" In the early 60’s we had a rep called Jack Bell, an ex driver,"
The only driver that I remember named Bell was Sammy Bell , Tall black hair clean and smart always had shiny shoes .
Surprising what come’s to mind after all the years .A well used pub in Eccles was known as the perfumed nylon at the weekend and the stinking stocking through the week 
I cannot think of the true name .
Does this ring a bell with anyone,this tanker went off the Newport Bridge into the River Tees sometime in the late 60s,the vehicle im certain was an Ancliffe tanker,as far as I know the driver died,this photo was re published in the local paper recently asking for information??
I was working for Ancliff at the time of this accident. If my memory serves me rightly the vehicle was loaded and it was winter. The driver lost control and the vehicle broke through the side barriers between two enormous uprights. Our chief engineer said it would have been impossible to have driven through the gap, even on purpose, as there was literally only inches to spare on either side. Fate really.
The weight of the loaded trailer pushed the cab down into the river bottom. When they hauled up the wreck they discovered two bodies inside. Apparently the driver had picked up a tramp who had been thumbing a lift!
I remember one of the garage staff going to a bad smash about the time to sort out getting the load out of the tank .
I think the guy that went was Alan hughes .
Hello Wirlinmerlin,Im still around-just lost your phone number that’s all.give me a call,havent fell out with you.Good to read all the Ancliff memories. LARRY 
KW:
My brother was a mechanic at the Felixstowe depot of Ancliff’s,from around the early 70’s till the mid-80’s.That’s from when they had the depot next to the ‘Little Ships Hotel’ near the dock basin,until they moved into a new purpose built depot in Byron Avenue.I can remember they had a couple of Scania 110’s as well as the Seddon’s and Atki Borderer’s.And I remember when the first two sleeper cabbed Seddon-Atki 400’s came home,I went for a trip in one of them,driven by Ken Cleaver (RIP).
My Dad worked at Ancliffs when they were at the depot by The Little Ships and had one of the 2 Scania 110’s they had in 1970. His name was Harry Biscoe and worked there for 10 years. Started wit a long nosed Scammel, Atki’s then the Scania. He was often mistaken for His good mate Ken Cleaver, which nearly landed him with a punch in the face when up Bradford way one time.(women trouble). A guy they called 'Speedy had the other Scania.
Bis:
KW:
My brother was a mechanic at the Felixstowe depot of Ancliff’s,from around the early 70’s till the mid-80’s.That’s from when they had the depot next to the ‘Little Ships Hotel’ near the dock basin,until they moved into a new purpose built depot in Byron Avenue.I can remember they had a couple of Scania 110’s as well as the Seddon’s and Atki Borderer’s.And I remember when the first two sleeper cabbed Seddon-Atki 400’s came home,I went for a trip in one of them,driven by Ken Cleaver (RIP).
My Dad worked at Ancliffs when they were at the depot by The Little Ships and had one of the 2 Scania 110’s they had in 1970. His name was Harry Biscoe and worked there for 10 years. Started wit a long nosed Scammel, Atki’s then the Scania. He was often mistaken for His good mate Ken Cleaver, which nearly landed him with a punch in the face when up Bradford way one time.(women trouble). A guy they called 'Speedy had the other Scania.
Bis:
KW:
My brother was a mechanic at the Felixstowe depot of Ancliff’s,from around the early 70’s till the mid-80’s.That’s from when they had the depot next to the ‘Little Ships Hotel’ near the dock basin,until they moved into a new purpose built depot in Byron Avenue.I can remember they had a couple of Scania 110’s as well as the Seddon’s and Atki Borderer’s.And I remember when the first two sleeper cabbed Seddon-Atki 400’s came home,I went for a trip in one of them,driven by Ken Cleaver (RIP).
My Dad worked at Ancliffs when they were at the depot by The Little Ships and had one of the 2 Scania 110’s they had in 1970. His name was Harry Biscoe and worked there for 10 years. Started wit a long nosed Scammel, Atki’s then the Scania. He was often mistaken for His good mate Ken Cleaver, which nearly landed him with a punch in the face when up Bradford way one time.(women trouble). A guy they called 'Speedy had the other Scania.
Hi to all. New on the site but enjoying reading your posts. My dad worked at Ancliff along with Malcolm Harrison managing the European side of things. I have fond memories of Ken Cleaver who used to take us out for rides in one of the old Atkinsons and later a Scania I think. Ken used to stay over at ours in Flixton. We always thought he was a giant because, as kids, he seemed so very tall. I remember him rolling cigarettes with one hand whilst driving and being able to flick them to his lips from the steering wheel. One of the many little tricks he used to show us. Sorry to hear of his demise.
Morning Zodian and welcome to the site.
A wild guess but are you Anthony Massey’s son?
If so, he used to give us rides in his side valve ford, terrifying us whilst trying to do a Ken Cleaver!! Lol!
Wirlinmerlin:
Morning Zodian and welcome to the site.
A wild guess but are you Anthony Massey’s son?
If so, he used to give us rides in his side valve ford, terrifying us whilst trying to do a Ken Cleaver!! Lol!
Hi Wirlinmerlin. You are right. Anthony Massey is my Dad. And I remember well the old Ford Pop, in fact my Dad is forever going on about how simple and uncomplicated it was compared to motors of today.
I also remember Stan Baines in his blue overalls in the maintenance shop in the yard at the rear, and the distinct smell of the detergent they used in the spinners. Funny the things that stick with you. Wonder what happened to ‘Aunty’ Pauline who worked the then state of the art switchboard. Used to love playing with that on Saturday mornings when hardly anyone was around.
Rider200:
Wirlinmerlin:
Ludvic Zilor was a polish driver. he could hardly speak a word of English…or so he said! Whenever he would be brought into the office for a dressing down, which was quite often, he would always burst into tears. He wriggled out of loads of stuff by claiming not to understand. Yes, I do think he was the lad who painted his unit at home. I also heard that he virtually lived in his cab and that it was full of rubbish, bottles of wee and left over crusts and Polish meat sandwiches. So much so, or so the story goes, that when his truck came into Urmston for some job to be done and a fitter started chucking out his stuff so he could lift up the engine covers, a mouse dived out through the door!!
Do you remember Sammy Allport and Ted Sharples? They once had a set to in the mess room. Ted Sharples was a big, fat bloke with glasses but as hard as nails. There was a older black bloke who worked as a fitter and he rented out some houses as a side line. He used Ted Sharples as his enforcer when tenants wouldn’t pay or wouldn’t get out.My Dad told me a similar story regarding Ludwig and painting his tractor unit. My Dad said he (Ludwig) was a real grafter although his English was poor, but always got the job done. I seem to recall the story about the mouse too.
Sammy Allport (yard Forman/Driver)He was married to a German girl she could not speak English and Sammy could not speak a lot of German He allways had a paper in the rule pocket of his pants open at the Horse raceing but no scalp under his hat just a skin Graft due to war wounds . Ted Sharples allways had half a jar of hair cream on his head . The Only old Black guy I remember was Harold foster Brown he got to be service inspecter .
There was a younger black guy started after Foster Brown he had a sports car Triumph TR3A. The story about the mouse was true it was in a eight wheel ATKINSON I think the fleet No was 517 , he was on the Napther run for monsanto chiem to/from Ruaban (I think)Then they changed to a bender .
My Dad told me a similar story regarding Ludwig and painting his tractor unit. My Dad said he (Ludwig) was a real grafter although his English was poor, but always got the job done. I seem to recall the story about the mouse too. Maybe it’s just Ancliff lore, but I have heard these tales before, so there must be some truth in them. I remember Ken Cleaver dropping me off at school one morning in his Atkinson. I was only 4 or 5 years old at the time, and was at a private school (Whitelake). Never thought much about it at the time, but must have looked a bit odd me being dropped off in an old Atkie whilst all the other kids were getting out of Rovers and Hillmans. That would be back in the late 60’s, early 70’s
I travelled miles and miles with my Dad, this was strictly against company policy to such an extent that there was no passenger seat fitted, just a few cushion on top of the batteries which were in the passenger side. I was told it was also instant dismissal if vehicles were caught running together as they had several involved in accidents with each other.■■?
Hi Bis. Hope you don’t mind but I’ve shared the photo of your Dad and the Atkie on Bodmin Moor with the Dumfries Transport Group. They are always looking for classic material for their site. Some great pics of wagons of yesteryear.
No problem with that Zodian!
I remember Ken telling me about the white cliffs of Dover being made of chalk and me not believing him. On his next stay at ours, he brought me a piece of what was indeed, chalk from the white cliffs. Sometime later my Dad, Mum, brother and myself travelled to Felixstowe and stayed at Kens place, along with his Felixstowe missus. It was then that I was able to see the white cliffs for myself.
Didn’t Ken have a bit of a complicated domestic situation going on?
Wirlinmerlin:
Have just been reading these Ancliff posts with nostalgic interest as many remembered names leap out from 30, 40, even 50 years ago! Very spooky!
I worked for Ancliff at Bulwark Road from 1964 as one of Malcolm Harrisons go-fors, moving on in 1967 to their depot in Ellesmere Port and then back to Bulwark Road in perhaps 1978 until 1980 when I left the company to work in Saudi Arabia.
I remember well, Ken Cleaver as well as his close friend and partner in crime, Jock Mac Masters ( whose claim to fame was to have the thickest, scariest, most interesting personal file in the cabinet!)
Other names attached to colourful memories are Albert Sudet ( Have you got ten shillings in your pocket lad? ), Alfie Davies ( “Blimey! Mi tart’s up the tub and she’s 42!!”), Jimmy Goodwin the foreman with the most perfumed Morris Minor 1000 in the world, Alex Reid who introduced me to beer and Bacardi chasers on my 21st birthday in Southampton and of course who could forget the bosses Ken Farron ( married his secretary), Peter Thornton,( " How many “heads” have we got standing in the yard?"), Peter Bottomley ( “Somebody knew I was on holiday and broke into my house!!”)… it goes on and on and on.
I have rooted out the few pictures I have of this era and attach them for your interest. They include me as a nipper, poncing about outside the traffic office with another traffic clerk whose name escapes me for the moment, a couple of pictures of Sunter Brothers of Northallerton heavy haulage trucks in Ancliffs yard with the then Ellesmere Port depot manager, Godfrey Hayden, posing in his bri nylon shirt, as well as two Bulk Liquid Transport pictures, a John Ancliff Atkinson and, for some unknown reason, a picture of a fleet of Gulf Oil Scammels which were parked in our yard waiting, I think, to be scrapped or sold. Finally, my only picture of the depot at Ellesmere Port which is now under B and Q !!( All dated between 1964 and 1967).
Would that be Martin Mears with his MG ( and the hares ears ). Wonder if he’d remembers ‘Martin Mears is a bum’ on the old Pickwick printing set.? Just wondering.
And what about Mark (Bruce) Edwards? He used to love his cheese and beetroot sandwiches, along with Swinton RUFC.
.
Quote
"Would that be Martin Mears with his MG ( and the hares ears ). Wonder if he’d remembers ‘Martin Mears is a bum’ on the old Pickwick printing set.? Just wondering.
And what about Mark (Bruce) Edwards? He used to love his cheese and beetroot sandwiches, along with Swinton RUFC"
Yep, that’s the one. Apparently later updated to " The laughing assassin! "
Mark Edwards? I think he was in the office. A dark haired, pale, very spindly fellow who didn’t look as though he could pull a jumper on but had a lovely girlfriend, later wifey person I believe.