Jack Graham:
My apology if I was a bit over the top, but every now and again someone tells me something about A One that is totally wrong, it’s not to upset anyone it’s just to say it how it was, and your right, you could never find anywhere to park in Zebrugge for the reasons you said, but it was a great and fun job at the time, and I’m sure we all appreciated everyone’s company at the time, because in this job you were out on your own, and it was only mates, “not only from A One” but mates from every company who went over the water, because we all helped one another in some way or other, “but I doubt it’s like that now”, because there a different breed of driver today, or at least most of them, it’s as if there all brain washed with rules and regulations, but I suppose it’s the PC world we live in today.
Once again my apology for being too abrupt, Dennis should have told me about the website sooner, and may-be I’d have had a different understanding, “it must be something to with being a war baby”.:-Jack Graham
that’s us all back on an even keel then as wheelnut says i’ve been asking for memories or photos of a-one for years, and have no interest in doing them down or spreading daft stories about them, whatsoever.
do any of you remember a lad called richard hayward (heywood?) who lived at thornton and went on for DLS late 87 or early 88? before that he worked for a subby at the firm where i was (transflash in bradford) so i’m just curious?
excellent pics of the workshop and that ERF by the way K2 - please keep them coming if you have any more
Jack Graham:
My apology if I was a bit over the top, but every now and again someone tells me something about A One that is totally wrong, it’s not to upset anyone it’s just to say it how it was, and your right, you could never find anywhere to park in Zebrugge for the reasons you said, but it was a great and fun job at the time, and I’m sure we all appreciated everyone’s company at the time, because in this job you were out on your own, and it was only mates, “not only from A One” but mates from every company who went over the water, because we all helped one another in some way or other, “but I doubt it’s like that now”, because there a different breed of driver today, or at least most of them, it’s as if there all brain washed with rules and regulations, but I suppose it’s the PC world we live in today.
Once again my apology for being too abrupt, Dennis should have told me about the website sooner, and may-be I’d have had a different understanding, “it must be something to with being a war baby”.:-Jack Graham
that’s us all back on an even keel then as wheelnut says i’ve been asking for memories or photos of a-one for years, and have no interest in doing them down or spreading daft stories about them, whatsoever.
do any of you remember a lad called richard hayward (heywood?) who lived at thornton and went on for DLS late 87 or early 88? before that he worked for a subby at the firm where i was (transflash in bradford) so i’m just curious?
excellent pics of the workshop and that ERF by the way K2 - please keep them coming if you have any more
hi,got loads of them,just need are lass to scan them at work,the workshop had just been repainted for the photo shot for the above mag but this shot was never used,it was me down the pit .the fh in the pic was the frirst one we got and Paul Henry got it,ex longs driver this was on a m reg but got sent back due to heavy on fuel,this was a 320 bhp and was replaced with a 420 on a n reg which frank Robson [cuddles] got
depablo:
Not wishing to go off topic, but what happened to Chapmans?
Hi depablo, J G Fielder of Fitzwilliam St Bradford, was bought by Donald Chapmans father who was the owner of Chapman’s Springs Off Hunslet Rd Leeds.
He bought the company because he retired and went to live abroad, this was to give Donald something to do, because he was a lazy waster, he eventually bought DLS Europe Ltd, who eventually were bought out by A One Transport (Leeds) Ltd, and that’s when A One started going over the water.
The reason I know, is because I went driving for Fielders in 1962, and was still there when A One took over, and it can be a very long story .
PS I was going to put a couple of smilies on, but not yet figured how to do it, only had this laptop 2 years and still learning.:-Jack
jack what happened with the rubber job did they lose it to another firm or did they do up till the end we used to tip in at longs off yhe scots lads who would have it fully sheeted then leave it outside in the rain till one of your lads came in and we would load in into a tilt never got why it was sheeted just to be left outside
This is to any old driver from the era of when we were pulling wool from Liverpool, Hull, London, Southampton, in fact anywhere in the UK in the 1960s until they introduced containers, there must be more than me still here, because all the people who talk to me about wool, they all talk about when there dad, uncle, or one of there old mates did it, or someones mates uncle, unfortunately we didn’t take cameras with us then, because we never had time to do things like taking pictures, there are lots of great stories and memories from some of these drivers, some funny, but some sad, but it was all hard work long hours and lots of sweat, but I don’t think many younger drivers appreciate what we had to do, in the story I put on here about when I took the A One old Atkinson to a show, it made me realise just how hard the job was, I don’t think they’d even invented power steering until the Ford D series came out, I had a 8 wheeler Seddon at Fielders with there version of power steering, but you could literally turn the wheel almost right round before the wheels started turning, and on the East Lancashire Road, coming home with 4 high of doubles, and about 23 ton on, it was a nightmare, but you didn’t think it was wrong, because it was all part of the job…So come on there must be someone else left in the Bradford/shipley/Bingley/leeds area, who always had there hand hook in there pocket and a hand full of blisters.:-Jack Graham
dreva:
jack what happened with the rubber job did they lose it to another firm or did they do up till the end we used to tip in at longs off yhe scots lads who would have it fully sheeted then leave it outside in the rain till one of your lads came in and we would load in into a tilt never got why it was sheeted just to be left outside
I’m not quite sure what happened after 1995, I went into hospital with cancer, and although I was still on the books I didnt get the chance to go back and they went bust when I was just getting back into shape and ready to start work again, I know they were still doing it before that time, but knowing what Maggee was like with all his customers he might just have lost it, but I’m not really sure, one thing I am sure of, is that I was loading my trailer with the stuff at treefielfd when the trailer collapsed hit me in the hack and put me in hospital foe about 3 weeks, it was one of the step frames and the bottom of the post’s were rotten, and the lot came down and hit me in the back busting most of my ribs on the right side and bruising my kidneys, I’m still suffering even today with the aftereffects with a bad back, even now as I right this its still hurting, but that’s life its what you get working your but off for 50 years, it did cost them about £13 grand though, so it softened the pain just a little bit.
glad you got something mate i got 1300 hundred when changing forks on the flt back of the guard wasnt attached lifted it it fell off chopping right through me middle finger about 7 week off got told in the pub sunday when i went back in on the monday i was getting made redundant that was nice to here i still have some of me wage slips from then i was gutted when we got took over changed our payday from wedsnesday to thursday i thought me world had ended what happend to boss hog never knew his proper name ian scollick as well and jock mcquinness if thats how you spell it and did stuart broughton work there as well more will come back to me no doubt anyway crack on with the stories mate thats why we kept this thred going hoping one day some of you might appear with the stories and pics so were glad your all coming on lets hope its another 100 page thred
dreva:
glad you got something mate i got 1300 hundred when changing forks on the flt back of the guard wasnt attached lifted it it fell off chopping right through me middle finger about 7 week off got told in the pub sunday when i went back in on the monday i was getting made redundant that was nice to here i still have some of me wage slips from then i was gutted when we got took over changed our payday from wedsnesday to thursday i thought me world had ended what happend to boss hog never knew his proper name ian scollick as well and jock mcquinness if thats how you spell it and did stuart broughton work there as well more will come back to me no doubt anyway crack on with the stories mate thats why we kept this thred going hoping one day some of you might appear with the stories and pics so were glad your all coming on lets hope its another 100 page thred
Hi Dreva, I don’t remember Boss Hog, and I don’t know what happened to Jock McGuinness, they all seam to have drifted away, but Ian Scollic was working on Canal Road in Bradford at “cant remember the name” that galvanising company opposite Arnold Lavers, he was driving a 4 wheeler, and I saw him a couple of times when I went to a motorcycle club in Shipley, but that was about 6/7/8/years ago, but what he’s doing now I have no idea, Stuart Broughton, but as we speak I just rang him and he’s retired, he had a bad illness spell and gave in and packed it in, so that’s another one of us living on the pension.
Just while I remember, I was looking through my old folder I used when I were going over the water, and found all my DKV cards including the one for the road tolls a few CMRs, T forms, medical form from A One for if we needed it, the free phone numbers from France & Italy, and transit slips we had to have in those days, and also “just to back up Dennis with his wage slips” I have mine from 1992/3/4/5. I though I’d thrown them away in disgust, but here they are.
I’ll have to give up now, I’m getting a headche trying to remember all this, so catch you latter :-Jack.
will do mate we nead to give you some on line lessons in scanning things when i get me scanner sorted will post my old ones up when i find them i know when aone took over us warehouse lads got same basic as class 2 drivers which was a fair rise if i remember rightly will know exact when i find me bits and bobs take care will speak soon
dreva:
will do mate we nead to give you some on line lessons in scanning things when i get me scanner sorted will post my old ones up when i find them i know when aone took over us warehouse lads got same basic as class 2 drivers which was a fair rise if i remember rightly will know exact when i find me bits and bobs take care will speak soon
Hi Dreva, I suppose I could do with a few lessons on how to use this thing, although I’ve had it for 2 years, “got it second hand from a driver”, £150 cheep and cheerful, and it’s OK, it’s me being an old school, takes for ever to learn anything new, but I’m getting there. I have a scanner/printer etc, and know how to scan and put into my computer, it’s getting it from the computer onto this forum I have the problem, I did go for some lessons to the local school night class, last year but the 2 teachers were more interested in chatting me up and rubbing up and down my back as they leaned over me, and it made it hard for me to take it all in, “if you can excuse the pun”. I’ve had one of my grand kids show me a couple of things, but they dont understand that we didn’t have things like this in school, and they are too fast and gone before you’ve learned anything, so I just carry on learning myself “slowly”. One of my problems is understanding the wording, like on the “Smileys”, what doe’s BBCode mean, is on,is off, is on, and Smileys are on. I dont understand the meaning of them, although it says’s Smileys are on when I try to put one on it dont come on this comes on instead, or is just me that’s so far back in time, I’m past it and past learning, I’m open for any suggestions “Dreva teacher”.Regards:-Jack.
dreva:
will do mate we nead to give you some on line lessons in scanning things when i get me scanner sorted will post my old ones up when i find them i know when aone took over us warehouse lads got same basic as class 2 drivers which was a fair rise if i remember rightly will know exact when i find me bits and bobs take care will speak soon
Hi Dreva, I suppose I could do with a few lessons on how to use this thing, although I’ve had it for 2 years, “got it second hand from a driver”, £150 cheep and cheerful, and it’s OK, it’s me being an old school, takes for ever to learn anything new, but I’m getting there. I have a scanner/printer etc, and know how to scan and put into my computer, it’s getting it from the computer onto this forum I have the problem, I did go for some lessons to the local school night class, last year but the 2 teachers were more interested in chatting me up and rubbing up and down my back as they leaned over me, and it made it hard for me to take it all in, “if you can excuse the pun”. I’ve had one of my grand kids show me a couple of things, but they dont understand that we didn’t have things like this in school, and they are too fast and gone before you’ve learned anything, so I just carry on learning myself “slowly”. One of my problems is understanding the wording, like on the “Smileys”, what doe’s BBCode mean, is on,is off, is on, and Smileys are on. I dont understand the meaning of them, although it says’s Smileys are on when I try to put one on it dont come on this comes on instead, or is just me that’s so far back in time, I’m past it and past learning, I’m open for any suggestions “Dreva teacher”.Regards:-Jack.
[/quote]
Well now look at that, when I pressed [Submit] it came on, but didnt show it on the [Preview], so there you are, I have learned something else all by myself, how about that teacher “didnt I do well”,
depablo:
Jack Graham
Thanks for the update on Chapmans and your doing great with the smilies.
If you need any help with BB code or anything else just PM me.
Uncle worked with A-one and Chapmans early 70’s John Hannah (scots bloke now deceased).
Mornin depablo, yeah i got the hang of the smileys ok, and there’s lots of stories we could tell of Chapman’s, just have to remember them, in those days there was so much going on and it was heavy work what with the wool and every thing, almost everything was handball, and late nights loading on the bank,then sheeting up, but we did take the waggons home, “via the pub”, no breathalysers then !!.
But I dont remember John Hannah, but might remember the face though, so sorry about that one.:-Jack
No worries Jack, guy was a bit of a wanderer.
Remember he took me to Hyde in Manchester, full load of “rolls of material” handball, drove a few mile to a rail depot and handballed the stuff back off into rail wagons
I body swerved most of the work due to my age, but no doubt the guy got me interested in transport and was responsible for me becoming a mechanic.
Used to get a lift from Gildersom to Bradford via the pub, loads of steel and a few pints of tetleys finest were the norm.
depablo:
Jack Graham
Thanks for the update on Chapmans and your doing great with the smilies.
If you need any help with BB code or anything else just PM me.
Uncle worked with A-one and Chapmans early 70’s John Hannah (scots bloke now deceased).
Mornin depablo, yeah i got the hang of the smileys ok, and there’s lots of stories we could tell of Chapman’s, just have to remember them, in those days there was so much going on and it was heavy work what with the wool and every thing, almost everything was handball, and late nights loading on the bank,then sheeting up, but we did take the waggons home, “via the pub”, no breathalysers then !!.
But I dont remember John Hannah, but might remember the face though, so sorry about that one.:-Jack
Well I’m stuck, just scanned about 45 pictures onto my computer but cant download them onto the website, what am I doing wrong.
dreva:
pm sent mate if you want talking through it will i will pm you my no and talk you through it
Managed to down load onto photobucket about 48 pictures, I’ll try to figure now how to get them onto A One’s page, but Internet went down and I’m not sure they all went onto my album, but it’s my bedtime now, it’s late and I’m tired, catch you tomorrow Dreva.:-Jack
as wheelnut says i’ve been asking for memories or photos of a-one for years, and have no interest in doing them down or spreading daft stories about them, whatsoever.
i still have some of me wage slips from then i was gutted when we got took over changed our payday from wedsnesday to thursday i thought me world had ended 
when i get me scanner sorted will post my old ones up when i find them i know when aone took over us warehouse lads got same basic as class 2 drivers which was a fair rise if i remember rightly will know exact when i find me bits and bobs take care will speak soon 
this comes on instead, or is just me that’s so far back in time, I’m past it and past learning, I’m open for any suggestions “Dreva teacher”.Regards:-Jack.
