Lar,ive run outa cred,will top up 2 moz, had a gin now an carnt drive lar lar larrrrrrrrrrrrr,txt me lar if u got this bud,like morse code
GERRY MAC:
14/20 kings hussarswe came off centurions and were an armoured car reg in benghazi and tripoli one squadron went to cyprus in 64 we went back to libya on exercise from paderborn for 10 weeks in 66 we were then on cents and chieftains got dmobbed in 71 after 9 years
Christ gerry your makin me feel young
philipmceveley:
Pole position,exeting Syria
POLE POSITION! BET THAT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN BUD!
Phil, decipher this, dei -dah-dah-dit
di-di-di-dh-i
Di-dit
Di-Dah-Di-dit
Dave.
davemackie:
chazzer:
Mushroomman, maybe it was the angle at which the photos were taken but the car transporter and the blue and white box trailer look considerably longer than 13.6 mtrs.Photoâs are normal, those transporters can be 85 feet long.
Dave.
Hi Charlie, I think that Dave is correct as that is why I took those photos as they certainly were a bit 
over length. I saw a few trailers that size in Jordan, mainly car transporters but I think that I only took those two photos as they seemed a bit unusual. Thirty odd years ago I regret not taking a camera with me, now I am regretting not taking a tape measure but yes I did think that they were at least sixty foot long. We will have to get Gerry Mac to measure one the next time that he is down there 
.
Freshir Fred sent me a P.M. yesterday asking about Jimmy Walker who he met at a party at Barry Longdens house many years ago when Barry was working for Concorde Express. I think that I might of posted this photo of Jimmy and Stan Warmbald before, Jimmy is on the left.
Fred, I posted this on another Middle East thread about three years ago so you might not of seen it.
I remembered a true story that Jimmy Walker told me over twenty five years ago. A couple of the details are by now a bit vague but to the best of my knowledge this is what Jimmy told me.
I was heading down to Turkey once, driving through Bulgaria, bouncing around on the cobbles on the Sofia ring road, when I saw Jimmy Walker parked up at the Duty Free Dollar Shop.
Jimmy Walker was one of the best blokes that I ever worked with, how he got the name The Dormouse I never really knew but it might not of been a coincidence that the first time that I ever met him on the continent was three years ealier when he was parked in a lay by just outside Vienna having an afternoon siesta and so it was no great surprise when I banged on his cab door and woke him up from an afternoon nap.
The Dormouse put the kettle on and told me that he was on his way back from Istanbul and up until that morning he had been running with Old Stan.
Stanley Warmbold was in his sixties, he was an owner driver with an orange and black Foden who always pulled for Dow. After travelling together for over a week Stan had turned off into the Bulgarian hills to collect a load of wine, while The Dormouse was going up to Northern Yugoslavia to get a load of furniture.
After The Dormouse and Stan had tipped in Istanbul they had parked up at the football stadium where we often cleared customs. They then got a taxi round to Taci Kocmanâs office who was our agent in Turkey, they knew that there would be a telex waiting for them with their reloading instructions. When they arrived at Taciâs office they got a bit of a surprise, Roger our boss was there. He had been doing a bit of business with Taci and suggested that Dormouse and Stanley joined them for dinner that evening at a â posh â restaurant that Taci had booked.
Roger explained that they were meeting somebody who had an import and export company in Turkey and had connections with the British Consulate in Istanbul, he was also a man of the cloth and hopefully might be able to send a bit of work our way. It was not going to be a late night as he had booked an early flight back to the U.K. the following morning. Taci also said the he would not be having a late night as he lived on a small island and the last ferry left Istanbul at 10.30 p.m.
At 8 p.m. Stan and the Dormouse arrived at the restaurant to find that Roger, Taci and their friend were already there. They were introduced and Taci said this is the Reverend so and so, or whatever his name was. They ordered a meal from the menu and two bottles of white wine. Stan had one sip of the wine and reached the conclusion that it tasted like gnats pee. As they sold Efes beer there Stan saw no reason why they shouldnât drink it, Dormouse agreed so they ordered two bottles of Efes.
The reverend who was sitting next to Stan asked â is that the local poison ? â.
Stan explained that it was the only decent beer between Austria, Iran and Saudi Arabia. The reverend said that he had been known, to have had half a pint of best bitter back in England and asked Stan if it would be possible to have a small sip of his. Stan went one better, he ordered another bottle and said there you go vicar, you can have a sip of your own when ever you want one.
The vicar was fascinated by Stanleyâs tales of driving to the Middle East and as Dormouse said they were getting on like a house on fire. Dormouse ordered another two beers, donât forget me said the vicar as he showed him that his bottle was also empty. By the end of round two Dormouse was surprised to see that the vicar had finished his beer before him and Stan.
After about ten minutes the vicar, who was very chummy with Stanley said are we having another one old pal?.
By the end of round three Dormouse could see that Stan was getting a bit full of himself when he said, do you realise Dormouse that you are the odd one out ?.
What makes you think that Stanley, asked Dormouse.
Well said Stan, Roger has got his own transport company, Taci runs a successful freight agency, the vicar has his own import and export company and I being an owner driver run my own company, you are the only one here who works for somebody else. That might be true Stan said Dormouse, not only have I got less money than you but I have also got less worries.
Not only was Stan getting full of himself but as Dormouse told me, the vicar was as full as a carrot.
By 10 p.m. Roger announced that he had better be getting back to the hotel, Taci also got up and said that he would get him a taxi. After saying goodbye to Stanley, Dormouse and the Vicar they went over to the reception and had a word with the manager. When Roger had left, Taci came back to the table and said that he also had better be going home. He said goodbye to them all and told the Vicar that he was looking forward to talking with him tomorrow, he then left.
Are we having another round said the vicar, round four consisted of three more bottles of Efes. Dormouse said that the vicar had started slurring his words and some of the things that he was saying didnât make any sense.
Just before the vicar had finished his fourth beer he stood up, turned around and threw up all over the next table. It was a lucky shot really as the group of people who had been sitting there had left about five minutes before. If there was an Olympic sport for spewing then the vicar should have been awarded the gold and the silver medal for this shot.
I remember Dormouse saying â you should of seen the look on Stanâs face it was a picture â.
Stanley, who sometimes still held Victorian values stood there horrified, men of the cloth did not do this kind of thing, his local catholic priest certainly didnât do it. Are you all right vicar, Stan kept saying but the vicar who was by now slumped down in his chair kept mumbling take me home, please take me home.
Stan who was panicking and embarrassed said to Dormouse, help me get him outside into the fresh air but Dormouse had taken the huff after Stanâs earlier remark and said, heâs one of your kind Stan, you look after him, the Old Boys Network always look after each other.
Stan was getting really frustrated as a couple of waiters came over and were not very happy with the mess that the vicar had made. No, please Jimmy stop messing about and help me out please Jimmy, as by this time the vicar was legless. They both lifted the vicar up, one on either side and with his arms around their necks they dragged him outside, they were followed out by four big Turks who worked at the restaurant. What are you going to do with him now Stan, asked Dormouse. We will put him in a taxi and send him to the British Embassy, some body will know him there, they can sort it out. Somebody told me that in an emergency you can contact the British Embassy 24 hours a day, said Stan. A taxi arrived, they put the vicar in the back and told the driver to take him to the British Embassy.
They went back into the restaurant followed by the four big Turks, the waiters were clearing up the vicars mess and giving them both dirty looks. Stan said letâs have one for the road and then go back to the trucks. He ordered two more beers and said can I have the bill please. Itâs alright Dormouse I shall treat you to this, I shall pay the bill and I am sorry for what I said before. Two beers arrived and the bill for about eighty quid.
Stan went ballistic, they are trying to rip us off, he shouted, eighty quid for five beers, bring the manager he demanded. The manager who spoke a bit of English came over and was soon joined by the four big Turkâs. The manager showed Stan an itemised bill for five meals, two bottles of wine and fourteen bottles of Efes.
What about the two men who left first, didnât they pay for the meals and the wine asked Dormouse. No said the manager, the Turkish speaking man told me that the man who has just left in the taxi had begged them to let him pay the bill.
Look Dormouse said Stan, we are going to have to go halves with this bill.
Oh no were not Stan said Dormouse, you are going to have to cover it. They are your business associates, you captains of industry have got to stick together. If you want to join the golf club and the Masons you are going to have to pay for a lot of business dinners. Anyway you people always claim it back at the end of the tax year, I am only a poor driver working hard to make an honest crust. Dormouse said it was heâs turn to wind Stan up now, besides I only brought out about a tenner with me in case we got mugged, I hid my wallet in the cab.
Stan ended up paying the bill but demanded a stamped receipt, he was very quite all the way back to the trucks. Even the following day he was very quiet but Dormouse kept winding him up by saying have you still got that receipt Stan, whatever you do donât lose that receipt Stanley, every time they stopped.
Dormouse and I finished our second cup of tea, as it was about 3 p.m. we had decided that it was a bit too early to cancel for the day, besides he was hoping to get up to Nis that evening. I had made an early start that morning and had already done a fair days work but if I carried on to the Turkish border at Kapicule I could get some sleep while I was waiting in the queue, there was always a queue at Kapic.
I said goodbye to Jimmy and rejoined the Sofia ring road, it had started to drizzle and already the mud was beginning to build up on the cobbled road. There seemed to be no camber on the road and in many places there was no drainage, a wave of mud was splashed up and hit my truck every time I met an oncoming vehicle. It was already starting to get dark, Bulgaria in late Autumn always looked grim and drab.
After a while I started thinking of what Jimmy had just told me, maybe I had got a bit of the story wrong or I wasnât fully paying attention but I am sure that he said at the beginning that the vicar had connections with the British Consulate in Istanbul. I had also heard a rumour that in an emergency you could contact the British Embassy 24 hours a day, although I had never heard of it being proven. Why then had they told the taxi driver to take the vicar to the British Embassy, which was in Ankara, at least a four hour drive away. I donât suppose that the taxi driver took the vicar to, no surely not.
It was about nine days later when I arrived in Zeebrugge, I was sat in the lines waiting for the ferry which had just docked. Stan drove his Foden off the boat and walked over to see me, I got out of my cab to greet him. Where have you been he asked, Istanbul I told him. Did you see the vomiting vicar on your travels, he said. No I replied, you havenât lost that receipt have you Stan.
Stan shoulder charged me against the cab, he got me in a headlock and started punching me jokingly in the stomach. You cheeky little bleeder he said, you will be old yourself one day.
I hope that Ken Corrigan can remember Jimmy telling him this story .
One hundred pages eh bullitt , in which time we have lost some really great lads like Alfie Jones, Pat Seals, Bob Paul, Johnnie Nevill and quite a few more. Another sad thing is that we have also lost many of their great stories and experiences that I am sure that they would of had 
.
All the best Steve.
mushroomman:
davemackie:
chazzer:
Mushroomman, maybe it was the angle at which the photos were taken but the car transporter and the blue and white box trailer look considerably longer than 13.6 mtrs.Photoâs are normal, those transporters can be 85 feet long.
Dave.
Hi Charlie, I think that Dave is correct as that is why I took those photos as they certainly were a bit over length. I saw a few trailers that size in Jordan, mainly car transporters but I think that I only took those two photos as they seemed a bit unusual. Thirty odd years ago I regret not taking a camera with me, now I am regretting not taking a tape measure but yes I did think that they were at least sixty foot long. We will have to get Gerry Mac to measure one the next time that he is down there .
Heanor Haulage / Zahid â Heanor were operating 70 foot 3 tier car transporter trailers in Saudi back in the 70âs, but once they started building bridges the top tier had to goâŚ
ATB----RDF
This is what Saudi â â â â â âs use.
Dave.
A trailer full of Camels.
Dave.
Shaybah
betsy_in_desert.tif (1.39 MB)
200 Kilometers to tip Shaybah,Saudi
betsy_in_desert3.tif (1.31 MB)
desert.tif (1.31 MB)
moscow.tif (1.31 MB)
Got tons of stuff like these just gotta find em.
Who lent you them pictures then PhilâŚLawrabian didnt go that far.!!!
Hi Gerry Mac
Yes your quiet right it was a V12 a slip of the fingers The Tank engine and the Spitfire had the basic same engine tank was the (Meteor),Plane the( Merlin) Tank low revs at 650 bhp the Spitfire highly Modified to 1050 bhp, and high revs,still both super designed engines ,and still available at a super price ,would certainly make the truck sing.
For them reading this may think the downing of several Efes beers makes better reading,it might do sry (Steve )
remember you can drink and chat at the same time for a while that is,and then you sound like an Engine with a massive misfire ,burping and coughing up fuel and and engine bits that look like Carrots ,and and later smoke will belchforth from your arse causing you to lose all your friends ,as you have sht your pants , with the bad Kebab you ate with the last Efes Happy Days
Roger Haywood
mushroomman:
One hundred pages eh bullittAll the best Steve.
Hi Steve, thanks for posting that story (and pic) of Uncle Stan and the vomiting vicar, made me laugh again!!
Yep, one hundred pages and 3000 posts, its great that chaps like yourself and the others are still posting up the memories and pictures from days gone bye.
Its great to see some of the newer pictures from today as well.
I hope that someone doing the run today can put together a proper diary with pics, would give you "old hands2 something to compare things to!!!
All the best, 
Discrimination or what.
Dave.
sinbin31:
Hi Gerry MacYes your quiet right it was a V12 a slip of the fingers The Tank engine and the Spitfire had the basic same engine tank was the (Meteor),Plane the( Merlin) Tank low revs at 650 bhp the Spitfire highly Modified to 1050 bhp, and high revs,still both super designed engines ,and still available at a super price ,would certainly make the truck sing.
For them reading this may think the downing of several Efes beers makes better reading,it might do sry (Steve
remember you can drink and chat at the same time for a while that is,and then you sound like an Engine with a massive misfire ,burping and coughing up fuel and and engine bits that look like Carrots ,and and later smoke will belchforth from your arseRoger Haywood
Hi Roger, sorry that you didnât like the story but I have already replied to your P.M.
By the way, The Meteor was a JET engined plane, well they were when I used to refuel them in the 1960âs or did I put the wrong fuel in them .
Regards Steve.
You Missread me steve sry didnt say I dnt like the story it was a joke, and the Tank had a R R Meteor MK1VB 12 cylinder V12 ,didnt know they fitted that in a Jet plane
Roger Haywood
sinbin31:
You Missread me steve sry didnt say I dnt like the story it was a joke, and the Tank had a R R Meteor MK1VB 12 cylinder V12 ,didnt know they fitted that in a Jet planeRoger Haywood
Sorry Roger, I must of missread you Roger, I thought that you mentioned a Meteor plane Roger.
Roger, over and out.