Robert Baillie Transport,Portsmouth and Horndean

dave docwra:

Ray Smyth:
For about 9 months of the year from just before Easter, The main work for Robert Baillie & Co Ltd was tomatoes from
Guernsey for distribution to Wholesale Fruit markets throughout all of the United Kingdom. My time as a driver with the
company from early 1970 and for the next 3 years coincided with " The Troubles " in Northern Ireland, so Baillies arranged
with Agnew & Lithgow from Stranraer to deliver the Guernsey Tomatoes to Belfast. Agnew & Lithgow had a depot at Heywood
near Bury, and would travel the 20 or so miles to Baillies Wigan depot to load the palletised tomatoes and then head up
the M6 and along the A75 to Stranraer to catch the short crossing to Belfast, to arrive at the wholesale market by 6 a.m.

Not my picture. Ray Smyth.

Hi Ray, A&L never seemed to have very much trouble in Northern Ireland back then compared to some other operators, They had always done a lot of traffic to & from Ireland right from their early days, I can not recall if they had a depot in Ireland at any time.
They were eventually brought out by Montgomery Transport quite some time back now.

Dave…

Dave…Thank you for your comments on Agnew & Lithgow. From what I can remember, and bearing in mind that 50 years have gone by, A & L used to send
most of their lorries across to Belfast unnacompanied to be met by Belfast based shunters who would " Tip and Load " and have the artic back on the ferry
to Stranraer the same afternoon. Occasionally, if the Guernsey Tomato load was running late from Portsmouth to Wigan depot, to save time, and to make sure
that the tomatoes were at the wholesale market by 6 a.m., A & L would take Baillies loaded trailer across to Belfast. Cheers, Ray Smyth.