I was Driving this Scammell,seen here loaded with Steel Bars in The Govan Shafting Works in Helen St Govan.
My career in transport started at the tender age of 17 in 1967 when i worked for Oberyield a fruit and veg distributor at Park Gate which later became Simons then based in Titchfield.
My job initially was to load and unload the lorries…mainly handball. I then drove a transit van for them and then a 7 tonner ■■ Leyland Boxer.
On a friday night i would go with one the drivers and used to drive an Albion then an AEC while under age.
I took my HGV test in 1971 and drove a 4 wheeler Seddon with a Perkins engine for Lucketts of Fareham ( now a coach operator )
My first artic was a Leyland Buffalo MOU 266L doing mainly Schweppes work from their bottling plant next to our yard in Wallington.
I then moved on to work for Smith of Maddiston out of their Totton depot driving a Big J with a 180 gardener and then later with
( i,m sorry Bewick ) a 240 Gardener
I then progressed into International work for various companies which i did for 23 years until 1999.
Since then i,ve been doing container work out of Southampton. ( only 3 years to retirement…cant come soon enough )
chris. beal.:
40 years ago i was working for orxy frieght lines out of gravesend. running to the middlel east we had a fleet of volvo F89s
top of the range all the kit on.we ran to kuwait .qatar.saudi. iran .there were some good men working for that firm some real characters.if there are any of you out there who see this post get in touch take care all.
Welcome Chris, get some pics and tales on here!
Regards,
Mark.
Good to hear from you Cris. There are several of the of crowd on here - you will find us on the thread “Astran / Middle East Drivers”
David Miller
40 years ago i was 25…and working for Beck and Pollitzer, started at Lambeth, moved to millwall, driving Leylands ( ergomatic ) and Fords D series.
40 years a go i was driving thames trader for m j parry on livestock.
Evening all, charliemjp, exactly, to the day, I was fixing with Geoff Parry and Trevor, to show them a Seddon 32.4 Rolls 220 tractor coupled to a Boden tandem trailer with 22tons of concrete blocks on its back! Sad isnt it keeping old diaries. B… tight round the back of those houses at Bayston Hill! Cheerio for now.
Saviem:
Evening all, charliemjp, exactly, to the day, I was fixing with Geoff Parry and Trevor, to show them a Seddon 32.4 Rolls 220 tractor coupled to a Boden tandem trailer with 22tons of concrete blocks on its back! Sad isnt it keeping old diaries. B… tight round the back of those houses at Bayston Hill! Cheerio for now.
I’ve got to hand it to you “Saviem” you were very definitely a tryer to say the least !! If you’d rolled into our depot to “demo” a Seddon 32.4 RR you’d have been chased out PDQ !!! That spec has to go down as one the worst British motors ever,there were only wealthy “own account” operators that could afford to run them !! Well the clever accountants thought they’ed got a bargain at the price but the initial,capital,expenditure pailed into insignifigance as the cost of operating the beast became evident.Thats why you only saw the odd RR premium motor in hauliers fleets,they’d been given the “silver tongue” treatment by “Saviem” and his colleagues at other Dealerships,and had weakened and taken pity on the “down at heel” Seddon salesman !!! Not oft’ repeated me thinks !! Happy days,cheers Dennis.
peter447:
Hi Dennis
40yrs ago I was carting into Libbys with SJ Barghs ERF.In fact I have brought pallets from RO Hodgsons for you.I might be a year or two out,the memory isn`t as good these days.
Sorry I missed your post “peter447” yes I recall that Bargh’s sometimes brought pallets from the ROH store back to Milnthorpe to make up some of the loads.How long did you work for SJB,a few of their drivers did come to work for us I re-call,and I always thought that Gotty and his “sidekick” SMEG were decent to work for !! Cheers Dennis.
Hello Dennis, need I say more than that Geoff stuck to his AECs, (and what a smashing fleet). He created a double deck trailer that would take two decks of cattle on the Irish boat, using a fork lift transporter frame. charliemjp will tell us more. Parrys were a super family business, “proper people”. See David very occasionally. Those Seddons were a real “hooligans motor”, loud, incredibly quick gearchange, would buck and rear with all that power!!! But , well , yes, b… expensive,and not that reliable to run, (oh that wonderful axle). Rylands had the ex motor show sleeper cab 4x2, Chris Kelly sold it to my friend Pat Blackburn, (Chambers and Cook),needless to say it did not last the course! (But the Berliet TR280 that Pat bought did)!! Im glad that I failed to agree a value on a Guy Invincible that I was trying to take against said ex motor show unit, that operator is still my friend!! Happy days indeed, Cheerio for now, (I need my Bollinger)!!
Saviem:
Hello Dennis, need I say more than that Geoff stuck to his AECs, (and what a smashing fleet). He created a double deck trailer that would take two decks of cattle on the Irish boat, using a fork lift transporter frame. charliemjp will tell us more. Parrys were a super family business, “proper people”. See David very occasionally. Those Seddons were a real “hooligans motor”, loud, incredibly quick gearchange, would buck and rear with all that power!!! But , well , yes, b… expensive,and not that reliable to run, (oh that wonderful axle). Rylands had the ex motor show sleeper cab 4x2, Chris Kelly sold it to my friend Pat Blackburn, (Chambers and Cook),needless to say it did not last the course! (But the Berliet TR280 that Pat bought did)!! Im glad that I failed to agree a value on a Guy Invincible that I was trying to take against said ex motor show unit, that operator is still my friend!! Happy days indeed, Cheerio for now, (I need my Bollinger)!!
Just to finnish off,before you become incoherent “Saviem”,I could never understand why anyone would see the need to “part exchange” in a deal,it just clouds the whole thing IMHO.I can say that I never ever did such a deal,I sold all our culled motors straight out “as seen” ( and yes the dealer got exactly what he’d dealt up for,radio,tyres,trims ect ect).Buying new motors was straight forward,no complicated part ex involved ! Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Just to finnish off,before you become incoherent “Saviem”,I could never understand why anyone would see the need to “part exchange” in a deal,it just clouds the whole thing IMHO.I can say that I never ever did such a deal,I sold all our culled motors straight out “as seen” ( and yes the dealer got exactly what he’d dealt up for,radio,tyres,trims ect ect).Buying new motors was straight forward,no complicated part ex involved ! Cheers Dennis.
Good business that Dennis, salesman would need to remember he’d pay a heavy price in the future for any shenanigans he tried with you 
40 years ago I was in an RTA on the A422 near buckingham I was driving a leyland comet artic, for mortimers at Hemel but from the delph depot. when i came to a bend…Coming the other way on the wrong side of the road was a large private vehicle( I think it was a merc. unimog,)I swerved to miss it and finished up in a ditch . The truck stopped dead , and I didn’t and went out throught he windscreen, and broke my back,It was nearly 2 years before I drove atruck again. 
newmercman:
Bewick:
Just to finnish off,before you become incoherent “Saviem”,I could never understand why anyone would see the need to “part exchange” in a deal,it just clouds the whole thing IMHO.I can say that I never ever did such a deal,I sold all our culled motors straight out “as seen” ( and yes the dealer got exactly what he’d dealt up for,radio,tyres,trims ect ect).Buying new motors was straight forward,no complicated part ex involved ! Cheers Dennis.Good business that Dennis, salesman would need to remember he’d pay a heavy price in the future for any shenanigans he tried with you
I’d say Mr Bewick would see through a wideboy like you trying to stripe him up Mark.
rocky 7:
40 years ago I was in an RTA on the A422 near buckingham I was driving a leyland comet artic, for mortimers at Hemel but from the delph depot. when i came to a bend…Coming the other way on the wrong side of the road was a large private vehicle( I think it was a merc. unimog,)I swerved to miss it and finished up in a ditch . The truck stopped dead , and I didn’t and went out throught he windscreen, and broke my back,It was nearly 2 years before I drove atruck again.
Broke my back 30 years ago when I came off my motorbike still gives me probs
Was prob losing JCB but dont tell my mam
1972 i was driving for Geoffrey Reyner from Droylsden Manchester up and down the road in a ERF with a 180 gardner engine and a piece of plywood which went from the bonnet to the door for my bed then during the day it slotted neatly behind the seats.
kr79:
newmercman:
Bewick:
Just to finnish off,before you become incoherent “Saviem”,I could never understand why anyone would see the need to “part exchange” in a deal,it just clouds the whole thing IMHO.I can say that I never ever did such a deal,I sold all our culled motors straight out “as seen” ( and yes the dealer got exactly what he’d dealt up for,radio,tyres,trims ect ect).Buying new motors was straight forward,no complicated part ex involved ! Cheers Dennis.Good business that Dennis, salesman would need to remember he’d pay a heavy price in the future for any shenanigans he tried with you
I’d say Mr Bewick would see through a wideboy like you trying to stripe him up Mark.
Aye you can say that again !! Shiny suit,shiny shoes,“me ties here and I’m following”,handkercief hanging two foot out of breast pocket.and driving a 1.3 Cortina L. Full weight ■■■■■■■■ !!!Cheers Bewick.
I was driving an S39 Foden for E Hull ltd of Bedford on general and heavy haulage in the UK and Europe. No cab phones no tacho no worries. They never knew how you were getting on till you rang in empty (reverse charge calls )when you were told where to go next .Compared to todays ratrace it was bliss. The downside was roping and sheeting nearly every load and jacking up low loader trailers to remove the wheels to unload .No H&S in those days .
mappo:
My career in transport started at the tender age of 17 in 1967 when i worked for Oberyield a fruit and veg distributor at Park Gate which later became Simons then based in Titchfield.
My job initially was to load and unload the lorries…mainly handball. I then drove a transit van for them and then a 7 tonner ■■ Leyland Boxer.
On a friday night i would go with one the drivers and used to drive an Albion then an AEC while under age.
I took my HGV test in 1971 and drove a 4 wheeler Seddon with a Perkins engine for Lucketts of Fareham ( now a coach operator )
My first artic was a Leyland Buffalo MOU 266L doing mainly Schweppes work from their bottling plant next to our yard in Wallington.
I then moved on to work for Smith of Maddiston out of their Totton depot driving a Big J with a 180 gardener and then later with
( i,m sorry Bewick ) a 240 Gardener
I then progressed into International work for various companies which i did for 23 years until 1999.
Since then i,ve been doing container work out of Southampton. ( only 3 years to retirement…cant come soon enough )
Hi. Do you remember the wall that was built at the Schweppes depot? It was either Wallington or Eastleigh Airport (Meachers Storage) or both.
It was used for loads that had shifted and, many did! The lorry would be driven up to the wall and the ropes cut.
I drove for Corona in Southampton for a while and we had that problem as well 
but no wall, lol.
Nosmo