I am the daughter of Lew Sains and interested in hearing about the old company. I know what my father was like and interested in hearing the old stories.
Louise
Johnny Spiller, from east london, i ran back from the middle east with Johnny, when he had his Black Scania ( i think ) with The baron written on it, and he had a wig that was stitched to his head, but the stitches had come undone at the front, so he used to lift the front up ( like a flat cap[ ) and walk into border customs, that was the trip where i flattened the flower beds at the Austrian border, and got fined heavily, I was on Astran at the time. We parked up in Yugo at some point, and there was a nutter from the East end of London also parked up, who carried a gun ( no it wasnt mick chinnock ) anyway, there were 2 girls travelling and he used them like slaves, do his cooking, washing, and they wanted to escape, and they asked me for help, i was a bit scared to say the least, but also wanted to help them, so i said wait until its dark, they had upset him, so he made them sleep under the trailer, he was slowly getting â â â â â â â and eventually went to bed, me and johnny were ready to roll about midnight, and the girls were ready also, being that we were on a hill, it was easy to roll far enough away to keep the noise down, we did and drove hell bent for leather, hoping he wouldnt wake up, for johnny said he wouldnt hesitate to shoot, those were scary days at times, i remember Cantrells,m who had a terrible reputation for nicking other drivers diesel ( hence the rubber pipes ) and Mavertons as well, funny thing is, as bad as they sounded back then, we all had no fear, and i think you had to have a certain something to be able to do the job in the first place, we were all quite good at mechanics too, regardless of the situation, and were always ready to stop and help a fellow driver who was in trouble, a lot different to todays drivers, how times have changed, most of them today wouldnt give you the time, let alone help you out.
Lol Truckyboy
The drivers back then didnât lack bottle - none if this health and safety rubbish and yes usually they helped each other out .
My dad often caught drivers nicking diesel - he knew all of the scams because he had done them himself.
When I was fourteen I had a go at driving a Maverton truck - unknown to dad when Terry took me out in one. Got behind the wheel , pointed and steered hoping for the best. Didnât crash it thankfully.
I heard some stories - but a driver with two female slaves ? They should have waited until he slept and slugged him over the head.
Dad taught me the martial arts and a couple of men found out the hard way - I slammed one into a wall and dealt another a nasty karate chop.
In the seventies things were much freer than today.
Ah yes, everybody loves a rogue! Did a lot to âenhanceâ the reputation of british outfits. Worse than â â â â â â and thatâs saying something.
what2do:
Ah yes, everybody loves a rogue! Did a lot to âenhanceâ the reputation of british outfits. Worse than [zb] and thatâs saying something.
Lol this sounds decidedly like him.
Hi LouiseâŚ
I remember Lou well and Nigel, I worked at North farm for Mavetons, as the yard boy,(was it really 40 years ago?) my uncle (Barry)was the transport manager at the time. I think he ended up in Iran organising internals for a few years. They had two other companies as well all based at the same place DW Burns and Hopepeak, think it was a bit of con to do with getting permits.
Mavetons was Green with a Yellow stripe, Burns Green with a red stripe, I think the only Hopepeak motor was a wrecker that Blue with a white stripe.
As I was too young to have a licence if we were busy I used to get driven down to Stratford lift in a unit, the driver would head back to the yard and I would spend a great few hours shunting trailers loading at Schenkers. Lou bought me a motorbike (a Malaguti) that I used to use to run round the embassies with collecting the passports when they had got the visas stamped.
Theres no denying Nigel and Lou were a bit of a rogue, but they were always straight with me. I do remember Nigel sacking a driver the old fashioned way with a good few right and left handers. and chasing him out of the yard.
Also remembering running units down to Dover, where they would be swapped with one coming back for repairs etc⌠and being reminded to take the company tax disc out of the window before swapping them over and putting it in the truck to come back to the yard. Couple of the drivers names that I remember. Mickey Ashton Lived out Ilford way Charlie Neale lived in Walthamstow- not that meant much as Mavetons did like to turn their drivers around a lot.
Hi Rickki
Was your uncle Billy Gosling ? Recall he was Transport Manager at one point during the seventies. Nigel sacking a driver the old fashioned way sounds typical of the firm. My dad never suffered fools gladly although he didnât blow his stack quickly when he did everyone ran for cover. I think he also sacked a few the old fashioned way.
Recall they had Clayton Thomson (Masked Exorcist) working as secretary. Never understood why the lorries were painted such dreadful colours. Perhaps it deterred inspections of the tax disc lol
Louise
Hi Louise, No his surname was Nobbs, He came from Cantrells where he was a driver- When it all got a bit complicated he decided it would be good for health and freedom to emigrate to Brazil. I very rarely hear from him now but hoping one day he will let me have his photo collection
PS it would be great to see any old photoâs if you have them⌠may stir up a few memories in my now aging brain cells 
No photographs of Mavertonâs lorries. A couple of my father knocking about. When I locate them I will post them.
Hope you get your uncleâs photo collection. Did you know Ringo (Terry Doidge)
Louise
One great memory of Lew- I âborrowedâ a car off the scrap yard opposite (Bells?) and ran it ragged around the estate- Alec Griffiths ( had his trucks in AMG Interfreight colours) caught me and dragged me out of it with a few cuffs round the ear- Lew next day playfully kicked me up and down the yard telling not to get caught next time ( he also docked my wages to pay for the damage to the car- and squared it away with the guy who run the scrap yard)
North farm was a unique place- almost everyone there was a maverick in one way or another- and there was a lot of hard men- Violence was almost part of every day life. a different world to today. everyone got a chance- but if you couldnât cope with the way they worked you were not there long- but for the guys who could stick it at the firms working out of North Farm - the money was perhaps the best there was, But by Christ you did bend every rule in the book to get it- were they villains? yes without a doubt- but they were also guys who looked after their guys and stuck by them - as I said a different world to todays âlogisticsâ and I am not sure we are better off today
Rikki-UK:
North farm was a unique place- almost everyone there was a maverick in one way or another- and there was a lot of hard men- Violence was almost part of every day life. a different world to today. everyone got a chance- but if you couldnât cope with the way they worked you were not there long- but for the guys who could stick it at the firms working out of North Farm - the money was perhaps the best there was, But by Christ you did bend every rule in the book to get it- were they villains? yes without a doubt- but they were also guys who looked after their guys and stuck by them - as I said a different world to todays âlogisticsâ and I am not sure we are better off today
Rikki
I make you right. I loathe todays politically correct sterile world.A lot to be said for rough justice. My dad was hard but he never even smacked me. Taught me loads of dirty fighting. I once floored my husband with one well placed blow.
Recall when I was a kid - dad was goaded by a drunken idiot. He did warn him but the fool refused to listen. Dad wound up kicking this guy in the face. He kicked him so hard the victimâs teeth ended up embedded in his toes. It meant a trip to hospital and dad was phobic about hospitals.
As for the drunkard - he had to get a set of dentures.
Bet it was fun borrowing that car and running it around the place. When dad discovered I had sneaked a turn behind the wheel of a lorry he just sighed and inspected the scratched paint. I had driven it beneath a low hanging tree.
Louise
I swear Louise all the time he was chasing up and down the yard he had a smile on his face- because he knew a good few years before hand he would have been caught doing exactly the same- I was never old enough to have a row with him- but I know the few that did either disappeared , never to come back, or they came back and he didnât hold a grudge⌠you got a right hander and that was the end of it- you either learnt your lesson or moved on- the man wasnât without his faults , but he did always look after his guys as long as you didnât take the â â â â . As you said he knew most of the fiddles and knew the ones he would turn a blind eye too, and the ones that were a bit too much.
he may be called and was a hard man, but he was never a bully- I have very fond memories of your Dad, In my eyes one of the old school
I keep trying to post a reply and get told forbidden. Any ideas - its okay I get it. The site thinks I am spamming when I post about my card game career
Louise
I swear Louise all the time he was chasing up and down the yard he had a smile on his face- because he knew a good few years before hand he would have been caught doing exactly the same- I was never old enough to have a row with him- but I know the few that did either disappeared , never to come back, or they came back and he didnât hold a grudge⌠you got a right hander and that was the end of it- you either learnt your lesson or moved on- the man wasnât without his faults , but he did always look after his guys as long as you didnât take the â â â â . As you said he knew most of the fiddles and knew the ones he would turn a blind eye too, and the ones that were a bit too much.
he may be called and was a hard man, but he was never a bully- I have very fond memories of your Dad, In my eyes one of the old school
He certainly got caught more than once. Aged 13 he stole his dadâs new car and took it for a spin. Spotting a copper he shrewdly acknowledged him and drove past as though nothing was amiss. Granddad was indulgent and shrugged it off. Eventually he was caught raiding the church gas meter and did some time in Borstal. Granddad told everyone that Lewis was in a fine boarding school in the country.
It was life long acquaintance with the law who also took an interest in me as the eldest child. He was far from a good father but he taught me independence of thought and as a result I became a pker player by trade.
He had a dry sense of humour and when my mother grumbled about my behaviour and speculated on the possibility of me turning into a human being - his response was â why should she. We never did.â
It was always apparent when he was going to blow his stack. He grew silent and suddenly exploded - those with sense noticed the warning signs.
Also recall the flying squad visiting and searching my dolls house for evidence. They found nothing but took away a chocolate wrapper.
Louise
I remember when Mavetons got the two brand new Mack trucks- they went out of the country never too return- the dealer then the bailiffs used to turn up every week at the yard hoping to catch them in the yard, Nigel and Lew never let them back in the country- total rogues but good men, they never crapped on the lads working for them- but everyone else was fair game
He had a great deal of personal charm and this helped hide his unscrupulous antics lol. I am not surprised to hear about those lorries lol. The thought of the bailiffs hoping to find them cracks me up.
Louise
nigelsmurfhansen:
Founder members of the pipe and pump fuel agency. Two of the hardest mid east trucking firms but two of the best paid. Even if they were run by East end villains.
ÂŁ1000. a trip, ÂŁ300. at the reload in Austria. That went in the back pocket as did any change from the running money. Only prob with Mavertons towards the end we were never sure if we were going home till we got to Zeeby or if we were turning round, that many want to be truckers (O.Ds) dumped trailers all over East and West Europe we Comp boys had to spin round and find them, and sort the mess out. Lou Sains, Johnny Spiller, Bert Worth. The 3 hardest, meanest and best bosses going along with (Stutter) Star-buck our transport manager nicked from Micky White of White trucks. R.I.P Stutter. Me and little Jock were the last two to get back to North Farm. And did we have a reception.
H.M Customs, Scania, Rent-co, Ministry, and Police all waiting for us. Office and workshop empty all done a bunk. Rent-co had a surprise the load was under customs bond to Aberdeen Scotland. Our money was waiting for us round at the Royal Oak pub. Mind a few weeks later 4 of us were back with Lou and Johnny.
Great days.
Strange how things happen but was at a loss as to what to do today as it was raining here. So I wondered how AMG was progressing and came across this forum just by chance. I also worked in North Farm with Bert Worth, in fact he was one of the best bosses I have worked for, yes he ducked and dived but he was kind to me his wife who came from a concentration camp Auschwitz was also kind. The Volvo I drove was a real smoker and nothing we did improved its smoking habit. I was also friends with Don Alexandria, who had the 40ft container on the left towards Mavertonâs. I also worked for Alec Fairly some called him Griffiths, but that was the name of the company. I often wondered what happened to Neville who worked for Alec, he was the only Jamaican driver I knew and last time I saw him was in Dover driving a Mack.
I later worked for DFC but got the sack because a driver split on me for letting my son drive, he said on the Auto route but he only did shunting in the car parks. interesting that driver tipped over in Italy and was killed. Bert of course bought home one of his drivers who forgot the exhaust break on an 88 stopped the engine if out of gear. As I understand it he took the F88 out of gear and could not get it back in gear as he was gathering too much speed down the Turkish mountain, so Bert had to collect the remains, I was not working for Bert then but he was not fond of telling the story.
Strange how things happen but was at a loss as to what to do today as it was raining here. So I wondered how AMG was progressing and came across this forum just by chance. I also worked in North Farm with Bert Worth, in fact he was one of the best bosses I have worked for, yes he ducked and dived but he was kind to me his wife who came from a concentration camp Auschwitz was also kind. The Volvo I drove was a real smoker and nothing we did improved its smoking habit. I was also friends with Don Alexandria, who had the 40ft container on the left towards Mavertonâs. I also worked for Alec Fairly some called him Griffiths, but that was the name of the company. I often wondered what happened to Neville who worked for Alec, he was the only Jamaican driver I knew and last time I saw him was in Dover driving a Mack
I was working with Don Alexander ( R.I.P.) at that time, he was also a bloody good bloke to know. He was when I first met him the Fitter for Mavertons, a very good Fitter he was too. When he took over that piece of land, we had great fun in installing that Blue 40â Container on the land. Then even greater fun the next two nights in darkness, running a live cable, that we happened to have found, down the hedge to the Container. Great there was now electricy on tap, Telephone, Fax Machine, Generater ,Lights on all day and night now. I also knew Bert Worth and Alex Fairly, Neville was as I remember doing mechanicing in the Garage next to Alexâs. Always had that bloody cheroot in his mouth as I recall. Nigel Downie, last time I saw him was in the Queens, when he gave some bloke a right hiding. Ricky the manager just went into the other bar until it was all over. Good old times they were.