Taffy davies deffintly sounded like one of lifes eccentrics acording to baghdad trucker
During the iran revolution in seventy eight there wer quite a few of us parked in davis turners compound in teheran. one of us was a very large guy called Bob who worked for Taffy, He had found a beer shop not far from the compound, so each morning he would go round the drivers and take orders for booze. He had aquired a large polystyrene container which he mixed ice in with the booze to chill it. Each evening the call would go out Bobs Bars Open and we would all gather round the front of Bobs truck
Regards Jamie.
A Scot lost in the Valley’s
bestbooties:
If you read “Baghdad Trucker” you will learn a little more about Taffy,(RIP)
I’ve got “Baghdad Trucker” and although it’s not the best book I’ve ever read about the Middle East run, it’s well worth the money, I believe you can still get it on Amazon.
I’ve just started reading Baghdad Trucker just in case I missed something!
I was surprised to read that Taffy had died. I got to know him resonably well over the years and although he made a lot of noise once you got to know each other he was not so bad. One thing you had to remember was that he could do the job and had done more trips than most (any?) of his drivers. I was in Southern Greece when he had his accident in Northern Greece and I never saw hm to speak to again.
I remember stopping on a service area near Regensburg one night with him and another driver, we were just about to cook up when another youngish driver appeared with no food & no beer but he sat there eating and drinking ours! He was busy telling us where he’d been & what he’d done seemed he’d driven more miles than the rest of us put together! When we had finished eating and this new bloke was getting boring Taffy looked up and said ‘now then bonny lad these drivers have fed you and given you beer if you don’t have any beer to put in it’s your turn to wash up’ and he did ! I wouldn’t have said that I would probably have blown my top after a bit.
Taffy Davies- I liked him RIP
Hi Gavin, I must agree with what you said about Taffy. I also knew him fairly well but could never have worked for him. Also i dont think he would have employed me. We had some hum dingers of arguments every time we met , but never fell out with one another. If you believed him (and no reason why not) he was one of the few hauliers who made money from the Middle East run. I also had some good laughs while in his company. RIP Taffy.
Regards Jamie.
A Scot lost in the Valley’s.
M&C Jamie:
During the iran revolution in seventy eight there wer quite a few of us parked in davis turners compound in teheran. one of us was a very large guy called Bob who worked for Taffy, He had found a beer shop not far from the compound, so each morning he would go round the drivers and take orders for booze. He had aquired a large polystyrene container which he mixed ice in with the booze to chill it. Each evening the call would go out Bobs Bars Open and we would all gather round the front of Bobs truck
Regards Jamie.A Scot lost in the Valley’s
bob was my dad and that sounds about right for him sadly he has passed away but that is the type of thing that he would have done 
josh:
I met up with a Davies driver in the mid seventies a few times short guy from near Bishop Auckland blind in one eye called John drove a merc, anybody ring a bell on this one?
That was John Lowther, He died a few years ago. Lost His eye when He was a kid playing cowboys & indians. He used to bring boxes of cheap Stella home for My Dad.
I know Kevin who wrote Baghdad Trucker…he now deals in cab panels from all over the world for volvo f88’s and early scania’s…i will tell him to get on here and say hello.
I worked with a guy with one eye called John when we worked for Dorothy Bowman Transport at Tudhoe…could it be the same guy.
topboy trucker:
I know Kevin who wrote Baghdad Trucker…he now deals in cab panels from all over the world for volvo f88’s and early scania’s…i will tell him to get on here and say hello.
I worked with a guy with one eye called John when we worked for Dorothy Bowman Transport at Tudhoe…could it be the same guy.
Could be the same John, went on to work for John Dee when they bought Taffy out, then Peter Cook. He was a scruffy little bloke who always smoked everybody else’s ■■■■ when He had a beer. His wife Nora used to drive a parts van for Coulthards in Bishop.
andrewv8:
topboy trucker:
I know Kevin who wrote Baghdad Trucker…he now deals in cab panels from all over the world for volvo f88’s and early scania’s…i will tell him to get on here and say hello.
I worked with a guy with one eye called John when we worked for Dorothy Bowman Transport at Tudhoe…could it be the same guy.Could be the same John, went on to work for John Dee when they bought Taffy out, then Peter Cook. He was a scruffy little bloke who always smoked everybody else’s ■■■■ when He had a beer. His wife Nora used to drive a parts van for Coulthards in Bishop.
Could be mate,this guy was short and a bit rough around the edges…he didn’t last long at Bowmans as he had a prang on his first trip away… 
I did a trip for Taffy in the mid seventies, in an Atkinson, it had a sleeper, but you took your lift in your hands if you slept in it, being that it was fibreglass bolted to the back of the cab lol. but my wife Avril was taken ill and I never went back, always regretted it. Some people on here only have negative things to say about Taffy, but you’ll probably find that those are the sort of drivers who went to work in a factory every winter. I found him straight talking and honest, he certainly knew the ME and there wasn’t much he didn’t know about transport in general, he wouldn’t have you do anything he wouldn’t, I couldn’t keep up with him for long. With hindsight I wish I had stayed, that’s real trucking.
I was very sorry to hear that Big Bob Metcalfe passed on RIP, he was a gentle giant, I worked with him on John Dee’s when he first started at Mainsforth Colliery, Ferryhill with Volvo 86’s. Bob Metcalfe, Bob Mackenzie, Frank Kavanagh ( not sure of spelling), there were two brothers from Darlington together with myself, John McNally, I think there was eight of us at the time. I also worked with Dents of Spennymoor and David Clifford at Garmondsway. At the time I lived in West Cornforth (Doggie) and then Greenways, Spennymoor. I moved south during the three day week and ended up with Sherlock Transport Services, Navan, Eire.
She still looks good
Taffy used to send his vehicles into our depot, W.H.Williams Green Lane Ind Est Spennymoor to use our vehicle wash The wash was operated by Frank Morgan, one of our drivers who had lost his arm in an accident and could no longer drive. In this photo you will see Frank with me. I wonder if any drivers are still about who can remember. Often taffy brought them in himself
Carl Williams:
Taffy used to send his vehicles into our depot, W.H.Williams Green Lane Ind Est Spennymoor to use our vehicle wash The wash was operated by Frank Morgan, one of our drivers who had lost his arm in an accident and could no longer drive. In this photo you will see Frank with me. I wonder if any drivers are still about who can remember. Often taffy brought them in himself
Hi Carl really enjoy reading your blogs and new some of your drivers back in seventies, also met your father quite a few time, a real gent.
I seem to remember you had a lass with an HGV1 called Caroline, if my memory serves me right, she was the Daughter of the Lord Lieutenant of Durham. Did she carry on driving or move onto something else. I watched her reversing and thought she was A1, she could also rope and sheet to a decent standard. I seem to remember some of your drivers stand and watch her trying to fold her sheets, good job I was there to help her, it proved she was better at her job than a lot of drivers. John
beano111:
Carl Williams:
Taffy used to send his vehicles into our depot, W.H.Williams Green Lane Ind Est Spennymoor to use our vehicle wash The wash was operated by Frank Morgan, one of our drivers who had lost his arm in an accident and could no longer drive. In this photo you will see Frank with me. I wonder if any drivers are still about who can remember. Often taffy brought them in himselfHi Carl really enjoy reading your blogs and new some of your drivers back in seventies, also met your father quite a few time, a real gent.
I seem to remember you had a lass with an HGV1 called Caroline, if my memory serves me right, she was the Daughter of the Lord Lieutenant of Durham. Did she carry on driving or move onto something else. I watched her reversing and thought she was A1, she could also rope and sheet to a decent standard. I seem to remember some of your drivers stand and watch her trying to fold her sheets, good job I was there to help her, it proved she was better at her job than a lot of drivers. John
Hi Beano
If you go into W.H.Williams thread and search this topic and put in Caroline Vane she is mentioned twice. The second one listed gives you most details about her and I.m sure you will find interesting. It’s nice to hear you complement her as he was a really nice person wspecially that when she was with us she was about 30th on line to the Throne
Pleased to see you opened Dents thread. Good luck. Although we were both based in Spennymoor we were in different types of business but on several occasions our paths crossed and I first met John Henry when he came to see my dad at Marmaduke Street in the sixties. But I knew Mike Gowland who was once married to Caroline much better,. It was sad he died so young. I really am looking forward to hearing more about them
Best wishes
Carl
Carl Williams:
beano111:
Carl Williams:
Taffy used to send his vehicles into our depot, W.H.Williams Green Lane Ind Est Spennymoor to use our vehicle wash The wash was operated by Frank Morgan, one of our drivers who had lost his arm in an accident and could no longer drive. In this photo you will see Frank with me. I wonder if any drivers are still about who can remember. Often taffy brought them in himselfHi Carl really enjoy reading your blogs and new some of your drivers back in seventies, also met your father quite a few time, a real gent.
I seem to remember you had a lass with an HGV1 called Caroline, if my memory serves me right, she was the Daughter of the Lord Lieutenant of Durham. Did she carry on driving or move onto something else. I watched her reversing and thought she was A1, she could also rope and sheet to a decent standard. I seem to remember some of your drivers stand and watch her trying to fold her sheets, good job I was there to help her, it proved she was better at her job than a lot of drivers. JohnHi Beano
If you go into W.H.Williams thread and search this topic and put in Caroline Vane she is mentioned twice. The second one listed gives you most details about her and I.m sure you will find interesting. It’s nice to hear you complement her as he was a really nice person wspecially that when she was with us she was about 30th on line to the Throne
Pleased to see you opened Dents thread. Good luck. Although we were both based in Spennymoor we were in different types of business but on several occasions our paths crossed and I first met John Henry when he came to see my dad at Marmaduke Street in the sixties. But I knew Mike Gowland who was once married to Caroline much better,. It was sad he died so young. I really am looking forward to hearing more about them
Best wishes
Carl
Thanks for all the info, I was shocked to hear that Mike Gowland had died, in fact so many people I new have passed on, but then I suppose the nearer you get to 70, the more it happens.
I haven’t read most of your thread yet, but I am getting there, keep at it they’re very interesting, although I expect the time you have been writing your blog, you must be getting short of material.
John
newmercman:
What is it with you lot & Atki Borderersit seems that it’s a mainly northern thing, but I just don’t get it
Perhaps you never will!
givover:
newmercman:
What is it with you lot & Atki BorderersPerhaps you never will!
The Atkinson Borderer was a great truck in it’s day, this was in the days of no comforts, no insulation, no heating (except in the final years) no radio and no walk through cab. It did have good visibility eg no blind spots and was far superior to Sedan which took Atkinson over.
It’s difficult to explain but drivers where a different breed to drivers of today, this was when you had to change your own wheels, grease your own truck, most loads where hand loaded on and off, you thought it was Christmas if a forklift turned up, you had to sheet (two mains and a fly) these had to be on so there was no flapping, neat tidy corners etc, then roped in all weathers.
I remember climbing Shap (before any motorways) in crawler in an old 150 Gardner when a driver coming up behind nosed onto me and pushed me to the top. If you stopped with a blow out, drivers would pull in to help, in most cases today even drivers on the same firm wouldn’t stop. Today is where you have Transport Managers with loads of letters behind their name, but haven’t a clue where a place is unless they go on the net.
It’s a different world now and I doubt there isn’t a driver around, who would rather driver a truck of the 50’s 60’s & 70’s than a modern truck, but I do think drivers of those years, in general, were a better, more helpful driver than those being trained today.
Today is a couple of weeks training, where in years gone by it was an apprenticeship.
I read Kevin Noble’s " Baghdad Trucker" the other day, a very good, interesting read.
It brought back the memory of some of the lads I worked with, namely Frankie Cavannah, Mick Brennan, Frank Roach, John Lowther and Bob Metcalfe. Seems like yesterday.
beano111:
givover:
newmercman:
What is it with you lot & Atki BorderersPerhaps you never will!
The Atkinson Borderer was a great truck in it’s day, this was in the days of no comforts, no insulation, no heating (except in the final years) no radio and no walk through cab. It did have good visibility eg no blind spots and was far superior to Sedan which took Atkinson over.
It’s difficult to explain but drivers where a different breed to drivers of today, this was when you had to change your own wheels, grease your own truck, most loads where hand loaded on and off, you thought it was Christmas if a forklift turned up, you had to sheet (two mains and a fly) these had to be on so there was no flapping, neat tidy corners etc, then roped in all weathers.
I remember climbing Shap (before any motorways) in crawler in an old 150 Gardner when a driver coming up behind nosed onto me and pushed me to the top. If you stopped with a blow out, drivers would pull in to help, in most cases today even drivers on the same firm wouldn’t stop. Today is where you have Transport Managers with loads of letters behind their name, but haven’t a clue where a place is unless they go on the net.
It’s a different world now and I doubt there isn’t a driver around, who would rather drive a truck of the 50’s 60’s & 70’s than a modern truck, but I do think drivers of those years, in general, were a better, more helpful driver than those being trained today.
Today is a couple of weeks training, where in years gone by it was an apprenticeship.