When William Armstrong set up his transport firm Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister and George V was on the throne. Times have changed but Wm Armstrong a founder member of Palletforce is still going strong and is now run by the family's third generation who will celebrate the company's 85th anniversary this year.
"My grandfather William started out in 1927 and a year later Nestl came to Carlisle and asked him to transport their milk," said Managing Director Jennifer Whyberd.
"In the thirties we then started working with the Milk Marketing Board and milk was really the backbone of the business."
Milk and livestock were the origins of Wm Armstrong's business and still play a big part today, one of its major customers is Meadowfoods in Chester and they still continue to work with Nestl.
However, general haulage and palletised distribution are also a major part of its operation and it continues to work closely with Palletforce, the UK's leading palletised distribution network for quality service.
Wm Armstrong has now been a member of Palletforce for 10 years and runs 180 trailers and 85 vehicles across two sites Longtown and Uddingston.
It is a far cry from the days when William ran Model T Fords that could carry just one cow at a time.
Wm Armstrong is proud of its long history and has two Model T Fords from 1919 and 1927 housed at its Longtown site.
However, in 85 years it has expanded and diversified to include Cumbria Truck Centre, an MoT Centre and has set up an online shop for new and used parts.
"Wm Armstrong has survived one world war and several recessions which is impressive in itself but on top of that, the company has also continued to grow and prosper which is an amazing achievement," said Palletforce Chief Executive Michael Conroy.
"Reaching 85 years is a huge milestone and is down to the hard work of everyone at Wm Armstrong's to provide the best customer service possible."
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