adr:
Just found this clipping in a box, so thought I’d put it on!
Ex Fred Archer unit?
Hi Suedehead,
I think that you will find out that the Logo ( First for Service ) was what the late Andrew Wilson Young had on his trailer, and on his last merc which he called Big Bertha.
I presume that Garry Glass bought it after his death.
regards Jamie.
Hi Jamie
Gary bought Andrews truck 1632 V10 when Andrew got his brand new 1748, that was in about 1989. I ran down to Doha with Gary on his 2nd trip for Astran. He said the bed was like brand new. We bumped into Andrew and he had snow chains and 5gal drum of oil on the bed of the new truck !
The other picture of the Sed Atki is Bob Hedley (Animal) after he changed from the old Transcontinental.
Best regards
GS
This photo I took at Abu Ghreib - It will raise memories for the earlier m/e drivers with the Goafer and Taxi geezeer (Could’nt get rid of him) and the long fellow in the middle trying to hide his height was on his first trip, I will never forget him as on our way back thru Turkey I had a spring go and I had to do the obvious and block it and this good samaritan decided that he was not capable of offering any help and informed me that he would ‘Poodle On’ - and that became his nick-name, thanks mate, It turned out lucky for me as I never see him again, Hope you read this thread young ‘■■■■■■’
Jelliot:
Brave man pulling a step frame through Turkey, I did a few to Adana with a step frame cube and always thought brakes were to small for the job, constantly over heating. Did he have a retarder on the Strato.
Swinging Fashion the red Dutch Dafs had a load of cube boxes with the same running gear that used to run out of Georgia but I don’t think they were running top weight.
Jeff
This is me at Dogubayesit truck stop on my way to Teheran Trade Fair in 1983.This was a Promotor trailer and load.
I was fully freighted so took four trailer spare tyres with me,but was lucky to only have a puncture in Bulgy on the way out.
Nice looking rig that - as pre-mentioned the step frame I would find very concerning, you did well only getting one puncture, I mentioned way back on the thread that I did an Austria for Ray Phillips between jobs when Pan X went up the wall. nice enough chap what little of knew of him, I took a load of paper out and as I recall loaded back from the same place, he offered me a second trip and mentioned that he may be getting a vacancy in the near future - obviously trying me out but I had other plans that proved positive, I notice on the thread that you have been on for a few companies Ian, so you had itcht feet too eh ?
Fred
Yes Fred,I made a few moves,every move was further from home than the last job.
I started for Brit European in 1975,did two years which got me some m/e experience,the moved on to Chapman and Ball.
That was a great firm,but due to some naivity with the office staff,they got taken for a ride and went to the wall.
Jenkinsons from Manchester tried to take up the operation but were rubbish to work for,so a few of us from Chapman and Ball,backed by Geoff Litwin,started up Litcor International.
A couple of us finished up working for SI and working from Stoke,it was not bad,until the balloon went uo and everything crashed.That left just a few of us and a handfullof trucks running from Stoke.
I managed to get out just before the end and went to work for Expo Freight out of Loughton,did three years there,then was offered a decent job with Transleam International running out of Margate.This was all Turkish work,running to Istanbul or Izmir.This lasted three years.
I left there just before that also packed up.
That was in '86 and the best of the m/e was over so I came off the road as after doing all m/e for all those years,running to Europe was a non starter.
bestbooties:
Yes Fred,I made a few moves,every move was further from home than the last job.
I started for Brit European in 1975,did two years which got me some m/e experience,the moved on to Chapman and Ball.
That was a great firm,but due to some naivity with the office staff,they got taken for a ride and went to the wall.
Jenkinsons from Manchester tried to take up the operation but were rubbish to work for,so a few of us from Chapman and Ball,backed by Geoff Litwin,started up Litcor International.
A couple of us finished up working for SI and working from Stoke,it was not bad,until the balloon went uo and everything crashed.That left just a few of us and a handfullof trucks running from Stoke.
I managed to get out just before the end and went to work for Expo Freight out of Loughton,did three years there,then was offered a decent job with Transleam International running out of Margate.This was all Turkish work,running to Istanbul or Izmir.This lasted three years.
I left there just before that also packed up.
That was in '86 and the best of the m/e was over so I came off the road as after doing all m/e for all those years,running to Europe was a non starter.
Thanks Ian , that’s what I call interesting reading, you raised a point re: Jenkinson’s, that’s where I first met Barry Longden in 76 we spent four days at Imranli in that bad weather of 76, Barry then went on for DOW,s for many years and then Concorde, he now lives up Fleetwood way and I am still in touch with him, one of the ‘Greats’ - It would make the thread very interesting if the lads put a bit of their background history and experiences on here - thanks again - Fred
Hi Ron - I knew that the mention of Imranli would bring you out of hiding, we discussed this little episode some post’s back. do you recall Jenkinson’s s two trucks sharing this great occasion? Billy Hamm (Bionic Bill) with one leg was one of their drivers, the winter weather was so bad that the memory will never go away although other incidents pass on and get forgotten until someone raises a story and gets the old memory box ticking again. Hope you are keeping well young Ron. Be lucky - regards Fred
Hi Ron - I knew that the mention of Imranli would bring you out of hiding, we discussed this little episode some post’s back. do you recall Jenkinson’s s two trucks sharing this great occasion? Billy Hamm (Bionic Bill) with one leg was one of their drivers, the winter weather was so bad that the memory will never go away although other incidents pass on and get forgotten until someone raises a story and gets the old memory box ticking again. Hope you are keeping well young Ron. Be lucky - regards Fred
excuse the interruption but is the billy hamm the same man who drove a mack and came from my hometown Bolton,he was [as I remember]a bit of a legend.I wasn’t driving till 1970 so saw very little of him.
regards dave.
Yes Dave the same Billy (RIP) - legend ? On the M/E job you seemed to have two shifts the ‘Outbounds’ and the ‘Homebound’ and consequently you always seemed to meet up and run with regular faces and for that reason I used to see Mr Hamm quite often - I got on ok with him as I am a good listener been there got the ‘T’ shirt and all that, his stories were a bit weird and wonderful but chuckelfull (New word on the thread) but to sum him up - yeah not a bad-un - Cheers - Fred
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Went to a Kamukazi reunion last night - - no one turned up
