You certainly ain’t. Welcome indeed whisperingsmith.
So which Smith are you and where do we know you from?
David
Some great photo’s you just posted wisperingsmith, where were they taken? 
Can’t remember who gave me the Smith handle, real name’s Geoff.
Where would you know me from? Haram, Sammie’s office in Damascus, or just passing.
Apart from one trip in a Maggie demo unit, ran Mercs, first a 1418 then had John Fishwick’s 1932 when he packed up, in 76 I think.
Only did one subby run for Astran to Doha (pretty sure It was just 1). Did quite a few trips with wife and small son in tow.
PanX:
Some great photo’s you just posted wisperingsmith, where were they taken?
Snowy one a bit before Imranli
Helping the locals with a Tyre: Herat,
Punctures just after Kandahar as a result of the short concrete slab road from Herat.
Then parked up for tea this side of Jalalabad - If I remember correctly after all these years
Last one with ponies is Peshawar
whisperingsmith:
PanX:
Some great photo’s you just posted wisperingsmith, where were they taken?Snowy one a bit before Imranli
Helping the locals with a Tyre: Herat,
Punctures just after Kandahar as a result of the short concrete slab road from Herat.
Then parked up for tea this side of Jalalabad - If I remember correctly after all these years
Last one with ponies is Peshawar
That’s some distance ,from Kandahar to Jalalabad on some of those old roads, you did well.
So when you crossed the border at the bottom of the Khyber Pass you had to follow the white line from the rh side to the left hand side of the road?. Welcome to Peshawar Pakistan. 
Don’t remember a white line Harry, thought you could pick anywhere on the bridge between the two barriers
Morning Geoff.
Definitely remember a driver that used to have his family with him.
I see your from down Penzance? From there? I’m from Dartmouth so it’s a West Country corner.
David
Morning too David. Family roots from down here but grew up in ‘Exile’ been back in God’s country for 25 years now.
Missus b-gger+d off when the boy was about 9, saying “You can look after him now ,that’ll keep you at home” she thought wrong.
Tried doing a bit of agency work,mainly Eden Vale trunking, but didn’t fit with raising a kid, so went back to sea, bought a ship that doubled as home, came in to Penzance for shelter. Went to the Swordfish Pub in Newlyn (Fisherman’s equivalent of the bar at the Harem) never left and the rest is history 
hi Tehrani Barney. great handle mate! I racked my brains about Billy Cook, I think he may have been working for Abadan Services or something like that? If anyone remembers them??
I guess when I said that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time re getting a job working M/E , that wasn’t quite right as Fred pointed out! There were indeed many outfits in the Heathrow corridor doing Middle East… But at 21 and just out of the driving school and my only trip abroad was in a Bedford TK 3 tonner to not far away Brussels, I wasn’t able to get taken on by any of the firms I wrote to or visited Including, I just remembered! , Concorde. Then later when I’d got a bit of T.I.R experience in Europe, I started getting jobs in other interesting branches of transport and I suppose forgot about it .
As I mentioned in my last post I worked for a company in the late 70’s doing Portugal with an ex P.I.E. Daf and tilt, complete with belly tanks. They also had a 1626 Merc with aircon on roof and snorkel etc. It’s reg was OPO 212S (the only number I ever remembered from the past. ) The name of the company was METRANS, they had done Middle East in the past, but not when I was there…I think they were an Iranian backed company originally… I would be inerested if any of the boys on here remember that company or that truck…? Thinking about it, it may not have been a 1626, my memories a bit shaky but deffo a Merc… Thanks, Fellas!
Anyway Barney, hope your retirement is a long and happy one and yo can meet some of your old buddies! cheers. Stu.
Hi all.Bill Cooke did indeed work for Abadan services out of Fareham.He was Irish but lived in Swindon.If anyone remembers he did a trip to Abadan in 1976 with the late great Phil Llewellin in a 1924 merc.The article was printed in July 76 in Truck magazine.
Barney.When you gonna dig out som of your old photos from Collintor and the Dutch firm. Mike
PanX:
Hi Fred, saw your post about firms in Colnbrook. There were a lot of firms doing Middle East work in 70’s 80’s in and around the Heathrow area. There was also Elliots and Landers from the same neck of the woods. Not sure if they did any ME work though. I seem to remember you coming to Pan Express from Grangewood, around 1980… I worked for them from 1979 and as a subbie from 81 till 86 ish.
P.s. Ilike the novel way of checking the puncture repair was holding up. Mick…
Hi Mick. You have obviously shown a lot of service by your photo’s but I have been puzzling my old brain to remember you, Give us a clue it should prove interesting to me and hopefully many others. If I owe you money then I died last week. cheers Fred
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sign on the rear of a sceptic tanker = This veh: is loaded with government promises - boom boom
hutpik:
Hi all.Bill Cooke did indeed work for Abadan services out of Fareham.He was Irish but lived in Swindon.If anyone remembers he did a trip to Abadan in 1976 with the late great Phil Llewellin in a 1924 merc.The article was printed in July 76 in Truck magazine.
Barney.When you gonna dig out som of your old photos from Collintor and the Dutch firm. Mike
thanks hutpik…in my memory Bill was Scottish! But must be him I guess. I think Metrans must have grown out of Abadans ashes…this would be early’79. Cheers…
freshir:
PanX:
Hi Fred, saw your post about firms in Colnbrook. There were a lot of firms doing Middle East work in 70’s 80’s in and around the Heathrow area. There was also Elliots and Landers from the same neck of the woods. Not sure if they did any ME work though. I seem to remember you coming to Pan Express from Grangewood, around 1980… I worked for them from 1979 and as a subbie from 81 till 86 ish.
P.s. Ilike the novel way of checking the puncture repair was holding up. Mick…Hi Mick. You have obviously shown a lot of service by your photo’s but I have been puzzling my old brain to remember you, Give us a clue it should prove interesting to me and hopefully many others. If I owe you money then I died last week. cheers Fred
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sign on the rear of a sceptic tanker = This veh: is loaded with government promises - boom boom
Evening Fred,
Trying to find a photo from back in the day, but photography skills lacking… just saw this one, Looks like a quite day on the Tapline…
Looks like a sand storm over there…where’s that camera…
Oh Christ back in the truck… quick
freshir:
PanX:
Hi Fred, saw your post about firms in Colnbrook. There were a lot of firms doing Middle East work in 70’s 80’s in and around the Heathrow area. There was also Elliots and Landers from the same neck of the woods. Not sure if they did any ME work though. I seem to remember you coming to Pan Express from Grangewood, around 1980… I worked for them from 1979 and as a subbie from 81 till 86 ish.
P.s. Ilike the novel way of checking the puncture repair was holding up. Mick…Hi Mick. You have obviously shown a lot of service by your photo’s but I have been puzzling my old brain to remember you, Give us a clue it should prove interesting to me and hopefully many others. If I owe you money then I died last week. cheers Fred
Mmmm! Sitting here scrathing this bald head, I do remember a Mick last name I think was Garvey he was at one tme one of Cantrels cowboys, Small world I ran into him again in a swamp bar around 1980 when he was visiting his cousin during Mardi Gras in Slidell Louisiana, He recognised me first. I had my own rig a 74 K100 KW. I parked it and we partied fo a week, his cousin was a beauty and took good care of me
.
Is that you Mick?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sign on the rear of a sceptic tanker = This veh: is loaded with government promises - boom boom
Great pix of the sand storm Mick.
A few more of mine:
The parking ground in Halbouni Street Damascus, close to Sammi’s office.
Lunch break between H4 & Turaif
Astran’s yard in Doha, July 75
Great pic’s and well worth a mention, keep them coming - wonder what happened to Sammi ? Fred
I used to phone Sammi once or twice a year until a few years ago Fred, but the number went dead.
My wife and son stayed with his family on my first trip as we couldn’t get visas for them so we developed quite a family bond.
I’ve been worrying about him with all the current ■■■■■ going on. Would be good if someone had some news.
Geoff
Good picture, Geoff.
I so remember that street with the train track. Because his official title was S.S.Sirisi Gerry Wheelan and I always refered to him as the Steam Ship Sirisi.
With the problems it would be good to know that the old so and so was OK. Top man!
David
Does anybody Know who used to run a Scammell Crusader(s) in the early to mid 1970s that were as sort of muddy yellow in colour, I am sure They had “Iran - Iraq” on the front of the cab one either side of the radiator grill, Although I am sure thats what it said I would think that either of those countries wouldnt have been to pleased to see the other countries name on the front of the truck.
It would have been collecting a Flight Simulator in CKD form for the middle east.
We also used PlantHaul for Open TIR abnormal load work to Turkey/Middle east, but not sure if they actually sent there own tractor units with the trailer or subbed it out.
I worked for Redifon Simulation in Crawley.
Hi Sundance
That sounds like Bromilow. Before my time but I remember Gavin McArdle posting some pictures of the Crusader on here a while back.
He used to drive one of them.
GS.