Three Cocks Steam & Vintage Rally

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42nd annual Three Cocks Steam & Vintage Rally

Monday 12th August 2024 8:00 am

There was something for everyone at this year's Three Cocks Steam & Vintage Rally (Photos by E A Bates)

New president and founder member, Margaret James opened the 42nd Three Cocks Steam & Vintage Rally held at Boatside Farm, Hay-on-Wye, writes E A Bates. The event, which took place on Sunday, August 11, was organised by the Three Cocks Vintage Society.

In her speech, Mrs James recounted how the Society was formed with it accumulating with the inaugural rally in 1978. The assembled steam engines in the ring blew their whistles in

As usual the Rally had a selection of tractors, cars, lorries, motorcycles, pedal cycles, steam engines, stationary engines and military vehicles on display.

The activities in the Ring started with the parade of steam engines, three locals had their steamers on display; Tom Henderson had his 1901 Fowler agricultural engine ‘Pride of the Wye’; the Williams family had their Fowler TE2 ‘Russian Engine’; whilst Leigh Miles had his 1903 Wallis & Stevens engine. The Mason family of Hereford had their 1931 Fowler steam roller which had been originally supplied to West Riding of Yorkshire County Council. It also had local interest having been used by Abermule contractors J E Corfield & Sons right up to 1961. The Aveling steam roller of the Evans family, Red Lion or as painted on it ‘De Rode Leeuw’ as the 1925 engine had been exported to Holland to spend its working life around Utrecht and Eindhoven area before going into preservation. The Dyfed-Powys Police Dog team gave a display of their dogs’ duties for law enforcement including everything from drugs detection to general protection work. Society Chairman, David Price played his part of the aggressor before the two-year-old Dutch Shepherd dog Scar was unleashed and raced across the ring to grab the padded arm protector of the chair. Then it was the turn of three-year-old, Monty, a Cocker Spaniel who searched the ring for amphetamines and cocaine which had been strategically hidden in two coats. Little Monty indicated by standing still to receive his reward of playing with his tennis ball. The tractor display was excellent as usual, with the regular displays from the David Brown club, the International Harvester club and the Massey & Ferguson club - there was also a massive display of 23 county tractors on show. County fanatic Martyn Nicholls had cajoled owners to display the various models assembled, from the Fordson Major based County crawler to a big 1184 as well as bringing three of his own fleet out. Amongst the other makes on display were the 1925 John Deere model D of Mike Yeats of Libanus, and veteran tractor collector Colin Lewis had his tiny Italian Balilla tractor on show, being dwarfed by the Austrian Steyr 8130A tractor of Ben Aubrey of Leominster. Another Italian tractor was the 1983 Carraro of Ledbury’s Andy Boyle. West Wales supported the rally well with Jac Vaughan of Crymych with his 1962 Fordson Super Dexta, fellow Crymych residents, father and son Wyn & Llyr Mathias had their 1938 Marshall 12-20 (which was Breconshire registered) and Allis Chalmers B together with Dai Thomas of Llandysul with his 1937 Massey Harris 25 which he repaired in the week as the water pump had failed at a rally the week before. A number of ladies had their tractors on display, SJ Jones with her County 1124 and Diana Vaughan-Thomas with her Leyland 154 being two of them.

Mike Chandler section head of the commercials had assembled a varied collection, with Mike himself having his AEC Mercury on display. Tommy Williams (of haulage firm fame TD Williams) had three of his Bedfords on show - one fitted out as a coal truck complete with scales and coal bags, whilst another old firm Lloyds of Ludlow had two of their historic fleet, a AEC and a Seddon Atkinson on show. A big 1956 Scammell Mountaineer 4x4 of Ketty Barr nicknamed Hercules dwarfed the little 1950 Standard van of Dave Prosser of Bastonford. Bringing back memories was the Carnation Milk livery 1948 Leyland Beaver of Phil Ballenger of Bishops Wood. Amongst the selection of motorcycles on show was the section leader, Malcolm Webster’s 1927 Sunbeam M7, which was followed around the ring by R Guest’s 1929 Sunbeam M90 race bike. Clive Davies of Dorstone had his BSA B31 who passed the motorised Honda engined wheelbarrow of Dylan Phillips of Llanfrynach. Terry Brown of West Pontnewydd, had a selection of Honda Cubs on show a C50, C70 and C90 & C100.