Any old promotor drivers around

sandway:
You mentioned the refrigerators from Bitola deep down in Yugo. I never loaded them but I think I can claim that I handled more of them than most drivers. Peter or Dave bought about half a trailer load of them and we shipped them down to the Baghdad Fair where we hired them out to the exhibitors. Trouble was they were much too big and not that reliable. After three or four journeys down to Baghdad and back they were knackered and we got rid of them. We then bought in some decent ones which were much smaller and reliable.

I remember the Bitola fridges and their journeys to and from Baghdad.

I loaded with the fridges from Bitola at least once. It’s the place I asked if there was somewhere to get something to eat… This caused lots of excited conversations and hand waving between the management. After a short while I was issued with a slip of paper and taken to the works canteen where the only food available was cabbage and bread (wish I hadn’t asked - although Yugo bread was always good). I later discovered that the factory was a prison and it was the prisoners who assembled the fridges.

The most exciting place to go in Bitola was the station cafe where I met a hunchback who took me on a tour of late night Bitola. Quite an interesting night meeting the local talent as everyone knew him. He spoke passable English too.