Any old promotor drivers around

I was reading through some old posts when I came across one from ‘M&C Jamie’ in which I was involved. He wrote it in reply to one from ‘jazzandy’. I have copied Jamie’s post and it can be viewed below. Now, I’m not 100 % sure but am fairly confident it was the 1986 Tehran International trade Fair that Jamie’s story related to. I am finding it difficult to put dates to the many exhibitions in which Promotor was involved in, both in Tehran and Baghdad at that time but it was the period when British companies, and other nationalities, were clamouring to do business with them even though the Iran/Iraq war still raged.

“Hi jazzandy, I remember spending three or four day’s at Dover export customs, with a load of exhibition goods for a Tehran trade fair. Bill Kit and one of his drivers were both trying to clear export customs at the same time. He had so many alterations in his TIR carnet that the customs refused to stamp any more. if i remember correctly he had to go along to Shenkers office for another. I think this was the first time I had seen him with his portable typewriter which he apparently carried with him in the truck. I had a Promotors load on which had human bones in one display, which i think was part of my problem. the paperwork for the load was in three cardboard boxes, that i had to carry upstairs to the customs in Dover for checking, it was a nightmare before I even left the country. I had told my boss that I would not go back to Iran after the Revolution,as I had been stuck there for six weeks during it. So I was doing a trailer change at Polycastron in Greece With Ratchet neck Bob, who was turning round and delivering the load to the trade fair in Tehran. Regards Jamie”.

I was running the show in Tehran and the 1986 Fair proved to be one of the biggest events we handled anywhere. That year relations between Great Britain and Iran had improved to the point where the Embassy had reopened and the British Overseas Trade Board supported the British Group. However, the Germans got in on the job by quoting a very competitive price to build the stands using a ‘Meccano’ type structure which had a very industrial look about it.

We subbed out loads to various companies including M & C and as can be seen in the above post Jamie had problems with the ‘human bones’ onboard which were part of an exhibit. When Bob arrived in Tehran with the trailer he told me about the problem in Dover customs but I don’t think it caused any agro at the other border crossing. Obviously we all had a good laugh about the bones and certainly the Iranian customs in the fairground weren’t worried but many of the other nationalities working in the fairground thought the crazy Brits had lost the plot as we worked and played to the accompaniment of the song ‘dem bones’ in which we all sang along as follows;-------------

Toe bone connected to the foot bone
Foot bone connected to the heel bone
Heel bone connected to the ankle bone
Ankle bone connected to the shin bone
Shin bone connected to the knee bone
Knee bone connected to the thigh bone
Thigh bone connected to the hip bone
Hip bone connected to the back bone
Back bone connected to the shoulder bone
Shoulder bone connected to the neck bone
Neck bone connected to the head bone
Now hear the word of the Lord.

In the end the novelty wore off but we all had a good laugh even the Iranians. The only ones who couldn’t see the funny side of it were the German stand fitters.