Errol's vintage truck gets ready to take him on his final journey. Image: Dave Dutton
By Liam Soutar
It is a sight that would make anyone look twice, a truck with a coffin strapped to it, but there is a heartwarming tale behind the unusual scene that unfolded last week.
The Morris truck, which was parked outside Abbey Funeral Care in Market Street, Atherton, is a model from 1963. It had belonged to Errol Thomas Smith, who died recently aged 78, following a battle with cancer. Mr Smith was born nearby in High Street, and had lived in Russell Street in the same town since 1956.
And it was his final wish to be taken to his funeral on the back of his beloved vehicle, which he purchased a decade ago to keep himself occupied during retirement.
Errol arrives at the church. Image: Quinton Smith
Errol’s nephew Quinton said: “For quite a few years, he had his vintage truck. They used to call them a Threepenny Bit Cab.
“He used to go out with it to vintage truck country shows. He travelled up and down to all different shows with his dog Boris, and Boris’s ashes were actually buried with him.
“His last wish was to go on the back of the truck to the church, then to Atherton cemetery, where he was buried with his mother and father and their four-plot grave.”
Last weekend, Errol’s beloved truck was donated to the North West Museum of Road Transport in St Helens, so it will be on display when they open up again!”
Errol Smith with his dog Boris
Quinton went on: “He’d had it for about 10 years. He didn’t want to lie down during his retirement, so he just tinkered with it, doing little jobs here and there.
“He had to have a little HIAB (a loader crane) put on the back so he could put his mobility scooter on the back of it and get to these shows.”
