Black Country great grandfather, John Wildgoose (CORR) couldn’t believe his eyes when he spotted a newspaper photograph of himself taken in 1960 driving a Dudley Zoo van.

The article featured a recently-launched Corgi replica of the vehicle to commemorate the zoo’s 70th anniversary.

Seventy-five-year-old John, from Lower Gornal, contacted zoo staff to tell them about the Morris J2 van and his connections with the award-winning tourist attraction.

He said: “I was really surprised to see that picture in the newspaper after all these years.

“The vehicle was used to transport catering supplies around the site and was a head turner wherever we went. The animals around the top of the van were made of plywood and wobbled around as we drove; all the local kids used to love it. It was fitted out at a garage in Edgbaston, Birmingham and was a really unusual design.”

“I worked at the zoo as a driver/mechanic there for two years and remember the BMC Driving Club coming up to the zoo to interview me about that van. I also drove it in the 1961 Quarry Bank annual fete procession as a publicity stunt.”

He added: “The Morris J2 van was one of four commercial vehicles on site at that time, alongside a 3-ton Morris, a 3-ton Austin and an A40, and was easily the most fun to drive.”

DZG Chief Executive, Peter Suddock, said: “John’s memories of the van are really interesting and thanks to his phone call we now know a lot more about the history of the vehicle. “His stories will be added to our anniversary exhibition, currently on display in the Discovery Centre and which has attracted lots of interest and living memories in the past few weeks.”

The limited edition model in 1:43 scale, which retails at £20.99 is available from the Corgi Shop online - click here. Visit dudleyzoo.org.uk

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