theres a cracking photo of one of grangewoods in that book dedicated to the 1 series scania the pic is of a fella leaning up his motor at the bottom of mont blanc cant remember his name but it said all grangewoods drivers were ex paras is that right
Carl:
theres a cracking photo of one of grangewoods in that book dedicated to the 1 series scania the pic is of a fella leaning up his motor at the bottom of mont blanc cant remember his name but it said all grangewoods drivers were ex paras is that right
I can’t believe that. I’ve worked with two ex Grangewood drivers in the past before they joined Grangewoods. Bernie aka ‘zvei metres funf’ and George the Pole. Pretty sure that neither of them were ex paras.
One ofthe driver,s on grangewoods was a geordie,good looking fella always pulled a bird on the olau line,he was on there around 76/77 time.He was on there the same time as Paula,He had an F89,an later a 140.
Carl:
all grangewoods drivers were ex paras is that right
Here we go again!
I met more ex para’s and ex SAS men when I was on m/e than I thought possible!.
bestbooties:
Carl:
all grangewoods drivers were ex paras is that rightHere we go again!
I met more ex para’s and ex SAS men when I was on m/e than I thought possible!.
we all have, but to be fair to carl that is alluded to in the Scania 110/11/140/141 book - I think it actually says the founders were ex paras and many of the drivers too, not all. i suppose that’s where their colours originated from?
thats it jj the books in me wagon so couldnt remember the exact quote in the book cheers
Carl:
thats it jj the books in me wagon so couldnt remember the exact quote in the book cheers
Carl,
No offence intended mate,was just responding to the quote as I read it.
Hi Ostende Dosser, can you remember if the George The Pole that you mentioned had an orange Volvo F12 ?.
Did Grangewoods finish in the early eighties as I remember seeing them very often in The Commie Block and they suddenly disappeared. Soon afterwards another fridge company seemed to appear called S.A.S. whose colours were similar maroon trucks with light blue writing ( The Para’s colours ). Do you or anybody know if there were any connection ?.
Regards Steve.
mushroomman:
Hi Ostende Dosser, can you remember if the George The Pole that you mentioned had an orange Volvo F12 ?.
Did Grangewoods finish in the early eighties as I remember seeing them very often in The Commie Block and they suddenly disappeared. Soon afterwards another fridge company seemed to appear called S.A.S. whose colours were similar maroon trucks with light blue writing ( The Para’s colours). Do you or anybody know if there were any connection ?.
Regards Steve.
Scuse poking my nose in here Steve but when I knew him pulling for Simons as an OD, he had a maroon coloured Scania 140. However, he may well have changed it for a Volvo whilst working for Grangewoods.
Rgds Ron
Hi Ron, I don’t think that you are poking your nose in mate, it’s great to hear from anyone who can answer some of my unsolved questions from nearly thirty years ago. In 1980 seven of us had to take a drilling rig down to Dyarbakir in Southern Turkey and a subbie who was with us was called George who was also Polish. It was the only time that I ran with him and I think that he started pulling for somebody else soon after but I am fairly certain that he had an orange Volvo F12.
B.T.W. Ron, I did read your very interesting story about the undeclared passenger when you posted it on the Simons thread, thanks for sharing it with us. No daubt that you kept the toilet roll handy as you were waiting at the Yugo border .
Regards Steve.
mushroomman:
Hi Ron, I don’t think that you are poking your nose in mate, it’s great to hear from anyone who can answer some of my unsolved questions from nearly thirty years ago. In 1980 seven of us had to take a drilling rig down to Dyarbakir in Southern Turkey and a subbie who was with us was called George who was also Polish. It was the only time that I ran with him and I think that he started pulling for somebody else soon after but I am fairly certain that he had an orange Volvo F12.
B.T.W. Ron, I did read your very interesting story about the undeclared passenger when you posted it on the Simons thread, thanks for sharing it with us. No daubt that you kept the toilet roll handy as you were waiting at the Yugo border.
Regards Steve.
The “George” that I’m referring to had a very bad limp so one couldn’t mix him up with any other George.
Glad you enjoyed my “smuggling” story. Fortunately, it was a very short career!
bestbooties wrote
No offence intended mate,was just responding to the quote as I read it.
no problem ian no offence was taken bud
having been sad enough to look it up, carl was right in that it says all their drivers were ex-paras, doubt it myself but obviously the founder was and probably many drivers most of the “sas” i ever met were just that; Saturday And Sunday - i.e TA wannabees
mushroomman:
Hi Ostende Dosser, can you remember if the George The Pole that you mentioned had an orange Volvo F12 ?.
Did Grangewoods finish in the early eighties as I remember seeing them very often in The Commie Block and they suddenly disappeared. Soon afterwards another fridge company seemed to appear called S.A.S. whose colours were similar maroon trucks with light blue writing ( The Para’s colours). Do you or anybody know if there were any connection ?.
Regards Steve.
I mentioned a company wiith maroon fridges with light blue writing a couple of postings back who were running continental in the mid eighties called S.A.S.
I seem to think that they might of been from Bromley, can anybody tell me if they were any thing to do with Grangewoods without having to kill me .
mushroomman:
…I mentioned a company wiith maroon fridges with light blue writing a couple of postings back who were running continental in the mid eighties called S.A.S.
I seem to think that they might of been from Bromley…
Yes youre right steve, SAS were from Bromley, seem to remember them being plain white fridges with black sign writing and running F7
s or FL10`S!!!
Truckyboy used to work for them I think, also, newmercman may be able to give some info on them.
Cant remember seeing any winged daggers in the livery although im sure the drivers wore sand coloured berets !!
Doe,s anyone that worked for SAS know a driver called Johnnie Forsor,I last saw John in brentford driving an F12 with an SAS fridge on.This was around 86/87 time.John worked with me in algiers and we lost contact when i came home,he told me the SAS stood for Steptoe and Son! I would love to get back in touch with him.
boyzee:
he told me the SAS stood for Steptoe and Son!
the little ginger harry who pulled for bowlers (he’s mentioned on the crack on to macon thread) used to say it stood for Salvation Army Scouts they had two tone blue units and plain white fridges with big lettering, seem to remember they moved further out of london - i was on the same table as one of the guv’nors (dave somebody?) at a volvo/maidstone commercials shindig/freebie at the inn on the lake near gravesend back in 1994 - I’m rambling now, aren’t i?
SAS moved from Bromley to Belvedere, they stopped running lorries about 6yrs ago, the last ones they had were N plated FH Globetrotters, they used to do a lot of hanging meat, most of Europe for years & mainly Rungis towards the end, the wages were terrible though, but the drivers were issued with a bank card, can’t remember which one, but it was either DKV or Euroshell Some of their motors were doing 2 gallons to a mile
The guvnor was very well spoken, he didn’t look like an SAS man, well not like any of the ones I ever met in Customs or on a boat anyway JJ, I think David was the brother of the main man, the surname is Parsons though, I believe that the company was originally formed by an ex SAS man, they had to get permission to use the name, or maybe that was just out of courtesy.
After the lorries went they kept the yard & rented it out, I rented some space from him when I had my own motors, I’m sure he told me he got out of haulage when BSE bolloxed the meat game, but as I can’t remember his name & I had plenty of dealings with him that’s not to be trusted
Hows things Ray?(ostende dosser) Was with you at DT in '95 before going to sunhill,then croome. Came off East work in 2004.No fun without the borders.Driving supermarket wagons no fun either though. Thought you started as a freight forwarder with richard.The old firm has all but gone now. Saw Irek a few months ago and he was the last one left. Zelah is no longer with us apparently and you know about ‘Pet shop boys’.
Hi oostende dosser glad to see you found this site, dont know if you can remember me i was the lucky devil who restored trevor starkes scania 141 a number of years a go good to see you are still in transport.