Back in the mid early 50,s my dad worked for pitt &scott driveing a seddon riged.I would go with him on trips from london down to cornwall delivering belling cookers.After pitt&scott he went back to solly davis who he had previously worked for driveing an old albion with an insullated box.We would load up in convoys yard in deptford with lambs or other meats an go all over the place.After the albion he got an S type bedford with a leyland comet engine also with the box on.I spent many an hour as a kid sitting in that s type waiting for him outside davis,s yard in solbay street,i remember there was a cafe opoisite the yard and a pub on the corner where my dad would go drinking with his mates.The steering wheel on that s type fasinated me as out of the three spokes one was just a metal bar,funny the things you remember even after 50 odd years i still think of these times when i would bunk of school at any opportune moment just to ride in a lorry.I think it was in 1956/7 that there was a big dock strike and my dad gave up lorry driving plus the fact his mate had got killed in a headon crash on davis,s Lenny Hutton who at the time was driving a newish BMC.Still having the passion for lorrys i would go with my cousin teddy britton who had a brand new at the time albion 6 wheeler on bowler brand pottatoes,they had an office in the fruit exchange spittafields.On its very first trip we loaded in the fields then down to cornwall the engine cover in the cab had a big thick diamond padded cover with lots of blankets on it to deadon the noise of the engine.We travelled all through the night and arrived next morning to tip.When we were empty we went to a garage to get the oil changed then picked up a load of heads (cabbages) for kings lynn.On the night we went into digs which was a wooden shed with lots of beds behind the cafe.Ted met some other drivers off g l bakers whome he used to work for and there seemed at that time a great friendship between drivers an this was the life i wanted when i grew up.The years past and i got my licence driving a caravan transporter at an early age for my dad then legally for BRS oxford (sandy lane).I had an old mandator driving to london deliverying witney blankets,I would sell my ropes an sheets to solly davis who by then had moved to wapping and to load back to oxford i would get a container out of lift MAT,s.After losing so many sheets they started seending me north so i jacked in came back to london an went to see solly.He ask me to meet him in wapping and as i waited in the yard off wapping high street he told me my tractor was on its way and i would have to go to fords dagenham on nights,just book in as Larrow transport then hide your self till the morning an book out.The tractor arrived an old red mandator with a tiny nearside mirror that would have been better on a moped! i back it under an old trailer only to find the trailer had no air an rolled back down the street.After getting it all ready i went in the office an asked for a log book only to be told give it a week or so if you think you will like the job we will get you one,i then ask for ropes an sheets to which he replyed we hav,nt painted the names out on them yet and you won,t need ropes just stay out of the way.On the way to dagenham i found out the lorry only had four gears no matter where i looked it just had the four gears an was screeming along at only 40 mph.I did just the one night an jacked in next morning two days later i started on SCA and my faith in a life of lorry driving was restored,there has been many a low time waiting to clear customs breakdowns an things but i still would,nt change this way of life.Sady the characters that were about in them early days don,t seem to exist anymore an the job now is so so different,the commeradery has gone and people just dont seem to have time for anyone no more maybe its me ive got to old i dont know hope i hav,nt bored anyone reading this its a bit of nostalgia from me