Not many of us “originals” left now Brian. RIP Micky.
sandway:
Ex Promotor driver Micky Twemlow has died.
I’m not very good at expressing my feelings at a time like this however I would like to say I greatly enjoyed working with Micky and more recently reading his books.
Gone but not forgotten.
R.I.P Micky Twemlow.
That’s very sad news indeed. I kept meaning to give him a call and pop over for a drink to chat about old times but I always seem to be too busy. Just shows it’s important to act and not delay as we never know when our time will come.
I’m interested to know how you heard? Is this very recent? Funeral?
I always had fun travelling with Mick. He wont be forgotten.
Just to let you all know, Mick’s funeral will be held on Tuesday 29th May, at 11.30am, at Margate Crematorium, Manston Road, Margate, CT9 4LY, and afterwards for a buffet and a drink or two to celebrate Micks life at Lester’s Family Pub and Restaurant, 162 Ramsgate Road, Margate, CT9 4EZ., in their private function room.
You are all very welcome, please could you let me know on here or by private message if, or when, you know if you will be joining us, as we need to know approximate numbers for catering purposes.
Once again, thank you for all the kind messages of love and support, all very gratefully received.
Please come along and join us in saying your farewells to Mick.
Lots of love,
Sue ■■
The contact is : micktwemlow@hotmail.co.uk
I’ve just remembered a little anecdote concerning the only trip I did with Micky Twemlow. It was to Baghdad in the early 80’s. Most of the trip was straightforward. Micky followed me because I was a plodder and when we got into Bulgy my route was always south into Greece and then on to Ipsala. A route Micky hadn’t done before.
We had no problems in Turkey but at Habur/Zakho we got held up by the queue only getting through about two in the morning. I was knackered and had to find somewhere to stop to grab a few zzzs. I stopped about 20km south of Zakho village just off the road and immediately fell into my bunk. Now this area was not somewhere you normally stopped. The Iraqi army really had this place in lockdown due to the Kurdish terrorists or freedom fighters, depending on your point of view. Less than an hour later I was woken by Micky, sounding very agitated, calling my name. I leaned over and pulled the curtain back to find out what the problem was. Micky had parked up alongside me and now between his lorry and mine was a man dressed in a dark uniform standing on both Mickys step and mine. Micky saw me and shouted out “he’s got a gun”. At the same time he put the lorries headlights on. This illuminated a black Mercedes car and two more men who immediately ordered Micky to turn his lights off which he did. These men were from a security force very much aligned to the Saddam regime and not to be messed with.
Mickys window was down a couple of inches and this guy on the steps had managed to get the barrel of his gun in and it was pointed at him. “Whats he want” Micky shouted at me. “Oh just give him a packet of cigs and tell him to ■■■■ off” I said and with that I shut my curtains. “I’ve tried that” I heard Micky reply. “Well give him some ■■■■ books then” I shouted back. After what seemed like an age I finally heard the Merc start up and disappear up the road. I drew my curtain back and looked across to Micky. “Think it might be a good idea to get back on the road” I said. He didn’t disagree.
We pushed off south towards Mosul and drove on until daylight when I just had to stop for a cuppa as I kept nodding off. We again pulled off the road, parked up and got our kettles on. We sat there enjoying the cuppa when we saw three or four Iraqi army vehicles pull away from some buildings a few hundred metres ahead of us. They stopped on the road adjacent to us and eight to ten soldiers came across to us and started inspecting the area where we had stopped. In no time one of the soldiers behind our lorries shouted out and the others all ran over to him. They had found what they wanted. A very ■■■■-d off officer then approached us and in a disgruntled voice said “you have driven over our telephone cable and broken it”.
Micky and I looked at one another trying not to laugh. “Lets fark off” or words to that affect Micky said “before we get ourselves locked up”.
sandway:
I’ve just remembered a little anecdote concerning the only trip I did with Micky Twemlow. It was to Baghdad in the early 80’s. Most of the trip was straightforward. Micky followed me because I was a plodder and when we got into Bulgy my route was always south into Greece and then on to Ipsala. A route Micky hadn’t done before.We had no problems in Turkey but at Habur/Zakho we got held up by the queue only getting through about two in the morning. I was knackered and had to find somewhere to stop to grab a few zzzs. I stopped about 20km south of Zakho village just off the road and immediately fell into my bunk. Now this area was not somewhere you normally stopped. The Iraqi army really had this place in lockdown due to the Kurdish terrorists or freedom fighters, depending on your point of view. Less than an hour later I was woken by Micky, sounding very agitated, calling my name. I leaned over and pulled the curtain back to find out what the problem was. Micky had parked up alongside me and now between his lorry and mine was a man dressed in a dark uniform standing on both Mickys step and mine. Micky saw me and shouted out “he’s got a gun”. At the same time he put the lorries headlights on. This illuminated a black Mercedes car and two more men who immediately ordered Micky to turn his lights off which he did. These men were from a security force very much aligned to the Saddam regime and not to be messed with.
Mickys window was down a couple of inches and this guy on the steps had managed to get the barrel of his gun in and it was pointed at him. “Whats he want” Micky shouted at me. “Oh just give him a packet of cigs and tell him to ■■■■ off” I said and with that I shut my curtains. “I’ve tried that” I heard Micky reply. “Well give him some ■■■■ books then” I shouted back. After what seemed like an age I finally heard the Merc start up and disappear up the road. I drew my curtain back and looked across to Micky. “Think it might be a good idea to get back on the road” I said. He didn’t disagree.
We pushed off south towards Mosul and drove on until daylight when I just had to stop for a cuppa as I kept nodding off. We again pulled off the road, parked up and got our kettles on. We sat there enjoying the cuppa when we saw three or four Iraqi army vehicles pull away from some buildings a few hundred metres ahead of us. They stopped on the road adjacent to us and eight to ten soldiers came across to us and started inspecting the area where we had stopped. In no time one of the soldiers behind our lorries shouted out and the others all ran over to him. They had found what they wanted. A very ■■■■-d off officer then approached us and in a disgruntled voice said “you have driven over our telephone cable and broken it”.
Micky and I looked at one another trying not to laugh. “Lets fark off” or words to that affect Micky said “before we get ourselves locked up”.
Thank you for sharing that one Sandway - much appreciated! Robert
Have borrowed this photo, posted by Barney Snipe on Facebook’s ‘Europe and beyond early days’. Barney asked if anyone recognises any of the drivers. I think the year is about 77. The Promotor Scania 111 number plate ends I think with 341L.
I believe the Promotor driver with the towel over his head is ‘Big John McFall’. Nottsnotherner supplied some info on John a little while back. He said he bought a Promotor lorry and subbed for them for a while. Also he had a roof rack fitted, the lorry in the photo certainly has that.
Nottsnortherner. Barney was asking if there was any up to date info on John. Can you help.
I,m 99% sure that you are right Brian, but I,ve not seen or heard anything of “Big” John since the late 70,s ! He seems to have disappeared. Roy Cloke may be able to help, he was an O/D at the same time and has been known to post on this sight under the handle “cannonhaul” “Big” John was a gentle giant of a man, but a thoroughly nice bloke as well but I think he got a little disillusioned about the whole O/O scene especially after getting caught up in the great Ray Scutts middle east fiasco but thats another story!
Went to Micky Twemlow’s goodbye ceremony in Margate. Roger Graber ex-Pro-Motor attended and some of Micky’s old mates from Croomes. Lots of his old Tank Regiment chums there to add a splash of colour to the event. It was a very well done service.
I’m mad with myself for not having been in contact in the last few months as I’d intended. Carpe Deum. Not many of us left now…
Morning Efes. Hindsight is a great thing but no use beating yourself up though by dwelling on what might have been. One thing we have got are the three books he wrote summarising a large part of his driving career. I’m happy that I knew and worked with him when Promotor was at its peak during the Yugo and early Baghdad years.
Couple of photos from late 70’s or early 80’s southbound through the lower Tarsus mountains in Turkey. Think the lorry in front of me was a ‘Hicks’ and driven by ‘Black Jack’ from South Wales. This was one of my favourite stretches. Always a short days run for me from Ankara to Adana. Could be parked up in Adana at the bar with an efes in my hand by mid to late afternoon. The only thing that would ruin my day was if some of the yanks, from the nearby air force base, turned up for a drink. Loud and mouth come to mind and that was before they’d finished their first bottle.
Hello Brian, my first thoughts about the last photo was Izmit (not to be confused with Izmir). I did four or five loads down to the docks at Izmit from The British Steel Corporation at Stockton on Tees in the early eighties. They were 18 ton loads of railway lines that were going out to Iran. At the time I thought what a long way around it would be to go by sea, as they would of had to transit through The Suez Canal and it’s only just occurred to me, I wonder if they were transhipped onto an Iranian lorry or a Turk. 
Wasn’t the truck stop at Adana or as they called it a Caravanseri (or something like that) also known as Oryx’s due to the Oryx chess sets and ornaments that they sold in the shop.
If it’s not Izmit then I am wondering if it could be on the way from Mersin and as always like the rest of this thread, those photos certainly bring back many memories.
Regards Steve.
Morning Steve. I think you could well be right (again) about the photo showing a ship from my last post. I remember the views out to sea as you drove along to Izmit from Istanbul. I also remember coming home on one occasion getting close to Izmit I saw cars in front of me pulling over and stopping on the side of the road. As I got closer I realised there was a cherry orchard adjacent to the road and the Turkish farmer was selling his cherries. I also pulled over and bought what were the best cherries I have ever eaten.
You mentioned the Oryx garage at Adana. That was named after Oryx Freight who did M/E in the 70’s. It seems they frequented the place quite often and it stayed associated with them even after they disappeared. Talking about the touristy things you could buy from the shops just around the corner on the road leading up to the Incirlik Air Base where thousands of American airmen were based. I once bought a small three legged table about two feet high, the sort you would put a pot plant on. It was inlaid with ‘mother-of-pearl’ and made out of a dark coloured hardwood. Had it for about twenty years but in the end the ‘mother-of-pearl’ started to fall out and the item ended up in a car boot sale. I’m sure I heard a tale that one driver got measured up for a suit at one of those shops on his way down somewhere and picked the finished suit up on his way home. Heard he was very pleased with both the suit and the price.
I have added another photo which which shows me about to overtake another lorry. I thought this was taken near Nusaybin heading down to Cizre and Iraq but now I’m not so sure. I now think it was taken after the Izmit photo and is of the road heading up Bolu. However, I am ready to be corrected if anyone knows better. Maybe the sign ahead of the other lorry holds a clue but my eyesight isn’t good enough to decipher it.
Hello Brian, yes I think that you are spot on with the information about the Oryx garage, the chess sets that I was thinking of were made of Onyx. 
I was never one for buying souvenirs from every where that I went but I do wish that I would of bought a decent chess set for myself as I saw quite a few good ones over the years.
Your mention of the guy buying a suit reminded me of something that John Bruce once told me in Istanbul. John had met up with an owner driver on one of his trips who had given him one of his business cards which he just had printed in Istanbul. It had only cost him a few quid for 200 cards and it had a picture of an articulated truck on them. John thought that it would be a good idea for himself to have a business card with his home phone number on it as well as Astran’s number. So on the way through Istanbul he stopped outside the printers and asked him to make some business cards similar to the one that his friend had given him. On the way home he called in to the printers and picked the cards up without even looking at them as he was parked outside on the main road. When he got to the Mocamp John was quite excited to see them but when he opened up the small package that they were in he was very disappointed as they had put, John Bruce. Model East Driver.
Regards Steve.
mushroomman:
Hello Brian, yes I think that you are spot on with the information about the Oryx garage, the chess sets that I was thinking of were made of Onyx.
Your mention of the guy buying a suit reminded me of something that John Bruce once told me in Istanbul. John had met up with an owner driver on one of his trips who had given him one of his business cards which he just had printed in Istanbul. It had only cost him a few quid for 200 cards and it had a picture of an articulated truck on them. John thought that it would be a good idea for himself to have a business card with his home phone number on it as well as Astran’s number. So on the way through Istanbul he stopped outside the printers and asked him to make some business cards similar to the one that his friend had given him. On the way home he called in to the printers and picked the cards up without even looking at them as he was parked outside on the main road. When he got to the Mocamp John was quite excited to see them but when he opened up the small package that they were in he was very disappointed as they had put, John Bruce. Model East Driver.0
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Regards Steve.
Morning Steve. Who are the gals and guys doing the touristy bit in Istanbul? I know you have shown some of them before but as I keep saying the ‘little grey cells are not what they used to be’.
As for the "Model East Driver’. I knew a few who that description would fit nicely.
Have had a P/M from a TNUK contributor concerning John McFall. One of the early Promotor drivers. Many thanks for the information. Much appreciated. I did try to P/M you back but got a message saying you were not configured to receive replies.
You said you knew a guy by the same name, big fella, beard, who lived in Lee, South London. You think he may have worked for a chemical company, possibly Everards from Greenwich before he joined your company as a workshop driver. You described John as a “likable bloke, great laugh, like a big old bear who had some great tales to tell”. Sadly you say John passed away a few years ago.
Its always nice to get a bit of history on old drivers unfortunately the last line is often tinged with sadness.
Just found another photo of Big John McFall posted on this site a year or two back. John is on the right.
Hi Brian, the guy sat next to my wife was John Bruce who was driving for Astran at the time. The two guys on the other side were both Hick’s drivers, Peter (the Plater) Wall and Dennis McCarthy with myself sat at the back. That photo was taken in a fish restaurant on the old wooden Galata Bridge, I heard that the bridge caught fire and burnt down many years later.
Which has just reminded me Brian, can you remember when you used to have a meal in some places and they would pour some sweet smelling oil over your hands, I suppose that it was some kind of modern day hand sanitizer.
Here is another photo that was taken going over Bolu. Sorry if you have seen it before but some of my photos seem to have disappeared because I put them on here using Photobucket.
mushroomman:
Hi Brian, the guy sat next to my wife was John Bruce who was driving for Astran at the time. The two guys on the other side were both Hick’s drivers, Peter (the Plater) Wall and Dennis McCarthy with myself sat at the back. That photo was taken in a fish restaurant on the old wooden Galata Bridge, I heard that the bridge caught fire and burnt down many years later.
Which has just reminded me Brian, can you remember when you used to have a meal in some places and they would pour some sweet smelling oil over your hands, I suppose that it was some kind of modern day hand sanitizer.Here is another photo that was taken going over Bolu. Sorry if you have seen it before but some of my photos seem to have disappeared because I put them on here using Photobucket.
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Great pics. The mosque, then, will be the Yeni Cami (New Mosque). I remember the old bridge well. You’re right it did catch fire (late '80s or early '90s I think) and it was rebuilt it a bit further upstream. They still pour that stuff over your hands in restaurants, coaches, schools, barbers - anywhere really! It’s called Limon Kolonyasi (lemon cologne). Nice view of Bolu before it was dualed and fenced! Robert
mushroomman:
Hi Brian, the guy sat next to my wife was John Bruce who was driving for Astran at the time. The two guys on the other side were both Hick’s drivers, Peter (the Plater) Wall and Dennis McCarthy with myself sat at the back. That photo was taken in a fish restaurant on the old wooden Galata Bridge, I heard that the bridge caught fire and burnt down many years later.
Which has just reminded me Brian, can you remember when you used to have a meal in some places and they would pour some sweet smelling oil over your hands, I suppose that it was some kind of modern day hand sanitizer.Here is another photo that was taken going over Bolu. Sorry if you have seen it before but some of my photos seem to have disappeared because I put them on here using Photobucket.
Hello Steve. I hadn’t seen that photo taken on Bolu before. Hope you have more that haven’t been lost. I have attached a couple of photos of a group of us waiting in the queue at Habur. Is the guy in the middle John Bruce? Looks a bit like him. The guy behind him with no shirt is Promotor driver Tommy Birch. I have posted one of these photos before. Does anyone out there recognise any of the drivers.
Hi Robert, thanks for the info about the Limon Kolonyasi, now that I have thought about it, it did smell a bit like aftershave.
I remember going into The Blue Mosque on four differant occasions as it was just across the road from The Pudding Shop. The thing that always stood out to me was the poor electric lighting with electrical wires and conduits that seemed to be all over the place. In fact I have a feeling that some areas may of still had gas mantle lighting and I can remember it as being cold in the winter, damp and dimly lit. I watched a programme on Discovery Channel about a year ago and it seems like the Blue Mosque has had a very expensive make over which had been well over due.
Sandway, I can’t be sure if the guy is in the middle of your photo is John Bruce but my first thoughts are that it’s probably not. I have a feeling (although I am probably wrong again) but I seem to remember Astran in the early eighties only had six drivers of their own and all the rest were subbies. As the Astran unit in your photo looks like a Volvo I do not think that it would be John as I am sure that John had a Mercedes.
The stout looking guy on the right reminds me of a driver from the North East who worked for either Duncan Macrea or Taffy Davis.
The guy in the blue shirt reminds me of a Falcongate driver but that’s just a guess, have we had this conversation before.
The Mushroomlady on our way to The Blue Mosque.
Regards Steve.