Greenwoods transport

I started at Greenwoods Hoddesdon in 1975 and worked as a Loader/warehouseman there until 1984. 2 gangs of 17 men worked alternating shifts of a week of days then a week of job and finish nights, weekend working was expected as Sat/Sun/Mon was when the majority of trucks were loaded, mainly by hand with the occasional pallet. If I remeber right something like 70 trucks were loaded by hand over the three days. Saturday and Sunday were divided into 3 shifts each day but were all job and finish, we worked ■■■■■■ hard and if you stacked a typical 17/18 ton trailer (33 footers were the worst)or a 9 ton flatbed, load on each shift for example that person could handle between 60 - 100 tons. Sometimes an individual would have a 10 ton flatbed to load on their own, this entailed writing a list sufficient to fill a sack barrow (20 ex & Mart or perhaps 34 Penthouse) from the sheet, going roung the loading bay area which contained over 200 magzine titles and picking your list, return to vehicle and stack, that’s 10 tons on the barrow and 10 tons off by 1 person, and that would be just 1 shift, as I said hard work but we earnt very well.
Of more interest to old Drivers would be some the names I remember (one from Mullion has posted on here… Hi Ginger!) Names like; Billy Spence, Dave Sparks, ian McKenzie, Billy McInnes, Blosom, Micky Haughey, Jim Harvey, Pete Harris, Dave Hollingworth, The Clitheroe Kid from Cockermouth who wore wooden clogs! And I forget the name of the small guy who used to do the Inverness run in the company’s only box wagon.
Lots of good memories, and some not so good like slipping and sliding on wet China Clay after a Cornwall backload!
Let me know if anyone wants more names or info.

my old man drove for the warrington depot in the 70s,

Bings Gang:
I started at Greenwoods Hoddesdon in 1975 and worked as a Loader/warehouseman there until 1984. 2 gangs of 17 men worked alternating shifts of a week of days then a week of job and finish nights, weekend working was expected as Sat/Sun/Mon was when the majority of trucks were loaded, mainly by hand with the occasional pallet. If I remeber right something like 70 trucks were loaded by hand over the three days. Saturday and Sunday were divided into 3 shifts each day but were all job and finish, we worked [zb] hard and if you stacked a typical 17/18 ton trailer (33 footers were the worst)or a 9 ton flatbed, load on each shift for example that person could handle between 60 - 100 tons. Sometimes an individual would have a 10 ton flatbed to load on their own, this entailed writing a list sufficient to fill a sack barrow (20 ex & Mart or perhaps 34 Penthouse) from the sheet, going roung the loading bay area which contained over 200 magzine titles and picking your list, return to vehicle and stack, that’s 10 tons on the barrow and 10 tons off by 1 person, and that would be just 1 shift, as I said hard work but we earnt very well.
Of more interest to old Drivers would be some the names I remember (one from Mullion has posted on here… Hi Ginger!) Names like; Billy Spence, Dave Sparks, ian McKenzie, Billy McInnes, Blosom, Micky Haughey, Jim Harvey, Pete Harris, Dave Hollingworth, The Clitheroe Kid from Cockermouth who wore wooden clogs! And I forget the name of the small guy who used to do the Inverness run in the company’s only box wagon.
Lots of good memories, and some not so good like slipping and sliding on wet China Clay after a Cornwall backload!
Let me know if anyone wants more names or info.

hi mate,
i left just before they went to hoddeston,do you remember any of the fitters there or what became of them?

cheers steve.

Hi Steve, never had much contact with the fitters as they were in a separate building across the yard. Do you remember Bill Kearny he was a Tyre Fitter and tarp man when I was there.

Found this one on Bob Hobbs site transportphotos.com/road/photos

hi all my old man worked greenwoods rownhams depot for 18 years mainly on zanussi contract his name is brian pacey he said best company he worked for
regards gazzap

A few other drivers mick allen brian slow trever harris harry long and my self

Bings Gang:
I started at Greenwoods Hoddesdon in 1975 and worked as a Loader/warehouseman there until 1984. 2 gangs of 17 men worked alternating shifts of a week of days then a week of job and finish nights, weekend working was expected as Sat/Sun/Mon was when the majority of trucks were loaded, mainly by hand with the occasional pallet. If I remeber right something like 70 trucks were loaded by hand over the three days. Saturday and Sunday were divided into 3 shifts each day but were all job and finish, we worked [zb] hard and if you stacked a typical 17/18 ton trailer (33 footers were the worst)or a 9 ton flatbed, load on each shift for example that person could handle between 60 - 100 tons. Sometimes an individual would have a 10 ton flatbed to load on their own, this entailed writing a list sufficient to fill a sack barrow (20 ex & Mart or perhaps 34 Penthouse) from the sheet, going roung the loading bay area which contained over 200 magzine titles and picking your list, return to vehicle and stack, that’s 10 tons on the barrow and 10 tons off by 1 person, and that would be just 1 shift, as I said hard work but we earnt very well.
Of more interest to old Drivers would be some the names I remember (one from Mullion has posted on here… Hi Ginger!) Names like; Billy Spence, Dave Sparks, ian McKenzie, Billy McInnes, Blosom, Micky Haughey, Jim Harvey, Pete Harris, Dave Hollingworth, The Clitheroe Kid from Cockermouth who wore wooden clogs! And I forget the name of the small guy who used to do the Inverness run in the company’s only box wagon.
Lots of good memories, and some not so good like slipping and sliding on wet China Clay after a Cornwall backload!
Let me know if anyone wants more names or info.

Bings Gang:
Hi Steve, never had much contact with the fitters as they were in a separate building across the yard. Do you remember Bill Kearny he was a Tyre Fitter and tarp man when I was there.

hi,
thanks for that.
i was only 17 when i worked in the workshop and dont recall the tyre guy.the w/shop foreman at edmonton was a ■■■■■■■■■ feller called don salmon,also the welder was a little bloke called harry,another old feller was joe dickenson good fitter though. the fitter i worked with was called john holland and there were a few of us trainee’s.
my old man bill poulton did the cornwall job full time and we ended up living down there.

cheers steve.

Greenwoods also had green/white Dodge rigids on their magazine contracts.I remember going to their yard the first year i drove a truck.1976.

I worked for Greenwoods Transport at Hoddesdon, started at Pegamoid rd Edmonton and moved on to Hoddesdon.

If my memory serves me well I started in 1973 and took redundancy in 1985. Working with me then were :- Dave Sparks, Jeff Baker, Teddy Wolfe, Mickey Parker, Brian Jeal (aka Blossum), Billy Spence, Pete Harris ( father to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden fame ), Brian Slow, Phil Reid, Pat Jennings Trevor Harris, Billy Mcinnes, Ian Mcenzie, John Sellings, Mick Revel, Phil Hill, Alan Leal and lots more who I just cant remember.

I started out with a rigid and then moved on to the artics in the later years doing the Berwick, Perth and Inverness run meeting up with the other guys in Peterhead to load for home.

How sad is this I remember 2 of the trucks I drove, a Foden with a 250 ■■■■■■■ MHK 955P, and for my last 5 years service drove a Daf 2800 PNO 405V.

Be nice to hear from anyone who remembers those days, I do know that some of these names are no longer with us. I am retired now living on the Isle of Wight for the last 8 years.

Colin Hollingworth. 28/12/2012

Gazza,
What was your old mans name my brother who worked in the workshops was called Bruno,I worked there part time during the school holidays helping with the Libbys contract and the Ferrymasters hand balling the trailers when they came in,ask your old man if he remembers any of the fitters.
Stefluc

Colin H, I remember the state of you, Pete Harris and Dave Sparks the day after you picked a fight with a rugby team. I also remember how excited Pete and you were after going to your first Iron Maiden concert… Bloody lifetime ago!

I remember it all…and your right it seems like a lifetime ago. Col.

stefluc my old mans name is bernard (brush head) and he vaguely remembers your brother ,

I will ask him the next time I see him and ask him if he can remember anyone with that name.
Stefluc

Colin H:
I worked for Greenwoods Transport at Hoddesdon, started at Pegamoid rd Edmonton and moved on to Hoddesdon.

If my memory serves me well I started in 1973 and took redundancy in 1985. Working with me then were :- Dave Sparks, Jeff Baker, Teddy Wolfe, Mickey Parker, Brian Jeal (aka Blossum), Billy Spence, Pete Harris ( father to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden fame ), Brian Slow, Phil Reid, Pat Jennings Trevor Harris, Billy Mcinnes, Ian Mcenzie, John Sellings, Mick Revel, Phil Hill, Alan Leal and lots more who I just cant remember.

I started out with a rigid and then moved on to the artics in the later years doing the Berwick, Perth and Inverness run meeting up with the other guys in Peterhead to load for home.

How sad is this I remember 2 of the trucks I drove, a Foden with a 250 ■■■■■■■ MHK 955P, and for my last 5 years service drove a Daf 2800 PNO 405V.

Be nice to hear from anyone who remembers those days, I do know that some of these names are no longer with us. I am retired now living on the Isle of Wight for the last 8 years.

Colin Hollingworth. 28/12/2012

Hi colin,
You started after me and me dad had finished, but pete harris and alan leale were my old mans best mates, i know pete died some years back but do you know what happened to alan?

Cheers steve.

Hi Pollystag.

Sorry I have no idea what happened to Alan, I would think he would be around 70/75 by now , hope he is ok. I dont hear much of anyone now.

Steve did you no Dave True I think he used to drive for Greenwoods

mrken:
Steve did you no Dave True I think he used to drive for Greenwoods

Hi ken,
Dave was my dads mate, i did know him when i worked there and he came down to cornwall once or twice when we had a guest house.
Hows trix?

Steve.

heronfreight ran a night trunk (bedford rigid) from lockerbie 5 nights a wk (fueled at warrington depot on way back) then to Birmingham for midnight unload usually the 3 wheeler honda bikes ,loaded ,and changed at lockerbie for day man delivery to Glasgow area early 80s
eddie(lumberjack) was night man.
ran south wi him and sooty from lowland design many nights good laughs
.