Any old promotor drivers around

[sandway]

What did you do when you were weekended. Micky T has said on his first trip to Moscow he did the tourist bit round the sights. I often did the same. I’ve read many drivers stories on here bout great drinking sessions lasting from Friday night to Monday morning. I know some drivers, if near snowy mountains went skiing or near the sea then swimming.

On one long weekend I was in Geneva and the weather was great. I can’t remember what job I was on but most probably I’d delivered a couple of cars to a venue to be collected by me in a few days time. Cant remember when I was there either but I’d say it was 78 or 79. Anyway, I wandered down to the prom with my camera and snapped this lot on roller skates whizzing up and down.

Nothing to do with lorries but they are on wheels.

[mushroomman]

bullitt:
That’s a great pic of Dover back in the day. Now we can play a game we all love… can you recognise any of the hauliers in the photo. I think right at the back is a Lloyds of Ludlow, a ? Raymond (red and white trailer) and on the left could that be a forerunner of RH Freight out of Nottingham? The Merc wagon and drag behind the trailer of the Transcon, a German company and I cant picture the name but they are still running now. The orange trailer right at the back on the far left, Richard Kempers or something??

You must of ate a lot of carrots in your lifetime Bullitt.
My first thoughts were what lorries, could that be Dover and is that a Thompson Jewett from Nottingham Volvo behind the LLoyds of Ludlow.

It was alright for you Sandway, if your lot and all the others who lived Darn Sarf arrived in Dover on a Friday afternoon only to hear those immortal words from the clearing agent “I am sorry drive, there is nothing we can do until 9 a.m. on Monday morning” then you and Tricky Mickey could of jogged off home.
For the rest of us we had to hitch a ride on a hay cart up to The Smoke and get The Rattler or ask another Northern driver for a lift and head back on Sunday afternoon.
Failing that we had to invest all our hard earned money into The Southern Powerhouse, i.e. The Albion, The East Cliff Hotel, The Dolphin bar in the passenger terminal or in later years The Wheelhouse.
I wonder how many drivers actually took the time to spend a Sunday morning walking up on top of the cliffs. There were some spectacular views to see on a clear day and a few very interesting things to see like a couple of old gun emplacements and an old bunker. The trouble was though that it was very thirsty work so we would have to head back to The Dolphin where we would often spend the rest of the day in the bar reading the Sunday papers.
I just regret now that I never made the effort to have a walk around Dover Castle.

Regards Steve.

Regards Steve.

[efes]

sandway:
What did you do when you were weekended. Micky T has said on his first trip to Moscow he did the tourist bit round the sights. I often did the same. I’ve read many drivers stories on here bout great drinking sessions lasting from Friday night to Monday morning. I know some drivers, if near snowy mountains went skiing or near the sea then swimming.

On one long weekend I was in Geneva and the weather was great. I can’t remember what job I was on but most probably I’d delivered a couple of cars to a venue to be collected by me in a few days time. Cant remember when I was there either but I’d say it was 78 or 79. Anyway, I wandered down to the prom with my camera and snapped this lot on roller skates whizzing up and down.

Nothing to do with lorries but they are on wheels.

I wonder why the gentleman wearing his underpants has a “for sale” (a vendre) sign over them?

Here follows a few vignettes on the daily life of a promotor driver from all over… No order of time or place…

I certainly liked to see the sights and toured where I could.

Iraq

In Iraq one of the young lady translators from the expo site, the Assyrian who had invited me to her party, toured Baghdad with me showing me all the sights. I regret not writing up a journal because, as a driver, one always had plenty of “waiting time” here there and everywhere to do just that. Mind you anything written down would always excite the interest of the “Commie Bloc” border security - as I found to my cost (time cost). My address book was always of interest to border guards.

I have always been particularly interested in Iraq because my grandfather was one of the first troops into Baghdad in WWI. He was with the 35th Indian Brigade, Tigris Corps (a Buff). He has been wounded at the battle of Sheik Sa’ad (attempted relief of Kut) in 1916, I have some great photos of his of Ctesiphon, Ur of Chaldees, Baghdad and Basra from that time. if you think it was tough in France in the trenches in WWI then Mespotamia was far, far worse with massive loss of life due to the heat and disease.

Russia

I took a trailer to Moscow which was the diplomatic bag for the British Embassy where I stayed a few days. People from the Embassy took me around and looked after me very well indeed. I went to an embassy flat for dinner one evening and, at the front door, my host held up his finger over his lips to be sure I said nothing and pointed out all the microphones around the flat built into the walls. Quite amusing.

One of the embassy staff wrote Mills & Boon stories as a sideline and she said she’d use me for a story she’d write about the “lorry driver and aupair”. I wonder if it was ever written and published?

Yugoslavia

One sunny weekend in Ptuj (Yugoslavia) as I walked around the town looking at the sites and I was delighted to see a car racing down the narrow high street far too fast, losing control and taking out cars parked on both sides of the road. The driver having smashed at least 15-20 cars got out and scratched his head as if he was surprised.

DDR

Another time in Leipzig Fair site - just after the fall of the wall - there was a huge tank transporter unloading a massive generator by crane, as the crane lifted the generator it swung and gently nudged the headboard of the trailer and this started the diesel engine of the transporter which started to move very, very slowly in low gear all by itself without the driver… There was a long line of Trabants parked up in a line, and also the Kepstowe Freight minibus as the end of the line and the transporter carried on slowly crushing the line of cars. Half a dozen were crushed and the driver managed to chase the transporter and get in to stop it just before it squashed the Kesptowe van. The Kepstowe rep, Henry Osborne, a really great friend of mine, stood paralysed as we watched the drama unfold.

There was an East German policemen who watched his brand new Trabant being crushed. He exlaimed he had waited 9 years for it and it had only just had it delivered, when the iron curtain had fallen, and the car had become valueless overnight and was now wrecked… He wasn’t happy at all. Somewhere I have a photo of this if I could only find it…

So many little stories. Every trip an adventure. It really was the best job for any young man to have to discover what the world is really like and how we in the UK and near Europe live in a tiny pocket of civilisation and only a couple of days drive way it’s a totally different and chaotic world

[sandway]

mushroomman:

bullitt:
That’s a great pic of Dover back in the day. Now we can play a game we all love… can you recognise any of the hauliers in the photo. I think right at the back is a Lloyds of Ludlow, a ? Raymond (red and white trailer) and on the left could that be a forerunner of RH Freight out of Nottingham? The Merc wagon and drag behind the trailer of the Transcon, a German company and I cant picture the name but they are still running now. The orange trailer right at the back on the far left, Richard Kempers or something??

You must of ate a lot of carrots in your lifetime Bullitt.
My first thoughts were what lorries, could that be Dover and is that a Thompson Jewett from Nottingham Volvo behind the LLoyds of Ludlow.

It was alright for you Sandway, if your lot and all the others who lived Darn Sarf arrived in Dover on a Friday afternoon only to hear those immortal words from the clearing agent “I am sorry drive, there is nothing we can do until 9 a.m. on Monday morning” then you and Tricky Mickey could of jogged off home.
For the rest of us we had to hitch a ride on a hay cart up to The Smoke and get The Rattler or ask another Northern driver for a lift and head back on Sunday afternoon.
Failing that we had to invest all our hard earned money into The Southern Powerhouse, i.e. The Albion, The East Cliff Hotel, The Dolphin bar in the passenger terminal or in later years The Wheelhouse.
I wonder how many drivers actually took the time to spend a Sunday morning walking up on top of the cliffs. There were some spectacular views to see on a clear day and a few very interesting things to see like a couple of old gun emplacements and an old bunker. The trouble was though that it was very thirsty work so we would have to head back to The Dolphin where we would often spend the rest of the day in the bar reading the Sunday papers.
I just regret now that I never made the effort to have a walk around Dover Castle.

Regards Steve.

Regards Steve.

I’m just glad you decided to go for a walk on the cliffs before you went to the pub.

[sandway]

Nice post Efes. I always got out and about. Not always with the camera though. I remember being in Lisbon once. We were staying at the Inter Conti Hotel (Ford job) and I went out for a long walk and got completely lost. Had to ask how to get back. Cos it was the Inter everyone knew where it was, accept me of course. Must also dig out the pics I took down at Babylon (no lorry, went in a taxi). Will also post in the next couple of days pics I took on a trip to Yugo with my wife. The only time she came on a trip with me.

Attached though is a photo I took of Habbaniya Tourism Village and luxury 5 Star Hotel. This resort is between Ramadi and Fallujah and was opened in 1979. Chick Steadman and I went there on about the 8th November 1981 (I think it was 81) for a spot of R & R whilst the Baghdad Fair was on. We were almost the only ones there and after two days went back to Baghdad bored out of our tiny minds.

[mushroomman]

sandway:

I’m just glad you decided to go for a walk on the cliffs before you went to the pub.

Orr thanks for your concern Brian. I must admit that the sudden gusts of wind while we were walking along the top were quite strong.
So how many of you can remember being weekended at Santhia in the summer at the log cabin restaurant and how many of you went along to the open air swimming pool in the village. If you remember it was compulsory to have to wear a swim cap which they supplied, I wonder if they thought that all the U.K. drivers had nits.
My wife came with me on one trip when I had to reload in Turin on the Monday morning and we went into the log cabin for Sunday lunch. There must of been a cloud burst at the time as the heavens opened up and the rain came in through all the cracks in the ceiling. It must have happened before because the owner went around casually putting buckets underneath all the drips and when had run out of buckets he started putting some large cooking pots underneath the smaller drips.
When the buckets were nearly full he picked them up, walked over to the window, opened it, emptied the bucket out of the window and then replaced the bucket. There were about three tables full of Brit drivers so after a while when the buckets near our tables were almost full, one of the drivers would get up and empty it through the window.
The rest of the diners who were mainly local just carried on eating as though this kind of thing happened all the time.
I must admit though, I thought that the food at Santhia was much better than what they served at Carisio.

The guy sat at the side of the pool was from a driver for one of the companies from Kent.

[sandway]

Took this picture whilst in the Londra on the trip where Welly Ward had his accident. Am fairly sure their names were Hewie and George and that the Transcon was George’s lorry. They may have been double manning but doubt it. Snow chains are on and they left a day before us heading, I think, to Kuwait.

I’m sure a lot of you know them or have info. If so, lets hear it.

[sandway]

sandway:
Took this picture whilst in the Londra on the trip where Welly Ward had his accident. Am fairly sure their names were Hewie and George and that the Transcon was George’s lorry. They may have been double manning but doubt it. Snow chains are on and they left a day before us heading, I think, to Kuwait.

I’m sure a lot of you know them or have info. If so, lets hear it.

volvo303 posted on Oct 11 2012 that Taytran was owned by Ken Taylor and son Chris drove for him. volvo303 had also driven a Taytran Transcon. Come on you knowledgeable ones. Lets have some more info.

[efes]

sandway:

sandway:
Took this picture whilst in the Londra on the trip where Welly Ward had his accident. Am fairly sure their names were Hewie and George and that the Transcon was George’s lorry. They may have been double manning but doubt it. Snow chains are on and they left a day before us heading, I think, to Kuwait.

I’m sure a lot of you know them or have info. If so, lets hear it.

volvo303 posted on Oct 11 2012 that Taytran was owned by Ken Taylor and son Chris drove for him. volvo303 had also driven a Taytran Transcon. Come on you knowledgeable ones. Lets have some more info.

I did wonder when I saw the name Taytran. My first Baghdad was for the Taylors in 1979 in their brand new white Iveco. At the time they had just the one vehicle. I only vaguely remember the Taytran name… (Maybe they called it that later? They were called Star Transport at the time - or was that his father’s HGV driving school?). I knew Chris quite well beforehand from local hostelries which is how I ended up going to Iraq with them.

However, I don’t remember either of these fellows in the photo’.

It was Chris Taylor that went down (survived) on that Greek ferry with his truck. He was helicoptered out by the Royal Navy because someone said he had small pox (he had chicken pox). The RN were rather disgusted - hoping for an exciting case of small pox when they gone to the trouble of an air lift - and gave him a bottle of Calamine and sent him on his way. I used to bump into him over the years but haven’t seen him for a very long time indeed. Somewhere I have the magazine article about the Greek sinking, much of it quotes from Chris.

I am staggered that Sandway remembers all these names. Perhaps your brain wasn’t as pickled as many drivers… Mine included.

When I returned from Baghdad in 1979 it was almost the day after my return that Staggie called me and I was invited to go for an interview. Before leaving for Iraq I had written to all the international haulage companies I could find in the phone book. I think my letter to Promotor arrived just at the right moment. Almost the next day I was heading to Italy in that bloody Ford Pantechnicon - no sleeper - with a car trailer behind it. It was very, very, very long indeed. Impossible to reverse as you couldn’t see the trailer… I went to Fiat’s wind tunnel and got held up in strike where all the Fiat workers were holding wooden clubs and didn’t seem to be afraid of using them on cars trying to pass the picket line.

Then back via Switzerland where they didn’t want to let me through because I didn’t have a permit (I had an EC blue book). I eventually wore down the Swiss and was allowed through and went on my way… I think to load in France where they loaded far too much and the springs were almost down to the ground. I had to go round corners very, very slowly.

I was lumbered with the pantech for ages…

[sandway]

Efes:

sandway:

sandway:
Took this picture whilst in the Londra on the trip where Welly Ward had his accident. Am fairly sure their names were Hewie and George and that the Transcon was George’s lorry. They may have been double manning but doubt it. Snow chains are on and they left a day before us heading, I think, to Kuwait.

I’m sure a lot of you know them or have info. If so, lets hear it.

volvo303 posted on Oct 11 2012 that Taytran was owned by Ken Taylor and son Chris drove for him. volvo303 had also driven a Taytran Transcon. Come on you knowledgeable ones. Lets have some more info.

I did wonder when I saw the name Taytran. My first Baghdad was for the Taylors in 1979 in their brand new white Iveco. At the time they had just the one vehicle. I only vaguely remember the Taytran name… (Maybe they called it that later? They were called Star Transport at the time - or was that his father’s HGV driving school?). I knew Chris quite well beforehand from local hostelries which is how I ended up going to Iraq with them.

However, I don’t remember either of these fellows in the photo’.

It was Chris Taylor that went down (survived) on that Greek ferry with his truck. He was helicoptered out by the Royal Navy because someone said he had small pox (he had chicken pox). The RN were rather disgusted - hoping for an exciting case of small pox when they gone to the trouble of an air lift - and gave him a bottle of Calamine and sent him on his way. I used to bump into him over the years but haven’t seen him for a very long time indeed. Somewhere I have the magazine article about the Greek sinking, much of it quotes from Chris.

I am staggered that Sandway remembers all these names. Perhaps your brain wasn’t as pickled as many drivers… Mine included.

When I returned from Baghdad in 1979 it was almost the day after my return that Staggie called me and I was invited to go for an interview. Before leaving for Iraq I had written to all the international haulage companies I could find in the phone book. I think my letter to Promotor arrived just at the right moment. Almost the next day I was heading to Italy in that bloody Ford Pantechnicon - no sleeper - with a car trailer behind it. It was very, very, very long indeed. Impossible to reverse as you couldn’t see the trailer… I went to Fiat’s wind tunnel and got held up in strike where all the Fiat workers were holding wooden clubs and didn’t seem to be afraid of using them on cars trying to pass the picket line.

Then back via Switzerland where they didn’t want to let me through because I didn’t have a permit (I had an EC blue book). I eventually wore down the Swiss and was allowed through and went on my way… I think to load in France where they loaded far too much and the springs were almost down to the ground. I had to go round corners very, very slowly.

I was lumbered with the pantech for ages…

I can’t think of anything worse than being lumbered with the Pantech. I never drove it and steered well clear of it. The only time I did a trip with it was when RF, John Barclay, Skippy driving the Pantech and I went to Bucharest. RF can’t remember that trip which took place in 1978. I posted an account of that trip a few months back.

Where were Taytrans (Taylors) based Efes. Good story about Chris Taylor and the sinking ferry. It was the Zenobia and it sank of Lanaka. Again I did a post on that a few months ago. I put a photo of John Preece onboard the ferry a few trips before she went down.

[sandway]

sandway:

Efes:

sandway:

sandway:
Took this picture whilst in the Londra on the trip where Welly Ward had his accident. Am fairly sure their names were Hewie and George and that the Transcon was George’s lorry. They may have been double manning but doubt it. Snow chains are on and they left a day before us heading, I think, to Kuwait.

I’m sure a lot of you know them or have info. If so, lets hear it.

volvo303 posted on Oct 11 2012 that Taytran was owned by Ken Taylor and son Chris drove for him. volvo303 had also driven a Taytran Transcon. Come on you knowledgeable ones. Lets have some more info.

I did wonder when I saw the name Taytran. My first Baghdad was for the Taylors in 1979 in their brand new white Iveco. At the time they had just the one vehicle. I only vaguely remember the Taytran name… (Maybe they called it that later? They were called Star Transport at the time - or was that his father’s HGV driving school?). I knew Chris quite well beforehand from local hostelries which is how I ended up going to Iraq with them.

However, I don’t remember either of these fellows in the photo’.

It was Chris Taylor that went down (survived) on that Greek ferry with his truck. He was helicoptered out by the Royal Navy because someone said he had small pox (he had chicken pox). The RN were rather disgusted - hoping for an exciting case of small pox when they gone to the trouble of an air lift - and gave him a bottle of Calamine and sent him on his way. I used to bump into him over the years but haven’t seen him for a very long time indeed. Somewhere I have the magazine article about the Greek sinking, much of it quotes from Chris.

I am staggered that Sandway remembers all these names. Perhaps your brain wasn’t as pickled as many drivers… Mine included.

When I returned from Baghdad in 1979 it was almost the day after my return that Staggie called me and I was invited to go for an interview. Before leaving for Iraq I had written to all the international haulage companies I could find in the phone book. I think my letter to Promotor arrived just at the right moment. Almost the next day I was heading to Italy in that bloody Ford Pantechnicon - no sleeper - with a car trailer behind it. It was very, very, very long indeed. Impossible to reverse as you couldn’t see the trailer… I went to Fiat’s wind tunnel and got held up in strike where all the Fiat workers were holding wooden clubs and didn’t seem to be afraid of using them on cars trying to pass the picket line.

Then back via Switzerland where they didn’t want to let me through because I didn’t have a permit (I had an EC blue book). I eventually wore down the Swiss and was allowed through and went on my way… I think to load in France where they loaded far too much and the springs were almost down to the ground. I had to go round corners very, very slowly.

I was lumbered with the pantech for ages…

I can’t think of anything worse than being lumbered with the Pantech. I never drove it and steered well clear of it. The only time I did a trip with it was when RF, John Barclay, Skippy driving the Pantech and I went to Bucharest. RF can’t remember that trip which took place in 1978. I posted an account of that trip a few months back.

Where were Taytrans (Taylors) based Efes. Good story about Chris Taylor and the sinking ferry. It was the Zenobia and it sank of Lanaka. Again I did a post on that a few months ago. I put a photo of John Preece onboard the ferry a few trips before she went down.

Found the photo Efes. First time I posted it only my right arm showed. This time all of me is in it.

[efes]

sandway:

Efes:

sandway:

sandway:
Took this picture whilst in the Londra on the trip where Welly Ward had his accident. Am fairly sure their names were Hewie and George and that the Transcon was George’s lorry. They may have been double manning but doubt it. Snow chains are on and they left a day before us heading, I think, to Kuwait.

I’m sure a lot of you know them or have info. If so, lets hear it.

volvo303 posted on Oct 11 2012 that Taytran was owned by Ken Taylor and son Chris drove for him. volvo303 had also driven a Taytran Transcon. Come on you knowledgeable ones. Lets have some more info.

I did wonder when I saw the name Taytran. My first Baghdad was for the Taylors in 1979 in their brand new white Iveco. At the time they had just the one vehicle. I only vaguely remember the Taytran name… (Maybe they called it that later? They were called Star Transport at the time - or was that his father’s HGV driving school?). I knew Chris quite well beforehand from local hostelries which is how I ended up going to Iraq with them.

However, I don’t remember either of these fellows in the photo’.

It was Chris Taylor that went down (survived) on that Greek ferry with his truck. He was helicoptered out by the Royal Navy because someone said he had small pox (he had chicken pox). The RN were rather disgusted - hoping for an exciting case of small pox when they gone to the trouble of an air lift - and gave him a bottle of Calamine and sent him on his way. I used to bump into him over the years but haven’t seen him for a very long time indeed. Somewhere I have the magazine article about the Greek sinking, much of it quotes from Chris.

I am staggered that Sandway remembers all these names. Perhaps your brain wasn’t as pickled as many drivers… Mine included.

When I returned from Baghdad in 1979 it was almost the day after my return that Staggie called me and I was invited to go for an interview. Before leaving for Iraq I had written to all the international haulage companies I could find in the phone book. I think my letter to Promotor arrived just at the right moment. Almost the next day I was heading to Italy in that bloody Ford Pantechnicon - no sleeper - with a car trailer behind it. It was very, very, very long indeed. Impossible to reverse as you couldn’t see the trailer… I went to Fiat’s wind tunnel and got held up in strike where all the Fiat workers were holding wooden clubs and didn’t seem to be afraid of using them on cars trying to pass the picket line.

Then back via Switzerland where they didn’t want to let me through because I didn’t have a permit (I had an EC blue book). I eventually wore down the Swiss and was allowed through and went on my way… I think to load in France where they loaded far too much and the springs were almost down to the ground. I had to go round corners very, very slowly.

I was lumbered with the pantech for ages…

I can’t think of anything worse than being lumbered with the Pantech. I never drove it and steered well clear of it. The only time I did a trip with it was when RF, John Barclay, Skippy driving the Pantech and I went to Bucharest. RF can’t remember that trip which took place in 1978. I posted an account of that trip a few months back.

Where were Taytrans (Taylors) based Efes. Good story about Chris Taylor and the sinking ferry. It was the Zenobia and it sank of Lanaka. Again I did a post on that a few months ago. I put a photo of John Preece onboard the ferry a few trips before she went down.

Taytrans was from Crowborough. Taylor snr. ran an HGV driving school (Star) and then ventured into Middle East transport in about 1978. I think the Iveco was their first truck. It may have been earlier but not much earlier. I never bumped into Chris on the road but used to see him around the town. A pleasant fellow. I am surprised I’ve not seen in the past few years. Perhaps he moved away from Kent/Sussex?

My memory is failing… Chris Taylor ended up working for Edwin Shirley either as driver or as an owner driver. I think he liked the rock and roll life more than the Middle East.

[efes]

HABUR

“STOP THE NOISEY” and “PREVENT THE DIRTY” neither of which notices apparently had any effect on the assemblage. Then out into the carpark queue and squeeze through the mass of jostling trucks with everyone in a bad temper having waited days and days. I think I had waited 3 or 4 days one year in a queue from the far side of Silopi going towards Baghdad. Grim.

A Turkish soldier was stopping the queue going through the town of Silopi. I joshed with him and I took a few photos as he pointed his gun at me… Then a bit later he got into an argument with a Tonka driver and whacked the driver round the head with his rifle ■■■■ and knocked him out and started putting the boot in while the poor fellow was on the ground… Really brutal, I was quite shocked watching and then he came back to me and demanded my camera. Well I wasn’t going to give to him and I started shouting at him as aggressively as I could (all 5’ 6" of me) to make him understand that I wasn’t having any nonsense… Happily for me - because he was getting really nasty - an army jeep turned up just in time - and he was driven away… I was rather grateful that it arrived.

One night later as I slowly edged closer to Habur during the night 3 Austrian trucks went flying past in the dark flat out… People in the queue were stoning them as they drove past. Next morning as the queue slowly moved forward we saw the three Austrian trucks at the side of the road with every bit of glass gone, windscreen, side windows, headlights, and every panel dented. No sign of the drivers. Mind you typical that it was Austrians trying to jump the queue. I often wondered what had happened to them. I can’t help thinking they might have been badly beaten or worse. After 3 or 4 days queuing in the 40 degrees heat and having to stay awake to edge forward every 15 minutes tempers are very frayed indeed.

Somewhere I have the photos but the T&S has tidied everything of mine so I can’t find anything. But I will add them if she hasn’t binned them (which is possible)

[jazzandy]

We used to call the Austrians ‘Alpine Turks’. Sounds as though they got their just desserts. We used to pull the trucks across the road to stop overtakers (normally Tonkas however).

[efes]

Jazzandy:
We used to call the Austrians ‘Alpine Turks’. Sounds as though they got their just desserts. We used to pull the trucks across the road to stop overtakers (normally Tonkas however).

At Bad Reichenhall (Salzburg crossing) there was a long queue to go into Austria and Billy Took was in the queue when an Austrian (always an Austrian) decided to zoom past everyone and Billy blocked him by pulling out in front of him. The Austrian gentleman got out to remonstrate with Billy - who pomptly ploncked one on him…

The German police ran out to pull them apart and held the Austrian to delay him while Billy went on and did his papers… As he was doing the paperwork the customers officers were all grinning and calling him “Cassius Clay”. As Billy left the customs house the Austrian turned up and one of his eyes had already closed from the thump.

I had a similar disagreement myself at the same border where I had waited several hours - but going the other way - with a Greek who was trying to push me out of the queue… I lost my temper when he tried to get in front and went straight on without stopping removing his wing mirror in the process. He wasn’t best pleased but didn’t get out to confront me (luckily). Drivers often look bigger than they are when viewed from below.

[nottsnortherner]

Funny you should mention Chris Taylor having worked for “Seldom Early Trucking”, there was a Chris Taylor who worked for Showhaul in their early days, maybe the same bloke. Showhaul were based just outside East Grinstead so wouldn,t have been far from Crowborough.

[efes]

Nottsnortherner:
Funny you should mention Chris Taylor having worked for “Seldom Early Trucking”, there was a Chris Taylor who worked for Showhaul in their early days, maybe the same bloke. Showhaul were based just outside East Grinstead so wouldn,t have been far from Crowborough.

I would think they were one and the same. Did you ever work with him?

[m_amp_c_jamie]

sandway:
Took this picture whilst in the Londra on the trip where Welly Ward had his accident. Am fairly sure their names were Hewie and George and that the Transcon was George’s lorry. They may have been double manning but doubt it. Snow chains are on and they left a day before us heading, I think, to Kuwait.

I’m sure a lot of you know them or have info. If so, lets hear it.

You are right sandway, it is the terrible twins Hughie and George McClennan who were based in Port Talbot. They may have bought it from Gentleman George Ghin who owned taytrans at one time.
regards Jamie.

[nottsnortherner]

With regard to Chris Taylor I never actually worked with him but being in the same game our paths did cross occasionally. The one thing I do remember about him was I think on this particular occasion he was I think driving a Transcon and we were killing time somewhere when he invited me into the cab to listen to some music. I was greeted with the sound of two massive Bose PA speakers which he had fitted under his bunk! Completely over the top for such a small space but hey! thats “rock n roll”

[efes]

Nottsnortherner:
With regard to Chris Taylor I never actually worked with him but being in the same game our paths did cross occasionally. The one thing I do remember about him was I think on this particular occasion he was I think driving a Transcon and we were killing time somewhere when he invited me into the cab to listen to some music. I was greeted with the sound of two massive Bose PA speakers which he had fitted under his bunk! Completely over the top for such a small space but hey! thats “rock n roll”

Sounds like Chris. He was certainly a rock and roller…