Nostalgia: All hands to the pumps

Published on 29/09/2012 15:27

PETROL pump attendants may be no more, but there’s no doubt they were once a welcome sight at any garage.

Henry Richmond was one who went beyond the call of duty in March 1961 when he sprang from his forecourt to halt a horse which was bolting down Liberton Brae.

These days, workers such as Henry would no doubt face tough questions from frustrated motorists over the cost of fuel – but all that could be about to change in the wake of supermarket Asda sparking a price war earlier this week by slashing 3p off a litre.

In recent times, that’s rare good news when it comes to this trade, but it was all smiles in November 1975 when the first petrol provided from the Forties field in the North Sea was made available.

Moira Ellis and Wilma Barnfather were at the pumps in Grangemouth, with experts then predicting that within two years there would be enough to fill the tanks of a quarter of Britain’s cars.

The Evening News reported that senior executives from the Royal