At a guess 75 ish for both pics.
In the early 70’s Mitchell and Robertson’s largest lorries were two flatbed AEC Marshall 6 wheeler rigids. Norman Horsford had one from new and after I had been on the company for a while I drove the other one. I remember when things were quiet and Malcolm Robertson had rung around all the usual companies for work, i.e., HGF, SET, Louise Reece, Henley etc, this is before Woodsies came on the scene, he would ring JWQ in Sheerness.
This usually was a last resort as the rates were pi-s poor but it just about covered costs. The loads were always rolled steel coils loaded from their own warehouse and required both main and fly sheets. For us the loads were great. Not having to handball on 15 ton of fruit helped and no problems the other end either. I remember the chap who loaded us in Sheerness had a very pronounced limp. His name may have been Alan. He told us he was moving some steel girders one day when one of them came free from the harness. I heard it go and then a sharp metallic ping as it hit another girder. “I knew I had to get out of the way fast” he told us but he wasn’t quick enough. The girder smashed into his ankle and he ended up a ■■■■■■■.
We only ever delivered the coils to two places. One was in Yate near Bristol and the other one was Gorseinon down Swansea way. As I have said the loads were great for us. Not having to be in a fruit market by five in the morning was a bonus but also the loads were so clean and easy to handle. No wonder the rates were bad.
On a few occasions JWQ provided back loads. These consisted of steel railway lines which were being ripped up after the Beecham report. If I remember correctly we delivered them back to the warehouse in Sheerness. We didn’t do any work for JWQ after about 73. A while after that we had a couple of artics with Tautliner trailers, seen in the photos above, and there seemed to be more work for us around the farms.
when you mentioned the railway lines did they not go opposite the yard to the rolling mill
daf3300:
when you mentioned the railway lines did they not go opposite the yard to the rolling mill
If the rolling mill was Sheerness Steelworks then no. This was before that was built which I thought was about 74. Most of the equipment for Sheerness Steelworks was shipped in through the port and one of the clearing houses, SET I think, had the job of providing transport. Most of it was done by owner drivers using artics as opposed to rigids. Mitchell and Robertson didn’t get involved. I understood the machinery, which was secondhand, came from Canada where a steelworks was being dismantled.
sandway:
daf3300:
when you mentioned the railway lines did they not go opposite the yard to the rolling millIf the rolling mill was Sheerness Steelworks then no. This was before that was built which I thought was about 74. Most of the equipment for Sheerness Steelworks was shipped in through the port and one of the clearing houses, SET I think, had the job of providing transport. Most of it was done by owner drivers using artics as opposed to rigids. Mitchell and Robertson didn’t get involved. I understood the machinery, which was secondhand, came from Canada where a steelworks was being dismantled.
I stand corrected daf3300. Sheerness Steel Works produced its first steel in 1972. Although I don’t remember delivering the old railway lines to the mill they could well have ended up there eventually. I did just one load of steel from the mill a few years later to a building site in London. The one thing I remember about loading was that I had no timbers on the hired in flat trailer I was pulling. On arrival at the mill I was directed to a large pile of, what I thought was rubbish, it was in fact small branches of trees. I had to sort out enough to go between the bundles of steel reinforcing rods to enable them to be craned on and off. “What do I do with them once I’ve tipped” I stupidly asked. “You can take them home and put on your fire” I was told.
A regular source of work for Robert Baillie Transport was bananas from Jamaica, loading from London Docks.
Because of lengthy strikes at the docks in 1970/71, the banana boats began to arrive at Sheerness, at which
time, Sheerness town and docks resembled a ghost town. We didn’t have sleeper cabs back then, we stayed
in transport Digs, run by Mrs Saint. Soon after, a small depot was established, and was operated by a chap
called Mick Mackender. This picture shows one of the 30ft insulated banana containers. Do any of you Kent
drivers remember the Robert Baillie operation at Sheerness ?.
Regards, Ray Smyth.
Ray Smyth:
A regular source of work for Robert Baillie Transport was bananas from Jamaica, loading from London Docks.
Because of lengthy strikes at the docks in 1970/71, the banana boats began to arrive at Sheerness, at which
time, Sheerness town and docks resembled a ghost town. We didn’t have sleeper cabs back then, we stayed
in transport Digs, run by Mrs Saint. Soon after, a small depot was established, and was operated by a chap
called Mick Mackender. This picture shows one of the 30ft insulated banana containers. Do any of you Kent
drivers remember the Robert Baillie operation at Sheerness ?.Regards, Ray Smyth.
No, but I do remember loading bananas out of the coldstore in the docks in '90 with an MAN 20.331 for Portway! Robert
Ray Smyth:
A regular source of work for Robert Baillie Transport was bananas from Jamaica, loading from London Docks.
Because of lengthy strikes at the docks in 1970/71, the banana boats began to arrive at Sheerness, at which
time, Sheerness town and docks resembled a ghost town. We didn’t have sleeper cabs back then, we stayed
in transport Digs, run by Mrs Saint. Soon after, a small depot was established, and was operated by a chap
called Mick Mackender. This picture shows one of the 30ft insulated banana containers. Do any of you Kent
drivers remember the Robert Baillie operation at Sheerness ?.Regards, Ray Smyth.
I don’t remember anything of the Robert Baillie operation but I certainly remember the banana boats arriving. In the late 60’s early 70’s Mitchell and Robertson would often have a few lorries in Sheerness when a fruit boat was in port. I’m fairly sure all our work was through SET. This was important infill work for the company. The best paying work was around the farms, both soft and hard fruit but of course this was seasonal.
I remember I was in the yard one morning and John Mitchell came into the mess room and announced that lorries were required at Sheerness to load and deliver bananas. He said they were going to put one lorry on to see how the job went. Possibly adding another one later. Of course an insulated container was required and I think, but am not sure, that SET provided that.
The driver chosen to do the first loads was a driver from down Hawkhurst way. He was a well known flier by the name of ‘Long John’ and I remember he called everyone ‘Chav’. The job went well and I also did a couple of loads to west London. The big difference for us was that a lot of our loads were delivered to the ripening houses strait from the port. No having to get into Covent Garden or Spitalfields at midnight which was great.
We didn’t do bananas for long though. Maybe it was the rates. Maybe its when Portway came on the scene. It certainly wasn’t exciting work though.
My dad used to do bananas out of Sheerness too, he worked for a bloke called Brian Coomber known by everyone as ‘Pickle’… He was a real character who had about half a dozen lorries at the time. That would have been late 70s early 80s.
cav551:
Any earlier pictures of Colin Ashby’s fleet? there were several Scammell Crusaders and IIRC quite a few Handymen.
Hi cav551, Yes indeed he did have some Handyman’s and Crusader’s ,here are some.
Nice to see Colin Ashby Transport again. Great pics. One of our local companies. Thanks.
postman paul:
cav551:
Any earlier pictures of Colin Ashby’s fleet? there were several Scammell Crusaders and IIRC quite a few Handymen.Hi cav551, Yes indeed he did have some Handyman’s and Crusader’s ,here are some.
Great photos Postman Paul thanks for posting its always good to see the old ones the more the better.
is it true that the blackcurrant job was like a license to print money ?
I have just remembered a sad ending to one of Colin Ashbys drivers who died in the big fire that engulfed the Bowater Scott warehouse in Barrow in 1973. Apparently the Ashby driver had been allowed to kip in his cab in the warehouse and when the fire really got hold there was a lot of smoke which woke up the driver and he got out of his cab but couldn’t get out of the warehouse. He was found dead of smoke inhalation lying behind one of the big doors. It was hard to understand how Bowater Scotts allowed this driver to kip in the warehouse as being a new Mill they were always extremely safety conscious, well they certainly were after the fire !
Cheers Bewick.
lawrence2765:
postman paul:
cav551:
Any earlier pictures of Colin Ashby’s fleet? there were several Scammell Crusaders and IIRC quite a few Handymen.Hi cav551, Yes indeed he did have some Handyman’s and Crusader’s ,here are some.
Great photos Postman Paul thanks for posting its always good to see the old ones the more the better.
is it true that the blackcurrant job was like a license to print money ?
Yeah,Very true about the Blackcurrant job, work all the hours you could and more lol, here are a couple on “The Job”
Bewick:
I have just remembered a sad ending to one of Colin Ashbys drivers who died in the big fire that engulfed the Bowater Scott warehouse in Barrow in 1973. Apparently the Ashby driver had been allowed to kip in his cab in the warehouse and when the fire really got hold there was a lot of smoke which woke up the driver and he got out of his cab but couldn’t get out of the warehouse. He was found dead of smoke inhalation lying behind one of the big doors. It was hard to understand how Bowater Scotts allowed this driver to kip in the warehouse as being a new Mill they were always extremely safety conscious, well they certainly were after the fire !
Cheers Bewick.
Thanks for that info Bewick, I didn’t know about that driver, but I do remember one of the handyman’s catching fire(not sure if it was the same truck), my Father started there in 1974 and worked there until 1997.
postman paul:
cav551:
Any earlier pictures of Colin Ashby’s fleet? there were several Scammell Crusaders and IIRC quite a few Handymen.Hi cav551, Yes indeed he did have some Handyman’s and Crusader’s ,here are some.
I seem to remember one of the Handymans was re cabbed when fairly new with the later type cab with the rectangular headlights.
kmills:
Willtrucker1:
Yes it defferntly was a sad day Coullings shut there gates, hears a few pic of Blythe Bros another company my grandad use to drive for, he is sat a top the Akinson which he thought was a great lorry.Is this the same Blythe’s that became W.J>Blythe from Faversham?
hi,
about blythes transport.
i was a drivers mate for w.e.reeve.when i was seventeen.my name is ivan coomber.
reeves were later taken over by george hammond transport.
in the early 70s.
blyths transport yard, was next to w.e.reeves yard in milton regis sittingbourne.
i was led to believe that blyth transport got into financial trouble, after one of his trucks killed a pedestrian in maidstone. something to do with the driver not having a class1licence,we were told at the time.
anyhow blyths transport were taken over by w.e.reeve.and joe.blyth the boss and his family, took over the rose of tralee cafe on the A20 in lenham kent soon after.
hope this info is some help in this matter.
Ray Smyth:
A regular source of work for Robert Baillie Transport was bananas from Jamaica, loading from London Docks.
Because of lengthy strikes at the docks in 1970/71, the banana boats began to arrive at Sheerness, at which
time, Sheerness town and docks resembled a ghost town. We didn’t have sleeper cabs back then, we stayed
in transport Digs, run by Mrs Saint. Soon after, a small depot was established, and was operated by a chap
called Mick Mackender. This picture shows one of the 30ft insulated banana containers. Do any of you Kent
drivers remember the Robert Baillie operation at Sheerness ?.Regards, Ray Smyth.
hi im ivan coomber,and from 1971 when i was 18 yrs old until early 73. i was a loader and shunter for robert baillie in sheerness dock loading bananas on their trailers, using one of their fleet of atkinsons.
one after another.weighing then off ,then parking them in the weighbridge park.it was hard work.14.5 ton on each trailer.circa 800 boxes.sometimes the dockers would take pity on me,and lend a hand.
later,still employed by baillies, i worked a3 shift system,earlys, lates and nights, at sheerness steel mill driving a 1962 atkinson,with NO power steering, shunting and loading trailers with steel.
baillies were in a contract involving j.w.q. transport.and b.r.s. transport.each put a shunter on shift in the steel mill, and we all loaded each others trailers,done the paperwork for the loads,then left then on the steel mills trailer park for later pick up by their drivers.
i of course did not have a h.g.v. licence.but in those days it wasnt needed in the dock or steel mill as they were on private property.
i left baillies in 72 as i could not earn enough money there,and went to work for the railway track gangs. 
Hi Ivan, You mentioned in your post, the time you spent with Robert Baillie Transport at Sheerness,
and the 1962 Atkinson that you had as a shunter. It would have had one of the following Registration
numbers…5498 ET, 5505 ET, or 5510 ET, with 150 Gardner engine, and David Brown 6 speed gearbox,
they were bought second hand during the 1960s, ex BOC, British Oxygen Company, at Rotherham.
Do you remember any of the names of Baillies drivers that you came in contact with during your time
with the company ?
Regards, Ray Smyth.
