if any old lad wants a chat or message, it would be most welcome, im a ex diesel jockey (retired) formaly from
Nottingham, ive drove for 43 great years with some of the best companys around ,and some long gone,
all the best , REDNECK…
Red neck you can join in anytime, most of us have been around for quite a while, tell us some of the firms you worked for, if you have any photo’s post them up. Used to like Nottingham for a night out love the big bands that would play at the ballroom, did not like delivering to " Boot’s".
hiya,
Norm there should have been a plaque put up in Boot’s in honour of the many drivers who passed through their portals it could have been inscribed “THOSE WHO DIED WAITING” hated that traffic tried to avoid Nottingham BRS whenever possible always seemed to get lumbered with Liverpool shipping the same with Raliegh always got the docks, anyway Norm done enough loading and tipping for one shift, i’m off see ya when i get back ta ta.
thanks harry long retired
Quite right Harry, once I took a load of senna pods or something similar and I told the ones on the loading dock, they should take them for themselves, they asked why, I answered to get you moving and perhaps you might unload us quicker, he told me I was banned, I just grinned and said " Great". 
Hi Norman
You have gone up in top of my list of the good old boys I also was in the R.E.M.E did most of my time in 5 INF workshops .had a spell at 48 command workshops in Cyprus ,and finished of in 16 Para broke both me ankles on a drop in Libia when me tool bags wouldnt disengage hit the deck like a sack of spuds,was on our way to support the 5 tank regiment idiots kept breaking the engins easy way in to them was a drop from El Adem,thay had gone to far into the desert and it was still mined from WW2 ,got discharged on medical grounds ,not that I wanted to leave ,thats were I started me Trucking in North Africa, great times sadley missed,
Roger Haywood
Roger I did my basic training at Blandford, my vech & recovery training at Norton Manor camp in Taunton, I volunteered for the SAS took tests got thrown off the course when proving my marksman ability on the range I put my glasses on, went to Germany 31 armoured wksp, while there I went out on inspection teams all over the place,then had transfer to 29 field Ambulance in Hildesheim, went on 24hours standby for the Suez crisis, but the para’s went through them like a dose of salts, so we got stood down,I only came out to marry a fraulein, but her mother put the end to it. I enjoyed it and it gave me the confidence to volunteer for the overland job, this I enjoyed also, but as you know all good things come to a end, it is a pity we never met. 
My memory goes back to a number of drivers of other firms, who told me they had not been paid when they was on a trip and the firm had gone bust, specially when doing a trip to Iran, I wonder if anyone else has similar experience of this happening to them or mates they knew.
Back to the reason I started this thread, was about Barton buses and the lorries they ran to the M/E, I was in Great Yarmouth and talking to my brother in a restaurant and a chap said he had read the thread and he used to drive the buses in Nottingham for seven years during the period I had mentioned and he knew of “■■■■” but never spoke to him, but now he said he could say he had met sandman Norman, I chuckled and said in some places that would not get many bownie points. but it just shows you never know who is listening to your conversation.
hiya,
Back home, took a job as a long distance camel driver whilst away,got the sack after only one trip, did’nt quite manage to get back from first trip, camel dropped dead ran out of water should have “bricked it up”, seemingly when the beast is taking on water and has just about taken it’s fill you are supposed to clash a couple of bricks together on each side of it’s testicles which makes the thing take in a sharp intake of breath and extra water which is usually enough to get you those few extra miles,I asked one of the other drivers if it hurt, he said it does if you get your thumbs inbetween.
PS Chris lend me your coat.
thanks harry long retired.
Harry you are a fruit & nut case, hope you enjoyed your trip to tunisia, did you like your resort Port el Kantoui.
Norman Ingram:
Harry you are a fruit & nut case, hope you enjoyed your trip to tunisia, did you like your resort Port el Kantoui.
hiya,
No.
thanks harry long retired.
Com’on Harry give us the details why you have not mentioned your " Arab Paradise Holiday" give us the dirt 
I wish to find out what was wrong, and would you have made a good sandman 
Norman Ingram:
Com’on Harry give us the details why you have not mentioned your " Arab Paradise Holiday" give us the dirt
hiya,
Norm i quite like to go for a stroll in the evening go from bar to bar you can’t do that in Port el Cantouie everywhere is far apart with tips/scrapyards inbetween, the hotel and food was OK but it was a bit like Butlins and as for four a star rating no way you had to queue for this queue for that, been there done that bought the tee shirt, never again very disappointed and with all the hype about the place pushed out by the travel agents felt really let down my opinion for what it’s worth wasted holiday, the hotel was the Royal Kenz where people go back year after year, some people are easily suited, met people like my wife and myself who were first timers and they like us won’t be going back, will be sticking with European resorts from now on.
thanks harry long retired.
I can tell you I have been there four times to Tunisia, the first time was to a Hotel that was only ten minutes walk from the airport and the nearest shop was 30minutes walk away, I found it easier to go to the airport,we kept going by taxi or train and coach trips, we went several times to Monastir by train also taxi when we was in this excellent hotel Thalassa, but we had nowhere to walk to at night after dinner, we went to El Jem and saw where the gladiators hung out, also to Hammet, & Tunis, Sousse we was there, but if you was not in the centre, you was stranded, but we stopped at Port el Kantoui twice at the Marajha Palace hotel, which was only 5/10 minutes from the marina, which we walked around after dinner, and liked that place, when we went near the amusements, there was fountains that lite up at night, but we found a lot of people never ventured out to see this places, also they was in hotels to far to walk to the marina, but we even went to the galleon restaurant and had a sea food menu.
hiya,
The only thing my wife remembers from the holiday is a bout of food poisoning and is just about on the mend now after a load of antibiotics, the doctor would’nt allow her to work until all the tests were done and she has finally got the all clear two weeks being off colour after a holiday costing almost two grand is’nt much fun,anyway Norm everythings back to normal now, we actually paid more for our holiday which was half board than the people in superior rooms and on the all inclusive package the woman in the travel agents is a family friend too or should i say was a family friend.
thanks harry long retired.
What a shame Harry, I only paid about £300/400 each holiday with Thompsons and the food was first class, but you have to watch what you are eating in those places, and it is cooked well, I can remember the owner of a care home who went to a restaurant, who my wife worked for, and she could not work for nearly six weeks, until she was passed clear of the bugs, and that was in a posh place in town.
Norman Ingram:
What a shame Harry, I only paid about £300/400 each holiday with Thompsons and the food was first class, but you have to watch what you are eating in those places, and it is cooked well, I can remember the owner of a care home who went to a restaurant, who my wife worked for, and she could not work for nearly six weeks, until she was passed clear of the bugs, and that was in a posh place in town.
hiya,
Norm spoke to several people in the same hotel and every one of them had paid less than me in most cases by a large margin, not too bad for me i’m on one big holiday but my Old Lady who works 45/50 hours a week was so looking forward to a break and she was really disappointed, then for her to become sick was all we needed, we did meet some smashinng people and spent some pleasant evenings in good company which i guess was very pleasant after the first week i was ready for home and thats never ever happened before, ah well you live and learn.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Back home, took a job as a long distance camel driver whilst away,got the sack after only one trip, did’nt quite manage to get back from first trip, camel dropped dead ran out of water should have “bricked it up”, seemingly when the beast is taking on water and has just about taken it’s fill you are supposed to clash a couple of bricks together on each side of it’s testicles which makes the thing take in a sharp intake of breath and extra water which is usually enough to get you those few extra miles,I asked one of the other drivers if it hurt, he said it does if you get your thumbs inbetween.
PS Chris lend me your coat.
thanks harry long retired.
T’owd 'uns are t’best Harry.
Camel cigs were ok though 
Chris you are right, but I think Harry had the humps about Tunisia, but then again so would I if we had spent a couple of grand and wife had the stomach bug, he could have gone to a seaside place in england and got it for £100, but at least he knows how we suffered on M/E, but we did eat most of our own cooking.
Norman Ingram:
Chris you are right, but I think Harry had the humps about Tunisia, but then again so would I if we had spent a couple of grand and wife had the stomach bug, he could have gone to a seaside place in england and got it for £100, but at least he knows how we suffered on M/E, but we did eat most of our own cooking.
He could have come to the IOM Norman.I looked for him on this moored in Douglas Bay a few days ago…
