big leggy
I think you are correct about how long ago Tony was at AC biggs i worked with him at Sid edwards in 1983 thats 25 odd years ago. I know Tony was at school with Fred hawkins. Next time i see Tony i will ask him as he works out of Felixstowe (he is on for RPL) along with me.
chazzer
I’ll throw a few more names into “the pot” for you & I’ll start with those who were working for John (H.G.Brown) more or less when he finished - John (RIP)
Drivers – Stan Bourne & Derek Bourne (both drove Transcons), Ian Gilcrest, Alan Waite, Sid Philpot, Tony Jones, Franco Cocenza, Joe Stone (RIP), Steve Pearce (S&J Pearce now), Bob Mckay, Kevin Holman, etc etc etc Fitters were Milan Goljar & Fred Hawkins … Previous drivers (who had left) included Ralph Draper, Mick Compton…
Howard Fawcett – I drove his Daf 2300 drawbar for a short while (Waymaster scales), he was in Waddesdon then !! Waddesdon Transport still around ■■ There was a little Cornishman drove for Howard (name ■■)… J.M.M. that goes back a while – didn’t Tiny end up with their permits ■■
Stan I lost contact with a while ago but I knew he still had the pub at Finmere and does the occasional run to Spain !! I think Derek, Alan & posibly Ian gave up international driving and I believe are now on Tesco !!
Sat down with a beer and run up this list of Leighton Buzzard companies past and present I can personally recall – sorry if I’ve missed any out :-
H.H.Brown & Son
A.C.Biggs
Fred’k Rays
Dawson Freight
Smith of Tring (■■)
S&J Pierce
R.K.Browning (Ken Browning)
A.J.G. (latterly Dentressangle)
A.C.H. (latterly Dentressangle)
E.C.E.
Bayliss
R.G.Jellis
Sid Edwards
Glen Transport
Choake (Billington Rd ■■)
Gordon Heeps
Avery’s
Peter Roff
Pageday
There are a couple more but I just cannot recall their names – & of course there was Anchor + Marley Tiles. For such a small market town (as it was) it must have had one of the highest percentages of truck to population numbers in the UK !! Now you cannot even park a truck there !! 
I seem to recall a company from LB called Forth & Son, or something like that, anyone sle or am I dreaming it■■?
Yes there was a company forth and son. Big leggy forgot Freemans. I can recall a few of the smaller hauliers of L/B ie Gt trans (run a couple of AECs on bricks from i believe king street) Bob wells run a couple of Fiats, John beaumont (about 4 volvos), Ray richards (had a F88 and a berliet) Burch and son (a couple of tippers and some flats) Phill obrien OBL (he had a F88 and a four wheeler) Terry scotchings (ex Pent brown. was talking to Terry a few weeks back) cannot think of anymore.
littlerichard
Terry Scotchings – forgot about him, last time I saw him he was selling 2nd hand trucks at Dawsons (along with his son ?)
Mick Compton – is he still around (Grovebury Rd) wheeling & dealing ?
There was another company now next to the rugby club (perhaps no longer there) Pandoro !
Redlands in Vandyke Rd ■■
Big leggy
Pandoro was in Joe moores yard just up from the rugby club (Glen transport are there now) i was a subby for them. They eventually closed the depot there and moved it all to stoke (Terry scotchings was on for them also) pandoro is now swallowed up under the ferrymasters name and its all controlled from ipswich.
P.J. Cook in Stanbridge was another International Haulier – some form of connection with Highland Line (mentioned in previous postings)…
Kevin Poole – they were Greaves Way/Cherrycourt area but I believe are now in Billington Rd…
Who is now in H.G.Browns old premises in Billington ■■ I thought that that was where Glenn Transport were ?
Couple of questions for “where are they now” ?
Fleet Engineer at A.C.Biggs and Leighton Buzzard man == John Huggins !?
Another H.G.Brown fitter == Colin Treagus (spelling?) – there was also a 4th fitter but I cannot recall his name !!
yes i worked for ece it was the best transport company i have worked for.the old man eric was a top man.
all so i worked s j edwards with transport manager alf gray it all so was good company to work for both had good drivers and all were very good friends,And the company with the brown Iveco is Interglobe of bedford i work for him not for long as there was not enough hours in a day for him .his name is italian joe
gerald page
I knew Mr Edwards [Eric] from way back, long before his Bedfordshire days – he was J & H Transport and that was long before ECE days. I was at his funeral in Woburn and at the wake afterwards there were a lot of drivers [nearly all retired] who were from those old days ! Shows the respect the drivers had for him !
Alf Gray I knew from my tanker days but cannot think where I first met him – either Stagg or Dawson’s – but laterI knew him when he was with Geoff Reynolds just before his days with Sid Edwards . Alf was a good bloke RIP…
Sid Edwards I first knew at Dawson’s before he branched out on his own [along with June] – her true “gent” !!
Joe over at Bedford I knew when he had I.O.M. plates on a truck & then expanded and got the Iveco Turbostars – but Italian Joe ? We always knew him as “Joe the W*p” !!
gerald page:
yes i worked for ece it was the best transport company i have worked for.the old man eric was a top man.
all so i worked s j edwards with transport manager alf gray it all so was good company to work for both had good drivers and all were very good friends,And the company with the brown Iveco is Interglobe of bedford i work for him not for long as there was not enough hours in a day for him .his name is italian joe
How are you Gerry, do you remember making the V8 merc sing what a tool that vehicle was. Take it you been reading this forum and keeping up with the gossip. They were some good times working with Sid didnt we spend some friday nights in various pubs when a few of us got back early. Sad about Blondie its been nearly 12 months since his death, what a great man he was. Im still on my own and working out of felixstowe. All the best to you and hope you still got the place in france.
Great thread has anybody got ant photos of ECE when they where running scania 111s.
Hello Chaps John Huggins is working with his son Martin mostly servicing and repairs to horseboxes etc
Hello Chaps John Huggins is working with his son Martin mostly servicing and repairs to horseboxes !!
Pleased to hear he is well & flourishing !! Without doubt one of the nicest persons I have ever worked with/for !! That was back in 19hundred & frozen to death when we were at A.C.Biggs in Stanbridge Rd…!!
Yes I remember Pandoro in Leighton Buzzard Depot manager was called Bryn Evans The two lads on the traffic desk were Andy and Chris. One local operator you have all forgotten was C.A.B Transport who was a Pandoro subbie.
Anybody remember loading coil at CO-STEEL at Sheerness waiting for hours then flat out run back for night man…Happy Days!!!
The Boys Own:
Yes I remember Pandoro in Leighton Buzzard Depot manager was called Bryn Evans The two lads on the traffic desk were Andy and Chris. One local operator you have all forgotten was C.A.B Transport who was a Pandoro subbie.Anybody remember loading coil at CO-STEEL at Sheerness waiting for hours then flat out run back for night man…Happy Days!!!
I was a subbie for Pandoro. The job was ok if you didnt mind a lot of roping and sheeting and could put up with some of the shabby equipment. I remember Chris from the office he was a good lad and well liked. I had a phone call from webby alpine today to say that Bryn Evans was killed a few weeks back while at
work in Milton keynes, he was also a good lad and well liked R.I.P.
Loading steel out of Sheerness was a regular re-load could be a pain sometimes, was ok if you were running back to leighton but along slog to Stoke if you was heading there.
Really sorry to here about Bryn he was to true gentleman
Hi All
I worked for A.C.Biggs , the boss was Stan Heart, the Manager was Ted Lawrance, and Stans son Denzil also worked for the company, Peter Roff was’nt a fitter in my time with the company, I drove to Odhams Press watford every day to get my work and i done a job called ( london trade ) 13 or 14 drops all over london, I worked with Bill Bandy, Peter Layfield, Kieth Sobey, Farmer ,and many more.
I think the Peterbuilt owner was Pentus Brown ( I THINK )
ECE was down off billington road just past Pages Park and started i thnk as ABLE CARRIERS and ran a fllet of bright green vans.
JLS Haulage used the an office in Peter Roffs yard, and i think he had his few trucks parked round the back of the yard, F10s i think.
Sydney J Edwards would take on any stragler that could sort of drive a truck , but he had some good guys too, Andy McAdam, Danny Wright, Rob Eaglesham, even my brother i think done a spell with him, and john beaumont worked in the office, BUT dont forget BEAUMONT HAULAGE who my brother drove for , he served a long time with john Beaumont and loved the job, I know john very well, he spent a lot of years working for Peter Locket at RPL Transport, I have had some good laughs with John Beaumont, he is the only bloke i know who would be on the phone and getting arse raped by a customer and then he would say thankyou hahahahaha.
I am a LEIGHTON BUZZARD BOY FOR 30 YEARS and all my brothers too are drivers ,
I aint gonna tell you who i am, Guess.
Im really glad i found this site and i hope this info has helped someone with there questions
Catch ya later …littlejoe
John Beaumont has now left RPL and i believe now working in Hemel