“Nostalgia”. A sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past. Yup, that sums it exactly. Had to google the word to get the right definition. Couldn’t have done that in the 70’s.
I have been taking great interest in the excellent photos owned by Paul Gee, who kindly allowed us to view them after being painstakingly copied and posted by DEANB.
I remember one trip I did to France in 76. I was working for Invicta Transport out of Maidstone. This was BPMD (before Promotor days). I had done five drops between Paris and Rouen and reloaded twenty ton of brass rods. It was late in the day and my F89 Volvo was making good time heading up the old road towards Boulogne sur Mer where either the P & O ferries Lion or Tiger were waiting to transport me to Folkestone. Unfortunately just north of Abbeville I was pulled over by the boys in blue for a check. All was in order but I lost quite a bit of time. Even with the F89 singing a sweet tune I couldn’t get back to the port before the ferry sailed.
But what happened was, as I pulled onto the undercover lorry parking area adjacent to the ramp, the boss man came running over grabbed my t-form, permit etc and told me not to turn my engine off. As he ran off to customs and the P & O desk the ferry, which had only gone a few metres, reversed back. The boss man was back with my docs “tout suite” and I drove onto the waiting ferry to cheers from the crew.
Cant imagine that happening today. Thats why “nostalgia” is such a great thing…
From about 79 or 80 when tipping in Baghdad you had to register in the little office the Iraqis sited in the middle of nowhere near Fallujah which was about 50km out of town. It was on the western side and ideal if you had come from Syria or Jordan but not so good if you had entered Iraq from Turkey. The only good thing about it was that it was sited on the main road. Before that date you had to go to the old customs near Abu Graib.
Some days there would be hundreds of drivers trying to get into the tiny hut to register and once at the front of the queue you handed over your docs and passport through a tiny window. The passport was stuck in a box along with hundreds of others to be collected by yourself after you had tipped. I was always concerned that my passport would be taken by someone else or that there would be a fire but perhaps I was worrying for no reason as it was always there waiting for me.
On one occasion I was there with a Falcongate driver. An Aberdonian, is that correct? well anyway he came from Aberdeen and had the broadest Scottish accent I have ever heard. I found it very difficult to understand what he was saying most of the time. We both registered and I had to wait at Fallujah whilst he shot off into Baghdad to tip. That evening I still hadn’t moved and resigned myself to spending the night there. About 1900hrs the Falcongate driver returned to Fallujah in his unit as he hadn’t managed to tip and wanted a bit of company. Unfortunately on the way out, as he was driving along the dual carriageway, he hit a donkey that had wandered onto the road. The impact was enough to make him career off the road and down a slight embankment. Luckily for him the unit stayed upright and before the dust had settled he found himself surrounded by Iraqis. All the contents of the lorry were strewn everywhere. His tins of food and drink, his cooker and cooking pots, his clothes. It was a right mess. One of the Iraqi’s opened the door which made matters worse as stuff fell out and our driver was getting concerned that he was about to be robbed. But luck was on his side. One of the Iraqis spoke good english and helped him straighten himself out. He then told him to go as quickly as possible as the owner of the donkey would be along soon and want compensation as no doubt the dead donkey would be the most prolific male in his herd. With that he managed to regain the road and make his way out to Fallujah. As I said the driver had a very strong accent and when he related the story to me later I found it almost impossible to understand what he was on about but after he had calmed down with a shot of whiskey we had a good laugh at the expense of one dead donkey.
sandway:
Morning Efes. Glad you still have the newspaper cuttings of the Barry Jones exposure. I hadn’t seen it before but after a reading it I see he was still boasting of his ■■■■■■ prowess and the Russian girls he’d had. “523 not counting repeats” he said. I wonder if he kept a calculator and diary in his bed!!!
Do you remember, Sandway, how Promotor “found” Barry Jones to “help us”? I think that he’d visited Staggie in the UK but that’s just a foggy memory? I’d be very interested to find out. Promotor employed a Russian in Tunbridge Wells to do the paperwork and translations and I wondered whether this was his contact?
sandway:
Morning Efes. Glad you still have the newspaper cuttings of the Barry Jones exposure. I hadn’t seen it before but after a reading it I see he was still boasting of his ■■■■■■ prowess and the Russian girls he’d had. “523 not counting repeats” he said. I wonder if he kept a calculator and diary in his bed!!!
Do you remember, Sandway, how Promotor “found” Barry Jones to “help us”? I think that he’d visited Staggie in the UK but that’s just a foggy memory? I’d be very interested to find out. Promotor employed a Russian in Tunbridge Wells to do the paperwork and translations and I wondered whether this was his contact?
Can’t help you there Efes. I remember the Russian guy coming to the office in Longfield Road and as I said I met Barry a few times whilst working in Moscow on my second trip but only socially. When I was in Moscow the first time with Staggie I am sure Barry didn’t appear on our radar as it was a Philips job and they had all the contacts needed.
When returning to the ferry port of Tartous in Syria in the late 70’s and early 80’s the road strayed for a few kilometres into the Lebanon. There were no border controls but you were in the Lebanon and the country had some very enterprising shop keepers with a duty free mentality. Many of them set up shop on this short stretch of road selling anything and everything. From cigs to whiskey from radios to dishwashers. It was a rambling sort of place and if you bought a radio or television and it broke down I can’t imagine the guarantee carrying much weight. But it was handy for a few cases of beer to be drunk on the three and a half day ferry crossing which lay ahead of you back to Koper in Yugoslavia. Koper was handy for us as we did a lot of return loads from Croatia and Slovenia and Interuropa Koper were our agents.
As you left the Lebanon you had to be careful as often the Syrian police would be waiting down the road to relieve you of some readies if you had overstocked. Once back in Tartous you may be lucky and catch a ferry that day but most times there was a wait of a day or two. There was a cafe near the booking office opposite the dock gate. We would while away our time there but its also where the school teacher turned barber would administer his new trade. I always had trim and shave whilst there. Made you feel human again. There wasn’t much to do around the town or harbour so one trip four of us piled into someones unit and drove down the road to a restaurant that had a reputation. Unfortunately as it turned out it was a bad reputation. We found out the hard way and didn’t return.
Just found a picture of Chic Steadman and Bill Kitt taken in Tehran mid 80’s. Bill had a Volvo F10 or F12. Prior to this trip he had bought a second unit, a Fiat. He, driving the Volvo and another lad driving the Fiat were only a few kilometres from the Tehran Fairground when the engine blew on the Fiat. Bill dragged both trailers in and after we unloaded them he sent his driver home with the Volvo whilst he stayed in Tehran to have the engine repaired. We employed him to help Chic around the fairground and he was put up in the Esteglal Hotel.
sandway:
Just found a picture of Chic Steadman and Bill Kitt taken in Tehran mid 80’s. Bill had a Volvo F10 or F12. Prior to this trip he had bought a second unit, a Fiat. He, driving the Volvo and another lad driving the Fiat were only a few kilometres from the Tehran Fairground when the engine blew on the Fiat. Bill dragged both trailers in and after we unloaded them he sent his driver home with the Volvo whilst he stayed in Tehran to have the engine repaired. We employed him to help Chic around the fairground and he was put up in the Esteglal Hotel.
It was remiss of me not to say that it has been reported on TNUK in the past year that neither Chic or Bill are with us any more. Couple of good reliable blokes sadly gone. I have some more pics of Bills lorry somewhere. Will post later.
Just had one of those “where were you” moments. We’ve just had a few days of hot weather! Well thats nothing compared to the summer of 1976. I remember exactly what I was doing. I was driving a Merc for Mitchell and Robertson running Bramley apples from Kent to Frank Idiens processing factory in Wisbech. As it was to early for freshly picked fruit it must have all come out of cold stores. Sometimes I would go up through London onto the A1 to Peterborough then across to Wisbech then return via Ely, Newmarket and the Dartford Tunnel. The picture I have attached was taken on a very hot sultry day somewhere on the road from Littleport to Wisbech. It was also along this stretch of road the ■■■■ poor brakes on the Merc almost had me in a ditch but other than that I loved that lorry.
I took a 1924 to Tehran and back round about 1974 ish. One of the most boring trucks you could drive but utterly dependable.
Here’s a photograph of Chic Steadman and his son at the Tehran International Fair. We must have bribed Chic to wear one of our T shirts because Orient and Promotor were great rivals at the time.
Hi guys, Efes was asking about Stagg ,s meeting with Barry Jones. Well, I,m not entirely sure of the facts but I think it could,ve been me who introduced him! I, along with Trevor Thayre, was one of the first to go to Moscow, cant remember what year( but somebody will probably put me right!) I do know it was February time and BLOODY cold. On the way whilst parked up on the outskirts of Poznan we were joined by Boshin Pete off Kepstowe and seeing as he was a Russian regular we tagged on behind him. Well things went ok until we were making slow progress across The Steppes owing to the cops continually stopping us, then my truck froze up! We were somewhere close to Gagarin and it was so cold that Pete persuaded me to lock up and go with him to Moscow and organise help. This is how I know it was one of Promotors early Russian trips because the trucks were completely ill-prepared for freezing winter running, no in-line heaters for the diesel, no parafin night heaters etc.,etc. Anyway when we arrived in Moscow Pete introduced me to Barry and he then took me the next morning to Sovtrans depot and organised the recovery of my truck. I was staying on in Moscow for a couple of days then flying back to the UK because it had been decided that my truck would stay and be brought back by the site-rep whose name escapes me but he managed to screw the gearbox on his way home and they couldn,t get it repaired and had to sorce one from the uk I think and get it sent out. Anyway, the day before I was flying home Staggy arrived and obviously he was introduced to Barry as being my “saviour”! The night before Pete and I were “entertained” at Barry,s apartment in the old Olympic village along with some rather fit young ladies who we found out had travelled in from the country totally illegally owing to the movement restrictions in place but they were prepared to take the chance of getting caught just so they could meet and associate with some westerners! Barry knew all these girls and it could be that they were the same girls that featured later in the blackmail scandal. I knew nothing about that until reading the previous posts on here because I made it very clear that I wasn,t going back again, ever! I found Barry an amazing character and learnt an awful lot about how to bend the rules and survive in Russia! I also met Pete,s local girlfriend who he called"low-loader Svet" on account of her rather ample chest. Now bordering on too much info so thats it folks !!
Jazzandy. After driving an agricultural Scammell Crusader with a Rolls 220 engine for a number of years the Merc 1924 was the height of sophistication.
Nottsnortherner:
Hi guys, Efes was asking about Stagg ,s meeting with Barry Jones. Well, I,m not entirely sure of the facts but I think it could,ve been me who introduced him! I, along with Trevor Thayre, was one of the first to go to Moscow, cant remember what year( but somebody will probably put me right!) I do know it was February time and BLOODY cold. On the way whilst parked up on the outskirts of Poznan we were joined by Boshin Pete off Kepstowe and seeing as he was a Russian regular we tagged on behind him. Well things went ok until we were making slow progress across The Steppes owing to the cops continually stopping us, then my truck froze up! We were somewhere close to Gagarin and it was so cold that Pete persuaded me to lock up and go with him to Moscow and organise help. This is how I know it was one of Promotors early Russian trips because the trucks were completely ill-prepared for freezing winter running, no in-line heaters for the diesel, no parafin night heaters etc.,etc. Anyway when we arrived in Moscow Pete introduced me to Barry and he then took me the next morning to Sovtrans depot and organised the recovery of my truck. I was staying on in Moscow for a couple of days then flying back to the UK because it had been decided that my truck would stay and be brought back by the site-rep whose name escapes me but he managed to screw the gearbox on his way home and they couldn,t get it repaired and had to sorce one from the uk I think and get it sent out. Anyway, the day before I was flying home Staggy arrived and obviously he was introduced to Barry as being my “saviour”! The night before Pete and I were “entertained” at Barry,s apartment in the old Olympic village along with some rather fit young ladies who we found out had travelled in from the country totally illegally owing to the movement restrictions in place but they were prepared to take the chance of getting caught just so they could meet and associate with some westerners! Barry knew all these girls and it could be that they were the same girls that featured later in the blackmail scandal. I knew nothing about that until reading the previous posts on here because I made it very clear that I wasn,t going back again, ever! I found Barry an amazing character and learnt an awful lot about how to bend the rules and survive in Russia! I also met Pete,s local girlfriend who he called"low-loader Svet" on account of her rather ample chest. Now bordering on too much info so thats it folks !!
Hi Tony, great Russian story mate but I have to pull you up on the first to Moscow, I know for a fact that John Taylor (the Aussie) went out in early 70s before staggy came to the office and messed the job right up, it was a toss-up between him and me and seems like I won, lost the spin but copped for a Poznan, so I considered that a win after the grief John got out there.
Thats a fair comment Bobby! but I did say “one of the first”! Maybe we were the first to go in winter, I cant remember too clearly but I know it was BLOODY cold! Barry organised the wrecker to go back down the road with me in the cab to recover the truck, this must have been about 18 hrs later and when we got back to where I,d left the truck it was white over ON THE INSIDE!!! Bloody nightmare of a trip! the old Russian Mack copy was flat out at 50kph and 40kph with me on a suspended tow. It was about 160 k,s back to Moscow and it took around 5-6 hours…god-forsaken trip! I remember it like it was yesterday, never to go again,never been since!
I wasn’t saying you were telling porkies Tony, I was just trying to remind you of John or blue as he was known, do you remember him? He went down there in the autumn as I recall and just caught the start of winter so he never had it as bad as you but it was still pretty severe, so he said, but then as an Aussie any temperature below double digits is cold to him, I was in turkey with him on one trip and it was so hot the roads were melting, where they had tarmac of course, I was sitting under the trl with a cold drink when he came up and said “lovely day innit”, And i was driving slow cos I was worried about the tyres blowing, on another occasion we was in Germany one night parked by a messe somewhere with a few others to load next morning, it started snowing and he had the ford D1000 sliding round the car park in the snow when he lost it and battered a lamp stand, done a bit of damage to the Ford, but the worst bit was that Alan Sewell was there and Brian Aldgate, both foremen of some sort so blue got a roasting in the office when we got back. Do you remember him.
Hi again,Bobby. I,ve tried real hard to put a face to the Aussie guy you mention but really cant. I,ve come to the conclusion that he must have left just before I started in 75. Then again with drivers constantly being away at different times and not always working together it quite often went a long time before you bumped into each other! I had been on 18 months before I met Dave Clarke!
Nottsnortherner:
Hi again,Bobby. I,ve tried real hard to put a face to the Aussie guy you mention but really cant. I,ve come to the conclusion that he must have left just before I started in 75. Then again with drivers constantly being away at different times and not always working together it quite often went a long time before you bumped into each other! I had been on 18 months before I met Dave Clarke!
Yup, right there Tony there was a big chance he was away while you was Home, Dave Clark posted on here at the start of this thread, I answered him and never got a reply nor heard from him again so maybe I upset him some point, I dunno, did I mention earlier I got an answer from Jeff Douglas a while back but he’s gone quiet again, if you read this Jeff give me or Tony a shout, same goes for Dave. Talk to you later Tony.
How could I forget the Promotor darts tournaments Jazzandy. I am sure many of the companies and exhibitors only went to the Baghdad fair so they could take part in those prestigious matches. I have many more pics featuring Baghdad dartboards. Will dig them out when I have the time.
I have attached one photo with you taking centre stage with your arms folded. Was this the year we allowed the British Pavilion director to win. Those “little grey cells” are letting me down again. I can’t even remember his name but it may have been Trevor ■■?.
sandway:
How could I forget the Promotor darts tournaments Jazzandy. I am sure many of the companies and exhibitors only went to the Baghdad fair so they could take part in those prestigious matches. I have many more pics featuring Baghdad dartboards. Will dig them out when I have the time.
I have attached one photo with you taking centre stage with your arms folded. Was this the year we allowed the British Pavilion director to win. Those “little grey cells” are letting me down again. I can’t even remember his name but it may have been Trevor ■■?.
No no no! Some of its come back to me now. Our esteemed pavilion director never did win the darts tournament. The picture was taken on his last day in the job. He was retiring from the BOTB and this was his last exhibition. I think you Jazzandy had just made a presentation on everyones behalf of a bottle of something and Trevor was making a thank you speech.
Sometime the “little grey cells” need something to stir them into action. Well not sure about sometime! Its most of the time now. I’ve been watching the Tour de France last few days and as they passed near to Aachen they passed very close to the Shell station where many of the Promotor men would pull in to fill up and have a free meal courtesy of a few litres on the derv. The days racing ended in Liege where I once had to deliver two nice cars to an exhibition. I wasn’t trusted to carry cars normally so dunno why I got the job. Nottsnortherner must have been swanning off to some exotic location otherwise no doubt he would have got the job.
Yesterday “La Tour” started from Verviers in Belgium and I remember going to a paper mill in the town sometime around 76 I think. Can’t remember if I was there for a reload but I took a photo of a Belgium lorry and drag loaded with reels of paper stood on end. Didn’t see any restraints and maybe its the way they were/are loaded but it didn’t look non to safe to me.
