Whilst Fred was married to Alison, his beloved steam roller was named
Alison. However after the divorce, he changed the name to Betsy, the
name of his mother, on the grounds that "wives may change but your
mother remains your mother"! "Betsy" performed one final act for Fred:
as requested in his will, she drove behind his coffin to his funeral at
Bolton Parish Church on 16 November 2004.