M&C Jamie:
Hi Ron ,Number 13, another one of Eric’s Marauders the one and only Ian Cook. Number 14 has got my cells going round in circles ,but still not coming up with names, obviously during an effes control. regards Jamie.
A Scot Still Lost in the Valley’s.
Spot on Jamie with Ian Cook. And therefore a little surprised that no one has come up with a name for photo no.10 as he was one of Ian Cook’s mates and they worked together, not only for Eric Howel but also for Stolks in Holland in the mid 80’s.
I was dumbstruck when I saw the Pic of Gerry at his funeral he was the same age as me ,Gerry and I were not close freinds at Astrans but I did a couple of trips with him he always made a big fuss out of the preparation of Tea the Earl Grey and the Darjeeling , and it had to be drunk out of bone china cups,and these memories will always be with me ,what was his illness I never did find out .
I was dumbstruck when I saw the Pic of Gerry at his funeral he was the same age as me ,Gerry and I were not close freinds at Astrans but I did a couple of trips with him he always made a big fuss out of the preparation of Tea the Earl Grey and the Darjeeling , and it had to be drunk out of bone china cups,and these memories will always be with me ,what was his illness I never did find out .
Cheers Roger Haywood
Hi Roger I am not sure and will try to find out but I believe it was stomach cancer but again not sure.
Gerry used to make a big fuss of everything didn’t he?
I remember him relating a story about a special chair he had and he called it ‘Loxley’ it met it’s demise when it was run over in a lay-by by a Rumo.
I also recall he had a special racing bike and he would carry it into my yard as he didn’t want to damage the tyres on a stone!!! He was most indignant when I said don’t be so silly it’s only an old treader!!!
When he came back from a trip he would come in the tea hut and stand and call the r**heads all the names under the sun for a couple of minutes without repeating himself once!
On one occasion in davies turners compound in Teheran, a driver had offered to make the tea one morning and so,was collecting the empty cups from the drivers. Now drivers being drivers they were only to happy for someone else to make the tea. But Gerry turned down the offer, when i asked him why he didnt want one made for him? he replied in typical Wheelan fashion: If you think that i am drinking tea out of my cup that some hairy arsed driver has made with a tea bag that he has handled after scratching his arse and balls all night you are wrong. I’ll make my own. Who else would think like that apart from Gerry.
Regards Jamie.
I was dumbstruck when I saw the Pic of Gerry at his funeral he was the same age as me ,Gerry and I were not close freinds at Astrans but I did a couple of trips with him he always made a big fuss out of the preparation of Tea the Earl Grey and the Darjeeling , and it had to be drunk out of bone china cups,and these memories will always be with me ,what was his illness I never did find out .
Cheers Roger Haywood
Hi Roger I am not sure and will try to find out but I believe it was stomach cancer but again not sure.
Gerry used to make a big fuss of everything didn’t he?
I remember him relating a story about a special chair he had and he called it ‘Loxley’ it met it’s demise when it was run over in a lay-by by a Rumo.
I also recall he had a special racing bike and he would carry it into my yard as he didn’t want to damage the tyres on a stone!!! He was most indignant when I said don’t be so silly it’s only an old treader!!!
When he came back from a trip he would come in the tea hut and stand and call the r**heads all the names under the sun for a couple of minutes without repeating himself once!
There were so many tales.
Regards Pat
Pat, as you said, “so many tales” A very accurate statement. When Gerry performed, there was no greater star and he was just the same in Irish Molly’s.
I have’nt seen Mick Sargent for 20 odd years but the chap with the beard in pic 14 looks suspiciously like I remember him and I’m still waiting for him to send an up to date recognizable photo from the depths of lapland. Is that one of the trademark m/e / euro driver’s multi compartmental wallets on the table in front of him?
Charlie
chazzer:
I have’nt seen Mick Sargent for 20 odd years but the chap with the beard in pic 14 looks suspiciously like I remember him and I’m still waiting for him to send an up to date recognizable photo from the depths of lapland. Is that one of the trademark m/e / euro driver’s multi compartmental wallets on the table in front of him?
Charlie
Well done Chazzer, the bloke on the left with the beard in photo 14 is indeed Mike Sargent and I’ll divulge that the guy he is sat next to is yours truly. I must admit that I do look a bit worse for wear…probably it was that last bottle of efes that caused it! Photo taken at the mocamp Istanbul 75/76.
chazzer:
I have’nt seen Mick Sargent for 20 odd years but the chap with the beard in pic 14 looks suspiciously like I remember him and I’m still waiting for him to send an up to date recognizable photo from the depths of lapland. Is that one of the trademark m/e / euro driver’s multi compartmental wallets on the table in front of him?
Charlie
Well done Chazzer, the bloke on the left with the beard in photo 14 is indeed Mike Sargent and I’ll divulge that the guy he is sat next to is yours truly. I must admit that I do look a bit worse for wear…probably it was that last bottle of efes that caused it! Photo taken at the mocamp Istanbul 75/76.
That has always been one of lifes little mysteries with Efes, it was always the last one. Nobody ever said it was the first seven or eight that gave you that glassy eyes effect, it was always down to that last one .
Never again, I think the expression is Gavin, hence me only having two. I once heard of someone bringing a bottle home for chemical analysis, the results were “Not fit for human consumption” Be it or be it not, it certainly had the right effect.
It could be worth remembering to always keep your thumb on the bottle if Peter Wall was in the group, otherwise the beer could taste like P-ss…
OK then guys, here are the names that you didn’t get
Photo no. 9 was Thomas Mitchell from Scotland…drove for Stolks
Photo no. 10 was Malcom Scott from Lancashire…also drove for Stolks amongst others
Photo no. 12 was Eric Braid. Drove for Simons and lived just down the road from me in W.London. I recognized him immediately which goes to show that you either knew the faces or you didn’t. There were, after all, so many drivers doing the middle east runs during those times.
OK, so you didn’t recognize me either but quite honestly, I wasn’t really expecting anyone to.
Sadly, thats all the “mug shots” that Mike sent me
Still, it was a bit of fun. However, the good news is that he has sent me a bunch more photographs of his trucks during his driving career which I found interesting and I’m sure that you would enjoy looking at them too.
I suppose I’d better start a new topic as there are some photos not relating to the Middle East.
There is one more photo that I want to post on this thread. No prizes for guessing where it was taken but neither Mike nor myself can put a name to the guy sat next to Mike. Does anyone recognize him?
any more than that and you would have remembered the temporary morning blindness… 
