Marky,
Spot on mate, does he owe you 
No - but I know many people who have worked with Billy.
I got him a copy of a book earlier this year and a friend of mine (who knows him well) sorted the transaction out for me.
Billy is a bit of a folk-hero around Bowkers. Ask some of the old hands about the āCan you give me a knock at four oāclock?ā story.
Marky,
I have known Billy since 1964 so we go back along way. I also remember W H Bowker being in Hollins bridge Street, in those days the hero down there was General Patton (George) he was then 74 years of age and still on trunk. 
There is a planned reunion for some later middle east men in Goole for gawds sake later this year.
The hoggs men will know about it 
Joe 90 and Mr Magoo might be there though 
Taskman:
I keep reading this thread with interest but do any of you big wheelers out there know of Dereck Howell who operated out of Blackburn in the 70ās, I know several of the lads that drove for him and Iām still in touch with them, many of them doing Iraq/Iran and Saudia, you must have come across āScottyā?, Drugan, Billy Whizz, and Ilya Kuriakn.
taskman yes it was howell/taylor but eric took over they now trade as g e h or c e h doing greece moroco with garments
egg
Got talking to a Mancunian in Ancona docks, the year before last. He was driving a Volvo F10 coupled to a tandem coiler carrying a very large piece of machinery.
Apparently, he buys an old tractors and trailers for the purpose of taking them, one way, to Qatar, Kuwait, etc. to sell; he then flies back to the UK and does the same all over again!
marky:
No - but I know many people who have worked with Billy.I got him a copy of a book earlier this year and a friend of mine (who knows him well) sorted the transaction out for me.
Billy is a bit of a folk-hero around Bowkers. Ask some of the old hands about the āCan you give me a knock at four oāclock?ā story.
If weāre talking Middle east, then I donāt think weāre talking about the same Billy Whizz. The Whizz that we all know and love worked for Bowker and for various bits of Gilbraith, but I donāt think heās ever done continental, let alone M/E.
The āfour oāclock knockā story is indeed a good 'un, including the weighbridge at the Worcester end of the journeyā¦
Didnāt I hear TC say he did regular Eindhovens when WHB had the FL10 wagon & drags with the pigeon-loft sleepers?
marky:
Didnāt I hear TC say he did regular Eindhovens when WHB had the FL10 wagon & drags with the pigeon-loft sleepers?
Now youāre testing my memory! I donāt think that Billy ever belonged to International, as such. I must admit I donāt remember him doing the Eindhoven shuttle but if TC says he did, then Iām sure that he is right. Iām sure that Billy never did any general international though.
The Eindhoven job was strictly closed circuit and round trip - even one of the day (strictly no nights out) men from the BASF contract went on it for a while.
WHB, of course, did M/E in their own right in the 1970s, with characters including Jimmy Kent and Jack Leach. (Youāve seen some pics)
John Harper in Moscow after loading UK-Qatar then empty to Syria for a load to Moscow. Returned to the UK via Hungary. 44 day 20,000km trip. Photo taken by David Hogarth (drove the same route).
great pic & info davidh! thats waht you could call a damaned good ride out! sadly itās only ever going to be the stuff of daydreams to most peopel i suppose, me included!
i did middle east with d.a.f 2800 for a firm from wolverhampton
still got photos very good truck the 2800
welcome to trucknet frank it would be nice to see some of them photos put up on here.
cheers carl
Dunno who it was,but I passed an FH12,with either a tag axle or double drive,going the other way last Monday on the E25 toward Luxembourg,all painted up in Astran colours pulling an Astran trailer.
If Iād have been on the ball Iād have taken a pic 
First Astran motor Iāve seen for over a year.
Astran is now owned by Peter Carroll and Hugh Thomson (seymour transport), Chris is back with them, the rates and work are better and they have a new website www.astran-cargo.com
focale:
Astran is now owned by Peter Carroll and Hugh Thomson (seymour transport), Chris is back with them, the rates and work are better and they have a new website www.astran-cargo.com
Is that the same Carroll who run Saints?
No Peter Carroll was a director of Seymour nothing to do with Martin that owns saints
was shipping over to scotland and spent the time talking to an o/d who was telling stories of running down to yugo/romania and middle east.i mentioned the interest on trucknet people have for m/e stories and mentioned some of the names from here.first name i could remember was egg on legs and he was surprised to hear of him in thailand.anyway he took the web address but said he wasānt on net at moment .his name was bill porter if i remember right and seemed sound enough.just wondered if this might be of interest to anyone.
glenman:
was shipping over to scotland and spent the time talking to an o/d who was telling stories of running down to yugo/romania and middle east.i mentioned the interest on trucknet people have for m/e stories and mentioned some of the names from here.first name i could remember was egg on legs and he was surprised to hear of him in thailand.anyway he took the web address but said he wasānt on net at moment .his name was bill porter if i remember right and seemed sound enough.just wondered if this might be of interest to anyone.
hi glenman i am very bad on names as age creeps up any idea who he worked for on m/e as for you did you do m/e? all best egg on legs 
hi egg,sorry cant remember who he did m/e for.talked about a lot of people and trips he had done.remember he was a fitter with lowes then started driving with sas.he said he last saw yourself i think in carisio but not sure of when that was.he remembers where you lived because i think he said it was all knocked down for new roads if thats right.the conversation just rambled on and its hard to recall all the names he talked about.mentioned some driver who wife went with him who always insisted on having her makeup and best clothes on,talked about some place in the desert which had undergrond canals,some deaf and dumb arab lad who did runner at customs for drivers and i think some smallish driver who put two cops into a swimming pool maybe in yugo.all these people had names just ive forgotten.he is an o/d now drives an eurostar pulling for team transport in s.ireland.by the way i just do euro.maybe when he gets internet heāll get on here and give the full account himself.if any more comes to me ill post it.