Hi my name is Stephen Roy Lacy i was a former promotor driver
as i remember the list of drivers that i had the pleasure of working with
TONY GRAINGER
MICK TREMELOW AND PAM
ROGER PATERSON
BILLY TOOKE
RONNIE HART
JOHN MANTELL
JOHN BARCLAY ::TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT THE JOB
JOHNNY THE WELLY WARD
BILLY PROUDLOVE:: HAD A STUTTER
ROGER OAKLEY A GOOD MATE (Rip)
PAUL LINSCOTT
CHIC STEADMAN
RAMSEY PATTERSON
JOE 90 dave ?
JEFF GARDNER
GEORGE FARDELL A Great guy owned half of exeter drank coke all the time never cooked anything he built a box on his top bunk in the volvo to pack all his kit in … we called it georges koffin
RICHARD DYNE RICHARD AND I FOUNDED SHOWHAUL TRUCKING AFTER OUR PROMO DAYS
BRIAN HOLMES HE BECAME THE EXHIBITION REP
BARRY COLE
IN THE OFFICE
DAVE STAGG
DEBBIE LACY
ROSIE
STEVE MARSHALL
RICHARD PHILLIPS
PETER CALDWELL
IN THE WORKSHOP
PETER THORNTON
TOMMY
I DROVE ALL VEHICLES FOO WAS A FAVORITE:: (RONNIES TRUCK) THEN 532 THE SCANIA 82 MOSTLY ON TRADE SHOWS DHJ 152 THAT WAS JOHN BARCLAYS TRUCK
IM NOW CURRENTLY LIVING IN HAMBURG FOR THE LAST 22 YEARS DRIVING AT PRESENT FOR THE LAST 14 YEARS FOR LUFTHANSA TECHNIK
Hello Flying Flash and welcome to Trucknet U.K.
I remember meeting up with a few of the ProMotors lads in the early eighties and one of the names that you have missed out on your list was Graham (I think it may of been Bartlet).
Somebody mentioned George Fardell a few months ago so it sounds like he is still around and Micky Tremalow made a couple of posts on here a few years ago and then disappeared.
This is a photo of Mick and Pam along with a mate of mine called Ken in Czechoslovakia sometime in the early eighties.
There is a ProMotors thread from years ago on here somewhere which was started by Rocket Ron’s wife which I can’t seem to find at the moment but hopefully one of the other members may be able to find it and add a link.
If you have got any old photos then I am sure that lots of the other members would love to see them. 
Regards Steve.
Not Promotors but yours Stephen Roy Lacey
Hope all ok
Regards Geoff.
I used to work for Expo Freight out of North Farm Loughton and we pulled Promotor’s trailers from time to time.
This is one time I pulled a step frame tilt of Promotor’s to a trade fair in Teheran.
Knowing what tyre trouble one can have with a fully freighted step frame on small wheels, I took several spares with me, but only had one puncture in Bulgy on the way out.
And who could forget George Fardell, with his two watches, constantly rubbing his eyes to stay awake!
This pic is unloading at the trade fair.
hi oh yes graham bertrum yes i remember him nice guy called everyone blue…thanks for the photo geoff im weekended in munich at the moment. ive a few photos at home and i will post them upon my return home …so what you up to now geoff ? remember when we was in brindisi on trials with british leyland…i particulary remember the italien hair cut with the knife…and the evening in the open air pictures…
Good Morning Steve.
Glad to see the ProMotor name cropping up again. You have a great memory for names. I’ve been wracking my brain for any you have missed and come up with a few. Stevie Smith, last job I remember him on was a trip to Israel. Three of us went down on a photo shoot for Ford. John Preece, (him of the Ozzie jokes) and Trevor Thayer who almost bought it after being trapped in snow for three days just short of Moscow. Graham Bertram (Blue) R.I.P. has been mentioned. Great guy.
Hello Steve. Is that you driving the Transcon?
Looking at your list of Promotor employees I see you mention Peter Caldwell! Could this have been Peter Calderwood. Peter founded the company. Other drivers I remember were Tommy Birch. The last I heard of Tommy was he was working for Swains in North Kent. The other driver I remember was Frank Hook of Destination Doha fame. Did a Yugo with him but he only did a few trips. My little grey cells are not what they used to be but I had a feeling you were called Steve? Please correct me if I am wrong.
HI YES YOUR RIGHT IM STEVE AND YOUR ALSO CORRECT IT WAS PETER CALDERWOOD MY CELLS PLAYING UP THIS TIME WHERE DO YOU GET ALL THESE PICTURES FROM SORRY CAN I ASK YOUR NAME
sandway:
Hello Steve. Is that you driving the Transcon?
NO I TOOK THE PICTURE RICHARD PHILLIPS WAS IN THE CAB
I spoke to George a couple of days back. He got married a few months ago while he was in Hospital and not expected to come out! Anyway he’s pulled through and is back at home in Lympstone.
Hi Steve. Many thanks for some great photo’s. Hope you have more as we were both involved for a few short years in perhaps one of the greatest and most exciting transport companies around then. Promotor was not large but made up for size by being involved in all types of work from exhibitions, product launches, film shoots and of course the Anglo Yugo Express business. Only Astran and Edwin Shirley came close but they did not have the diversity of work we had. You could come back from a bad trip to Baghdad to be told your next job was a film shoot in Lisbon which involved driving a new Ford Cargo down there, being put up in the Intercontinental Hotel and helping out wherever needed. When the job was finished it was a case of a leisurely drive back staying in hotels en-route if you wished. I know this is true cos it happened to me. Ahh Great days.
I have attached a photo of another Show-haul truck (must find out how to put more than one photo on at a time). I don’t have many but will post what I have. For those not in the know Show-haul and Promotor got together a few years after you and Richard set Show-haul up, again providing some very interesting work for the lads.
Whilst we were both at Promotor our wheel tracks crossed occasionally but never converged. Lets hope there are others who have been involved, however tenuously, that can add their photos or memories to this thread. Not sure if you know but Peter Calderwood, our boss, died a few years ago from the Big C.
Here’s one for George Fardell. Get well soon George.
Photo shows Promotor drivers on a beach around 1981. On the left is Jeff Gardner in the middle is George (holding Jeff’s ■■■■■■■! don’t ask…) and on the right is A N Other. George was always a bit of an eccentric character with many stories doing the rounds in those days. One was that he was hopeless at reversing his truck and the story went that he drove down some steps at a factory in Yugo rather than reverse out. May have only been over a kerb but why let the facts spoil a good story. As it so happened I was once I driving down the concrete strip heading towards Belgrade when I spotted George coming towards me. A quick flash of lights in recognition and we both stopped partly blocking the road. I went over to him to say hello and to find out where he was going. He told me he was on his way to Sarajevo to pick up a load. But George I said you passed the turning to Sarajevo 40k’s back and George in his well educated voice said “yes I know old boy but I’m trying to find somewhere to turn this truck around”. So maybe there was substance in the steps story!
Hope they didn’t cut off your supply of coke whilst you were in hospital George.
sandway:
Hi Steve. Many thanks for some great photo’s. Hope you have more as we were both involved for a few short years in perhaps one of the greatest and most exciting transport companies around then. Promotor was not large but made up for size by being involved in all types of work from exhibitions, product launches, film shoots and of course the Anglo Yugo Express business. Only Astran and Edwin Shirley came close but they did not have the diversity of work we had. You could come back from a bad trip to Baghdad to be told your next job was a film shoot in Lisbon which involved driving a new Ford Cargo down there, being put up in the Intercontinental Hotel and helping out wherever needed. When the job was finished it was a case of a leisurely drive back staying in hotels en-route if you wished. I know this is true cos it happened to me. Ahh Great days.
I have attached a photo of another Show-haul truck (must find out how to put more than one photo on at a time). I don’t have many but will post what I have. For those not in the know Show-haul and Promotor got together a few years after you and Richard set Show-haul up, again providing some very interesting work for the lads.
Whilst we were both at Promotor our wheel tracks crossed occasionally but never converged. Lets hope there are others who have been involved, however tenuously, that can add their photos or memories to this thread. Not sure if you know but Peter Calderwood, our boss, died a few years ago from the Big C.
hi Sandway please tell me your name best wishes steve .ps.i have some more old photos and will post them soon just got to find the time to scan them
sandway:
Hello Steve. Is that you driving the Transcon?
Didn’t they have a Transcon & trailer in Rothmans colours ?
Don’t know about the Transcon in Rothmans colours but hopefully Steve will have info on that. I have attached 3 Show-haul photos showing the lengths they went to in those days (late 70’s early 80’s) to look after their customers. Those French seamen or dockers on strike couldn’t stop Show-haul. Promotor did the same a few years later when shipping the exhibits to the Paris Fashion Show. Simon Calderwood in the office was handling things for the company and often had 10 or more small transit size vans as well as a few larger lorries running down there. One year the inevitable strike took place and Simon arranged for some of the vehicles to be flown over to Beauvais from where they then drove into Paris. Its what is known as “going the extra mile for the customer” or as is often said “the show must go on”.
I think it was around 1981 whilst working for Promotor that Welly Ward and myself were in the Londra. It snowed and the police wouldn’t let us out until we chained up. So after cancelling most of the day, thinking about it, the chains went on and next morning we were on our way. We got to the bottom of Bolu where we found another Brit stuck on the side of the road (no chains). He had been there a few days already and a local Turkish family had taken pitty on him and kept him supplied with hot food. We decided if we chained all 3 rigs together, one staying out in the road away from the worst of the snow we could get him moving again. This worked ok and after we uncoupled we told him to go in front incase he got stuck again. Luckily the road was clear further on. He thanked us profusely and said you won’t see me again. It seems he had taken his wife with him but she had been taken ill in Hungary and was in hospital in Budapest. He said he was on his way to Doha or thereabouts and would be going flat out as he was very worried and wanted to get back to her asap.
I have no idea who he worked for or indeed if he was an owner driver. I have seen some pics on here somewhere of similar trucks run by a company from East London. Anyone got any ideas!
Tommy Birch just arrived at hotel in Mosul, Northern Iraq early 80’s. If he had driven around the potholes in Cizre maybe his truck would have been a bit cleaner!!
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