I’ll make enquiries with John Tragett and Maurice Ralph who were both doing markets at the time from the immediate Chart Sutton area. The only green Crusaders on similar work I recall were Francis Davis, but they were from Faversham and I think mainly doing HGF (the stripey boxes).
Always had the feeling they were doing their own work. Lorries had no writing on them that I saw. I knew Francis Davis well enough and M & R also did a lot of HGF work.
Someone (Mark perhaps) who comes on here was asking me some time back if I’d seen any pics of Transhield / Transvite / Euroshield’s LHD Bedford TMs. Just found one. Robert
Did the French ones have an E290? I’m looking at the back axle and it’s not the big SOMA one that usually put the Detroit horses to the road.
Yep 290 ■■■■■■■ and 9spd Fuller box, don’t know about the back axle though. I never drove the LHD’s, but the RHD’s were the same spec, and they were flying machines.
kmills:
Yep 290 ■■■■■■■ and 9spd Fuller box, don’t know about the back axle though. I never drove the LHD’s, but the RHD’s were the same spec, and they were flying machines.
That’s a good bit of info! I’ve not found evidence before of that driveline with LHD TMs. Cheers! 
Robert
lawrence2765:
sandway:
Two Kent transport companies I have not seen mentioned on this forum before are Invicta Transport and Butchers Removals both of whom operated out of a yard on the right at the end of Hart Street in Maidstone. They were cousins of the boss of Bosmans Transport out at Fairleigh. I think the yard and storage may have been redeveloped as when I looked at a google map it looks as if there are new buildings up there. I had worked for Mitchell & Robertson of Staplehurst for over 6 years doing Fruit market work in the UK but wanted to do continental work so I got a job with Invicta Transport running to Belgium and Holland in, I think, the latter part of 1976.
This was very much starting afresh on the bottom rung of the ladder but it did give me experience of working abroad. Invicta was owned by Alan Butcher and Paul Butcher owned Butchers Removals. Paul, I see, is still in business with 4 offices around Kent. He has a storage facility in Staplehurst and when I knew him he also lived in Staplehurst. I read online recently he has been involved in local politics for over 30 years. I can well believe this. He had one of the most infectious smiles I have ever seen. He got on so well with everyone. A really nice guy. Alan was the exact opposite. A very difficult person to work for. But I needed continental experience and he was able to provide it. He only had one lorry. A Volvo F89 which by the look of it had done a fair bit of middle east work. He also did a bit of haulage on the concert scene for Burt Weedon and ACDC as well as a few others. This he handled himself except for one memorable occasion when I did a gig for ACDC at the Mecca Ballroom in the Bullring, Birmingham. I went to the concert in the evening thinking this is great. 3 hours later my head was spinning. It was nothing but mad, bad, loud frenzy music. The crowd that night was about 600 strong. Almost all lads with a sprinkling of girls to add a bit of colour. Half the blokes were spaced out writhing on the floor. I’m glad I only did the one gig.
However, well before then I did my first trip abroad to Lokeren. Alan was pulling for, I think, Eurotrans who were part of the Wim Voss company. They had 8 new flat trailers two of which were coil carriers for loading out of Shotton in North Wales. We always shipped to Ostende. Our base in Belgium was the Tankwash at Lokeren. Very handy as it had a good truckstop attached. Can’t remember any of the other hauliers pulling these trailers accept Brinor Freight from Swindon way. I seemed to work day and night on this job. Alan was, I believe, only paid whilst I was running loaded on a milage basis. He may have been paid a small retainer.
Then to cap it it all my F89 was taken off me so Alan could swan off round Europe on an ACDC concert tour. To keep the Eurotrans business going he bought or maybe he found it in a scrapyard a very old, very ugly, very past its prime, the worst lorry I had ever set my eyes on. I can’t even remember what make it was. I do remember it was an ex Locks of Headcorn vehicle, once many years before, to which somebody had added (badly) a small sleeper pod. It had a small underpowered Gardner engine and was very prone to breaking down. I was in the yard when it first arrived and I remember Paul saying to Alan “you’re not sending him abroad in that are you”. He was and off I went. As I said this lorry had a propensity for breaking down. On one occasion it broke down on the ferry coming home. I dropped the trailer and a tug pulled me onto terra firma with the brakes locked on. By this time I was getting really cheesed off but consoled myself by thinking of the experience I was getting!
After a couple of months I got the F89 back and Alan dropped the Eurotrans work and signed up with Wilgo Freight in Essex who were running a small groupage service to Rouen and Paris reloading mainly full loads from the Rouen area. It was traction only pulling a Wilgo tilt trailer which was in good condition. We were then shipping over to Boulogne from Folkestone on P & O Lion or Tiger ferries. I was doing mainly one trip a week and it was almost civilised. But the time was coming when I could approach the company I really wanted to work for, Promotor (Europe) Ltd at Dunton Green, Sevenoaks.If one of you knowledgeable contributors recognise or have photos of the old ex Lock unit I drove I would love to hear from you or see the photos.
The Butcher brothers were cousins to the Bosman brothers of Maidstone then Ditton (where I was the transport manager).
Sadly a few days ago Paul Butcher passed away.
I have been looking online for clues to the ex Lock (I think) lorry I drove whilst working for Alan Butchers “Invicta Transport” out of Maidstone. I am now fairly sure it was an Atkinson Viewline. They were built 66/68. I remember the tall wrap around windscreen and the high seating. Also the clunk the doors made, which may have been wooden framed, when I shut them. Also I think there were door restraints made from leather. On the back of the cab a narrow sleeping pod had been added. Cant imagine Locks putting that on. Lower down below the pod you could not see the back of the engine as it was all covered by sheet metal. I assume this was required to help stop the spread of flames back to the tankers that Lock pulled. I don’t remember any insignia on the vehicle at all. No big A or Atkinson.
Lawrence 2765. You knew the Bosman brothers. I think Chris (name?) drove one of their lorries and the other brother was the mechanic. The mechanic had to come to my assistance when I broke down on more than one occasion. Although it was in a tatty state when I drove it it was still in Locks colours. Does anyone recollect or have photos of this old lorry?.
How come two of my words from my last post have been censured? I have changed them here to read “when I closed the door” and “flat thin metal”. Is that ok Mr Editor.
Phew!!!
^^
It won’t have the opposite of long/tall today either. 
sandway:
lawrence2765:
sandway:
To keep the Eurotrans business going he bought or maybe he found it in a scrapyard a very old, very ugly, very past its prime, the worst lorry I had ever set my eyes on. I can’t even remember what make it was. I do remember it was an ex Locks of Headcorn vehicle, once many years before, to which somebody had added (badly) a small sleeper pod. It had a small underpowered Gardner engine and was very prone to breaking down. I was in the yard when it first arrived and I remember Paul saying to Alan “you’re not sending him abroad in that are you”. He was and off I went. As I said this lorry had a propensity for breaking down. On one occasion it broke down on the ferry coming home. I dropped the trailer and a tug pulled me onto terra firma with the brakes locked on. By this time I was getting really cheesed off but consoled myself by thinking of the experience I was getting!
If one of you knowledgeable contributors recognise or have photos of the old ex Lock unit I drove I would love to hear from you or see the photos.The Butcher brothers were cousins to the Bosman brothers of Maidstone then Ditton (where I was the transport manager).
Sadly a few days ago Paul Butcher passed away.I have been looking online for clues to the ex Lock (I think) lorry I drove whilst working for Alan Butchers “Invicta Transport” out of Maidstone. I am now fairly sure it was an Atkinson Viewline. They were built 66/68. I remember the tall wrap around windscreen and the high seating. Also the clunk the doors made, which may have been wooden framed, when I shut them. Also I think there were door restraints made from leather. On the back of the cab a narrow sleeping pod had been added. Cant imagine Locks putting that on. Lower down below the pod you could not see the back of the engine as it was all covered by sheet metal. I assume this was required to help stop the spread of flames back to the tankers that Lock pulled. I don’t remember any insignia on the vehicle at all. No big A or Atkinson.
Lawrence 2765. You knew the Bosman brothers. I think Chris (name?) drove one of their lorries and the other brother was the mechanic. The mechanic had to come to my assistance when I broke down on more than one occasion. Although it was in a tatty state when I drove it it was still in Locks colours. Does anyone recollect or have photos of this old lorry?.
Lock did have an Atkinson View-Line, RKE 110G, and which was new to D A Johnson of Maidstone. For whatever reason, Lock rebuilt the front of the cab, replacing the original windscreens with smaller flat ones, and adding the sleeper extension. Here it is:
flickr.com/photos/35455701@ … ist-xFCo4E
It had a Gardner 6LXB engine (180 bhp) and a 6-speed David Brown gearbox
Originally, it looked the same as this one:
flickr.com/photos/4626060■■ … 1YR-nQr8eT
I didn’t know that it had run abroad!
Thank you for a great bit of detective work 240 Gardner. It was just under 40 years ago I drove the ex Lock of Headcorn Atkinson Viewline for about 8 to 10 weeks. As I intimated that was 8 to 10 weeks to long. I always thought it had a split screen but after viewing many pictures of Viewlines I thought I must be wrong. Glad to see that wasn’t the case though. Maybe the narrow corner windows helped convince me it was a wrap round screen. I could have sworn it had a smaller engine but obviously not. One thing that doesn’t look right, although you can’t see much of it, is the sleeper pod. I thought it was tact on level with the roof and not very high. The picture shows the side going down to the bottom of the cab? You say Locks got it from D A Johnson. I wonder if that was the transport company that had a yard on top of Detling Hill. Also, I understood Locks only ever bought new vehicles. I understand the Lock company with the same principal in charge is still in existence with a fantastic fleet of lorries. I can only assume they got rid of the ugly Viewline asap. I had never heard of them doing continental work and I thought most of their work was local so why the sleeper cab. Once again thanks for your input. Any other info would still be appreciated.
sandway:
Thank you for a great bit of detective work 240 Gardner. It was just under 40 years ago I drove the ex Lock of Headcorn Atkinson Viewline for about 8 to 10 weeks. As I intimated that was 8 to 10 weeks to long. I always thought it had a split screen but after viewing many pictures of Viewlines I thought I must be wrong. Glad to see that wasn’t the case though. Maybe the narrow corner windows helped convince me it was a wrap round screen. I could have sworn it had a smaller engine but obviously not. One thing that doesn’t look right, although you can’t see much of it, is the sleeper pod. I thought it was tact on level with the roof and not very high. The picture shows the side going down to the bottom of the cab? You say Locks got it from D A Johnson. I wonder if that was the transport company that had a yard on top of Detling Hill. Also, I understood Locks only ever bought new vehicles. I understand the Lock company with the same principal in charge is still in existence with a fantastic fleet of lorries. I can only assume they got rid of the ugly Viewline asap. I had never heard of them doing continental work and I thought most of their work was local so why the sleeper cab. Once again thanks for your input. Any other info would still be appreciated.
You’re welcome! I don’t know anything about D A Johnson, other than the photos I have seen of the View-Line in their colours when it was new: there’s a great colour photo of it in one of Peter Davies’ books, and a different photo in one of his magazine articles about the View-Line
HKR 260 D was originally a motor show vehicle delivered to Henley Transport and driven by Brian Lawrence
When I was working for Mitchell and Robertson back in 72 or maybe 73 I joined the village football team in Frittenden. I did so as John Mitchell played in goal for them and at some stage Joe, Johns brother, who also drove a lorry for the company joined as a winger. We played for them for a couple of seasons before joining Sutton Valence. Now John, who should have had more sense challenged the boys in the HGF (Home Grown Fruits) office to a game which they readily accepted. As they were one of our best customers it was going to be very awkward if we beat them. We met somewhere over Canterbury way with our ragtag team, we certainly couldn’t get a full team together let alone all wear the same colour shirts. They turned out in clean and tidy kit and really looked the part. Malcolm Robertson was drafted in as goalkeeper, John and Joe played on the wings and I played my usual position of centre half. I think Peter and Ray Capon played but I can’t remember the names of any one else except perhaps Norman Horsford. But if he did play I am sure Malcolm or John would have had a word with him as they wouldn’t have wanted any broken legs (in the HGF team not Normans own). After an hour or so we didn’t have to worry about losing the HGF work as we were 10-0 down and I think by this time they were thinking to themselves we better stop scoring or we are going to lose one of our most reliable hauliers and so that was the final score.
Thankfully John didn’t arrange any more games and Mitchell and Robertson football team could boast for evermore that they had only ever been beaten once. Quite some achievement.
Not sure who’s ERF was pulling this Wood’s trailer.
And here’s a pic I found online of a wagon I drove briefly on European work. It was actually a lovely lorry to drive with a beautifully installed Twin-splitter. Robert
I drove that one for a few months too Robert, agreed that it was nice n smooth. The trailer in the pic was one of 2 that were hired from Longhurst’s in Sittingbourne.
kmills:
I drove that one for a few months too Robert, agreed that it was nice n smooth. The trailer in the pic was one of 2 that were hired from Longhurst’s in Sittingbourne.
I’ve just found this online too! It was the sister ‘ship’, which I also drove (and I expect you did too). Robert
sandway:
Thank you for a great bit of detective work 240 Gardner. It was just under 40 years ago I drove the ex Lock of Headcorn Atkinson Viewline for about 8 to 10 weeks. As I intimated that was 8 to 10 weeks to long. I always thought it had a split screen but after viewing many pictures of Viewlines I thought I must be wrong. Glad to see that wasn’t the case though. Maybe the narrow corner windows helped convince me it was a wrap round screen. I could have sworn it had a smaller engine but obviously not. One thing that doesn’t look right, although you can’t see much of it, is the sleeper pod. I thought it was tact on level with the roof and not very high. The picture shows the side going down to the bottom of the cab? You say Locks got it from D A Johnson. I wonder if that was the transport company that had a yard on top of Detling Hill. Also, I understood Locks only ever bought new vehicles. I understand the Lock company with the same principal in charge is still in existence with a fantastic fleet of lorries. I can only assume they got rid of the ugly Viewline asap. I had never heard of them doing continental work and I thought most of their work was local so why the sleeper cab. Once again thanks for your input. Any other info would still be appreciated.
Here’s another Lock Atkinson with a sleeper conversion:
I guess we will never know why the sleeper pods were added. Certainly the one on the Viewline I drove was not built to the highest standard but I suppose as an occasional bed it was ok.
I drove this one for a day or two! Robert
