Andy Maclean was a jazz enthusiast who had been a member of Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club for many years and although he couldn’t read music he loved to bang away on the drums for any band that would have him. He set up Orient Transport Services in 1985 and although Promotor were still the dominant service provider at the Baghdad Fair, he was always looking for ways to outdo us. One year he arranged for the Tom Collins Jazz Band to visit Baghdad and Andy organised gigs at the British Club, The Park Group (Irish nurses) and a few other places, however for us the best gigs were the early afternoon sessions in the British Pavilion. Of course Andy just had to get behind the drums and most days he did a stint whilst the regular drummer had a beer or two. The first photo shows the regular drummer whilst Andy appears in the last two.
I knew Andy and he lived locally. As a pianist, I play a fair bit of trad jazz but frustratingly / ironically we never played together. C’est la vie!
Andy Maclean of Orient Transport Services couldn’t be seen to play in Promotors world famous ‘Baghdad Fair Darts Tournament’ but he made sure he was there for the final and presentations. In the 1st photo he is 2nd from the left whilst I am on the right. You could never be sure where he would pop up next so we had to keep an eye on him. On one occasion he asked my mate Awat to arrange an evening in one of the Masgouf restaurants down on Abu Nawas Street by the river, Andy invited a couple of guys from the embassy and a load of our customers. I wasn’t invited so I confronted him and Andy, in his own inimitable way said “of course you’re invited Brian”. It was a great evening, see last two photos, which burnt a hole in Andy’s back pocket. The Masgouf restaurants specialised in the Freshwater carp. A large fish which cost 100 dinars a fish and at the bank rate at that time equated to about £150. Andy didnt pay that of course as he paid on the black market but it certainly wasn’t a cheap evening. Thanks for the invite Andy.
The last of my tribute posts of Andy Maclean. The first photo is of Andy and his Mack when he worked for Iran Container Company in 72/73. The 2nd photo has him looking cool on the sun bed. Standing in the white t-shirt is George Fardell who joined Promotor a few years later. The 3rd photo is Andy’s GMC. He loved that lorry. When he came off the road he managed the OHS depot in Rainham. The last photo is of the OHS boss Orhan Hakki Sertel aka Sooty. Andy introduced me to him in Tehran.
Tributes?
Is Andy er, no longer with us?
Andy died in his sleep a couple of weeks ago of a bleed on the heart. I was told this morning that there will be a private family funeral but that next June a party will be organised to celebrate his life.
Oh dear… What a terrible shame. I drove past Old Wives Lees last weekend and wondered how he was…
I’d like to attend any gathering in his memory.
Hope YOU are keeping well
Best wishes
David
Only a few weeks since the terrible floods in Valencia and the severing of the A7 north/south motorway around the town. So what did the Spanish do? They built a new 6 lane highway around the damaged bridge. If it had happened in this country of course the government would have to form a committee so they could cancel the work as to expensive like the Arundal bypass, Stonehenge bypass and lower Thames crossing to name just a few.
Just had to post this super photo of Geoff Frost taken on the 17th July 82 in Romania. Geoff worked for Astran at that time. He lives a bit inland from Cuaves Almanzora in Spain. He is now 88 and in reasonable health. I saw this photo yesterday online and by pure coincidence I was talking to his brother 30 minutes later near Cuavas.
I reckon they were taken in after 1981. The newest lorries there are a 2-series Scania and a C-series ERF. The Ferrymasters unaccompanied cross-channel trailers don’t carry P&O logos, which was rolled out after 1978 - they’ll be older trailers, then. The CTR trailers may be another clue: didn’t they become CTR at about that time? Some of you will have knowledge of when some of the other companies started and finished. I see there’s a Transcon in there.
The ERF is in Carmens livery. Carmens had A-plate C-series ERFs, which would nudge the date nearer to '83. There’s more than one Scania 112/142 trucked away there too.
I was asking around on F/B for photos of our depot at Childerditch near Brentwood. The attached photo was the only one offered. Doesn’t show much at all except that it does show how crowded it was with Ford vehicles of all shapes, sizes and models. Some would be for film shoots or motor shows whilst others were used as promotional aids by being lent out to various organisations.
Saw this lorry and drag parked up in the rambla a few days ago. He was on his way to an orange grove to pick up a load. Fast forward a few days and we have had some very bad storms which has resulted in the rambla turning into a deep fast flowing river.
Rambla: Spain?
Yes, Spain. First bad storms we have had in this area, whilst we have been here, for many years. Desperately needed though as water rationing of 200 ltrs a day per person in place.
Whilst on the subject of Spain I saw this on the N332 F/B website explaining that you must drive on the right on Motorways in Spain. Reminds me of many years ago in France. I had driven down to Nice in a high powered BMW to sort out a problem we had with a Ford car at a film shoot we were involved in. On the way back I grabbed a few hours sleep near Lyon and left at 5 in the morning. I was giving it some welly, doing about 115 mph on a deserted autoroute, when this gendarme suddenly appeared in the road ahead and waved me down. I thought I had gone through a speed trap but no, it was because I was driving in the fast lane when I should have been in the inner lane because it was empty. Cost me a heavy fine and lost me much needed time.
Yes, I was taught the Rule of the Road is to drive on the left (and return to it after overtaking) and that over the water it was drive on the right (and return to it).
[My personal Rule of the Road is this: if you can’t see to go, you don’t ■■■■■■■ go!] 
However, if - as per photo – there is traffic filtering in from the junction it’s sensible to move to the left (In mainland Europe) to allow traffic in from the right (not obvious in the photo if this is happening
Greetings from sunny Kent