From 1958 till 1973 the Antwerp hauler Leopold Van Gaever had a business agreement with CRTS Ackworth Ltd for the transport of there trailers over continental Europe, from Russia till Italy! A photo showing typical AEC Mandators MkIII (left) & MkV (right) in Holland during a stop. The sleeper cabs were Belgian made Bollekens.
After the Ackworth period they worked for Ferrymasters. Again a Mandator in the Port of Antwerp.
More Van Gaever lorries in action you can see in the film ‘Ferry Load’ (YouTube)
mandator:
From 1958 till 1973 the Antwerp hauler Leopold Van Gaever had a business agreement with CRTS Ackworth Ltd for the transport of there trailers over continental Europe, from Russia till Italy! A photo showing typical AEC Mandators MkIII (left) & MkV (right) in Holland during a stop. The sleeper cabs were Belgian made Bollekens.
After the Ackworth period they worked for Ferrymasters. Again a Mandator in the Port of Antwerp.
More Van Gaever lorries in action you can see in the film ‘Ferry Load’ (YouTube)
2 great pictures there my friend. Makes me wonder who came up with the idea of the susie and when they were introduced. Also, were these old motors using palm couplings and, what is that V number on the fuel tank (I assume it’s a V)
the v numbers on belgian trucks are their equivelant of our operators license numbers. the end numbers in the sequence show the number of vehicles in the fleet. as for the palm couplings, we made adaptors from palm to uk and vice-versa. it was only about 1 hours job to make them all but saved many hours on the dock side. terry.
Can not help you on the susies or palm couplings, but the V number is the number of the license to do transport.
In those days in Belgium, you had 3 types of transport licences, a P ( transport within a 50 km radius), a national V and the international V witch gave you a right to apply for perms for Germany, France or whatever country you wanted.( no guarantee you got them, but you could at least apply 
)
That V number had to be displayed on every vehicle,and every vehicle had its own number.
Like in the photos you see V 4680 wich is the company number for Van Gaever and 38 wich is the vehicle number. Unit and trailer were considered two different vehicles and therefore had 2 different numbers.
The signage was also very specific, the V itself had a minimum hight of 20 cm and the figures 15 cm.
For a few years now the necessity to display the numer is lifted.
edit: Seen to late that Top Cat was quicker
bald:
Can not help you on the susies or palm couplings, but the V number is the number of the license to do transport.
In those days in Belgium, you had 3 types of transport licences, a P ( transport within a 50 km radius), a national V and the international V witch gave you a right to apply for perms for Germany, France or whatever country you wanted.( no guarantee you got them, but you could at least apply
That V number had to be displayed on every vehicle,and every vehicle had its own number.
Like in the photos you see V 4680 wich is the company number for Van Gaever and 38 wich is the vehicle number. Unit and trailer were considered two different vehicles and therefore had 2 different numbers.
The signage was also very specific, the V itself had a minimum hight of 20 cm and the figures 15 cm.
For a few years now the necessity to display the numer is lifted.edit: Seen to late that Top Cat was quicker
The V simply stands for Transport. it means Vervoer and many Belgian registered trucks & trailers still carry it.
Suzie was a chemical engineer who invented durable retractable air coils made from polyamide, before those it was just simple black rubber pipe with Jubilee clips like that used on an air chamber. Some of the Europeans still use it, more so in Germany between the drawbars and prime mover.
Someone mentioned the home made cabs, and the manufacturer being Bolleken. They were probably invented in the pub because a bolleke is a rounded beer goblet in Belgium. You can also ask for een bolleken and will be served with a glass of beer 
More random facts about the Belgians.
A trailer registration will always start with the letter U if they are on the red/white plates. If they are using the new blue/white format it will be a Q
If you see a Belgian vehicle with red/white plates and only five digits, avoid them, they are generally older people who have never passed a driving test.
French Fries were invented in Belgium and Hercule Poirot is famous for being err, Belgian
Evening Gentlemen, Belgium, in the 70s, perhaps one of the most interesting lorry markets in Europe. When I was sent to our operation in Antwerp back in the mid 70s, UK manufacturers lorries, Belgian registered were common. Not just the innumerable Bedfords, (I think Bedford were producing for export around 12000 chassis per year for Europe), but Foden, ERF, Leyland, (and Leyland Brossel), BMC, AEC, (and the older French Willeme versions of both), and Atkinson.
Belgian coachwork has always been of the highest order, and some of the stylised box vans, truly works of art on wheels. Not far from my digs in Antwerp was an operator running a Foden 8x4 Belgian cabbed sleeper, powered by a Gardner 8LW…(what would that machine be worth today)? A concrete plant had a number of half cab Foden mixers, based there.
The Van Gaevers- Ackworth connection is potentially most interesting. I seem to recall an article in the Dutch magazine Beroeps Vervoer, around 1969, reporting on trips to Moscow by Van Gaevers/Ackworth. Surely there is a more knowlegable contributor to these threads, who knows more about this interesting alliance.
I loved my time in Belgium, and working with their Transport men, a truly dynamic market, with many interesting people, …wonderful Beers, tremendous cycle racing b… awful weather, and as endorsed by wheelnut, French Fries, (with mayonaise). Cheerio for now.
Saviem:
Evening Gentlemen, Belgium, in the 70s, perhaps one of the most interesting lorry markets in Europe. When I was sent to our operation in Antwerp back in the mid 70s, UK manufacturers lorries, Belgian registered were common. Not just the innumerable Bedfords, (I think Bedford were producing for export around 12000 chassis per year for Europe), but Foden, ERF, Leyland, (and Leyland Brossel), BMC, AEC, (and the older French Willeme versions of both), and Atkinson.Belgian coachwork has always been of the highest order, and some of the stylised box vans, truly works of art on wheels. Not far from my digs in Antwerp was an operator running a Foden 8x4 Belgian cabbed sleeper, powered by a Gardner 8LW…(what would that machine be worth today)? A concrete plant had a number of half cab Foden mixers, based there.
The Van Gaevers- Ackworth connection is potentially most interesting. I seem to recall an article in the Dutch magazine Beroeps Vervoer, around 1969, reporting on trips to Moscow by Van Gaevers/Ackworth. Surely there is a more knowlegable contributor to these threads, who knows more about this interesting alliance.
I loved my time in Belgium, and working with their Transport men, a truly dynamic market, with many interesting people, …wonderful Beers, tremendous cycle racing b… awful weather, and as endorsed by wheelnut, French Fries, (with mayonaise). Cheerio for now.
I love my time in Belgium visiting Lokern, I never visited the other two depots that were near to the French border, these are now closed. At one time Stobarts had over 100 Belgium registered trucks all Volvos and Scanias.
Saviem:
Evening Gentlemen, Belgium, in the 70s, perhaps one of the most interesting lorry markets in Europe. When I was sent to our operation in Antwerp back in the mid 70s, UK manufacturers lorries, Belgian registered were common. Not just the innumerable Bedfords, (I think Bedford were producing for export around 12000 chassis per year for Europe), but Foden, ERF, Leyland, (and Leyland Brossel), BMC, AEC, (and the older French Willeme versions of both), and Atkinson.Belgian coachwork has always been of the highest order, and some of the stylised box vans, truly works of art on wheels. Not far from my digs in Antwerp was an operator running a Foden 8x4 Belgian cabbed sleeper, powered by a Gardner 8LW…(what would that machine be worth today)? A concrete plant had a number of half cab Foden mixers, based there.
The Van Gaevers- Ackworth connection is potentially most interesting. I seem to recall an article in the Dutch magazine Beroeps Vervoer, around 1969, reporting on trips to Moscow by Van Gaevers/Ackworth. Surely there is a more knowlegable contributor to these threads, who knows more about this interesting alliance.
I loved my time in Belgium, and working with their Transport men, a truly dynamic market, with many interesting people, …wonderful Beers, tremendous cycle racing b… awful weather, and as endorsed by wheelnut, French Fries, (with mayonaise). Cheerio for now.
We ended up with a few, we even had a Commer
On the historical page of the Ackworth Ltd website:
In 1956, the Group was approached by Mr. E. T. Wright who had conceived the idea of operating a direct service to the Continent of Europe using the ‘roll-on, roll-off’ principal adopted by the Army authorities. Mr Wright was invited to join the Group to explore and develop the idea. The Company of Continental Road Transport Services (Ackworth) Limited was formed in August 1958, and although Mr. Wright had foreseen the great potential of this method of continental operation, he had considerable difficulty in converting the manufacturers and shipping and forwarding agents to this new idea. It was decided that articulated vehicles were the most practicable whereby the semi-trailer only would be shipped. This necessitated co-operating with a Continental haulier to undertake the onward haulage of the semi-trailers. Contact was made with M. Van Gaever in Antwerp and this was the beginning of a friendly and successful partnership which finally came to an end in 1973.
Hi All, this is a bit of an old thread, but in case anyone’s still interested it was my father Ken Storey who with aforementioned Ted Wright developed the unaccompanied trailer business with Paul Van Gaever. I have a decent photo archive album taken by Ted at the time. here’s a couple (if I’ve uploaded them properly!)
Image1-8.tiff (9.72 MB)
I am in the process of adding the archive to the current Onwardholdings.com web site, it should be viewable in a crude form shortly.
michel:
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/240x144q90/c/401/0hu0.jpg
Hey,at Brussels factory of Whitebread.
cheers Eric,
michel:
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Hey,at Brussels factory of Whitbread.
Here an other Witbread in Antwerp docks,mid '60’s the only link to England.
cheers Eric,
Hey, still an other at Antwerp docks. Begian AEC Mogul.
Bye Eric,
Sutton & Son (St Helens) also for a period in the late 50’s and early 60’s did work with L. Van Gaever, who sometimes would swap the trailers tyres for some worn out ones, they also would chop up ropes. They used to send us single axle trailers with high side which allegadly would carry anything from coal to margarine in. Suttons used to regularly send a tank trailer loaded ex ICI via the Tilbury ferry mainly for Germany, I expect Van Gaevers would do the traction for this on the Continent. To the best of my knowledge there was no connection between Suttons and Ackworth…Tony.
There are some nice film shots on YouTube regarding these lorries when you check “Ferry Load” (part 1&2). The story of a load bound for Milan via Bardic Ferry (Tilbury-Antwerp). Nice memories. There is even a shot during the crossing of my hometown Mechelen…
youtube.com/watch?v=DlyX7h_SCQU
AEC Mandator MkIII Van Gaever + Ackworth trailer in Milan
Family picture of Van Gaever drivers in front of some AECs with Ackworth artics in the port of Rotterdam.
