richardggeary:
Buzzer:
Went to school at Bartley with Barry Squibb he was a year younger than me, also the old man, both were into auto cross and Barry was very good at it with Jim fettling the motors all the time. Remember he used to change all the shells in an F88 every year as precaution against any thing going wrong, also did engine oil changes more than regular and asked him why, he replied oil is a lot cheaper than rebuilding an engine.
Kenny Batten’s name I also remember think he lived in Nomansland near Landford, when I was riding me bike near there parked up was an old round cabbed AEC in a layby and he drove that for Jim, this was early 60’s . They had a workshop at Bartley next to an old sawmill and when at school used to often see his trailers parked on the main road to Totton where they straightened out the road near the old radio mast and also the café there. Jim was into International well early, they also had a yard at one time on Hursley road, in the old Landrover place owned by Ken Piper, then also in Eastleigh they had a couple of adjoining units, Mappo will remember that. Norma was in the office think she was a tad older than Barry and there was another woman her name escapes me always had a ■■■ on the go think she did accounts someone will remember her name. Never thought when at school seeing those trailers I would end up doing the same job a few years later.On another note does any one remember Terry Winter From Fritham, he had a 4 wheeled AEC flat sleeper cab with a box body that fitted on it, used to do antiques to Italy, later he bought a brand new F88 from Princes, colour was light blue. When no international the four wheeler had its box lifted and they did mining chock’s to the coal fields loading around the New Forest, that’s when we still had coal mines. Buzzer.
Jim and Barry used to race Rallycross in the early 80s. Here is a picture of both from those days, Barry 161, and reversed the magnetic plate for Jim 191. I used to pay for some tyres as R&G Maritime Agencies Ltd as we did their Customs Clearances back in the day, and you can just make out our name on Barry’s car, on the side under rear window. Barry went on to do European Rallycross at a high lveel, and now races at Castle Coombe in a Mitsibushi Evo and hold the lap record their I think, and has a grage in Exeter.
It must be remembered that Jim was a professional Speedway Rider for many years, starting in Southampton in 1947 and appearing for many clubs, nationwide before finishing in 1975. It was during this time that I knew him, not the first 12 years, but through the '60’s & '70’s. He is on record as being the oldest rider to have ridden competitively in the uk, retiring at 55 years old. In a recent survey he was deemed to have ridden on the most tracks all over Britain (about 69) so he didn’t do it half heartedly, considering he was running his Haulage business for a lot of this time. Barry was still at school when I was on the Speedway scene, but he seemed to be at a lot of meetings through the years, spannering for Jim, so I don’t know what his school attendance record was like 
I was told by a mutual friend that Jim had past away in a nursing home in Devon in 2004, and when doing a bit of research found a Barry Squibb as running an hotel in that area. When I looked a year or so later, with the intention of maybe looking him up, it appeared to have changed hands, so was never sure it was the same one. Jim spent several seasons riding for the Exeter “Falcons” team, so it makes sense that they could have moved there.
