Hi found this advert in a 1966 Commercial Motor for Eric Baker’s Hampshire Motor Company was an ERF dealer here in Southampton.
Regards Pat
TIR Original:
Fergie47:
I remeber that Krupp cabbed Atkinson, It was parked up outside the Queens one night, just before I took the the ferry crossing to Le Harve, Think I laught, as it was so ugly, and then cried ,because I was driving a F86 at the time, and it at least had a decent sized sleeper on it. Don’t remember the driver though.
Wonder if any are on the classic scene.That would be right Fergie,parked outside the “Queens” in Albert Rd. As I said earlier,that motor belonged to Ian MacLean. I can’t be dogmatic but I believe at the time it may have been driven by ‘big’ Jim Cokely before he went on to work for Jameson Europa.That certainly would explain the fact that it could regularly been seen outside that particular watering hole. Also on reflection, the long nosed Mercedes that I mentioned I think was driven at one time by a Pete Hamilton. They were both painted in that pale metalic blue and looked quite impressive.
I must disagree with your comment that it looked ugly though,especially with its nice metalic paint job (which was quite unusual back then). I remember thinking how similar the cab looked to a Scania LB 76 except for the big old Atki grille stuck on the front. In fact if you think about it,at that time it was far superior to what most of us were tackling the job with. AEC,Seddon,Foden,Ford D 800 or 1000,ERF,Scammel and Guy Big “J” etc. The French and Italians must have thought us bl**dy hero’s back in those days (I know I did)!
TIR ORIGINAL
Yep Jim Cokely ! I nearly put that in my orginal post, but wasn’t 100% sure, I THOUGHT he’d driven it, but always remembered him as a Jamesom’s driver. you’ve confirmed it though. Don’t remember ever seeing the Merc.
OK, perhaps the Krupp wasn’t ugly, but maybe not very pretty then 
The Sleeper cab, of course I’d have died for. the F86 was OK compaired to the BigJ I had before, but the cab on that Krupp was the dog’s in those days. I remember the first full sleeper cab I got, ( F88, which wasn’t exactly spacious ) thought I’d gone to heaven, still had the odd night in a Routier hotel though.
PAT
The 143 is looking good, considering the heavy work she’s done, and still going strong.!
I’d be proud to own her !
ainacs:
Hi found this advert in a 1966 Commercial Motor for Eric Baker’s Hampshire Motor Company was an ERF dealer here in Southampton.
Regards Pat
Hi Pat, that was a nice find in that old Commercial Motor edition on Eric Bakers Company. Proves what I was saying earlier about the HMC standing for Hampshire Motor Company was true. So long ago now that many people have forgotten about it. Quite a well known fact back then that when he was asked to quote for a job and when he could do it, he had to take into acount how long it would take to build the trailer. By the way did you know (although you should be able to tell by his livery) that he was originally from a ‘showmans’ family ? Just top side of Basingstoke on the old A33 there is or was “Bakers’ Transport Cafe” and used to be a fairground yard out the back. One and the same family !!
Yes quite a character our old Eric George Baker. Love him or hate him,you had to admire him as a business man and he was quite a regular sight around Southampton in his car of the day reg. No. EGB 1. Don’t know what happened to that No. when he died but I believe his daughter had it for a while.
REEVES TRANSPORT LTD., Southampton Depot.
Does anyone remember the above company who had a large depot at Four Post Hill, Southampton. Their livery was green and I believe the actually came from Middleton. The company was owned by Norman Reeves and the Southampton depot managed by Jimmy Gavagin. They were a general haulage company first and foremost but did run two tri-axle tipping trailers which were pulled by two Scania 110 units. These were driven at one time by Bill Parker and Andy Stratton and were used to transport salt from the north-west to ISR Fawley, Southampton. The rest of the fleet consisted of Fodens, 8 wheel and ‘chinese’ 6 wheel rigids and 4 and 6 wheeled units. As well as ‘roamers’ they also ran a nightly trunk service to Manchester. This was done mainly on a change/over basis as the journey time back in those days was about 8 hours. Among freight pulled by them was duty free cigarettes from BAT,Southampton bound for Manchester and Liverpool Airports. To jog your memory 3 drivers served prison sentences for stealing a load of these cigarettes and delivering them to an address in London. ( I actually know all 3 but it would be unfair to name them). Does anyone have any more information on this company or know any of their ex drivers ? Sadly Andy Stratton is no longer with us but is anyone still in touch with Bill Parker ? Also John Dean and Fred Croucher drove for them. I am in touch with a chap from the Manchester area who runs a superb website on these northern companies with history and many great photos (which is soon to include Jameson Transport Ltd), so any information you can come up with or glean form ex drivers would be appreciated. He can either gather it from this thread or I will send it on to him. Please do your best lads and I will promote his website in a later posting.
Bob Pester use to drive one of the Scania’s, Don’t know if he’s still around ?
tir original re w reeves hi my farther worked for them drivein a 8 wheeler foden he used to do night trunck for them he was ther for afew years then we started up with are own trucks and did subby work for them up untill they closed then started up as begard transport when they had aki borders 
some of you will know this name im sure
Hi another pic from Marc (Bubbleman)'s Scrapbook thread with a Southampton connection, early pic of a Pitter Bros Ltd four wheeler loading fruit I presume out of the docks.
Regards Pat
ainacs:
Hi another pic from Marc (Bubbleman)'s Scrapbook thread with a Southampton connection, early pic of a Pitter Bros Ltd four wheeler loading fruit I presume out of the docks.
Regards Pat
Hi Pat, what agood photo of one Reg Pitters’ Commer TS3’s, taken at 102berth with a Union Castle ship backdrop. All loaded up with cape fruit and as you can see wooden cases back then. By the labels I can tell that its pears and apples, pears on the front and apples to the back. All labels outward so as when it is unloaded at the fruit market they know what stack to put them on as each box contains a different number of fruits and is marked with the amount. As they are stacked straight up and down and no block on the back it is my guess that they are destined for Southampton Market. The driver would not sheet it but bung a cross on the back and go. After having a good look I still cannot make out the chap behind the wheel. Could it be a young Mike Pitter having a pose? After all he did used to go down and lend a hand with the loading as there would be about thirty or more lorries to load. Normally you would spend all day loading lorries and then have to be in some market up the country at 5.00am in the morning with your own.
TIR Original:
ainacs:
Hi another pic from Marc (Bubbleman)'s Scrapbook thread with a Southampton connection, early pic of a Pitter Bros Ltd four wheeler loading fruit I presume out of the docks.
Regards Pat
Hi Pat, what agood photo of one Reg Pitters’ Commer TS3’s, taken at 102berth with a Union Castle ship backdrop. All loaded up with cape fruit and as you can see wooden cases back then. By the labels I can tell that its pears and apples, pears on the front and apples to the back. All labels outward so as when it is unloaded at the fruit market they know what stack to put them on as each box contains a different number of fruits and is marked with the amount. As they are stacked straight up and down and no block on the back it is my guess that they are destined for Southampton Market. The driver would not sheet it but bung a cross on the back and go. After having a good look I still cannot make out the chap behind the wheel. Could it be a young Mike Pitter having a pose? After all he did used to go down and lend a hand with the loading as there would be about thirty or more lorries to load. Normally you would spend all day loading lorries and then have to be in some market up the country at 5.00am in the morning with your own.
Hi TIR.
In about 1949, before Pitter Bros. were nationalised, they used to run a daily trunk service to Bristol using 2 Seddon 4 wheelers with Perkins P6 engines. As far as I remember these were manned by 2 brothers who used to use a yard in Stanhope St., St. Philips - always immaculately dressed in spotless brown dungarees. My father used to keep the Transport Cafe on the corner of Stanhope/Chapel St. and these 2 drivers were daily regulars. I cannot remember their names but I used to sit and talk to them when I was home from school. (Ted and Albert could ring a bell). Were these the early days of Pitter Bros. or were they established some time before that.
Hello the Pitters Commer has created some interest…heres a bit more. 
Didnt know Pitters ran coaches…just like the ones you ran in Bristol Wessexman.
A shot of Micheal Pitter is from a tyre advert.
Cheers Bubbs. 
Hi Bubbs
Pitters coaches still run today they are called Coliseum Coaches they run from the same yard but with a dividing fence between them now
Cheers Rich
Thanks very much for that Bubbs., and again for this wonderful thread. I am sure that you have straightened and revived very many people’s memories with your collection. Yes, we had a few Bedford Vegas among the fleet as well as one of Clapcotts ex’s - an AEC. They were another S’ton haulier to run a small coach fleet. Thanks also to Tribsa. I wasn’t sure whether they were still running or not with all the changes of the past few years. Is that still in Pitter’s ownership.
Here is a link to The Pitter family celebrated their centenary in 1999, having operated their transport business from the same premises at Botley Road, West End since 1899
coliseumcoaches.co.uk/pages/ … story.html
Regards Pat
Ainacs and TIR original,have you not thought of writting a book about this post.Im sure it would do well.
Found this pic of Tony Kimber’s Scammell Samson when it was brand new at the 1970 Motor Show
Regards Pat
Does anyone have any other photos of these ? I only knew of them from their yard at Heywood near Rochdale.
I think they also had some ERF B - series there.
Hi Tipit
No pics but I think that they used to share Jamesons yard at Ryde Terrace and their manager was a John Kay.
Regards Pat
Hi Tipit, nice pic of Merricks Leyland Marathon. Sorry, same as Ainacs no pictures but I remember them well. Merrick was a good buddy of Charlie Jameson and they seem to work quite well together. When I was with Jameson’s back in the 60’s at Endle Street, we had a Merricks unit working full time out of the Southampton depot. This was a Guy Warrior (complete with Indian Chiefs head radiator cap) and was driven for as long as I can remember by a chap called Ronnie Saye. Tall slim chap with a pencil moustache who has a son (last known driving a car transporter) still working out of Southampton. Ronnie used to do a Manchester night trunk from Southampton doing a change over. Sometimes he would do 2 change overs at Oxford with Manchester units leaving their home depots at different times. These trailers would often be delivered this end by Jamesons, on occasions by myself. His livery was the same as Jameson before they changed to blue. Funny as I was only thinking the other day how many companies from up north had depots in Southampton and that was one of the companies I had forgotten. Thanks for your posting Tipit and also for showing an interest in this thread. Great input !!
Hi another pic from Marc (Bubbleman)'s Scrapbook thread this time UCC or Union Cartage Company had a yard in Southampton behind G J Coopers I believe, I think Jim Cokely RIP, Malcolm Gillam and Jumbo Lewis RIP all worked for them and possibly Sid Pugh RIP.
Regards Pat