In 1929 Henry Thomson, who drove the mail van from Aberdeen to the Cluny area, bought a secondhand Fiat lorry with solid rubber tyres and decided to strike out on his own. Henry had been working as a driver since returning from the First World War where he lost a leg. There was great business potential in the Cluny area carrying goods and livestock and Henry's new enterprise, H Thomson Cluny Carriers, was ready to carve itself a niche, writes Ian Lawson.

The business was located in Aberdeen with premises in Farmers Hall and North Street and at one time it also had a coal store. Henry expanded, buying two Chevrolet lorries from Cheyne in Aberdeen's Holborn Street. He then bought a REO - something he regretted as this truck gave him many a mechanical headache.

By 1935 he had another REO and an Albion on solid tyres which he converted to pneumatic in 1938. He then purchased a new Albion KL127 from Forbes in Hutcheon Street and continued with general and livestock haulage. Later that year he added a Morris Commercial, but the outbreak of WW2 saw this vehicle commandeered by the military. His eldest son, Jack, also went to war.

With the end of hostilities Henry purchased another Albion, this time with a six cylinder petrol engine. Jack returned from his war service in 1947 and they moved the business to the current premises in Sauchen.

More new trucks followed - an Albion CX, their first diesel lorry and an Albion Victor which could take a longer body, being a bus chassis.

In more modern times they started buying ERF and then Volvos. In the 80s a number of DAFs appeared, while the 90s saw the occasional Seddon Atkinson and Iveco. Primarily they ended up buying DAF and Scania with some Fodens and ERFs.

In 1969 Henry decided to bring his three sons, Jack, Eric and Harry into partnership with him, changing the business name to Henry Thomson & Sons and continuing to expand. In 1987 Jack and Eric retired and Harry took over in partnership with his wife Sheila.

The fleet increased further over the next few years until BSE and then Foot and Mouth caused it to drop from its high of 23 trucks. In October 1996 Harry and Sheila brought their daughter Kathleen and sons Harry Jnr and Eric into the partnership with them.

Today the company continues as a specialised livestock transport operation covering the length and breadth of the British Isles. The fleet is mainly DAF and Scania with a couple of Fodens bringing the total number to 17. They are the largest livestock transport operator in Scotland.

Corgi recognised the significance of the fleet when they conceived the plan of making a range of model livestock transporters. Their first release in 2004 was a replica of Eric's Scania Topline 580 pulling a Houghton-Parkhouse trailer.

Attracting and retaining good drivers is a priority for the company and the current fleet consists of top of the range models such as the Scania Topline and DAF Super Space Cab units, together with a number of wagon and drag combinations.

Things have come a long way since Henry Thomson first bounced around the Aberdeenshire roads on solid tyres. Three generations of the family have contributed to this success over the last 75 years, securing Henry Thomson & Sons a well earned place in Scotland's road haulage history.

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