30/12/2025
Apologies for not writing up this amazing tale up until now, but it's too good to have rushed and got wrong!
You may remember there was a short video we had put up a couple of months ago, with Barton Transport's 1988 last coach (for now), a 12 metre DAF MB230 no less, being rather dramatically removed on a suspended tow by an equally impressive Crouch Recovery truck (see photo as they pass Barton House, Chilwell)
What was not revealed at time, but which we had intended to (until a couple of gremlins crept in), was a most amazing and (no pun intended) moving coincidence.
A two man team had been sent out from Grantham with the specialist vehicle because Paul, at Paul Winson Coaches, Loughborough thought that the most appropriate collection and delivery method to get the DAF into his workshop. In turn Paul's business was to renew elements of the DAFs' 1980s air suspension which had perished, was leaking, and so not holding the rear end up in the air to allow it to be driven across for repairs. And so to the point...
I was to learn that Mick, the driver of the recovery truck looked at his job sheet that morning with no inkling he was being sent to Nottingham, and Chilwell in particular, which rang a particular bell. I believe he'd got the registration of the casualty, and so looked that up only to discover the identity of the vehicle which had clear and very special Chilwell connections, because it was Barton's last, AND it was at the historic address of The Garage, Chilwell.
And here is where the story becomes very special, because Mick is Michael Kell, and he takes up the story in a text that day:
"Hi Simon, it's Mick (Michael Kell) Cronin...As spoke about this morning, most of my family worked for Bartons in Melton Mowbray, My dad, Roger Cronin was the Garage Foreman, my grandad was the Depot Manager, Dennis Cronin, my mum Linda Cronin worked in the travel office, and my uncle Simon Cronin was a driver at one point, and two aunties, Ann Billington and Betty Brown, were conductors back in the day. Today was a nice day, a struggle of a job but very worth it due to the job in hand and the family connection and history, it was a great pleasure and honour to carry out the job, although a huge coincidence that this job was given to me without even knowing. And like I said one of my aunts still has one of two of the corner stones to the Melton Garage main entrance. I know it's corny but my dad gave his life to Bartons, and his loyalty was second to none.
He added "When the main garage closed, they moved to a small unit on Snow Hill Industrial Estate, to cover some school runs and town service runs, my dad stayed and moved there as well to keep things moving/running right up until the very last day"
We had hoped to published this post a few weeks ago with (we'd hoped) news the two DAFs (645 has been out too) had passed their MOTs and were back taxed for the road, but wouldn't you just know it, we had two minor faults that had arisen on the run up to Yardleys at Sutton in Ashfield. And since we've had no time to fix them either!
With great thanks to Mick for his part in this astonishing coincidence, and for providing so much information about his loyal family; and hopefully we can deal with the darned DAF issues early in the New Year (any mobile mechanic available to free a rear brake off one, at Chilwell?)
I believe that members of Mick's family who may see this post also have some photos they may be able to share in the future.
