A few more pictures.The last one a border crossing at Bad Garmisch that I hit with the Volvo.Transport manager flew out and drove to me to get the truck released.When it went to court we wone as I had been waved into the lane and no height on building.Wyatt was very happy.
a question … when they ran with Mates on the drawbars were they local lads and when the law changed in regards to mates did any off them stay on as drivers.
Many thanks for photos I have never seen before. That one of Pat Pearce peering through the screen of his wagon is a classic. The green scania was fiirst driven by Davy Bloomfield and my dad bought it second hand thinking that Davy thought it was a good motor - Wrong - Davy hated it and everybody else too. I was with Alex Drysdale coming back from France fully freighted when it wouldn’t pull up that steep hill on the North Circular and Alex broke the top off the gear stick trying to select crawler. To be fair , that was the big failure on all our RHD Scania 110’s, Also the wipers used to lock up and the only way to free them on the move was to thump the screen but I cracked it on the A1 and we ended up in Scania Carlisle getting the whole lot fixed on our way back to Paris with a load of Smith’s lambs. The lorry was a dog until the fitters sorted it. (CVX ■■■?) reg no.
Jimbo, in answer to your question, Mr Wyatt was not the sort of governor to let you forget you started at the bottom so it was few and far between who progressed to driving his motors. However quite a few did pass their test and go on to have successfull carreers elsewhere. Bobby Martin started off as a trailer mate, progressed to fridge mechanic, then owner driver under the auspices of Mr Wyatt and later on drove for Pearn Wyatt and Tim Wyatt, Johnny Wyatt’s brother and nephew - a haulage business still running out of Snetterton. Jim.
Conga:
A few more pictures.The last one a border crossing at Bad Garmisch that I hit with the Volvo.Transport manager flew out and drove to me to get the truck released.When it went to court we wone as I had been waved into the lane and no height on building.Wyatt was very happy.
I remember that incident. Do you remember when one of ours took out the border crossing on the Brenner by trying to go through the car slot?
May thanks for the memories Conga. Jim.
LB76:
My favourite lorry 0
Believe I drove this truck on my first journey to Belfast.I along with driver nicknamed Jesus(long beard)were highjacked in Belfast.Taken into a bar and given a beer.One of the highjacked came I’m and asked me how to start the Yoke.
jmc jnr …you said Smiths lambs■■? would that be A smith and sons at Lockerbie?? if so that’s where I mind fridged freight from.
JIMBO47:
jmc jnr …you said Smiths lambs■■? would that be A smith and sons at Lockerbie?? if so that’s where I mind fridged freight from.
Thats right Jimbo. We were regular hauliers out of Lockerbie and Galashiels with lambs for Guy Eschalier to either Montsoult and Les Halles. Also Jimmy Stoddart from SMP (Scottish Meat Packers) was an old pal of my father, Jim.
jmc jnr:
Many thanks for photos I have never seen before. That one of Pat Pearce peering through the screen of his wagon is a classic. The green scania was fiirst driven by Davy Bloomfield and my dad bought it second hand thinking that Davy thought it was a good motor - Wrong - Davy hated it and everybody else too. I was with Alex Drysdale coming back from France fully freighted when it wouldn’t pull up that steep hill on the North Circular and Alex broke the top off the gear stick trying to select crawler. To be fair , that was the big failure on all our RHD Scania 110’s, Also the wipers used to lock up and the only way to free them on the move was to thump the screen but I cracked it on the A1 and we ended up in Scania Carlisle getting the whole lot fixed on our way back to Paris with a load of Smith’s lambs. The lorry was a dog until the fitters sorted it. (CVX ■■■?) reg no.
Jimbo, in answer to your question, Mr Wyatt was not the sort of governor to let you forget you started at the bottom so it was few and far between who progressed to driving his motors. However quite a few did pass their test and go on to have successfull carreers elsewhere. Bobby Martin started off as a trailer mate, progressed to fridge mechanic, then owner driver under the auspices of Mr Wyatt and later on drove for Pearn Wyatt and Tim Wyatt, Johnny Wyatt’s brother and nephew - a haulage business still running out of Snetterton. Jim.
What was wrong with the Scania, I would have thought it would be a top motor in those days ,quiet and comfortable compared with the mkv`s and Ergos■■? 
Hello Ramone. Untill the fitters went through it and the colour changed there was a peculiar feeling - a lack of faith in it. The doors creeked like they had never been oiled, That roof cap was only half lit, the wipers would not work properly , the gear shift was sticky and crawler particularly difficult.
Then she was painted - the cap was removed and all the niggles including the fitters getting some decent grunt out of her was performed and then she became Les Edwards motor and within a few months she shone and fitted into the fleet. I think that it was a neglected machine waiting for somebody to treat her right and Les and I went round the Italian bases in her and she was a different wagon all together. Goes to show what a class act the guys in the garage were and the quality of the old Scanias. They had to be on their last legs and suffering from terminal rust to finish them off. Jim.
well , Folks ,i think the dark green scania ,day cab is an ex Williams Bros by the DM and j reg and the ulw weight sticker on the fuel tank ,was there speck ? , just a bit of useless info ,CHEERS Barry
Not fridged freight, but the comments on the wipers reminded me. My first trip to France in Pete Robbins’ 140, I took whisky down and wine or champagne back from Bordeaux area. Soon after loading back, those 3 wipers, which I thought were great (e-type Jag!) suddenly weren’t all moving in time together. Oh bugger, first trip, throwing it down, can’t move without wipers. I looked at the mechanism and could see (iirc) that the spring had broken on the middle wiper. For some reason there was a heap of elastic bands in the cab. I put as many as I could fit in place of the spring and they got me home. I was so pleased with my little self!
John.
ramone:
jmc jnr:
Many thanks for photos I have never seen before. That one of Pat Pearce peering through the screen of his wagon is a classic. The green scania was fiirst driven by Davy Bloomfield and my dad bought it second hand thinking that Davy thought it was a good motor - Wrong - Davy hated it and everybody else too. I was with Alex Drysdale coming back from France fully freighted when it wouldn’t pull up that steep hill on the North Circular and Alex broke the top off the gear stick trying to select crawler. To be fair , that was the big failure on all our RHD Scania 110’s, Also the wipers used to lock up and the only way to free them on the move was to thump the screen but I cracked it on the A1 and we ended up in Scania Carlisle getting the whole lot fixed on our way back to Paris with a load of Smith’s lambs. The lorry was a dog until the fitters sorted it. (CVX ■■■?) reg no.
Jimbo, in answer to your question, Mr Wyatt was not the sort of governor to let you forget you started at the bottom so it was few and far between who progressed to driving his motors. However quite a few did pass their test and go on to have successfull carreers elsewhere. Bobby Martin started off as a trailer mate, progressed to fridge mechanic, then owner driver under the auspices of Mr Wyatt and later on drove for Pearn Wyatt and Tim Wyatt, Johnny Wyatt’s brother and nephew - a haulage business still running out of Snetterton. Jim.What was wrong with the Scania, I would have thought it would be a top motor in those days ,quiet and comfortable compared with the mkv`s and Ergos■■?
Reading some of the tales of overloading on this thread I wondered how those mk111 and mkvs coped with the long distances they encountered ,going over the Blanc must have been interesting ,even in an Ergo which were quite prone to overheating. But maybe youve answered my question , great mechanics (not fitters) . 
Point taken Ramone. The guys were always referred to as Fitters but were mechanics and engineers - later businessmen. Jim.
jmc jnr:
Point taken Ramone. The guys were always referred to as Fitters but were mechanics and engineers - later businessmen. Jim.
Im not having a go Jim , Im fascinated at what your company achieved and am always interested in Fridged Freight posts from ex drivers. Whats happened to LB76 I havent seen him on here for a while he posted some great stuff. There was a haulier in Bradford who was also a great mechanic / engineer apparently he could make those AECs sing and he also made his own trailers, Jack Ashworth , there`s a thread on here about his company and some great characters who drove for him
Well gentlemen what an interesting thread this is, having been involved in International refrigerated transport my self for over fourty odd years this company were at it from the very early years. Started to look through the other evening and could not leave alone until I had gone from page one till the latest entry. Going abroad in the 60’s with the gear they operated well you have to take your hat off to them, not many motorways back then either what a difference from today, good that even back then people took pictures and this I wish I had done more of as I suspect a lot of us regret not doing so now even just to record what it was like in the past, keep it up and thanks Buzzer, founder of Davies International Transport still going but I am now retired.
No problem . It is difficult to get your message across without “appearing” abrupt Ramone. LB76 is possibly one of the few drivers left - we are a similar age and I know he is on Facebook and was gathering anecdotes and info about the old firm with a view to bringing out a book. I am no fan of Facebook and avoid it unless a member of my family sends a message. My father joined FF about 1959/60 and moved into the office in 1965. I travelled with him as much as possible during school holidays and when we moved to England in January 1963 I started standing in as driver’s mate on the lorries and drawbar trailers until 1968 when I moved into engineering. I worked for FF from 1972 t0 1973 ( about 18 months) then moved on. I never did take an HGV test and except for a stint driving small commercials and a very brief spell as a mechanic I moved back into engineering and stayed at it till 2011 when I retired at 61. Hence I know quite a bit about the history and progress up to the firm closing in 1974. Jim.
Apologies to you John. It looks like I was poking the keyboard whilst you added your much appreciated view. Your company has stood the test of time - obviously because it has always been run right - not that FF failed but as my brother pointed out - lack of succession. I also enjoy your farming diary. Wrighty sounds like a hard working character too. Jim.
jim mc ,Spoke to my uncle Wull a “Smiths” man on the loading dock for 20+ yrs (now retired in gt livermere) about FF loading "Smiths"lambs out of Lockerbie was met with a LOL .“they could show the irish back in the day what a load was” ,caddies/swallow tried later on but FF were the kings . he minds throwing some o the drivers a bag of lambs liver/heart /kidneys .
Dallan:
LB76:
My favourite lorry 0Hello again Dallan. I remember one of the drivers being nick-named Jesus by Bobby Martin. It turned out he was a trained Vet (I think) and he soon left and went with Philip Drakard as an office bod. I cannot for the life of me remember his name though. Jim.
Believe I drove this truck on my first journey to Belfast.I along with driver nicknamed Jesus(long beard)were highjacked in Belfast.Taken into a bar and given a beer.One of the highjacked came I’m and asked me how to start the Yoke.
Remember weekended with Jesus outside of Dublin.He carried his own darts.We went into the Bar/Shop and he told me to buy a set of darts.The only ones in the shop were ultra heavy.But after several ales him and I were unbeatable.