The History of Ruddington Depot
HomeThe StoryInterviewsPhotographsResources
Under the Hammer
From tents to trucks and tractors
Most of the lots were of automobiles, motorcycles, trucks and heavy machinery – even those that had been badly damaged could be sold for spare parts recalls Robert Hanson:
“There were land rovers that were taken up in aeroplanes and dropped out of the sky with parachutes from 20,000 ft. and they looked a pretty sorry sight. But you could see exactly what was wrong with it and the Ministry never tried to hide any problem.”
Vehicles
on Moor End vehicle park lined up for viewing prior to auctionOther
interesting items included snow ploughs and tanks (with their gun barrels
removed). Reputedly one lucky buyer bought a Bedford truck only to find 10
BSA & Norton motorcycles in the back when he collected it after the sale.
Later on other governmental departments used the auctions to sell surplus
items – limousines and Rolls Royce’s from foreign embassies found
their way onto the Depot, as well as invalid cars from the Ministry of Health.
However, these were not the only items sold in the early years. Running in tandem with the Vehicle Sales was the Miscellaneous Sales where, according to Robert Hanson:
“They sold army boots, jackets, haversacks, razor blades, housewives (those little sewing kits), shoes, raincoats, tents, sparking plugs, watches, binoculars, all spares and bits and bobs – even ATS bras!”
Whether old ammunition containers or boxes of boot laces, they all went under the hammer. Because of the quantities in each lot, these items were really intended for dealers, not private buyers as in the vehicle sales. Bernard Slack recollects that this did not always happen:
“One thing that arrived in boxes was millions of razor blades. Now what happened, and there was hell to pay for it, one man bought the lot. He didn’t want them so he stood at one side and he conducted his own auction in the field”.
Members of the local community at last got onto the site by attending a sale. Some of the more enterprising actually made bids and purchased goods. Jack Bagguley was one of them:
“I went several times. On the side where the big sheds were they had miscellaneous stuff, army boots, shirts, socks and all sorts. I bought 100 pairs of army boots for 30/- (£1.50) once and I sold them for 10/- a pair, 25 quid profit that was. I bought some shirts another time, a big stock of R.A.F. shirts, and I think I paid only £1 for a big box full. There was a man who used to stand on Sneinton Market, and he bought all the stockings, hundreds of pairs of A.T.S. stockings. He stood there in the market and sold them all.”
Reputedly, a number of “entrepreneurs” made a great deal of money from the items bought at the Ruddington auctions and were able to retire wealthy men.
It was such sales that gave rise to the Army Surplus Stores, which became a national chain with branches in most major towns. These stores, together with traders in local markets, supplied the general public all over the country with cheap, good quality footwear and clothing at a time when both were rationed. The overcoats, duffle coats, parachute jackets, robust trousers and stout boots were much sought after by manual workers who worked out of doors. Outdoor pursuits were becoming popular and so framed rucksacks, waterproof capes-cum-groundsheets, battle dress blouses, thick socks and heavy boots found a ready sale, alongside camping equipment, compasses, map cases and so on.
The Story > Chapter 7 > Section 7.02