will try to locate more pictures.these were given to me by a very good friend who sent my some pictures of my late fathers wagons.i think all the trucks in the pics were scrapped and i can still remember having a ride in NFH 120P when she was on her last days on the steel.(i only live 5 miles from ritchard read’s yard)
wideboybob:
Brilliant pics there Wideboy!! 
,Think 1 of the last 2 pictured lasted many more years on the Read recovery fleet, but re-cabbed with B series works sleeper, NFH 120P i think it was, and only recently sold at auction i believe?
it is quite posible that some may have survived.the scrap area at r.read’s yard seemed to change a lot as they made other things with a lot of them. a scrap 4x4 timber waggon (douglas i seem to remember.similar to a matador) was rebuilt with a ‘e’ series cab as a recovery truck! will try to locate more pic’s.bob.
some more ERIC VICK pics
Excellent mate, pure gold!!, ive a picture of that converted timber tractor somwhere, i’ll try n fish it out when i get time mate. Chris
eric vic definetley ran to the middle east as i traveled in company with them many times
and whe we entrained from cologne to munich i remember one of the went on fire on the train because the driver had left his cb aerial up
they did a lot of work with JCB
I think I may have caused the impression on TruckNet that Eric Vick didn’t do the Middle East.
I was in the old BP in Meer when I was joined by an untypical Eric Vick driver, you know the type Hi-viz vest and fairy clogs in the restaurant. As the wine flowed. I mentioned that I used to see Eric Vick motors in Istanbul 
This created a scene as the bloke tried telling me that he was a senior driver, (whatever that means) and that they never did Turkey, only North Africa. 
It is a pity he doesn’t look in here and see those ERF with sand on their tyres
I remember calling into Richard Reads for directions once, as I was loading a statue for France and he was sat in the office, ever such a nice bloke and we began chatting, his phone kept ringing and he just ignored it and let some minion pick it up while he carried on with his stories.
hi Shallowherry
Yes your Quite right Eric vick did do ME and as for the Train fire the truck was a daff and I just can’t remember the drivers name but I can see his face he used to ship out on Sally dam thats going to keep me awake now thinking who it was. 
Roger Haywood
Well there’s a few more to go on with
One thing to say from the start is I never did the middle east run as I couldn’t get home by Saturday 
The closest I got was tipping a few trailers once they got back into the UK or in the latter stages pull a few out to Holland which were over weight for the Europeans.
I think there were 4 Europeans originally 2 owned by RR and the other two by EV fitted with 350 ■■■■■■■ they were real beasties.
The B series in the second picture was originally owen by Tony Jones of Sandbach (the third member of Vijore) and also originally was fitted with a ■■■■■■■■ When it came to us it was claimed by our Irish driver who had it for 12 years before passing it on to me (he’s still with us by the way) In the picture it’s fitted with a 240 Gardner with blower pushing it up to 300 hp. The only LHD ERF to be fitted with suchan engine as ERF’s said it couldn’t be done
For the burnt DAF would the name Terry ring a bell 'R Martin??
One of the ERF Europeans suffered a similar fate when a tea towel was left hanging over a gas burner somewhere in the desert, they still drove it home. Memory is not what it was but I think Roger may been close by.
As for names. Bob Saunders, John Matley, Rod Mitchell and Ivor Neal are sadly gone to the International Hotel in the sky.
Irish Chris and Terry are still with us.
If any other names are remembered give me a shout and I’ll let you know.
For the Record Eric Vicks did Middle East from aroud 1976 to 1981 and North Africa through most of the 80’s withthe odd trip to Russia, Scasndinavia and Italy thrown in for good measure.
Wheel Nut:
This created a scene as the bloke tried telling me that he was a senior driver, (whatever that means)
You need at least 25 years before you’re even considered a regular
WELL thats only because good firms like to
see how good you are before giveing out the gold watch
and ERIC VICK is one of the good firms,
In the cool light of dawn I’ve spotted a couple of mistooks in my original post, so to set the record straight and before I get jumped on by the ERF/ ■■■■■■■ purists 
-
Sleeping on it I think I was a little over generous with the engine size of the ■■■■■■■ which were 330 not 350
-
EV’s continued in the Middle East closer to 1983 rather than 1981.
Another thing which confuses people with the passage of time are the North African Dafs.
These were originally run by another company CW Vicks (no relation) who had a contract with a local engine making company (nearly every water hole in Africa is powered by one of their little engines) CWV were running to North Africa at the same time as EV was doing M.E.
In the Mid 80’s when the owner of CW Vicks decided to retire EV’s took over the business and Dafs and continued with the run into the 90’s.
zzarbean:
Well there’s a few more to go on with
One of the ERF Europeans suffered a similar fate when a tea towel was left hanging over a gas burner somewhere in the desert, they still drove it home. Memory is not what it was but I think Roger may been close by.
As for names. Bob Saunders, John Matley, Rod Mitchell and Ivor Neal are sadly gone to the International Hotel in the sky.
Irish Chris and Terry are still with us.
For the Record Eric Vicks did Middle East from aroud 1976 to 1981 and North Africa through most of the 80’s withthe odd trip to Russia, Scasndinavia and Italy thrown in for good measure.
If any other names are remembered give me a shout and I’ll let you know.
Here’s a couple of shouts for you zzarbean, Dave from the Gloucester area who must be in his late 60’s by now. He had worked for Eric Vick for, as he said a good few years and always refered to his boss as Old Victor.
Ashley, 
errr I can’t think of his surname at the moment but it’s on the tip of my tongue.
Ashley had only just left the army as a Paramedic when he joined Eric Vicks, they were on their way back from Turkey when I met them and we all loaded tractors from Brasov in Transylvania for South Cave near Hull.
As the Falklands war had just started, Ashley thought that he might be recalled as he was still on the reserve list so this would of been 1982 and I presume that he would be in his early 50’s by now.
I have just remembered something, I know that Dave definitely had an E.R.F. ( it might of had Rolls Royce engine in it but I am not too sure ) because I helped him change the fuel filter one snowy night and I seem to think that Ashley had a Scania 111. .
Regards Steve.
zzarbean:
These were originally run by another company CW Vicks (no relation) who had a contract with a local engine making company (nearly every water hole in Africa is powered by one of their little engines) CWV were running to North Africa at the same time as EV was doing M.E.
In the Mid 80’s when the owner of CW Vicks decided to retire EV’s took over the business and Dafs and continued with the run into the 90’s.
That is interesting. Did the early pictures of the Ferrymasters containers have anything to do with the Eric Vick North Africa trade? I seem to have some vague recollection of a bloke telling me that Ferrymasters delivered stuff to them when he was working in Algeria and Libya.
mushroomman:
Here’s a couple of shouts for you zzarbean, Dave from the Gloucester area who must be in his late 60’s by now. He had worked for Eric Vick for, as he said a good few years and always refered to his boss as Old Victor.
Ashley,
Ashley had only just left the army as a Paramedic when he joined Eric Vicks, they were on their way back from Turkey when I met them and we all loaded tractors from Brasov in Transylvania for South Cave near Hull.
As the Falklands war had just started, Ashley thought that he might be recalled as he was still on the reserve list so this would of been 1982 and I presume that he would be in his early 50’s by now.
I have just remembered something, I know that Dave definitely had an E.R.F. ( it might of had Rolls Royce engine in it but I am not too sure ) because I helped him change the fuel filter one snowy night and I seem to think that Ashley had a Scania 111.
Regards Steve.
Yes Dave has retired now but we still see him on occasions.
For Ashley read Andy who when I last heard was living near Beatock, as for the ‘S’ word go and was your mouth out with soap and water Nearest we got to anything like that was an old box shaped Merc 1924 first driven by Neal, brother of Little John
Wheel Nut:
zzarbean:
These were originally run by another company CW Vicks (no relation) who had a contract with a local engine making company (nearly every water hole in Africa is powered by one of their little engines) CWV were running to North Africa at the same time as EV was doing M.E.
In the Mid 80’s when the owner of CW Vicks decided to retire EV’s took over the business and Dafs and continued with the run into the 90’s.That is interesting. Did the early pictures of the Ferrymasters containers have anything to do with the Eric Vick North Africa trade? I seem to have some vague recollection of a bloke telling me that Ferrymasters delivered stuff to them when he was working in Algeria and Libya.
No. before the middle east started the company did a lot of traction work for Merryfasters, it was nearly their SW depot before Bristol opened.
In the early days of the M.E. a couple of their Felixstowe drivers did run down with EV to learn the route (a common practice) kitted out with brand new F89’s I think half the plush interiors went out the window as soon as they hit the sand.
wow. did not think that posting a few pics could start this discusion going , bringing memories back for some of you. i will have to find some more to get the juices flowing! .bob.
One more
.
Those MW ERF’s would of had the NTC 335 ■■■■■■■■ predesesor to the big-cam 350. Nice old motors, they looked bloody imposing in the rear-view mirrors!! Great pics Bean, love that old B series, always have a walk round it when its at Gaydon.