That’s a shame, I always admired John, for all the problems he suffered, I always found him cheerful and great crack
to be with. He certainly put a lot idle scroungers to shame, working all his life when he could easily have lounged about,
and had good reason too. Lets hope he hears about this site and posts a blog.
hello beano
although i have not seen john chapman for almost 2 years he did in fact leave allinsons and
went to work for a tanker company in chesterfield but hauling out of aycliffe
by the way, on an earlier post of yours you said he was about 68, but i would say nearer 58,
i am 64 
and he is a lump younger
i remember seeing you in liverpool after you left dents in the 80s, you then had returned to your native south and were working for a rochester firm ( cant remember the name) but had green motors
regards
beano111:
That’s another name I remember, Maurice Robertshaw, is that right and does anyone see John Chapman these days, last I heard he was driving a tanker for Allinsons? Darlington.
Hi John,I saw Maurice Robertshaw about 25 years ago, he had a sweet shop in Newgate street in Bishop Aukland. Regards Ken
you are right kenny, maurice did have a sweet shop, it was also a newsagents, but robertshaw always did like early starts 
, he sold up a few years back not to be seen again, hope he is still about and keeping well.
are you retired now ken and how is life treating you, ok i hope
regards
iamupforit:
hello beanoalthough i have not seen john chapman for almost 2 years he did in fact leave allinsons and
went to work for a tanker company in chesterfield but hauling out of aycliffeby the way, on an earlier post of yours you said he was about 68, but i would say nearer 58,
i am 64i remember seeing you in liverpool after you left dents in the 80s, you then had returned to your native south and were working for a rochester firm ( cant remember the name) but had green motors
regards
I’m glad you are all youngsters the only reason that I said John may be about 68 was because I’m rapidly becoming an old wrinkly at 69. I don’t recognize you from your user name, maybe you mentioned it earlier, so if you did, I apologize , I must scroll back and see. Yes it was Hazeldene transport in Strood near Rochester I worked for then, before moving over to Navan in Co Meath Eire, where I spent the rest of my working life driving for Sherlock Transport Services, that’s another forum I’m trying to get started.
iamupforit:
you are right kenny, maurice did have a sweet shop, it was also a newsagents, but robertshaw always did like early startsare you retired now ken and how is life treating you, ok i hope
regards
Hi i am well thanks and still working,i have a garage in Wheatley Hill. Can’t afford to retire on Dents pension £16 per year i have just got the first payment.So if anyone wants to call in i have a big jar of coffee and a lot of tales to tell. Regards Ken
a dents pension, ! WOW !!! a new one on me, and a whole £16 a year, thats about 5 jars of coffee
no good calling round to your unit ken otherwise you will get nowt done
my pal and i would call at taffys garage at west auckland and pester you lot in the late 70s early 80s
when we had a garage over the main road from there, quite a character was taffy.
have you still got your brother working with you?
regards
hello there GREEK
i am
sure i do remember you, a collisons man, f 86 i think greek was your CB name or maybe not 
regards
Speaking of CBs, can you lads remember when they first came about ? Illegal of course at that time 1979ish. Regards Larry.
Hi All, John Chapman was always the first to joke about his disabilty, his favourite joke was that he was at a do one night, and when he got up to get the drinks in, he won the rock and roll competition. It never seemed to stop him doing anything as far as work was concerned.
Regard Old Bill
just been giving some thought to names i remember from my first time at dents in 1970, here goes
arthur spence, bob hutchinson, martin dawson, tony claughen, tony davison, peter heslop
ted lowes, bobby bowman, barry burton, bill goudie, roly dodds, earnie wainwright, bill rooker
maurice robertshaw, kenny smith and his father ■■■■, on the local side i recall ronnie briggs,
ray lowes alan grey, dale harrison, maca, john chapman jeff welford, back on distance is harry ferguson
shunter john kailofer jimmy sheraton. in the garage there was kenny johnson, jimmy mulligan and a new starter george gittens trailer fitting was gary reeve and wharton peacock then along came ron west,
all headed by roger " muffin" maughan and michael gowland, charles in the office upstairs along with jean and another girl, an apprentice fitter from willington who later joined the prison service and also tony claughens son, there was more but am having trouble remembering, appologies if i have left you out
regards
hell!!!
just remembered alan curry, richie champley, another lad called clough who drove a trader with sideboards on and a little lad who drove a d800 then went onto artics and running into the back of something
at barnsley, i think he was from chester-le-street, i can recall derick cheesey coming for a short while,
then there was kenny dagger
i am sure more will come along and add to the list
regards
iamupforit:
just been giving some thought to names i remember from my first time at dents in 1970, here goesarthur spence, bob hutchinson, martin dawson, tony claughen, tony davison, peter heslop
ted lowes, bobby bowman, barry burton, bill goudie, roly dodds, earnie wainwright, bill rooker
maurice robertshaw, kenny smith and his father ■■■■, on the local side i recall ronnie briggs,
ray lowes alan grey, dale harrison, maca, john chapman jeff welford, back on distance is harry ferguson
shunter john kailofer jimmy sheraton. in the garage there was kenny johnson, jimmy mulligan and a new starter george gittens trailer fitting was gary reeve and wharton peacock then along came ron west,
all headed by roger " muffin" maughan and michael gowland, charles in the office upstairs along with jean and another girl, an apprentice fitter from willington who later joined the prison service and also tony claughens son, there was more but am having trouble remembering, appologies if i have left you outregards
Nice to be remembered. Did we work together at W H Williams in 75. If so I think I’ve sussed you out. Plenty of names from the past, unfortunately some no longer with us. Keep posting and recalling tales from the past. Regards, Ronnie Briggs.
You mention a Waugh’s Seddon, what year was that? I started for them in 1972 (Waugh’s) and we did have a couple of Mark 1 Atkis with 150 Gardners but no Seddon tractors. We did have a Seddon Atkinson rigid that was “P” reg if I recall correctly. Regards Kevmac47. Ps theres lots of info on most firms from the Spennmoor area but no-one mentions that other well known firm, Derelict sorry Direct Transport. Some of you lads must have worked there.
hello mysteron: ronnie briggs
no we never met a williams as i never worked there but to jog your memory,
the day i started at dents in 1970, february, roger sent me and you out together in the same motor
so you could keep an eye on me with me being a new starter, it was a thames trader box van and we went up to newcastle with about a dozen drops, the following day i was out on my own then on the friday i was
away to manchester and liverpool with a d 800 flat, never been out of the county before
regards
iamupforit:
hello mysteron: ronnie briggsno we never met a williams as i never worked there but to jog your memory,
the day i started at dents in 1970, february, roger sent me and you out together in the same motor
so you could keep an eye on me with me being a new starter, it was a thames trader box van and we went up to newcastle with about a dozen drops, the following day i was out on my own then on the friday i was
away to manchester and liverpool with a d 800 flat, never been out of the county beforeregards
Obviously not who I was thinking of. Kenny Johnson called you John which made me think of another guy. The Seddon which you mentioned in a previous post actually came from Simpson’s of Stocksfield. Kenny should be able to verify that. I drove it for Dent’s in 72, reg was HJR***D I think. Keep the posts coming while I try to remember who you are. regards, Ronnie.
hi ronnie
i am not trying to keep anything secret but my name is not john but alan
well that old seddon, i dont know why i thought it came from waughs but i will bow to your better
knowledge and yes i am sure kenny will know the full history
so if kevinmac reads this the old seddon was not from waughs
my memory isnt too good but did you ever work for john wragg doing that KIDWELLY job and i also
remember a peter briggs, did he ever work for dents, i recall him on for john wragg
regards
iamupforit:
hi ronniei am not trying to keep anything secret but my name is not john but alan
well that old seddon, i dont know why i thought it came from waughs but i will bow to your better
knowledge and yes i am sure kenny will know the full historyso if kevinmac reads this the old seddon was not from waughs
my memory isnt too good but did you ever work for john wragg doing that KIDWELLY job and i also
remember a peter briggs, did he ever work for dents, i recall him on for john wraggregards
Hi Alan, yes I did work for John Wragg of Hunwick on the Kidwelly job, there is a thread on this site about them. Peter Briggs, no relation, worked for Dent’s but I can’t recall him at Wragg’s. Was the lad from Chester Le St. called Jimmy Wynn?
hi ronnie
no, it was not jimmy wynn, the driver i am thinking of had the similar motor to kevin dale
they were 2 d800 s with side boards on, this lad was short and stocky with dark hair and lived
chester le st way, he fell off work and i took his motor for what i thought would be a short time but lasted over 3 months, when he came back i was given a thames trader which they had taken the box off and made into a flat but only 16 foot long, it used to fly 
a lad from chilton called tommy then went on the d800 and the chester le st lad was given a unit BUP 587B but shortly after he ran into the back of something
on the m1 at barnsley and got the sack, when the artic was eventually repaired and put back on the
road they gave it to me 
the name dennis keeps coming to mind but i am not sure
regards
iamupforit:
hello there GREEKi am
sure i do remember you, a collisons man, f 86 i think greek was your CB name or maybe notregards
Yep thats me somebody give me the handle sqeaking Greek after my resemblance to demis rousos, had to shorten it because by the time i said who it was they were gone 
. Did have 86 when I first started for Collinson then moved on to an 88 they bought, but at the time we started working out of melinate I had an F7 which I had till I left 1987 & started for GE Armstrong
At that time Roly & Yan had transcons Gorden (magic)had F10,Micky (uno) Sed Akt I think Tommy Bowen had sedAkt Trying to get grey cells workingI think Billy Ronnie Moore & kieth had sed akt & cant remember whether stretch had F10 or sed akt anyway a little bit of info
Regards Kenny