Harland and Wolff - Shipbuilding and Engineering Works

Badsey

	GUCC Fleet No.	108
	Class	Town
	Original Type:	Motor
	Known As	Large Woolwich
	Date Built	27.1.37
	Hull Construction	Steel
	Registered	BREN 619
	Intended Paring	227

History

8th September 1936 Badsey was delivered with Butty Barnes at a cost for the pair of £1,363-5s. This included a National 2DM diesel engine no.46646, a Brunton Gearbox with 2:1 reduction gear number E/7976/3 and 3 blade left hand 24” x 17” propeller, The new owner allocated Badsey a GUCCC fleet no.108 and the British Waterways Board gave it index no 68474. 27th January 1937 Health Registered at Brentford allocated no 619. 19th February 1937 Gauged on Grand Union with GJC gauge no 12674. 20th July 1937 Health registered at Rickmansworth, allocated no. 165. 1939 Badsey was operated by Jack James through WWII carrying Guinness between Park Royal (London) and Birmingham. He won the contract by being the fastest boat to complete the route. The Guinness history book says the contract ceased after a heatwave caused the barrels to burst on one run and on another, a big freeze delayed delivery for weeks when an ice breaker brought Badsey and other boats to Hillmorton to await the thaw. 14th September 1944 listed as paired with the butty Balham. 1st January 1948 Nationalisation: the GUCCC fleet joined the South Eastern Division carrying fleet as part of the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive. 26th January 1959 Badsey listed paired with butty Leo. 15th February 1960 listed paired with butty Pallas. 24 1963 Badsey operational within the SE division. A Petter PD2 engine was installed July 1963 - one of 25 pairs leased to Willow Wren Canal Transport Services Ltd. 1966 Badsey with butty Capella run for Willow Wren. 1967 Badsey paired with Willow Wren butty Greenshank. Carried grain and tomato puree from Brentford to Birmingham and Cadbury cocoa beans from Limehouse. 1968 Badsey paired with Alperton. April 1970 Badsey was repossessed by British Waterways and left in a very sorry state in the Wendover Arm. July 1971 sold to Malcolme E Braine a boatbuilder from Norton Canes for £587. 1972 sold to James Yates of Norton Canes - Fitted with Perkins P3 engine. July 1973 and then on to David & Jill Humphreys as a Camping Boat paired with Barnes. July 1980 sold to David & Julia Vickers, Godalming with Barnes. May 1988 sold to Pete & Donna Harrison, Bristol with Barnes. Back cabin re-skinned by Graham Wigley, Birmingham and all painted surfaces taken back to steel / wood (except engine room sides) and returned to G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. wartime utility livery. Half height running gear swapped with full height running gear off Barnes). 1990 sold with the butty Barnes by Warwickshire Fly Boat Co to Toby and Jonathan Ombler. They helped Badsey star in the 1991 TV Christmas Day Special of “Minder” with steerer George Cole and had great fun until the TV producer kept from them his intention to ram Badsey into a concrete wharf with such force that its bows can be seen on the video to leap out of the water. According to Jonathan it caused damage to the hull and the cabin for which the TV company refused to compensate. May 1993 Badsey and Barnes sold through Digby Cull. Oct 1993 Ownership transferred to Phil Speight, Ellesmere Port. 1997 Perkins P3.144 Engine (serial number 1129710) was replaced by the Perkins P3.152 August 2003 sold(sadly without Barnes) to current owner Ian & Lesley Lauder. New bottom fitted at Brinklow and then moored as flagship of Badseys Café Bistro (formerly BW Oxford Canal office at Hillmorton where Badsey used to moor) and where Rene James (Noels’wife) advised on the restoration. It was meant to be (or is Jack James still at the tiller?) :- Quite unknown to each other, in very same week that the Lauders brought Badsey to Hillmorton to where they had just moved, Tony and Paul Redshaw National bought 4 scrap National engines in Gloucester with the intention of restoring them at their workshop in Hillmorton (they later moved to Braunston). They started restoring one for Badsey when by sheer coincidence, another of their four engines was found to have engine number 46646, listed by Harland & Wolff as the engine originally installed in 1936 in Badsey!! That engine is now restored and reunited with Badsey 70 years after it was first installed.