon you must be in your eighties am I right.D.C.

Garry.66.how old are you

Derick and pw. I'M older than yesterday but younger than tomorrow.

Garry, You are living in Walter Mitty land also their are two R s in my name so get it right first time you have told
people on here to get your name right so get mine right the
only horse drawn boats you have seen are those on the programs on television get it right.D.C.

There are still horse-drawn barges or tow-boat on the Tivertonian and Kennet and Avon Canal, also on Liangollen wharf. Horse-drawn transport was from Leeds and Wigan to Liverpool.

See:-
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/bingley-to-saltaire/canal-boat-horses

No need to see them, Ernest. I know!

Gary, well googled

Yes it's that easy pw, you should try it... you Might.. just might learn something, it also proves I'm right once again.

Gary your good, especially the one about your age, it made me laugh...good un.

Gary,(Walter Mitty),give me an answer to the Devils Tunnels

GARRY... If i've told you once i've told you twice. Put that smartphone away in class.

Having read some of these comments, I've come to the conclusion that Garry has made some sensible commentary on this post. Why people have a dig at him is beyond belief. Why do you think he's wrong with this fine historical subject that Tom Davies has kindly up-loaded for all to see. Do you not think for one minute that Garry could be right. His account and opinion are valid points, and with no reason or proof to doubt he's views, I would tend to agree with him.

OW, you don't make sense, typical I suppose!
I'm going to close this post now with my comments.

Mrs E Wise,please put him into detention

To add to the comments on boat power, my father Charlie and my grandfather (Tom) and my great grandfather (William) kept horses at Red House Bridge, Harrison Road, Adlington which were used to tow canal boats on the L&L canal up to the time when steam power was introduced. I can relate many stories from my father about those days, but will ask you to consider the technology involved when two horse drawn boats met each other on a single towpath. Many fights broke out at this point!(Canal rage) My grandfather lent a horse to Leonard Fairclough, a local stone mason, when he got his first big job to build Skew Bridge out of stone, near Chorley where the A6 crosses the canal. Fairclough grew to be one of the biggest civil engineering companies in the UK and had a major part in the construction of the M6 near Wigan.
I can just remember steamers (boats powered by steam engines) but my favourite boat Robert had a wonderful Gardner engine which would start first time even on a cold winter morning. My favourite job was the daily topping up of the oil dashpots which lubricated the bearings.

hi tom i have been on ambush with your dad a few times in the 60s it ad a 2cylindergarder that run anticlockwise i fist went on boats age 12 school holidays i used to go with john maley on boat peter woodenboat 2cylinder garder electricstarter john left then i went with edie lee on boat margret[wooden]also 2 cy garder[es]some of the boats add 2 and 3cy listers boat anne add a 6cy laland 600 engine at the tiller was bill davies from howich was he your uncle your dad lived on blackrod brow i also remeber bob warlker and 1 harmed ted and jimey fenton boat elsie 2cy gardner and i thik jimmy crank and boat rodney 3cy lister,i went on those boats into my 20s till they stopt ps loading plases were crooke vllage plank lane and booths town all the best tom

ap THANKS FOR YOUR VERY INTERESTING memories. I recall all the people you mentioned and also their boats. I am up in Burscough on the 16/17th March and will be having a sail on Ambush. I would love to meet you if possible.
My father said that when he got Ambush (and other similar boats) from Ainscoughs at Burscough it was fitted with a Widdup engine, which he replaced with a Gardner.

ap can you email me. ron@wiganworld.co.uk

hi Tom thanks for your invite to Burscough i will try my best to get there because i would love to meet you too, remember seeing you with your dad on ambush as me and Edie Lee passed by you on way to Boothstown obviously a very long time ago look forward to meeting you
best regards
Allan

hi Tom thanks for your invite to Burscough i will try my best to get there because i would love to meet you too, remember seeing you with your dad on ambush as me and Edie Lee passed by you on way to Boothstown obviously a very long time ago look forward to meeting you
best regards
Allan

Both Ambush and Viktoria are presently moored at Crooke.