Some more old ones of Steward’s Paddock Wood
herbie1932:
robert1952:
012i use to drive for (smugger) john john smith and pull portway trailers with a man 20.321 B880 YJG that brings back memories
What Happened to John John Smith last time I saw him was in his yard at Dargate He used to be in Barrios Yard Newington next to my yard in the 80’s ■■■■ Matthew
Flyingrabbit:
herbie1932:
robert1952:
012i use to drive for (smugger) john john smith and pull portway trailers with a man 20.321 B880 YJG that brings back memories
What Happened to John John Smith last time I saw him was in his yard at Dargate He used to be in Barrios Yard Newington next to my yard in the 80’s ■■■■ Matthew
He sold off the lorries in about 2001 but he kept the yard on. When I worked for Jeff Welton we bought one of his last tilts
(a stretched 12m job) to use on Middle-East work. While I was on Middle-East I met Aluminium Andy, who recognised his old trailer
on the back of my unit: he used to work for John-John and spoke very highly of him. I went to John-John for work back in the 90s;
he didn’t have anything going for me but I came away clutching a video of Destination Doha! I used his yard as my operating base when I had
my own lorry in 2003-4. He did talk of getting a lorry to put back on TIR work but I don’t think he ever did. I would think he’ll be long retired
by now. Robert
Well as they say if the devil could cast his net John John Smith, Barrios and Mr R Matthews all in the same post ? Hi ■■■■ how are you ? a lot of time has passed since our days with Connie Cashman (RIP) and I think the last time that I saw you was at splits funeral, anyway nice to see your still around and keeping well I hope Flocko
flocko:
Well as they say if the devil could cast his net John John Smith, Barrios and Mr R Matthews all in the same post ? Hi ■■■■ how are you ? a lot of time has passed since our days with Connie Cashman (RIP) and I think the last time that I saw you was at splits funeral, anyway nice to see your still around and keeping well I hope Flocko
Hello John Yeah long time ago now 70’s working out of Sheerness for Connie & Mr Dushane all the paper & timber loads & paid by each load you did, I remember you delivered a load of timber to Cobham on the A2 once !!! ssshhh say no more !! We spend many an hour or two sitting in the Dock café waiting to be loaded Dave Price, Shuffle, Nigel Barlin, Peter McKenzie,Mick Spenser, Dave Murphy & many others. Retired now mate like you I expect…Seems a life time ago now dunit. All the Best ■■■■
robert1952:
Flyingrabbit:
herbie1932:
robert1952:
012i use to drive for (smugger) john john smith and pull portway trailers with a man 20.321 B880 YJG that brings back memories
What Happened to John John Smith last time I saw him was in his yard at Dargate He used to be in Barrios Yard Newington next to my yard in the 80’s ■■■■ Matthew
He sold off the lorries in about 2001 but he kept the yard on. When I worked for Jeff Welton we bought one of his last tilts
(a stretched 12m job) to use on Middle-East work. While I was on Middle-East I met Aluminium Andy, who recognised his old trailer
on the back of my unit: he used to work for John-John and spoke very highly of him. I went to John-John for work back in the 90s;
he didn’t have anything going for me but I came away clutching a video of Destination Doha! I used his yard as my operating base when I had
my own lorry in 2003-4. He did talk of getting a lorry to put back on TIR work but I don’t think he ever did. I would think he’ll be long retired
by now. Robert
Yes he was a character had a few dealings with John many years ago, I think he done abit of importing 4x4’s at Dargate I used to pop in & see him when I was down Kent Trucks. ■■■■ Matthew
Cobham that must be the time when I busted the near side mirror on the old 400 S/A. ■■■■ as you know I have left a few bits of broken motors al over the UK none over sea though. i was looking though this Kent thread and cannot understand why no one has put any thing on here about the S.H.A. and all the owner drivers that were part of it. I will put my thinking cap on and try put some names up and see what happens. Flocko
Someone recently mentioned Dave Price. My mother was very good friends with Dave’s wife Shirley, and we would sometimes call round their home in Granville Road Sheerness for a cup of tea. One day Dave had come home and parked his lorry outside. It was a Mercedes 1418 if I remember rightly and my dad did some relief driving for him. Me and a mate would very often ride our bikes down to Sheerness Dock and watch the lorries coming and going. This would have been about late 70s early 80s I suppose. I also remember how many drivers parked outside their homes at the weekend back then. Does anyone else remember Sovereign Transport from Sheerness? I think their yard was down New Road.
Sovereign transport Fred and Ernie had there first place in Blue town then moved in the workshop to the back of what is now new road service station they were founder members of the S.H.A AND I drove for them a number of times to help them out , I also worked for Dave Price for a good few years on Overlands out of Sheerness and later when I stopped driving I used to paint his units for him up until he sold out Flocko
Cheers Flocko, I remember Dave’s lorries always looking nice. I remember going for a ride with my dad in a new Renault he’d recently bought, I think it was a ‘C’ or ‘D’ reg. Really wish I’d taken some photos now, didn’t really think about it at the time.
Here’s another of the local firms you may remember.
When I was first on for Dave i had Mk1 Leyland Marathon that was so rotten the roof blow up one day coming down the A12,i had to stop and rope it down off the bumper over the cab to the air line a frame, looked like a can of beans,But in them days you drove what you were given and got on with it as you were paid by the load. But I do remember the little Renault his first and last new motor ,when I was with him he was running three motors with me, Bert Jarvis,and Barry V I can not remember has last name but he was married to pickle Coombers Ex
I think Barry’s surname was Vergis or something similar. My dad was very good friends with Pickle Coomber and worked for him on and off for many years. When I started driving myself in 1989 I used to park in Pickles yard in Barton Hill Drive Minster. I remember Pickle having about half a dozen Mercedes four wheelers and a couple of tractor units, a Seddon Atkinson 400 and a Mercedes 1626 that his son Colin drove. We need someone to come up with a few old photos. I heard that Pickle passed away recently.
I think you could be right with Vegis I did remember it beginning with a V, and yes the word got to me of about Pickle last year but to late for me to go to his funeral, I remember taking that old seddon up to Scotland with him in the late 70s, we had about twenty drops with Glass, With it being a day cab we were in digs every night mostly in pubs,so late starts every morning , we were away for the week He sat in the passenger seat with his feet up as he could not drive it as he had no class1. Have not seen Colin for few year now .I must know your Dad ? Flocko
flocko:
Cobham that must be the time when I busted the near side mirror on the old 400 S/A. ■■■■ as you know I have left a few bits of broken motors al over the UK none over sea though. i was looking though this Kent thread and cannot understand why no one has put any thing on here about the S.H.A. and all the owner drivers that were part of it. I will put my thinking cap on and try put some names up and see what happens. Flocko
Yes John I remember S H A Bob McAlester & Dave Murphy they both parked there motors in a yard in Raspberry Hill Iwade I drove for a bit for Dave Murphy when Shuffel was on there & my brother in Law Brian Apps (Ferret) 45 gallon drums of Orange Juice to Western Super Mare over night then carry on with the day job when you got back to the Docks. When I had my own motors I done one of the last jobs for S H A before they went under (Onions on a flat) I was owed a few thousand but never got any money back. What happened to Freddy Stanton? I bought that Sedden Atkinson from him when I started up on my own January 1984 is he still alive? ■■■■
Fred still about ,I see him a month or two ago on the island I was picking up some bits for my boys car and he was in there. I know you had that S/A off him was that the one he hit the top of the cab in Sandwich and district growers that had a new cab .He came round my place after he done it to get the glass out of it, bent all the near side at the top when he hit the canopy over the office doors,Bob Mc and his son Steve not seen them for years and Dave Murphy died last year I was told, I remember the orange juice jobs load off the boat frozen drums on a 40Ft flat used to slide about all over the place,Drops were Coops and Salversen I remember helping Spot put a drum back on after it fell off when he was on for Split Pin had to cut the bag and leave half the juice on the side of the road was lucky it had started to melt. happy days Flocko
I was speaking to Steve McAlester this morning. He’s doing some casual work for Coolchain at Teynham with me. I’ve been on here since the RJ Woods days.
A+RJ Woods was more my time before Alf and Roy fell out, but I was still on the road when Clive took over I used to do a lot of work for them out of Sheerness Newhaven ,Dover, Southampton , Newport ,Barry island ,Tilbury, Cardiff, and not forgetting Paddock wood , Are Dave Hampshire or Mickey Dixon still around Bet there are no drivers on there now that were on in the 80s Flocko
flocko:
Fred still about ,I see him a month or two ago on the island I was picking up some bits for my boys car and he was in there. I know you had that S/A off him was that the one he hit the top of the cab in Sandwich and district growers that had a new cab .He came round my place after he done it to get the glass out of it, bent all the near side at the top when he hit the canopy over the office doors,Bob Mc and his son Steve not seen them for years and Dave Murphy died last year I was told, I remember the orange juice jobs load off the boat frozen drums on a 40Ft flat used to slide about all over the place,Drops were Coops and Salversen I remember helping Spot put a drum back on after it fell off when he was on for Split Pin had to cut the bag and leave half the juice on the side of the road was lucky it had started to melt. happy days Flocko
Didn’t know about the cab ? this one didn’t look damaged anywhere or a new cab ? I give him 5k for it in 83, think he lived in Drake Road Minster ? Bob & Steve had a yard up Newington when I was there just running one motor on Containers out of Tilbury think Bob was just the yard boy. Steve then had a space in Splits old yard. Fred took the night heater out before I bought it, which was a luxury in them days. I know why he had a night heater fitted the bloody cab heater was useless I froze my ■■■■■■■■ off in the winter had to have a small gas heater on all day. I thought he bought a Magnum because I saw him in the 90’s at Kent Trucks where I was buying them from. Heres a picture with the new type grille, I had it off Dave Murphy when he had a S/A damaged (didn’t know he was dead) he lived near me in Newington Callaways Lane. Wheres Dushane now ? he was a grease monkey over Scantrucks Sittingbourne in the 80/90’s it seemed funny him working on my motors while I watched. You retired now I expect John ? I don’t miss the bloody lorries had some hard times & bloody long hours for 45 years although I do miss meeting up with people on the road & yapping about things. Was thinking of dabbling with one but all these new bloody rules & CPC crap has put me off, plus the ole body is starting to ache a bit. Christ wheres the time gone ■■? ■■■■
Do you not remember Fred had a long holiday that the Queen arranged for him? , and Bob Greensmith and Nick Hart his brother in Laws ran the motors for Lesley ,when he came out I think there was only one old Renault left . He told me when I last saw him that he had to pack up as he had a unit and trailer loaded with copper go missing from a workshop in the klondyke est on the Island. Mr Duchesne the last time I saw him he was pushing a pram down Sheerness got his self a new Oriental Wife and baby, I think it was Paul Murphy (Murphy) that told me about Dave, he sometimes phones when he want some thing. This is turning into the ■■■■ and John who is dead and who`s alive Post Flocko
robert1952:
And, back in the mid-80s, these Portway machines, which had really slick 13-speed Fuller 'boxes. Robert210
robert shame you havent got any with there 2800 dafs