Thanks for your appreciation Gents. I’ll pop a few more Turkish pics on, because we all had to cross Turkey to get to the rest of the Middle East! Robert 
Well, thats starange as I was the Sales Manager for the then main haulier, R. K. Crisp. The company had sub’d the work out via a guy called John Banks! The exporter was Armitage Shanks, and I was in daily contact with them as to the status of the missing trailers, I never met Freddie Topham, so who he was instructed by I have no idea. I knew John Banks in those days a a former soldier of 2 Para.
Anyone know where John Banks ended up?
He was briefly on with us at Iran Container Company. I’m pretty sure he was the character who overturned his rig full of chocolates in Northeastern France and proceeded to set up a stall to sell them! I never met him. The last I heard was he had taken up as a mercenary somewhere in Africa.
John was very active in many actions:
I quote:
The first contingent of mercenaries was mostly made up of professional soldiers, selected by a British PMC, Security Advisory Services (SAS), run by John Banks, Chris Depmster, and Dave Tomkins. Georgiou resented SAS’s own leadership structure within the group, and perceived John Banks, who remained in Britain, personally as a threat to his own position when Banks visited Angola. Georgiou became increasingly paranoid and belligrent to his own men, murdering African soldiers and creating a climate of fear even among the British mercenaries, none of which aided the morale of the FNLA forces, or their ability to wage war successfully against the MPLA.
The second contingent of mercenaries sent from Britain, unlike the first, was made up mostly of working class men with no military experience. These undisciplined men quickly surmised the perilous situation into which they had been placed, and the instability of their leadership. A group of them consequently seized vehicles and attempted to flee the country, firing on other FNLA forces in the process, including Chris Dempster. The deserters were quickly rounded up by Georgiou’s men, and fourteen were summarily executed by firing squad.
Onwards: he was convicted at the Old Bailey in 1980; Blackmail, stating he works for CIA.
Hey, one of the very first 4951 still before the 88,for Volvo favorits.
download/file.php?id=108756&t=1
Someone knows this once seen in Zeebruges early '90’s.
looks like vintage,but in M/E version,but maybe did long trips.
looks like a double drive F89.
stupid to me not to have a close look at it,but Always in a hurry (but why was paid the hours) 
Bye Eric,
With reference to Mr Banks and his escapades in Angola, it is detailed in this book… amazon.co.uk/Fire-Power-Chri … 0552108073
This has been mentioned a few times here before. 
hopey1945:
John was very active in many actions:I quote:
The first contingent of mercenaries was mostly made up of professional soldiers, selected by a British PMC, Security Advisory Services (SAS), run by John Banks, Chris Depmster, and Dave Tomkins. Georgiou resented SAS’s own leadership structure within the group, and perceived John Banks, who remained in Britain, personally as a threat to his own position when Banks visited Angola. Georgiou became increasingly paranoid and belligrent to his own men, murdering African soldiers and creating a climate of fear even among the British mercenaries, none of which aided the morale of the FNLA forces, or their ability to wage war successfully against the MPLA.
The second contingent of mercenaries sent from Britain, unlike the first, was made up mostly of working class men with no military experience. These undisciplined men quickly surmised the perilous situation into which they had been placed, and the instability of their leadership. A group of them consequently seized vehicles and attempted to flee the country, firing on other FNLA forces in the process, including Chris Dempster. The deserters were quickly rounded up by Georgiou’s men, and fourteen were summarily executed by firing squad.Onwards: he was convicted at the Old Bailey in 1980; Blackmail, stating he works for CIA.
tiptop495:
Hey, one of the very first 4951 still before the 88,for Volvo favorits.
download/file.php?id=108756&t=1Someone knows this once seen in Zeebruges early '90’s.
looks like vintage,but in M/E version,but maybe did long trips.
looks like a double drive F89.
stupid to me not to have a close look at it,but Always in a hurry (but why was paid the hours)Bye Eric,
Owner-driver, someone on here will no doubt remember his name? The wagon was previously owned by Heavy Haulage specialists Sunters of Northalerton. Regards Chris
Fantastic pictures Robert. I was in India a couple of years ago for 3 months. They are still driving very old trucks there. The driving is also a tad scary…
Johnny
Hi Robert,
Thanks for posting all of these pictures 
.
Regards andrew.
was it john macin 89
Hi all
Have been with Gilbert Harding’s son Stuart today,he has sent me some pictures of Carmans Transport and Chapman & Ball for me to post. The picture below was the first ever run that Carmans did to the Middle East, Gilbert Harding drove the Scania and Ron Snape drove the Volvo.
Note the double headlight conversion on the scania.
The Saudi police would have loved those spotlights - especially if they had the ‘naughty’ bulbs in them 
David
David Miller:
The Saudi police would have loved those spotlights - especially if they had the ‘naughty’ bulbs in themDavid
Hiya…tell us more about the spotlight David…to bright???to low■■?
John
3300John:
David Miller:
The Saudi police would have loved those spotlights - especially if they had the ‘naughty’ bulbs in themDavid
Hiya…tell us more about the spotlight David…to bright???to low■■?
John
John,
I believe i’m correct in saying that the Saudi’s had a dislike for anything halogen, whenever i fitted aux’ lighting i normally bought Hella units as they came complete with hard plastic covers, which if fitted made them ‘Saudi friendly’‘. Other drivers i believe took the bulbs out of any aux’ lights, and refitted them when they left Saudi.
Steve.
tiptop495:
Hey, one of the very first 4951 still before the 88,for Volvo favorits.
download/file.php?id=108756&t=1Someone knows this once seen in Zeebruges early '90’s.
looks like vintage,but in M/E version,but maybe did long trips.
looks like a double drive F89.
stupid to me not to have a close look at it,but Always in a hurry (but why was paid the hours)Bye Eric,
Thats Jimmy The Wigs F89, its a famous old lorry & was a Sunters lorry from new, I cant remember Jims surname, He was a nice guy but is no longer with us…
You’re right Steve. It was one of those short lived frenzies that the Saudi authorities indulged themselves in from time to time - this around 75 or 76.
I can’t say for sure but the rumor at the time was that one of the Royal sons had died in a car accident and it was found that the cause of the accident was that he was dazzled by a car coming the other way that was fitted with Halogen light bulbs. So the edict went out that additional lighting and the use of Halogen bulbs was forbidden in the Kingdom. I first encountered the problem when I was stopped by a group of Saudi ‘Policemen’ on the way to Riyhad (little Herberts that wore uniforms made out of horse blankets) who, having pulled me over disappeared from view below the windscreen. Unable to think what they wanted I got down and found them all clustered round the Mercedes headlights trying to peer inside and all getting very excited. I asked what was wrong and the boss cop gripped his left hand little finger with his right hand and began shouting ‘No good, no good’. I made it clear that I did not understand so the boss cop drew his revolver and used the handgrip to break the glass of both headlights and, reaching in extracted a halogen bulb and triumphantly said ‘no good’! With that they all jumped into their American police cruisers (with cushions on the seats so they could see out of the windscreen) and roared off.
That was how it was - you were at the mercy of people with the mental ability of children who carried loaded guns. And all this in a Country where nobody had a drivers license, all made up their own traffic rules as they went along and where the colour and positioning of side and rear lights or indicators was at the whim of the owner. It certainly kept you on your toes though.
David
fly sheet:
tiptop495:
Hey, one of the very first 4951 still before the 88,for Volvo favorits.
download/file.php?id=108756&t=1]
Thats Jimmy The Wigs F89, its a famous old lorry & was a Sunters lorry from new, I cant remember Jims surname, He was a nice guy but is no longer with us…
jim the wigs surname was Hacking! thought you would have remembered john!