Ray Smyth:
For about 9 months of the year from just before Easter, The main work for Robert Baillie & Co Ltd was tomatoes from
Guernsey for distribution to Wholesale Fruit markets throughout all of the United Kingdom. My time as a driver with the
company from early 1970 and for the next 3 years coincided with " The Troubles " in Northern Ireland, so Baillies arranged
with Agnew & Lithgow from Stranraer to deliver the Guernsey Tomatoes to Belfast. Agnew & Lithgow had a depot at Heywood
near Bury, and would travel the 20 or so miles to Baillies Wigan depot to load the palletised tomatoes and then head up
the M6 and along the A75 to Stranraer to catch the short crossing to Belfast, to arrive at the wholesale market by 6 a.m.
Not my picture. Ray Smyth.
Hi Ray, A&L never seemed to have very much trouble in Northern Ireland back then compared to some other operators, They had always done a lot of traffic to & from Ireland right from their early days, I can not recall if they had a depot in Ireland at any time.
They were eventually brought out by Montgomery Transport quite some time back now.
Dave…
Dave…Thank you for your comments on Agnew & Lithgow. From what I can remember, and bearing in mind that 50 years have gone by, A & L used to send
most of their lorries across to Belfast unnacompanied to be met by Belfast based shunters who would " Tip and Load " and have the artic back on the ferry
to Stranraer the same afternoon. Occasionally, if the Guernsey Tomato load was running late from Portsmouth to Wigan depot, to save time, and to make sure
that the tomatoes were at the wholesale market by 6 a.m., A & L would take Baillies loaded trailer across to Belfast. Cheers, Ray Smyth.
Harry Jones, on the left, and me, Ray Smyth, ex Robert Baillie HGV drivers having a beer and snacks in the Plata Tapas bar in Wigan town centre last Friday.
I joined Robert Baillie Transport early in 1970 at their Wigan depot, and a year later in 1971, Big Harry started with the company.
Harry and I have remained close friends ever since. Cheers, Ray.
The main source of work for Robert Baillie & Co Ltd from about 1965, and for the next 15 years
was Guernsey Tomatoes, initially loading at Shoreham, and then at Portsmouth. Robert Baillies
had regular sub-contract hauliers for when the volume of Guernsey Tomatoes were very high.
Entress Transport of Swansea was one of Baillies regular subbies, particularly for deliveries
of Guernsey Toms to wholesale fruit & veg markets in Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea. This Deutz
of Entress Transport is being loaded with the tomatoes which were on unusual steel pallets. NMP
I recently found this pre 1930s street map picture of Wigan town centre. The goods shed at the
left of the picture was for many years, a ripening and storage shed for Fyffes Bananas. From the
mid 1960s, and for the next 12 years, the building became the Wigan office and warehouse of
Robert Baillie & Co Ltd from Portsmouth. The second picture is the partially built model railway
layout of a gentleman from Australia who was formerly from Wigan. The third picture is from
Trucknet member Eddie Heaton showing part of the building during Robert Baillies time there.
Ray many, many moons ago I used to take loads of banana’s in a box van trailer to a curing house in Birmingham name escapes me for Artane transport of Southampton, sometimes loaded in Southampton and also Newhaven but the dockers there were lazy and you had to take them off there big pallets mostly on your own, them were the days them were Buzzer
Thanks John for your comments. In the 1960s, Robert Baillie bought 6 of these 30ft ISO insulated
containers especifically for the " Jamaican Producers " banana transport to ripening rooms.
Ray Smyth:
Thanks John for your comments. In the 1960s, Robert Baillie bought 6 of these 30ft ISO insulated
containers especifically for the " Jamaican Producers " banana transport to ripening rooms.
Cheers, Ray.
Mate today I dont think they ripen any nana’s as when I go shopping they are mostly green and hard and take several days to come round, Buzzer
A couple of ex Robert Baillie Class 1 drivers outside a restaurant in Roscoff in Brittany, France.
They are me, Ray Smyth, and Big H, Harry Jones, ex Baillies from the early 1970s. Harry and I
and our wives had sailed from Plymouth to Roscoff on Brittany Ferries " Duchesse Anne " for a
six day holiday in 1993, and were now waiting to return home on the night sailing to Plymouth.
Fond memories, happy days.
Tim Walker:
As I remember this was the third of the ERF fleet. the first with the full sleeper cab ( they only ever had two) all the others were day cabs with Jennings sleeper ‘perches’ added on. The first 3 ERFs were ■■■■■■■ 250 engines and Eaton Roadranger Gearboxes. After that the fleet was standardised with the… ‘FAR BETTER’…? Gardner 8LXB engines. The trailer is still at 32feet to accommodate the ‘Banana Box’ These were insulated containers, not refeers, which were for the Jamaica Produce contract.
I had a phone call earlier today from Henry Drzystek, He joined Robert Baillie & Co Ltd in 1971
at the age of 22, based at the depot at Horndean. He is now in his 70s, still got his Class 1 HGV
licence, and does 2 or 3 days a week. When he phoned me, he was at a delivery not far from the
Liverpool end of the M58 Motorway. Henry…A great character.
DEANB:
Ray, Clipping from Commercial Motor July 1980.
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Thank you for the picture Dean, I have seen it before, and I always wondered, bearing in mind
that it is from 1980, why it showed " PORTSMOUTH " on the curtain. Baillies moved from Porstsmouth
in 1970 and their main depot was at Horndean. Cheers, Ray.
DEANB:
Ray, Clipping from Commercial Motor July 1980.
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Thank you for the picture Dean, I have seen it before, and I always wondered, bearing in mind
that it is from 1980, why it showed " PORTSMOUTH " on the curtain. Baillies moved from Porstsmouth
in 1970 and their main depot was at Horndean. Cheers, Ray.
Does the word Portsmouth perhaps refer to the telephone number?
Thank you Dean for this 1974 advert. The reason that Robert Baillie opened a depot at Sheerness was because of
the major dock strike in London in either 1971/1972. One of their main sources of work around that time was
loading bananas at London Docks from the Jamaica Producers ship for distribution throughout the UK. It became
necessary for the fresh produce to be landed at another port, so the banana boats started to arrive at Sheerness.
Baillies took on a local HGV driver to operate a small depot at Sheerness, his name was Mick Mackender.
Soon after, a Steel producer or steel stockholder commenced an operation there, so Baillies did some of their
deliveries on the 40ft trailers. Cheers, Ray.
Thank you Dean for this 1974 advert. The reason that Robert Baillie opened a depot at Sheerness was because of
the major dock strike in London in either 1971/1972. One of their main sources of work around that time was
loading bananas at London Docks from the Jamaica Producers ship for distribution throughout the UK. It became
necessary for the fresh produce to be landed at another port, so the banana boats started to arrive at Sheerness.
Baillies took on a local HGV driver to operate a small depot at Sheerness, his name was Mick Mackender.
Soon after, a Steel producer or steel stockholder commenced an operation there, so Baillies did some of their
deliveries on the 40ft trailers. Cheers, Ray.
Thanks for the info Ray. I take it that was for Geest or Fyffes.
Hi Ray
Hope you are keeping well,I was at the King Alfred Bus running day in Winchester yesterday, and found this photo on one of the stalls an ex Portsmouth corporation bus, converted to an ambulance, probably to revive drivers on the market run !!
Hope to get up to Wigan to buy you that drink soon.
MaggieD:
Hi Ray
Hope you are keeping well,I was at the King Alfred Bus running day in Winchester yesterday, and found this photo on one of the stalls an ex Portsmouth corporation bus, converted to an ambulance, probably to revive drivers on the market run !!
Hope to get up to Wigan to buy you that drink soon.
Regards
Richard
Photo credit to John Bulman collection.
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Hello Richard, Thank you so much for this picture, and your kind remarks. I have not been aware of this ex Portsmouth bus.
Perhaps it became involved with Robert Baillie & Co Ltd long after I left the company. I was driving for Robert Baillie from early
1970 until early 1973. I am aware that Baillies did HGV driving tuition, so maybe they also introduced PSV tuition at Horndean.
The bus was Either donated to, or bought from the Portsmouth Corporation by, a driver who worked for Commodore Shipping as I remember. I’m pretty certain he had been with that firm a long time, from Mainland Market Deliveries, or Burnets Transport… Anyway, it was kitted out inside for specialist care transport. Robert Baillie & Co donated the paint work and all the sign-writing. It was painted at the Horndean Deport. Hence the advert on the back. We did also get involved with some of the maintenance work when I worked in the workshop at Robert Baillie at Horndean.
Tim Walker:
The bus was Either donated to, or bought from the Portsmouth Corporation by, a driver who worked for Commodore Shipping as I remember. I’m pretty certain he had been with that firm a long time, from Mainland Market Deliveries, or Burnets Transport… Anyway, it was kitted out inside for specialist care transport. Robert Baillie & Co donated the paint work and all the sign-writing. It was painted at the Horndean Deport. Hence the advert on the back. We did also get involved with some of the maintenance work when I worked in the workshop at Robert Baillie at Horndean.
Hope this helps.
Hello Tim, I hope you and your family are safe and well. Thank you for the information regarding the Ex Portsmouth Corporation bus.
