BIT / Cabmont

Mornin All…

Recently had a few brief chats on messenger with REC aka Bob Court…
I worked with him at Cabmont in the early days and later when it morphed into British International…

Started as a greenhorn in 1976 ( was it really 43 years ago■■? ) , driving a Mandator doing France with the rubber to Amiens etc then progressed to doing Italy in a Berliet then Spain in a Daf 2800…
I left for a while but came back when it was BIT and did regular Portugal runs until the early 80’s…

Always an interesting outfit to work for , although looked down upon by many!

Lots of characters on there so I thought I would mention a few I remember … I know many are no longer with us , but hope some survivors might have some stories…

I know JD ( Lord Davies of Old Burseldon, we salute you ) was on there briefly , any others out there??

Here’s some names not in any particular order and apologies to any left out…

ME! ( Stuart Mitchell, later known as Baldrick )
Jim Bailey, John Simpkins , Bob Court , Bob Aplin , Pete Stansbridge , Pat Scorey , Leo ( spoke fluent French was from Derbyshire I think ) Reckless Rat , Dave Pope , Sam Champ , Frank Morgan , Dave Noyce, Ray Caswell , Rob Bartlett , Roland Borgeut ( from Grasse , France ) Mike , who later went in the office

Not forgetting the workshop crew Kev , Brian, Maurice and Ted the foreman… scourge of us poor drivers, God help ye if you lost a rear lens!
And the office boys , Pete Woolstoncroft, Tinker and another Pete??

Many more faces I can remember but not names.
All the best, Balders…

Hi Stu, I did a spell on there when it was British International at the time when Taylor Barnard purchased the company amidst a bit of skullduggery going on.

There’s a thread on this from 2008. Here’s the link:

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=31946

I’ll bump it up for you anyway . Robert

Balders I remember those days and a lot of the names you mentioned, it was Dave Noyce I think who took me on a test drive for PBC as it was back then, got about half a mile up Portsmouth road in an old Foden with gate gearstick well I said to him if I gotta drive this forget it but there was a Mandator in the yard and I said I can drive that but was started on an old round cabbed AEC but soon moved to a mandator, no sleeper cab though just a board cross the engine and a 4inch thick foam from Declarmink next door to the yard in Ashley Crescent.
Remember the fitters especially Ted, think he was Polish and what a chip he had on his shoulders, never saw him smile ever. Franky Allen sold it in the end on a cooked set of accounts allegedly but think he kept hold of the yard, he now lives in France with his son but comes home every now and then, he’s 90yo now Mary Hopkins moments eh, cheers Buzzer.

pbc.jpg737×591 157 KB

Andy Stratton was another on BIT.

Yeah, thanks Kerbut… his brother Nobby was on there too.

Mike Cotton was the name I couldn’t remember!

Buzzer:
Balders I remember those days and a lot of the names you mentioned, it was Dave Noyce I think who took me on a test drive for PBC as it was back then, got about half a mile up Portsmouth road in an old Foden with gate gearstick well I said to him if I gotta drive this forget it but there was a Mandator in the yard and I said I can drive that but was started on an old round cabbed AEC but soon moved to a mandator, no sleeper cab though just a board cross the engine and a 4inch thick foam from Declarmink next door to the yard in Ashley Crescent.
Remember the fitters especially Ted, think he was Polish and what a chip he had on his shoulders, never saw him smile ever. Franky Allen sold it in the end on a cooked set of accounts allegedly but think he kept hold of the yard, he now lives in France with his son but comes home every now and then, he’s 90yo now Mary Hopkins moments eh, cheers Buzzer.

Yeah, he was a funny one old Ted…
No need for a board across the engine these days eh!

Baldrick1953:

Buzzer:
Balders I remember those days and a lot of the names you mentioned, it was Dave Noyce I think who took me on a test drive for PBC as it was back then, got about half a mile up Portsmouth road in an old Foden with gate gearstick well I said to him if I gotta drive this forget it but there was a Mandator in the yard and I said I can drive that but was started on an old round cabbed AEC but soon moved to a mandator, no sleeper cab though just a board cross the engine and a 4inch thick foam from Declarmink next door to the yard in Ashley Crescent.
Remember the fitters especially Ted, think he was Polish and what a chip he had on his shoulders, never saw him smile ever. Franky Allen sold it in the end on a cooked set of accounts allegedly but think he kept hold of the yard, he now lives in France with his son but comes home every now and then, he’s 90yo now Mary Hopkins moments eh, cheers Buzzer.

Yeah, he was a funny one old Ted…
No need for a board across the engine these days eh!

GOW 78L was the number of the mandator I had, first shipped out with Pat Scorey & Jim Baily who was from Warminster IIRC he had a handlebar moustache and they were supposed to show me the ropes, cafe calva more like it, JD.

The very same motor I was given… how funny is that.
Luckily I was put into a left ■■■■■■ Berliet quite soon… a bed and a radio plus a new fangled thing called a Telma

Jim led everybody astray …
I remember many a night with him … hard to get to know but a very nice fella.

Jim Kelly , Derek Dawson , Mick Madgwick were Pompey boys I remember… and a Scouse fella… ex coach driver…

Cabmont had an office in Le Havre next to the bar we all used… name has gone in the mists of time. Chantelle’s was it?.. full of old school drivers and a good meal . All a learning curve with the language and culture etc…
Memories coming back from those times as I type…
the pub opposite the dock in Southampton… The Marsh was it?
Barbours turning up and the smell of brake pads after their big hit from Stirling… Aye lads we’re on the ■■■■ the noo! Interoute and all the rest…

Happy Days… beer was cheap and we got 200 ■■■■ and a bottle on the ferry!!!

We’ll never see those days again…
I’ll get me coat.

You’ve reminded me of a couple, Derek well Monsuer Derek and Mick who could not speak French but always answered “ah but oui”, think he thought it sounded as if he could speak the lingo. GOW was the one I had on its side when the bridge gave way coming out of an old water mill in Taunton with a full load of empty sheep, Frank sent down Tinker and a couple of the workshop boys with another trailer, Tinker went down the local labour exchange and purloined some fellas signing on and it took two days to reload, it was bound for Mazzamet in southern France near Twoloo’s and I still shipped out with it but the old motor started getting hot going round Bordow and I kept stopping and filling the water up but it eventually seized up and ended up coming home on the ■■■ end of the tilt. It was a Berliet that ran down solo to rescue me with Bernie Thompson driving and on the way home he let me give him a break as he was knackered, first time LHD but not a lot about during the night so cracked on well up through France when he woke up. Bernie was with one of the girls in Truckline office think it was Annemari but could be wrong as its a long time ago and he wanted to go out on the Saturday night on a date, think he later married her but for me after 4 days in the workshop in Ashly Crescent I snuck off home early on the Friday but Franky found out and he bloody well sacked me he did, I was gutted at the time but all down to experience, MH moments once more Buzzer.

Baldrick1953:
Mornin All…

Recently had a few brief chats on messenger with REC aka Bob Court…
I worked with him at Cabmont in the early days and later when it morphed into British International…

Started as a greenhorn in 1976 ( was it really 43 years ago■■? ) , driving a Mandator doing France with the rubber to Amiens etc then progressed to doing Italy in a Berliet then Spain in a Daf 2800…
I left for a while but came back when it was BIT and did regular Portugal runs until the early 80’s…

Always an interesting outfit to work for , although looked down upon by many!

Lots of characters on there so I thought I would mention a few I remember … I know many are no longer with us , but hope some survivors might have some stories…

I know JD ( Lord Davies of Old Burseldon, we salute you ) was on there briefly , any others out there??

Here’s some names not in any particular order and apologies to any left out…

ME! ( Stuart Mitchell, later known as Baldrick )
Jim Bailey, John Simpkins , Bob Court , Bob Aplin , Pete Stansbridge , Pat Scorey , Leo ( spoke fluent French was from Derbyshire I think ) Reckless Rat , Dave Pope , Sam Champ , Frank Morgan , Dave Noyce, Ray Caswell , Rob Bartlett , Roland Borgeut ( from Grasse , France ) Mike , who later went in the office

Not forgetting the workshop crew Kev , Brian, Maurice and Ted the foreman… scourge of us poor drivers, God help ye if you lost a rear lens!
And the office boys , Pete Woolstoncroft, Tinker and another Pete??

Many more faces I can remember but not names.
All the best, Balders…

I think Leo was on for GBE / Transalliance.

Where does Toby fit in here?