PanX:
Hi Fred,
Were you taking the tablets back in the day.? Or were you sittng on a nail…
Such a pained expression.
Mick
Actually Mick I had just got my bank statement, hence the expression 
Fred
bestbooties:
From my collection of memorable quotes picked up over the years:It’s been said on here before,that a German driver in his Mercedes,when seeing an English driver in an Atki somewhere in the middle east was alledged to have said,“No wonder the English won the war,they must be hard to drive something like that out here!”
A mate who many of you know,Berndt Braun,better know as Bernard the German driver on the middle east.
I met him one time in the ferry booking office in Tartous trying without much success to get through to the Arab guys that he would like to make a ferry booking.
He was at the end of his tether as I walked in,and he looked at me and remarked,“You know Ian,Hitler was not mad,he just had no [zb] sense of direction,he should have come down here!”On another occasion I met him in,was it the Albion pub in Dover?,and he was telling me of his past,when he used to be a salesman for Magirus trucks.He said,“Selling Magirus trucks is why I’ve got no [zb] hair!”
The first quote, is attributed ( in print ) to the late Ian Rycroft (E.C.Transport, Wimborne) after slogging an Atki Borderer to Tehran, in a copy of Truck magazine, either Dec '91, or Jan '92.
I am putting a photo on here that I posted a couple of years ago as there are faces that you have recently mentioned and I thought it may raise some interest - Fred
Well here’s one for you Freddie. A photograph, taken by our friend Ash at Gaydon this autumn, that includes 3 of the people that were in your picture and in which everybody was a driver on the Middle East in the early years. Handsome bunch aren’t we!
David
Terrific pic David, I only recognise you and Kenny, and I only recognised you with that old jacket that I gave you in '76, Amazing how we all change over the years, if any of that lot owed you money you could say goodbye to it, they look like illegals to me queuing at a soup kitchen -I am pleased to say that I am not amongst them, are you sure that I worked with such drop-outs ? BUT - for curiosities sake I would greatly appreciate you putting up their names.
Regards from your ex: mate - Fred 
David, can I ask the name of the chap, second in from the right with the walking cane?
I have to say that anyone who slogged an Atki Borderer to Tehran doesn’t deserve a medal, he deserves free access to psychiatric services for life and his boss deserves reporting to Driverline for abuse of his employees.
I done 3 trips to Kuwait with an ERF with a 150 gardner at a top speed of 46mph in1974.Maybe i was mad,but what kept me going was the thought of the Money i was making which would enable me to buy a decent truck after,which it did,a Volvo F88.So one can say we were treading the fine line between madness and genius.Mike
Come on you ex middle east drivers get your thinking caps on. I know who the fourth driver is in the centre of the picture, may be Hicks Transport.
Gordon
Forest of Dean
Glos.
Gordon I recognize the fourth face but I can’t get get the name at the moment and I am sure he drove fore Hicks Rhiwderen even as late as 1987 as i said the third from left is Robert Hobbs i will try and put some more photos on later this week Ive got some of Hicks Yard during the early 80’s
regards Stephen
gordon john:
Come on you ex middle east drivers get your thinking caps on. I know who the fourth driver is in the centre of the picture, may be Hicks Transport.Gordon
Forest of Dean
Glos.
Could the mystery guy number 4 be Martin (The Brummie) from C.V.H. Caerphilly Van Hire. 
gordon john:
Does anyone know these drivers
Hi Gordon, I have just had a bit of an ear bashing from Billy Thomas, telling me to get the job done right. So here are the names from left to right 1 Mike Hopkins 2 Billy Thomas 3 Robert Hobbs 4 Jeff Morgan 5 Leo Smith 6 he thought was you, so now its your turn to tell us . Regards Jamie.
A Scot Lost in the Valley’s.
M&C Jamie:
gordon john:
Does anyone know these driversHi Gordon, I have just had a bit of an ear bashing from Billy Thomas, telling me to get the job done right. So here are the names from left to right 1 Mike Hopkins 2 Billy Thomas 3 Robert Hobbs 4 Jeff Morgan 5 Leo Smith 6 he thought was you, so now its your turn to tell us . Regards Jamie.
A Scot Lost in the Valley’s.
Well done Jamie,
it was going through my mind yesterday why you hadn’t chipped in with your wonderous memory as yet, i thought you may of been away in the camper somewhere.
Off topic, sorry to all, but John McClung has lived here now for the last 6 months, he has been coming here for many years on holidays but finally made the move. We often have discussions about the ‘old days’, over a beer or ten of course !!!
Steve…
Well now Freddie, I am disappointed. You don’t remember our ex Transport Manager? For shame - there will be no quick loads straight home for you but rather 3 months with the pink book!
Certainly Bullitt. The gentleman in question is none other than Robert Dods-Brown, famed owner-driver and amongst the fastest men in 18 wheels in captivity.
I will keep the rest of the names until you have had time to think a bit!
David
Postby saltiel1411 » Sun Nov 24, 2013 11:13 pm
Gordon I recognize the fourth face but I can’t get get the name at the moment and I am sure he drove fore Hicks Rhiwderen even as late as 1987 as i said the third from left is Robert Hobbs i will try and put some more photos on later this week Ive got some of Hicks Yard during the early 80’s
regards Stephen
Afraid not. It’s Ray Smith, ex UCC and Grangewood.
David
David Miller:
…Certainly Bullitt. The gentleman in question is none other than Robert Dods-Brown, famed owner-driver and amongst the fastest men in 18 wheels in captivity…David
…unbelievable!! I did a job in this fellas house last Friday!! Couldn’t believe it when I saw the pic! I will go and see him this week and point him this way for you!!
First its the wife`s uncle (Stan Warmbold) who turns up on here (not literally as he has passed away now), next its one of my customers!!! LOL 
Talk about a small world!!! 
Unbelievable Rick, I was only looking at some photos of Jimmy Smethurst at the weekend and I hadn’t got around to putting them back into the box. So here is your Uncle Stan, myself in the middle and Big Jim on the right taken in (I think) Piraeus about 1981ish.
David Miller:
Well now Freddie, I am disappointed. You don’t remember our ex Transport Manager? For shame - there will be no quick loads straight home for you but rather 3 months with the pink book!Certainly Bullitt. The gentleman in question is none other than Robert Dods-Brown, famed owner-driver and amongst the fastest men in 18 wheels in captivity.
I will keep the rest of the names until you have had time to think a bit!
David
Thanks David, but I realised it was Ray when I blew the picture up, hope he is keeping well, fond memories of Ray he is as good as they come
Why is it that women cannot have ■■■ and a headache at the same time ?
Ladies and Gentlemen,my name is Ray Nicholls 66yoa live in Feltham Middx and have just joined the group.I worked for Concorde Express who were originally an air freight transport company back in the mid-late 1970’s and then expanded with an ME division.I used to pick up and deliver the trailers to and from Dover docks as I had a taxed Daf2800DKS where as the ME guys had private taxed trucks.I done a few trips covering for leave and sickness.Some of the drivers with us were Tom Harding who drove a L/H drive F89,Brian Lloyd,Roger Hargreaves,Jimmy Le Marr(think that’s how it was spelt),the rest I can only remember first names.I have a few photo’s which I’ll post later.I’ve only got to page 25 and there’s 204 at present.I’m now retired,my avatar if it comes up is from the cover of the Sept 1986 Truck and Driver.Thanks to the moderator for allowing me to join and thanks to ALL of you for your experiences,banter,etc.
The photo’s attached are us waiting to clear customs entering Saudia in December 1977.The scania was delivering to Saudia and the fire tender was going to Doha,I think.I hope they come out.
mushroomman:
Unbelievable Rick, I was only looking at some photos of Jimmy Smethurst at the weekend and I hadn’t got around to putting them back into the box. So here is your Uncle Stan, myself in the middle and Big Jim on the right taken in (I think) Piraeus about 1981ish.
Cheer Steve, nice one. Showed the wife and she cant believe how young he looks there!.. as you say though, early 80`s, that’s thirty years ago!!