Anyone Remember These Companies

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
121

Spardo
I knew one of your ex drivers who lives in France – real big fellow (Alan ■■)
Lives between Calais & Dunkirk and used to drive for Giraud I think !!

122

Alan Wheeler

Company wouldnt have been called Wheelspan would it■■?

123

Buzzard Boy
Cannot remember if Alan Wheelers company had a trading name – I know he sometimes got mixed up with A.W. at Luton by people who didn’t know him !
I just remember he ran transporters but after all these years (plus a surfeit of Frizanti - Grappa - Ouzo) I have trouble remembering !! His yard was on the Watling St A5 & you could only turn in by going north & a right turn immediately before canal bridge !!

124

Big Leggy:
Buzzard Boy
Cannot remember if Alan Wheelers company had a trading name – I know he sometimes got mixed up with A.W. at Luton by people who didn’t know him !
I just remember he ran transporters but after all these years (plus a surfeit of Frizanti - Grappa - Ouzo) I have trouble remembering !! His yard was on the Watling St A5 & you could only turn in by going north & a right turn immediately before canal bridge !!

Dont think its the sae company. Wheelspan used to be in Leighton Buzzard, in Peter Roff’s yard then moved to just where you describe in Bletchley, but they only had smal vans as far as i remember, i dont remember any car transporters, but that could be long before my time… :wink:

125

BuzzardBoy:
How about these other, anyone know of them, or have any stories of them.

Harry Mason - Milton Keynes
Nellen & Quack - Leighton Buzzard
AJG International - Leighton Buzzard
Pink Independant Express - Leighton Buzzard(Bought out by Tuffnells)
Kilty Freight - Luton - Used to do the MAN’s from Muncich back to the UK

There was a crowd from Bedford used to run fancy colourTurbostar’s in the 80’s and 90’s to Bulgaria and Romania(dont know the company name, but got done for drug smuggling)

ANother bloke just outside L/Buzzard in Stanbridge used to run a Cabover Peterbilt all over Europe, but again i cant remember the company name

126

lemonmouth:

Big Leggy:
Seeing those photo’s of Sid’s trucks jogged a memory lodged long ago in the back of my mind !!
Mick Underwood – now there is a name from long ago – an O/D from either Stewkley or Soulbury – used to subbie on UK for H.G.Brown and I seem to recall him doing work for Sid !![/quote
I remember mick underwood. My father used to drive a small pick up for him on the kelvdeck job out of milton keynes. We had the pub THE WHITE HORSE in STEWKLEY at the time. I remember andy was drivin for tuffnels at the time and his other son was working the farm ick Underwood - I remember Mick, he used to be out in a little place called Hollingdon , he was a lovely chap, had a son called Andy - the last time I saw Andy he was the Transport manager for a firm that used to cart Bread and rolls in Kingston MK, no longer there though, Underwoods also used to subbie for Holtons on the Coke job had 2 red F10’s, I’ve got a feeling that Mick died some years ago :cry:[/quot

127

I had a mate who was driving for them out off bedford. He had a daf to start with which if i remember rightly he was doing Sweden i think.Anyway the engine gave out and he was stuck in this little village in a hotel that would only cook him one meal a day and he would walk four miles to the village and back for supplies lol.I believe that they fell out with Jones where they used to park.I believe it was because they wanted to get to big for his yard… i may be wrong. I remember when they got the turbo stars as the got them thought charlie kings of bedford. so they started to park them in there with there new trailers.I can remember my mate ringing me to tell me that he was going to get a new turbo star in a couple of weeks and i could go out with him on a trip HAPPY DAY or so i thought .A week later he rang to say that a driver had rang him to say that the boss had been arrested the other boss was on the run two of the trucks had been found with drugs on them and the drivers arrested. So get yourself back to bedford and clear your kit out before your truck get impounded .I believe the boss that went on the run was never found as he got out of the country pretty fast. I did make a lot of people very suspicious when they started to buy all that new kit strait off the bat !!!

128

Sorry to hear that Mick had pasted on may he rip. My father used to do some work for mick when we ran the White Horse Pub in stewkley i e Brian Coles. I remember his two son’s one was working for tuffnells at the time and the other was learning the farming trade after his dad. Mick was a top man you new where you stood with him his word was his bond top man .

129

Appears my mentioning of Mick Underwood stirred up a few memories !!
How about the guys from the same era do they ring any bells – & you’ve got to be a senior driver to answer yes ! In fact can you remember Leighton Buzzard when the High St was two way traffic and the through road ■■
Tony Mongiardi & his senior driver Leno (Franco) ■■
Tiny Lee ■■
Both forerunners of European Transport in Leighton Buzzard !!

130

Big Leggy:
Appears my mentioning of Mick Underwood stirred up a few memories !!
How about the guys from the same era do they ring any bells – & you’ve got to be a senior driver to answer yes ! In fact can you remember Leighton Buzzard when the High St was two way traffic and the through road ■■
Tony Mongiardi & his senior driver Leno (Franco) ■■
Tiny Lee ■■
Both forerunners of European Transport in Leighton Buzzard !!

Oi!!

I’m not senior, but i can remember Leighton High Street, The Cross Keys Pub, and when you used to be able to turn right at the roundabout by the White House and come straight down to the top of the High Street by The Cross Keys…

Why do i know the name Tony Mingiardi…■■ :confused:

131

re.MICK UNDERWOOD

I was talking to Dave mead earlier today (drives fot pete hawkins) and he drove for mick some years back and he tells me that Mick is still alive. has someone mixed up the death of Micks wife some years ago.

132

Buzzard Boy
Tony Mongiardi used to run trucks out of Leighton Buzzard to Italy – he also had a shop between Dolphin Pub & White House !! Used to sub a lot of work off of MAT transport & run ex Perkins Engines of Peterborough to Italy !!

littlerichard
Really pleased to know Mick is still around – although obviously saddened to hear about his wife !!

133

Just to throw the net a little wider (but keep to international hauliers) – these are inside a 20 mile radius of Leighton Buzzard area !!
Julian Mary Miles ?
Howard Fawcett — last known in

134

To continue (don’t know what happened there ?)
Howard Fawcett – last heard of in Waddesdon but possibly went to M/E !
Lee Anto (spelling ?) of Watford – I recall them running yellow Fiats (■■) !

To update Buzzard Boy – untill he finished Tony Mongiardi parked his trucks at what was EEC depot in Billington Rd & he finished with two F12’s !!

135

littlerichard:
re.MICK UNDERWOOD

I was talking to Dave mead earlier today (drives fot pete hawkins) and he drove for mick some years back and he tells me that Mick is still alive. has someone mixed up the death of Micks wife some years ago.

Appologies lads :blush: It’s been a few years since I saw Andy Underwood and It must of been his Mum that had passed away :blush: Still, glad to hear that Mick is still about - A Great bloke one of the ‘Old school’

136

Have some pictures of trucks from my 11 years at FA Hawkins of Eaton Bray (a good company and still going strong)

137


These two truck parked one sunday morning after an overnight stop at moffat Scotland on route to the western isle I drove the box van & the other was driven by Graham De-Mere (Now given up driving and lives in gloucestershire)
Parked waiting for the boat at Lochmaddy on the Western Isles of Scotland


After the four wheeler I went on to drive this truck being the first ■■■■■■■ powered vehicle to enter service at Hawkins Transport this picture was taken on the Shetland Isles.


Loaded and ready to go at Laportes Luton

Admiring the view 12miles North of Fort William.

One Saturday afternoon on the services north of Paris heading for Rouen on the way up from bordeaux.

The last truck I drove for Pete. This was a great truck had a 400 ■■■■■■■ under the bonnet.

This picture taken on the Invermorrison to kyle road heading for the Isle of skye.

Loading bridon wire on Tyneside normally heading down to Portsmouth or Plymouth.

138

Excellent Hawkins pics, always liked F A Hawkins motors, always clean and smartly turned out, nice :slight_smile:

139

remember them,o yes,when i was 15 my dad worked for dawsons when they were just getting volvos,i drove for 13 months for sid edwards in the 80s,i drove for harry mason on spain with his pegaso truck and nelon and quack was based at luton truckstop in 1995 the bosses name was colin.

140

big leggy i bet you remember my dad,ill give you a clue,early 70s on dawsons,started on bricks with old seddon,got the atki model with rad cap on rad at front not at back like later models,went on tanks with mickey mouse foden,then got volvo f86,then 2 models of f88,i have a photo of his 1st f88 240hp,reg vmj768k.alf gray was transport manager.alf died a few years ago last time i saw him he drove for wincanton in bletchley.i knew blondie had died but not woody(john woods} havent seen tony jones for a few years,nor ace and brian lambert or goeff reynolds,or some of the others you mention.when i worked for sid edwards i drove a 2200 daf then a 2300 which blew up,got demotted to a 6x2 reiver flatbed,then back up to the man with column change,it was the only truck at time with a night heater,most of sids work then was flat beds and just took work at dela rue from goeff reynolds,{bit of a story that}my dad worked with geoff then sid ,small world isnt it?