What a fine body of men!!!
The guy on the right was one of our customers during the late 80’s at the Tehran International Trade Fair where he saw that our labourers were all kitted out with Promotor t-shirts. He explained that he and two friends ran for various charities, I think in the Leeds area, and asked if we would mind donating some of our shirts for them to wear during the race. The idea being that they would be easily identified by people who had sponsored them.
We had a couple of lads working at this event. Ford wanted a Mondeo and an ■■■■■■ on show and although it would normally be a one man operation we let two go as we wanted to put on a good show. Peter Calderwood and his girlfriend and myself and my wife also turned up for a day out. Of course what most people in the crowd wanted to see was Nigel Mansell put on a show but we got more than we bargained for.
The four of us were watching from McLeans corner as the cars hurtled down the Craner Curves on the back of the circuit. About halfway through the race, Nigel was going well but so were some the others. About halfway down the back Tiff Nidell was right up behind Nigel when he misjudged one of the curves and walloped Nigel up the rear which shot him off the track across the grass and into the wall at the base of the bridge. Bits flew off the car, which I am fairly sure was a Mondeo, and steam or smoke or maybe dust rose into the air. The commentator tried to make a big thing of the accident but you could detect a note of concern in his voice. Help arrived very quickly with the fire brigade and an ambulance. It took about thirty minutes to extricate Nigel and get him back to the first aid post.
Half an hour later we saw his helicopter take off heading towards his home in Cornwall no doubt as he counted the lolly he earned for entertaining us that day. Dunno how much he had to pay Tiff for his involvement as a bit player.
sandway:
We had a couple of lads working at this event. Ford wanted a Mondeo and an ■■■■■■ on show and although it would normally be a one man operation we let two go as we wanted to put on a good show. Peter Calderwood and his girlfriend and myself and my wife also turned up for a day out. Of course what most people in the crowd wanted to see was Nigel Mansell put on a show but we got more than we bargained for.The four of us were watching from McLeans corner as the cars hurtled down the Craner Curves on the back of the circuit. About halfway through the race, Nigel was going well but so were some the others. About halfway down the back Tiff Nidell was right up behind Nigel when he misjudged one of the curves and walloped Nigel up the rear which shot him off the track across the grass and into the wall at the base of the bridge. Bits flew off the car, which I am fairly sure was a Mondeo, and steam or smoke or maybe dust rose into the air. The commentator tried to make a big thing of the accident but you could detect a note of concern in his voice. Help arrived very quickly with the fire brigade and an ambulance. It took about thirty minutes to extricate Nigel and get him back to the first aid post.
Half an hour later we saw his helicopter take off heading towards his home in Cornwall no doubt as he counted the lolly he earned for entertaining us that day. Dunno how much he had to pay Tiff for his involvement as a bit player.
I was at this race working, we heard about this in the paddock, and, Mansell had been concussed, and people who saw the mundune launch at craners thought the worst, I can’t remember the exact details but one of them took a different line at the craners curves, Also I don’t think Nigel left by helicopter, because of concussion, he would have been sent to Queens Hospital in Nottingham.
Edit.
sandway:
biggriffin:
sandway:
We had a couple of lads working at this event. Ford wanted a Mondeo and an ■■■■■■ on show and although it would normally be a one man operation we let two go as we wanted to put on a good show. Peter Calderwood and his girlfriend and myself and my wife also turned up for a day out. Of course what most people in the crowd wanted to see was Nigel Mansell put on a show but we got more than we bargained for.The four of us were watching from McLeans corner as the cars hurtled down the Craner Curves on the back of the circuit. About halfway through the race, Nigel was going well but so were some the others. About halfway down the back Tiff Nidell was right up behind Nigel when he misjudged one of the curves and walloped Nigel up the rear which shot him off the track across the grass and into the wall at the base of the bridge. Bits flew off the car, which I am fairly sure was a Mondeo, and steam or smoke or maybe dust rose into the air. The commentator tried to make a big thing of the accident but you could detect a note of concern in his voice. Help arrived very quickly with the fire brigade and an ambulance. It took about thirty minutes to extricate Nigel and get him back to the first aid post.
Half an hour later we saw his helicopter take off heading towards his home in Cornwall no doubt as he counted the lolly he earned for entertaining us that day. Dunno how much he had to pay Tiff for his involvement as a bit player.
I was at this race working, we heard about this in the paddock, and, Mansell had been concussed, and people who saw the mundune launch at craners thought the worst, I can’t remember the exact details but one of them took a different line at the craners curves, Also I don’t think Nigel left by helicopter, because of concussion, he would have been sent to Queens Hospital in Nottingham.
Evening biggriffin.
You are right, Nigel did suffer from concussion and spent the night in hospital. Maybe he was taken there by helicopter. I have just looked at a video of the incident on youtube and it seems he got out of line and lost it through the Craner Curves. He then inexplicably braked which is when he was helped on his way by Tiff Needell.
Good evening…
interesting thread this I often look in.
Sadly I have nothing to offer re the main subject matter, however the mention of Tiff Needel triggered a memory that may be of interest to som or none 
In the mid Eighties I did a bit for an endurance racing team based near Andover, to be honest they were nothing better than Midfield runners but I was charged with taking the car etc to various circuits in UK and Europe.
On one occasion there was a test day at Thruxton and a guest driver was to evaluate the car and do a report for Autosport. The driver concerned was Tiff and as this was before any tv work and he wasn’t that well known .
Our regular driver was James Weaver who went on to bigger things ( and better teams ) …
We’d arrived at the circuit Early and later in the morning I had to go out and move the truck, only to find it blocked in… I walked backed into the garage and said to the Chief mechanic who was deep in conversation “some ■■■■■ parked his Jag right in front of the truck “ … Oh, I’m terribly sorry that’s me says Tiff 
All the best, Baldrick.
Things are not looking healthy in Iran at present and perhaps worse than they have been for many a year. However, during the mid to late 80’s and early 90’s there were often political problems which, for Promotor, opened up welcome opportunities for us to set up our Independent British Participation Groups at the Tehran International Trade Fairs as well as one event we organised in the Intercontinental Hotel. I shall return to this show later.
There were I believe only two British Overseas Trade Board (BOTB) sponsored exhibitions organised during this period. Promotor organised the rest. Because of political unrest one year there was no British companies exhibiting at all apart from the odd few on their agents stands. I said the BOTB only sponsored two events that is incorrect. They only organised two but sponsored three. Promotor was able to arrange a British Group with the help of the Middle East Association, who as a not for profit organisation, filled the criteria set by the BOTB and sponsorship for the British Companies taking part was channelled through them. I am not sure of the year but I think its either 89 or 90.
Unfortunately the Fair Authorities weren’t able to offer us a decent pavilion and we ended up in, what looked like a basement area, in a far off hall. However, it didn’t take long for the Iranians to find us. Our group did plenty of business and things got so hectic I had to assist Ken from the MEA on the information stand. As I was running the event on my own it made my life even more hectic as I was handling all the travel arrangements for most of our group as well.
The twelve day Tehran Fair was drawing to a conclusion and Ken left on the London bound flight a few hours after the close. This is when I really got busy. Organising busses to take people to the airport and bringing in the empty cases and repacking the exhibits.
However, something occurred the next evening which I still look upon today with amazement. I never thought in a million years I would be sitting in the same seats in the same room where history was made forty five years previously.
Fourth photo down looks like the registration desk for a Freddie Mercury lookalike competition…happy new year!
Thank you Efes for the photo. You always were a ‘clever clogs’. Shouldn’t have given so many clues I suppose! And by the looks of it Baldrick1953 thinks your clever to. But whilst you’re all gloating I shall tell you a little story------
In 1943 Germany was in control of most of Europe and large swathes of the Soviet Union and Stalin was pressing the west to open up another front in Northern France to take the pressure off his army. It was decided by Great Britain, the USA and the Soviets that a conference was needed to form a master plan and after much wrangling, Tehran was chosen as being the most acceptable venue. Well, it was for Stalin but Roosevelt wasn’t happy and Churchill couldn’t care less as long as they met. A date was set for late November and the conference was to last four or five days and would take place in the Soviet Embassy which was almost opposite the British Embassy. The USA embassy was a couple of kilometres away so Roosevelt dossed down with Stalin, no, not literally.
All three sides had brought large delegations with them including two of Churchill’s offspring, Sarah and Randolf. Meetings were held during the first three days and banquets laid on but on the 30th November, his 69th birthday, Churchill hosted a ‘Birthday Dinner’ in the Great Hall in the British Embassy. In all thirty four guests, spread along two long tables, attended and it turned into a boozy old night according to most reports. It was obvious what direction the evening would take as the menu stated that the sumptuous affair would start with ‘Bloody Mary Cocktails, Pol Roger Champagne and Johnny Walker Black Label Whisky’. As the banquet progressed there was copious amounts of both French and Iranian wine to be had before the meal concluded with port. Of course it didn’t end there as Churchill and Stalin hit the hard stuff and continued toasting each other and anything else they could offer a toast to into the early hours of next day.
And so readers it came to pass in the late 80’s that Team GB had fallen out with the Iranian authorities, once again, and our Embassy staff had all been kicked out of the country. When this happens there still needs to be some representation and so the Swedes provided a ‘Charge d’affaires’ to operate out of the British embassy providing a ‘British Interests Section’.
Now this Swedish guy, who I didn’t know from Adam turned up at the information desk in the British Pavilion towards the end of the Tehran Fair and asked if a small group of us would like to join him and a few Swedish colleagues for dinner. The head guys manning the GEC and Hawker Siddley stands were chosen alongside myself and the three of us headed off to the embassy on Ferdowsi Avenue in our best ‘bib and tucker’ the next evening.
I had been to the embassy on many occasions but for the first time it was a non business visit. We were entertained by three Swedish diplomats including the ‘Charge d’affaires’ and their lovely wives. We spent an hour in a sumptuous lounge talking amongst ourselves before moving into the Great Hall for dinner. However, before we took our places around the table we given a history lesson by our host.
He pointed out the significance of the rooms we were in and the fact that the 'Big Three" had celebrated Churchills birthday there. On the wall was a plaque showing the names of those who attended the banquet that evening and their positions at the tables. Although he couldn’t confirm who sat in which chairs he did say it was possible one or even all of us were sitting where Churchill, Roosevelt or Stalin had sat.
Before the ‘hors d’oeuvres’ were served our host made a small speech. It had been announced a few weeks before that Britain and Iran had kissed and made up and that the Embassy would once again be the home of the British Ambassador and his staff. Our host pointed out that meant he would soon be out of work. “But that doesn’t worry me” he said. “I know you Brits will fall out with someone else soon, so I shall not be unemployed for long”.
It was a marvellous experience. One to savour for the rest of your life and on this occasion nobody was trying to drink anyone else under the table as Stalin and Churchill had done 45 + years before.
Nottsnortherner:
Fourth photo down looks like the registration desk for a Freddie Mercury lookalike competition…happy new year!
I don’t look anything like Freddie Nottsnortherner!!! and a Happy New Year to you also.
You had it kinda right Efes but I’m almost 100% sure that photo was taken prior to the conference outside the Soviet Embassy so I wouldn’t have sat there but if I had have done I would be Joe on the left (so my wife says).
My Most Gracious sir sandway… I offer my most sincere apologies for my indiscretion and remain your humble servant. I surely am not worthy…
Baldrick1953:
My Most Gracious sir sandway… I offer my most sincere apologies for my indiscretion and remain your humble servant. I surely am not worthy…
You are correct my dear Baldrick1953, you are not wor… However, one has to realise that one has to appear dignified even when one is in the bath. The attached photograph was taken by my manservant during one of my extended stays in the Meridien Hotel in Baghdad in 1985. Unfortunately he caught me by surprise but I have to say my ‘Superior Presence’ still shows through.
Semaine Britannique en Tunise
Palais de Congres
7-11 Mai 1990
In March 1990 we had organised an all British trade fair in Casablanca of which I have already posted. It was a tremendously successful event for the exhibiting companies but also for Promotor and especially our Dave Stagg who pulled it all together. It was always planned as a North African double event and in May we found ourselves in Tunisia. Although not as large and imposing as the Casablanca exhibition it was nevertheless another feather in Dave’s cap.
I flew out at the beginning of May to set things up and Dave ‘Little Dave’ Lloyd drove a lorry down from the UK with exhibits. We also had two’ containers brought in overland from the exhibition in Morocco. One contained all the standfitting material belonging to George Stavaros, our Cypriot standfitter whilst the other had some exhibits and the scaffolding and the large lighting/flag boxes. These were handled by a Moroccan transport company.
The event was to be held in the Palais de Congress which was a large easily accessible building whilst our hotel was a modern building near by. George flew in from Cyprus with three men but they dossed down somewhere less expensive. Our local agent sorted out the customs formalities and provided labour as and when it was required.
We had a few big name companies exhibiting such as JCB with their big yellow things and British Gas who where involved in oil exploration. Hawker Siddley brought along a hot air ballon but I think they were trying to sell something a bit more high tech to the Tunisians than that. Gave Little Dave and I the chance to fly with Hawker Siddley though.
For Little Dave and I this show was a doddle. The biggest job we had was erecting the scaffold towers and craning the boxes on top. We also handled the exhibits but we weren’t overstretched. It was all so relaxing compared to shows like the Baghdad or Tehran Fairs. Dave Stagg flew in with his wife Marchien and we had some British bigwig together with some high ranking Tunisians declare the ‘Britain in Tunisia’ event open and that was that. Little Dave and I had plenty of time to laze about until the event closed five days later.
Please click on photo’s to enlarge them
sandway:
Baldrick1953:
My Most Gracious sir sandway… I offer my most sincere apologies for my indiscretion and remain your humble servant. I surely am not worthy…You are correct my dear Baldrick1953, you are not wor… However, one has to realise that one has to appear dignified even when one is in the bath. The attached photograph was taken by my manservant during one of my extended stays in the Meridien Hotel in Baghdad in 1985. Unfortunately he caught me by surprise but I have to say my ‘Superior Presence’ still shows through.
Paleese … you’ll be on Naked attraction next… 
Semaine Britannique en Tunisie
Palais de Congress
7-11 Mai 1990
Here are the last of my photos showing the finished stands before the event opened. It was a small exhibition but ‘perfectly formed’ as the saying goes. It was another one for Dave Stagg and Promotor to be proud of.
Please click on a photo to enlarge.
