Any old promotor drivers around

[alan_grant]

OzzyHugh:
Hello Alan - Interesting to read your adventures. Don’t think we would have met but good to see HRS mentioned. I believe they came from Worthing ? I hired a couple of TIR tilt trailers to HRS around 1977/78, I believe they were Merriworth step frames and remember one was written off somewhere in Middle East. Your boss at the time seemed a decent guy to me and he settled up O.K. which was more than most did. Do keep the posts up, it’s good to read of the 1970’s pioneer times - my main contracts were with Astran during that time and I had fallen out with Peter Calderwood of ProMotor earlier in the 1970’s, I still remember him throwing a “wobbly” when he couldn’t agree.

Hi Ozy Hugh
Thanks for responding.
I agree when I first met him and went to work for his company he seemed a nice chap.
The trip money was pretty good as well, provided you put the hours in.
Not allowed to remunerate drivers in that way anymore for that reason.
Unfortunately when the “going gets tough” as they say, he didn’t seem able to shape up and handle the situation.
Hence his duplicitous behaviour with my my wife.
The sad thing is, my wife was a strong woman.
Had he just kept her appraised of what was happening she would have had faith in me to cope.
Instead she was left not knowing if I was even alive, until I phoned from Italy.
Unforgivable, and totally the opposite to Dave Stagg, at Promotor, who she always had faith in.

[sandway]

Thanks for more photos from your calamitous trip to Tehran Alan. I’ve uprighted them and slightly enlarged them. Is that you in the last photo with some mates or are you behind the camera. I see most of the photos are taken as you went over Tahir. When I drove to Tehran we no longer hard to worry about getting over there.

Like the bit about your wife admiring Staggie. My wife said he had a very ■■■■ voice. Well, theres no accounting for taste is there.

[sandway]

Another photo from the Ford Lisbon job. I had a day with the crew driving around the area whilst they took photographs. Must admit we were there to launch the new Dover engine but I never saw any photos being taken under the bonnet.

[alan_grant]

Hi Sandway
Not sure who they were in the photo, look like they could have been locals.
That dirt track over the mountains was quite a challenge, specially in the rain.

You asked about my recollection of Nuremburg.
I think it’s fair to say my main recollection is the boredom of sitting around with nothing to do.
I believe we were parked in the car park of the stadium where Adolf held his rallies. It was fallen into disrepair I think.
There were 5 of us as I remember, Trevor Thayer, “Poxy” Patterson, Graham “Bugsy” Bartram, yourself, and me.
Also 2 female “Trucker groupies” who latched on to us.
Needless to say Bugsy kept himself well occupied with the prettier one.
I have vague recollection that we went into Nuremburg a couple of times for a meal and a few drinks.
I was never a fan of “Scania Stew” (2 or 3 cans chucked in a pot) and would buy fresh food and cook properly as much as I could.
I discovered Nuremburger Bratwurst whilst there, little chipolata style Sausages, I still get them now from time to time. Lidle do them.
Trevor would loiter round me when I was cooking, saying how nice it smelt, angling for me to say “do you want some”
Nice fella Trevor, I ended up being “Mum” and cooking for 2 .
I hadn’t got to know you well, up until then.
You hardly seemed to be around much. You seemed to be the “go to man” for Baghdad at that time.
I have to say that suited me just fine. I was happy pottering around Europe, Catholic Aid to Poland, Yugo Groupage, motor shows etc.

[sandway]

Just received some great news. Bill Smith, son of our old mate ‘Steve Smith’ has just informed me that his father is fine and enjoying the sun in Spain. Steve, or Smudge to some, is one of those great characters to have worked for the company. He was employed in the early 70’s and was still there, albeit with a break in the middle, till the early 90’s.

Enjoy the sun and sangria Stevie.
Please click on photo to enlarge.

[efes]

Alan Grant:
Hi Sandway
Not sure who they were in the photo, look like they could have been locals.
That dirt track over the mountains was quite a challenge, specially in the rain.

You asked about my recollection of Nuremburg.
I think it’s fair to say my main recollection is the boredom of sitting around with nothing to do.
I believe we were parked in the car park of the stadium where Adolf held his rallies. It was fallen into disrepair I think.
There were 5 of us as I remember, Trevor Thayer, “Poxy” Patterson, Graham “Bugsy” Bartram, yourself, and me.
Also 2 female “Trucker groupies” who latched on to us.
Needless to say Bugsy kept himself well occupied with the prettier one.
I have vague recollection that we went into Nuremburg a couple of times for a meal and a few drinks.
I was never a fan of “Scania Stew” (2 or 3 cans chucked in a pot) and would buy fresh food and cook properly as much as I could.
I discovered Nuremburger Bratwurst whilst there, little chipolata style Sausages, I still get them now from time to time. Lidle do them.
Trevor would loiter round me when I was cooking, saying how nice it smelt, angling for me to say “do you want some”
Nice fella Trevor, I ended up being “Mum” and cooking for 2 .
I hadn’t got to know you well, up until then.
You hardly seemed to be around much. You seemed to be the “go to man” for Baghdad at that time.
I have to say that suited me just fine. I was happy pottering around Europe, Catholic Aid to Poland, Yugo Groupage, motor shows etc.

Nuremburg? Is that the Ford job with the white vans when Staggie came out? I was there too but as we had a big wait I hitched off to see a girlfriend in Saarbruecken and spent some time with her which was a rather nicer way of spending time than hanging around in a car park. Nothing personal.

I seem to recollect that Geoff Gardner turned up from Italy in his cab because the German Police at Fussen said he was over-length with the trailer attached. Someone went down in his place because they had a moveable 5th wheel and thought they might squeeze in. Naturally all the German trucks were also over-length but this didn’t appear to matter to the German Police. I think it was Sam Toy (head of Ford UK) flew down to berate them and ease their path with some grease…

npg.org.uk/collections/sear … 66/sam-toy Remember him?

Or remember his sidekick Herr Jung? I think it was Herr Jung (or his colleague?) used to dress as Sherlock Holmes and Tony Grainger has an amusing story of winching off a Ford Cargo (then a pre-release truck) when the winch broke and Herr Jung leaped forward, cape flapping, to try and stop the truck rolling off the back of the lorry and into the wall at the back of the warehouse. Naturally, although he looked like batman, his super-powers were wanting and the cargo crashed into the wall.

I also delivered a top secret clay model of the Sierra (really was a jelly-mould) to Ford’s development area in Koeln. The guards at the gate wouldn’t let me in - lots of very loud shouting and gesticulating from them - so I asked them to call Herr Jung. There was a stunned silence when I did this… and a phone call was made… Suddenly there was lots more shouting to open the gate as “Herr Jung hat gesprochen!” Really dreadfully funny!

[alan_grant]

I owed my job on Promotor to Steve, although he would probably have preferred it to have been under different circumstance.
In early spring 1981 I found myself “between Jobs” and contacted Promotors. I got the stock response, “We’ll put you on our waiting list”
Not satisfied with this I got in the car and drove up to the office the next day saying “I was just passing so decided do stop by and put a face to the name and voice”. Dave Stagg was a bit sceptical about the “just passing” ( can’t think why) but interviewed me anyway.
Still no job available obviously.
A couple of days later, early the next week, I got a phone call.
“Dave Stagg Promotors here Alan, I know this is short notice but I’m desperate, (hardly a ringing endorsement of his desire to employ me ), I have a driver in Brno on his way to Plovdiv. He has a family emergency and his wife needs him home. Can you go out and relieve him?”
Hand covering phone, explain to my wife.
Her: “He says the man’s wife needs him home?”
Me: “yes”
Her: “Then you have to do it then don’t you”
It was this care that instilled her faith in him, not his ■■■■ voice Brian
Me to Dave: “ok when do you want me to go?”
Dave: “Now, can you get here as soon as possible?”
By 1 o’clock that afternoon I was in Dave’s car on the way to the Airport.
He was explaining to me that I was to meet his driver Steve Smith at the Hotel Voronech and take over a Coles crane, he was in Brno with, and take it on to an exhibition in Plovdiv.
I flew ( Business Class, I remember thinking wow! I can put up with this ) to Vienna where I got a bus to Brno.
Arriving late evening.
On arrival I checked into the Voronech, where Steve had reserved a room for me.
That evening, over a few beers, Steve “Put me in the picture” as it where as to what was expected of me.
The sort of things the management may not have told me
The next morning, he headed for the Airport whilst I went to find the crane and headed for Plovdiv.
I don’t think I ever met Steve again after that.
Perhaps that incident triggered his decision to take a break from Promotor.
I my self went on to enjoy 5 years as an employee, before they sold me a unit (FOO if I remember right ) and nurtured and provided work for me as I set myself up as an Owner Driver.

[alan_grant]

Efes:

Alan Grant:
Hi Sandway
Not sure who they were in the photo, look like they could have been locals.
That dirt track over the mountains was quite a challenge, specially in the rain.

You asked about my recollection of Nuremburg.
I think it’s fair to say my main recollection is the boredom of sitting around with nothing to do.
I believe we were parked in the car park of the stadium where Adolf held his rallies. It was fallen into disrepair I think.
There were 5 of us as I remember, Trevor Thayer, “Poxy” Patterson, Graham “Bugsy” Bartram, yourself, and me.
Also 2 female “Trucker groupies” who latched on to us.
Needless to say Bugsy kept himself well occupied with the prettier one.
I have vague recollection that we went into Nuremburg a couple of times for a meal and a few drinks.
I was never a fan of “Scania Stew” (2 or 3 cans chucked in a pot) and would buy fresh food and cook properly as much as I could.
I discovered Nuremburger Bratwurst whilst there, little chipolata style Sausages, I still get them now from time to time. Lidle do them.
Trevor would loiter round me when I was cooking, saying how nice it smelt, angling for me to say “do you want some”
Nice fella Trevor, I ended up being “Mum” and cooking for 2 .
I hadn’t got to know you well, up until then.
You hardly seemed to be around much. You seemed to be the “go to man” for Baghdad at that time.
I have to say that suited me just fine. I was happy pottering around Europe, Catholic Aid to Poland, Yugo Groupage, motor shows etc.

Nuremburg? Is that the Ford job with the white vans when Staggie came out? I was there too but as we had a big wait I hitched off to see a girlfriend in Saarbruecken and spent some time with her which was a rather nicer way of spending time than hanging around in a car park. Nothing personal.

I seem to recollect that Geoff Gardner turned up from Italy in his cab because the German Police at Fussen said he was over-length with the trailer attached. Someone went down in his place because they had a moveable 5th wheel and thought they might squeeze in. Naturally all the German trucks were also over-length but this didn’t appear to matter to the German Police. I think it was Sam Toy (head of Ford UK) flew down to berate them and ease their path with some grease…

npg.org.uk/collections/sear … 66/sam-toy Remember him?

Or remember his sidekick Herr Jung? I think it was Herr Jung (or his colleague?) used to dress as Sherlock Holmes and Tony Grainger has an amusing story of winching off a Ford Cargo (then a pre-release truck) when the winch broke and Herr Jung leaped forward, cape flapping, to try and stop the truck rolling off the back of the lorry and into the wall at the back of the warehouse. Naturally, although he looked like batman, his super-powers were wanting and the cargo crashed into the wall.

I also delivered a top secret clay model of the Sierra (really was a jelly-mould) to Ford’s development area in Koeln. The guards at the gate wouldn’t let me in - lots of very loud shouting and gesticulating from them - so I asked them to call Herr Jung. There was a stunned silence when I did this… and a phone call was made… Suddenly there was lots more shouting to open the gate as “Herr Jung hat gesprochen!” Really dreadfully funny!

No that must have been a different one Efes.
We had our trucks there.
Clay models they used for, pre-production assessment.
We ran those around a lot as I recall.

[sandway]

I’m a bit confused bout them Ford clinics we did in southern Germany. I remember doing a small one in Regensberg and of course the big one in Nurnberg but I have a feeling I was on another one in Nurnberg a bit later. As you said Alan they weren’t the most stimulating of jobs to be on. RF, if he was on the job, was the only one to have anything to do, running back to the hall to check on the vans and grabbing some coffee and biscuits whilst he was there no doubt.

As we have been discussing the Ford clinics and how boring they were for us bit players this is the perfect time for me to repost the photos, first shown three or four years ago, for the benefit of new Trucknet members who weren’t around at the time. However, there is one photo I cant locate. Its one of George Fardell up on the plinth where the top ■■■■’s stood as the torchlight procession passed below them. George stood there and gave the ■■■■ salute just as I took his picture. Perhaps its just as well I cant find it. I know there were a few cry’s of ‘put it away George’ at the time.

Please click on a photo to enlarge.

[alan_grant]

“He started singing after a few jars”
Yeah, bloody Feelings, “Feelings nothing more than feelings …”
Would use his cigarette lighter as a pretend microphone

[alan_grant]

“Feelings”
I was coming out of Poland, after an aid run, one Saturday afternoon/evening around 1982.
Pulling onto the services at Helmsted, to see out the Sunday driving ban, Grahams truck was parked there curtains round.
I pulled up and got out of my truck to go over, as I approached I heard “Feelings” playing and thought Oh! he’s on the pss already.
Corner of the curtain flicks, door pushed open, “Hello Blue, want a beer?”
I climb in and – “Bloody hell Graham! What happened to you?” his face was black and blue.
“The miss’s boyfriend beat me up”
"F F S! mate that’s a bit out of order, shging your misses and beats you up. What’s all that about then?"
“Well, I gave him a dose”
" F in H! How’d you manage that? don’t tell me you were having a ■■■■■■■■■"
" No Blue, gave it to the misses, she passed it on to him"
“Bloody Hell! Oh well serves the b***ard right, if he hadn’t been giving her one you could have kept it in the family”
“It’s not funny Blue, he passed it on to his old woman, now she’s divorcing him”
I think that was pretty much the final straw for his own marriage as well.
He was still singing that bloody “Feelings” on the Libya trip a couple of years later.
As I said in Libya post, he had a little note book and collected a load of Filipina “pen pals” on that trip.
I heard some years later he had been out there to marry one and bring her home, and that they had a couple of children.
I like to think he enjoyed some happiness in those years.
He always struck me as a basically sad man. “The sadness of the clown”?
He did have a knack for making you feel good about yourself, that made him hard to dislike.
(unless of course you were sharing his wife with him )
He certainly died far to young.

[alan_grant]

[attachment=1]Trucking IMG_3083.jpg[/attachment

Couple of pictures from Poland

[sandway]

Interesting posts recently Efes and Alan. I’m sure I was around when there was that over length problem at the border and a Ford executive had to get involved. I do remember once we had unloaded all the vans in Nurnberg we did our own appraisal. I sat in them and generally gave them the once over but the thing that I remember clearly was the sliding side doors on the Mercedes and Transit. The one on the Merc slid across quietly and easily and made a satisfying little clunk as it shut whilst the one on the Transit went clank clunk bang and even then I had to have a second go at it before it would shut.

That food aid to Poland was a satisfying job to be involved with. The Poles were so appreciative for what we were doing. I like your photos Alan. Do you have any more? I also did a load to Wroclaw and possibly the oil painting I purchased in Poland came from there.

Lovely little anecdote re Graham’s ■■■ life Alan. Highly entertaining as it was for us to hear about his escapades it was definitely painful for him at times like the time he got beat up in Bratislava (I think) when he was found in bed with some guys wife. Of course it was a setup so they could rob him. He ended up being chucked out in the middle of the night in a high rise residential area in a very confused state. He told me he could make out a door so he went and hammered on it. A woman finally opened it, saw Graham and immediately called the police. They took him in but as his wallet had been stolen he had no proof of identity and didn’t know where his lorry was parked. Next morning the police drove him around the area and finally found it where Rocket Ron was sitting waiting for him.

Had to post again the photo of Graham with the ■■■■ mag showing it to Stevie Smith. Just about sums Graham up. The second photo is of the oil painting, painted on the back of a piece of hardboard as the artist didn’t have any canvas

[alan_grant]

A couple of pictures of the boarder.
Some years ago my wife and me went on a coach tour to Berlin, there is an Autobahn by passing the “old” road now. With a services.
I was able to take my wife over through the back of the car park to the old customs post. It and the road were beginning to become overgrown, but she was able to see how it had been.
I recall the first time I went through with aid, I had parked overnight on the services at Helmsted. In the morning I had breakfast and headed to the boarder. Then the fun started, first that bloody silly x-ray machine and digging boxes out from the middle of the load,
then about 3hrs waiting for the paperwork and passport with visa to be returned.
The next trip I thought, no point having breakfast on the services if I am to be 3 hrs at the boarder, so I took bacon and eggs with me.
After the x-ray, performance I get the usual. “parking! go parking”.
So I park, open the window, get the cooker going, chuck in a couple of rashers. Sizzling away nicely when he comes storming out with my paperwork, literally throws it through the window at me “Go! Go! You Go!”
I thought, well that was a result, I’ll try that again next time.
So next time I had just a bit of rind (didn’t want to waste a couple of decent rashers) sure enough same performance. Paperwork thrown through the window Go! Go!
I did that every time after that, it worked every time.
I don’t know whether it was the smell of the bacon “tormenting” them, or just the fact that they realised their p*ss taking wasn’t working, that wound them up so much.
It did just prove, that all that hassle they put us through was nothing more than them being vindictive ar**holes.

[alan_grant]

Ahh Graham, Sandway,
Where would the Promotor story be without him to cheer us up?
I can’t be the only one who got seriously p*ssed of, being parked and woken up with tap tap on the door.
Gray-ham Gray-ham.
No! I’m not f-ing Gray-ham, FO
There was a “car park girl” at the little chalet style restaurant between, Frankfurt Oder and Posnan, where we used to stop for our black market zlotis.
Claimed she was his “verlobter”.
You have to wonder, just how many “fiances” he had dotted around

[sandway]

Alan Grant:
Ahh Graham, Sandway,
Where would the Promotor story be without him to cheer us up?
I can’t be the only one who got seriously p*ssed of, being parked and woken up with tap tap on the door.
Gray-ham Gray-ham.
No! I’m not f-ing Gray-ham, FO
There was a “car park girl” at the little chalet style restaurant between, Frankfurt Oder and Posnan, where we used to stop for our black market zlotis.
Claimed she was his “verlobter”.
You have to wonder, just how many “fiances” he had dotted around

Graham wasn’t the only one. I was parked up in Maribor for the night sitting there reading my book one evening when there was a loud knocking on the door and I heard a very exited young lady calling out “Johny Johny”. I looked down and there was this skinny bird with bad teeth. She looked very disappointed when she realised I wasn’t her Johny. I soon found out her name was Angela and Johny was a regular customer of hers. I invited her in for a coffee and she proceeded to tell me all about him in glowing terms. She kept on and on about him being a big boy. I knew I couldn’t compete so after half an hour I threw her out.

Oh, didn’t I tell you. His name was John ‘Welly’ Ward.

[alan_grant]

Ha! John “Welly” Ward,
I met up with John in Warsaw on an aid run (tortoise and the hare?) we overnighted, had a few beers and set out for home next morning.
I let him go first, for obvious reasons, (I think it was a US President who said “better to have your enemies inside the tent ■■■■■■■ out, than outside ■■■■■■■ in”, with John it was better to have him in front ■■■■■■■ off, than behind trying to push you along )
He was soon out of sight, I didn’t hang around myself but Polish roads were not particularly conducive to high speed were they.
So when I saw a police car up ahead I was able to ease up a bit and approach driving to the speed limit.
Never the less he jumped out waving his “lollipop” so I pulled in.
“You pay”
“What for?”
“Speed”
“I wasn’t speeding”
“Friend, you friend speed”
“Stop friend then”
“Couldn’t, now you pay get money back”
Needless to say I never did get it back.
Mind you given I paid in “black market” zlotis it only came to about half a crown (12.5p todays money)
He once ran up my a**rse in a traffic jam. Traffic moved, I moved, John “wellied” it, traffic stopped, I stopped, John didn’t.
“FFS John?”
“I thought we were all moving”
Fortunately he hadn’t got up a lot of speed in the distance before impact so no real damage, just a couple of dings in his radiator grill
I have to say it was characters like him and Bugsy who could always be relied on to provide “a little light entertainment”. We were fortunate to have a good bunch of work mates back then

[sandway]

Have now got a recent photo of our mate Stevie Smith with his son Danny. Still enjoying a pint, or is it a quart?

[sandway]

Morning Alan. Unfortunately I didn’t take my camera with me to Poland. We knew the problems we could have at Helmstedt/Marienborn in particular and as I had a Petri SLR later changed to a Canon SLR camera I didn’t want to lose it. I never did like that border and those blo-dy dogs of there’s looked ready to tear you apart at any time.

Seems we all had the same view re Welly Ward right up behind you. Well he was as blind as a bat so what did you expect.

I’ve attached a couple of photos that I posted a while back and also put on Facebook. I was asking if anyone recognised our driver from the late 80’s. I’ve had someone suggest it may be Nigel Hassan. He lived I think down Crowborough way and also had a brother who did some work for us. I’m not sure if the guy in the photo is Nigel or his brother or maybe neither of them are. Any ideas.

Didn’t realise you bought FOO which was Ronnie Hart’s lorry for a couple of years.

[sandway]

Just found another photo of our mate Stevie Smith. Don’t think I’ve shown it before. On the left is Tony Blackman. Early 90’s and we were on our way to Haifa from Piraeus and the ferry called into Rhodes for about five hours so we did the tourist bit around the town. Unfortunately it rained most of the time.