united carriers

[kevchalluk]

Wheel Nut - I spoke to my dad and he says hello! He was asking me where you’d gone after carriers and what you’d been up to, where you lived now etc.

He’s also given me a massive list of Howden names, some of which might be before your time and some after, but here goes:

Hull 1 - George Smith, Les Underwood, Joby Newman
Hull 2 - Stan Smolen, Les Troake, Arthur Stevens
Hull 3 - Barry Gill, Charlie Taylor
Beverley - John Lindlay, Trevor Egan, Pete Feasby
Scunny - John Harding, Mick Dance, John (Jack) Theaker
Lincoln - Mick Patrick, Jim Ramsden
Unknown area - Bernard Daubney (drove for Rooke out of Howden later)
Grimsby - Graham Mann
York - John O’Hagan, Kenny Challenger, Stuart Allerton, Graham Kitchen (driver’s mate), Mick Robinson, Terry Appleyard
Doncaster - Dave Redfearn
Sheffield - Dennis Sykes
Leeds 1 - Des Gardham
Leeds 2 - Colin Ogden
South Lincs - Clarry Wilson, Neil Patterson
North Yorks - Ken Atkinson
Scarborough - Tom Gatherum, Albert Patterson, Mark Coxon

Trunks - Stan Kitchen, Jim Hargroves, Mick Bingham, John/Jim Thompson, Ken Cowling, Stuart Franks
London - John Jenkins + John Bolton, Martin Wreaks + Colin Fairweather
Birmingham - Eddie Fairweather

Warehouse - Geoff Laverack, Ian Clark, Big Mick (7ft tall) Ron Broadhead, Gus Thompson, Brian Rodgers, John Dobson, Doug Wareham, John Bridge, Harold Watson, Brian Holmes, Martin (Dan) Jackson

Warehouse + drivers - Dennis Fairweather, John Fairweather, Steve Thornton, Don Broadway

Fitters - Wally Pitter and Mick (his son), Dave Alder, Jerry ■■, Trevor Hewitt

Driving instructor - Doug Morrell

Union men - Coggan and Jim Smith of Hull, Kevin Archer

[kevchalluk]

and I went up in their loft, and found a couple of old carriers pics. sorry about the quality, they’re digital camera pics of the original prints!

Dad’s Bedford

Dad’s Bedford (the one I remember most from being a kid - sleeping on the parcel shelf on the drive home cos I was tired!)

ERF in Howden yard

Dad’s Leyland in Bunzl colours

[wheel_nut]

kevchalluk:
Wheel Nut - I spoke to my dad and he says hello! He was asking me where you’d gone after carriers and what you’d been up to, where you lived now etc.

He’s also given me a massive list of Howden names, some of which might be before your time and some after, but here goes:

Hull 1 - George Smith, Les Underwood, Joby Newman - First two, ex Willmott Motors, not sure about Joby
Hull 2 - Stan Smolen, Les Troake, Arthur Stevens - Not sure about.
Hull 3 - Barry Gill, Charlie Taylor - Charlie married Maggie out of the office
Beverley - John Lindlay, Trevor Egan, Pete Feasby. Knew all of them, Trev still works with Mick Forster
Scunny - John Harding, Mick Dance, John (Jack) Theaker. John Harding went to work for Colin Waterhouse after an indiscretion,
Lincoln - Mick Patrick, Jim Ramsden. I did Lincoln 2 with Mick on Lincoln 1, known him all my life as he lived near my Granny
Unknown area - Bernard Daubney (drove for Rooke out of Howden later) Many pints of beer drunk with Dobbin He used to work with Dennis Schultz before I started
Grimsby - Graham Mann, must be a different one to my late mate Manny from Rawcliffe
York - John O’Hagan, Kenny Challenger, Stuart Allerton, Graham Kitchen (driver’s mate)my brothers mate, Mick Robinson, Terry Appleyard
Doncaster - Dave Redfearn
Sheffield - Dennis Sykes
Leeds 1 - Des Gardham
Leeds 2 - Colin Ogden
South Lincs - Clarry Wilson, Neil Patterson
North Yorks - Ken Atkinson went in warehouse I think
Scarborough - Tom Gatherum, Albert Patterson, Mark Coxon went into workshops & office later

Trunks - Stan Kitchen, Jim Hargroves, Mick Bingham, John/Jim Thompson, Ken Cowling, Stuart Franks
London - John Jenkins + John Bolton, Martin Wreaks + Colin Fairweather
Birmingham - Eddie Fairweather

Warehouse - Geoff Laverack, Ian Clark, Big Mick (7ft tall) Ron Broadhead, Gus Thompson, Brian Rodgers, John Dobson, Doug Wareham, John Bridge, Harold Watson, Brian Barratt Holmes, Martin (Dan) Jackson, Weird Pete from North Cave, used to come to work with Barratt and Barry Movv

Warehouse + drivers - Dennis Fairweather came out of the office, John Fairweather, Steve Thornton, Don Broadway? (Broadhead■■?) (Discount Don??)

Fitters - Wally Pitter and Mick (his son), Dave Alder, Jerry ■■, Trevor Hewitt.

Driving instructor - Doug Morrell (Assessor/Supervisor was someone called Dave fresh from the military)

Union men - Glynn Coggan went up in the world to drive a skip wagon, just about his barrow and Jim Smith of Hull, Kevin Archer

I have picked some out in blue, there are a few more, but they will come to me or Kenny later

[kevchalluk]

when you look at the amount of names on the list and the size of the area the depot covered, it’s remarkable really!

all over north-south-east-west yorkshire and lincolnshire down to skeggy all from that one little yard!

[wheel_nut]

kevchalluk:
and I went up in their loft, and found a couple of old carriers pics. sorry about the quality, they’re digital camera pics of the original prints!

Dad’s Bedford

Dad’s Bedford (the one I remember most from being a kid - sleeping on the parcel shelf on the drive home cos I was tired!)

You can just see my Mums house at the far right of the picture

ERF in Howden yard

Look at them lazy bloody shunters, we never wound the legs any more than that

Dad’s Leyland in Bunzl colours

I never had the pleasure of the Leyland Freighters although I did drive a little 7.5 tonner a couple of times with the goldfish window

[diesel_dan]

wellingborough,s fleet of erf,s early 80,s.dont they look smart.

[diesel_dan]

hi,
here,s one of carriers mercs in 92/93.

[yungnad]

hi,i remember national carriers from the 50s and 60s whilst travelling with me old man, he used to pass the time with some of their drivers in stainmore cafe, when he done the night trunk for h & l of workington,
soooo i was rather pleased to find this in a skip when i worked for biffa,(not that i broke company rules by looking in the skip ,) i was removing it, err for elf,n,safety reasons i think i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm23 … an/038.jpg[/IMG]

as you can see, its not the best of trophies, but it is a national carriers one, dunno what for, i found it when the gretna depot had closed down,
so i assumed they didnt want it, BUT i did

currently doing overworked, underpaid, agency work, gissajob

[wheel_nut]

I edited an earlier post as I remember the planners name was Mick Booth, really into his music iirc.

I made a new facebook friend yesterday with Trevor Egan although I have bumped into Trev recently in Lockerbie.

Also remembered Terry Greaves who did Doncaster

There was also a lad who did Artexing after work, Des I think he was called or that may have been his twin brother.

Any more lurking out there?

[diesel_dan]

hi, here,s a blast from the past about 1965.

[davnic]

I think they had a depot in Dawlish.
I used to go to Starcross to collect spuds on a fairly regular basis and if you were heading there in the early evening on the fairly narrow roads,you had to keep your wits about you looking out for the next 1726 Merc and drag heading off on the night trunks.
They obviously new the road better than i did and would whistle past with about two inches to spare.

[wheel_nut]

This is a facebook page set up by an ex United Carriers driver

I have sent this thread back to Facebook and “borrowed” a couple of new images

[pat_hasler]

diesel dan:
re.trucker 4067 if anybody remembers united carriers.? i worked for them for over thirty years at their wellingborough dept mostly on night trunk. i have loads of photos of their trucks but will have to learn how to post them

The word ‘WORKED’ is used in a very loose term when Mick uses it

[pat_hasler]

diesel dan:
hi, here,s a blast from the past about 1965.

You would have been there about 10 years by then I suppose

[brucethegooner]

diesel dan:

united carriers wellingborough workshop in 1972,h&r would have a fit if it was like this today, note the open pits and air lines laying about and all the junk. (not my transit)

great photos mick .served my apprenticeship in that garage,great memories…spent a lot of time mending night trunkers erfs ha ha

[diesel_dan]

hi pat and bruce.
you are correct about WORK pat i dont think i ever did a days WORK at ucl, every day/ night was just one big laugh as you well know, i feel lucky to have spent all those years there.
bruce.that garage scene didnt really change from the sixties through until after you went driving. if only those walls could talk eh,(well perhaps not )
re night trunkers repairs. i hope your not saying that i kept you in work
cheers diesel

[brucethegooner]

i was the driver of this in my youth,lonk shelton copped for a broken collar bone in passenger seat luckily no one in centre seat.

[diesel_dan]

hi bruce.
i dont remember that accident, go to the top of the class i bet pete hager said, LET IT DEVELOPE. at night we used to race round and round that trailer park in the transit service van to see how fast we could go before it rolled,we did it once but lucky for us only the mirror got broken, told stan grant a night trunker must have hit it. happy nights
cheers diesel.

[jonno1234]

I have been Viewing this site for 2 years and never spotted this until I actualy joined and searched today!! My dad spent nearly 40 years working at Walsall Wood and I spent many nights on trunk and C&D runs with him as a child, then I ended up working there for several years and cut my teeth in transport with the company I left a few years before the final shut down of the company but went back to the depot on the day it closed and between the guys in the pub that night I think we worked out there was something stupid like 600 years service with the company!! will a have to show him this over the weekend (he still goes on about the good old days there!!)

[cockney_rebel]

diesel dan:
hi bruce.
i dont remember that accident, go to the top of the class i bet pete hager said, LET IT DEVELOPE. at night we used to race round and round that trailer park in the transit service van to see how fast we could go before it rolled,we did it once but lucky for us only the mirror got broken, told stan grant a night trunker must have hit it. happy nights
cheers diesel.

Diesel When did you work at united carriers ?
I started on the bank at Earls Barton about 1978 passed my class one 1980 transferd to Wellingborough did a
few month night shunting then on to night trunk trying to remember some names Dave Bass was night supervisor
at Barton Dicky can’t remember sername gave me my nickname cockney rebel Dave Sheppard Dave Henderson
Mick Lawrence John Wells just a few it was 30 years ago

Cockney Rebel