David M Green:
Press photo’s found in Leonard Greens files.
Any one know the Driver and the story ?
Hello David,
I worked for Green’s for a short while out of the Birmingham depot along with my mate David on night trunk in about 1966. David is the lad standing in front of my truck after is own truck was burned out, all this took place going up Meadow Head on our way home must have been around midnight, they replaced the ERF with a BMC don’t ask me what it was I can only give you a description it was a squarish cab and the doors were at the back just like the little threepenny bit cabs that came later it had no opening windows and was stifling hot the only way you got any air was to open the bloody doors it was way to small for the job it was doing on night trunk and consequently dropped a piston which came out the side of the block. At the time David and I were promised two new Mercedes Benz the one’s with the long front I’m not sure of their exact numbers and every night we went in the garage to see how the prep was getting on and was expecting to get them very soon as it was they gave them to two Rotherham drivers leaving us very disappointed as you can imagine and because of this we left the company sounds silly now but when you were a kid as we were all we wanted was the best truck we could get our hands on, hope this helps.
Regards Eric.
By gum Eric,you are going back some years when the Sheffield-Birmingham steel motors went via Meadowhead,Sheffield on the old A61,day and night,through Chesterfield,Clay Cross,Alfreton and Ripley( 'appen for a call with the Ripley Pig,don’t fret I’ll not say owt) .
You will have called in the Olympia Cafe in Derby no doubt?
Chris who are trying kid you stood at Woodseats to get a lift well before the bottom of Meadowhead so they still had a run at the hill
cheers Johnnie
A bit too modern for me that Merc,new fangled furrin stuff,we beat ‘em in t’war etc.
I were quite happy with me AEC MK3,parked at Lunch Box Kilburn overnight,and me stood at Gleadless Townend late 60s wi t’log sheet flappin’ at 0300 or 0400 to catch any bugger on their way for a 0600 drop somewhere in t’Brum area.Mills,Cawthornes,Jacksons,late-running Brummie BRS men (you would never get an early one ),Kitchens,Warringtons and many dozens other.
You could shove your lass on a wagon at Townend and she could get dropped off in t’Bull Ring,do a fancy load of shopping and get same wagon back…
…not as I ever asked my PETAL of nearly 50 years married to do it.
here it is after some thief took the merc badge under. The crane track at Dudley port.we still did brum via A61 meadowhead when I started at greens in 67 the M18/M1opened ,there was always a couple of BRS drivers on dodgies at top of high st Rotherham waiting for a lift,if george stubs appeared in his flat front merc they ran round the corner.one of smethwick drivers was knicknamed the donkey & he always had the ripley pig with him on night trunk
revman: here it is after some thief took the merc badge under. The crane track at Dudley port.we still did brum via A61 meadowhead when I started at greens in 67 the M18/M1opened ,there was always a couple of BRS drivers on dodgies at top of high st Rotherham waiting for a lift,if george stubs appeared in his flat front merc they ran round the corner.one of smethwick drivers was knicknamed the donkey & he always had the ripley pig with him on night trunk
Would yer “donkey” be the Jamaican lad that picked me up one friday night at Little Eaton,with the “A” series 180 ■■■■■■■■■■■■ of “beeelits” at 90 mph in Aberdeen overdrive on M1 between J28 and J29?
I’ve seen drivers with log sheets/books hide at Tinsley when they spotted me coming with the AEC MK3 MM. Well,I were never particular,like they say “A third class ride is better than a first class walk”.
not him chris I know who that Jamaican trucker was the "donkey"was a skinny cat weasel bloke who looked like he wanted a wash,them smethwick erf were Perkins 6.354 ( underpowered)geo Stubbs had this merc. Nowt ont road could catch him,he once had a load out of laportes gin house lane,over woodhead& he went off the road just after the bridge on the bend,lorry & load ended up in the bottom,George climbed back up with his shirt burnt off,another time he started early to get tipped at west bromwich got to burton & lost his load on the bend at the brs depot,rang office & said hey up Tom (tommy slater) I am tipped. No wonder nobody wanted a ride with him.
revman: not him chris I know who that Jamaican trucker was the "donkey"was a skinny cat weasel bloke who looked like he wanted a wash,them smethwick erf were Perkins 6.354 ( underpowered)geo Stubbs had this merc. Nowt ont road could catch him,he once had a load out of laportes gin house lane,over woodhead& he went off the road just after the bridge on the bend,lorry & load ended up in the bottom,George climbed back up with his shirt burnt off,another time he started early to get tipped at west bromwich got to burton & lost his load on the bend at the brs depot,rang office & said hey up Tom (tommy slater) I am tipped. No wonder nobody wanted a ride with him.
He should have paired up with Maltese Tony off L H Mills,talk about keep death off the roads. He once did two Bromsgroves in a shift and was away to Netherton to fill his day in.Mind you a 0680 Power Plus Leyland was top of the heap in them days…
There’s one thing,he wouldn’t have time to stop on Butterley Hill for a Guinness with “Lil”.
Did you ever go in the Prince of Wales?..only asking.
Maltese tony was about when I started at greens ,never met him but saw his lad cab power plus usually on his way back around Lichfield ,always got a wave ,they said he could turn nasty if you crossed him,but wot do I know(bin tclub for a couple or three) been to murdehall there’s a book in wh smith old Sheffield with a ch Preston steamer,that I had not seen before.regards alan
Hello Revman,
Thanks for the Merc I knew one day I would get one unfortunately I can’t tell my mate David as he went and died on me about 8 years ago, is that painting one of the one’s we should have had.
Hi Eric there were three mercs two bonneted as you said & one normal control-all were 65 C reg fleet nos 36-37-38 but one of the bonneted mercs had a bad accident A38 derby(driver mick lee)a load of baled scrap took the cab off & it was off the road a while, when it came back it was re registered KWU643D with fleet no39’. Was it Howard in the office at smethwick regards–alan
revman:
Maltese tony was about when I started at greens ,never met him but saw his lad cab power plus usually on his way back around Lichfield ,always got a wave ,they said he could turn nasty if you crossed him,but wot do I know(bin tclub for a couple or three) been to murdehall there’s a book in wh smith old Sheffield with a ch Preston steamer,that I had not seen before.regards alan
Aye,he could turn nasty alright according to what I heard,although he was always rayt with me.
Was this the C H Preston steamer?
I know u weren’t driving then chris ,you would have been mating ont shovell(steam coal),seen that pic before,no it was a different pic,about the same time though.
revman:
Hi Eric there were three mercs two bonneted as you said & one normal control-all were 65 C reg fleet nos 36-37-38 but one of the bonneted mercs had a bad accident A38 derby(driver mick lee)a load of baled scrap took the cab off & it was off the road a while, when it came back it was re registered KWU643D with fleet no39’. Was it Howard in the office at smethwick regards–alan
Hello revman, I must be honest I never met anyone from the office being on nights we just got out of my car into the ERFs and gone and yes we did stop at the Olympia cafe, toasted teacake and a cup of tea lovely, the weather on that road was something else these young one’s don’t know about weather today, why when I was a lad…
Eric.
Hi Eric the night men coming south also stopped at derby,but not at the Olympia,&it wasn’t tea they were supping,that’s why one ended up in the canal at Rolfe st yard.–alan
revman:
Hi Eric the night men coming south also stopped at derby,but not at the Olympia,&it wasn’t tea they were supping,that’s why one ended up in the canal at Rolfe st yard.–alan
You mean they never stopped for tea, first things first, never did that I would have spent the rest of the night sleeping in a layby mind you I would have had the BRS boys banging on the door every ten minutes.
Eric
revman:
If any of greens stopped in that area there would be certain young lady tryin to get int cab or Chris Webb on a dodgy
No,never parked up there,Kilburn,South Normanton were regular,also,before M1 opened,big lay-by on A61 near Wingerworth,opposite Hunloke Arms and not far from coking plant.No Lil in my cab,BRS and Greens 'appen though…
Odd times,Meadowhead or Gleadless Townend…enough said
revman: not him chris I know who that Jamaican trucker was the "donkey"was a skinny cat weasel bloke who looked like he wanted a wash,them smethwick erf were Perkins 6.354 ( underpowered)geo Stubbs had this merc. Nowt ont road could catch him,he once had a load out of laportes gin house lane,over woodhead& he went off the road just after the bridge on the bend,lorry & load ended up in the bottom,George climbed back up with his shirt burnt off,another time he started early to get tipped at west bromwich got to burton & lost his load on the bend at the brs depot,rang office & said hey up Tom (tommy slater) I am tipped. No wonder nobody wanted a ride with him.
He should have paired up with Maltese Tony off L H Mills,talk about keep death off the roads. He once did two Bromsgroves in a shift and was away to Netherton to fill his day in.Mind you a 0680 Power Plus Leyland was top of the heap in them days…
There’s one thing,he wouldn’t have time to stop on Butterley Hill for a Guinness with “Lil”.
Did you ever go in the Prince of Wales?..only asking.
Maltese Tony "me come me go"long distance lorry driver on Malta,he had the leyland octpus on Mills at the same time as Billy Osborne had the Albion cally .boath early starters , and just as mad , two dam good workers ,
.
HYG787C65 reg
here it is after some thief took the merc badge under. The crane track at Dudley port.we still did brum via A61 meadowhead when I started at greens in 67 the M18/M1opened ,there was always a couple of BRS drivers on dodgies at top of high st Rotherham waiting for a lift,if george stubs appeared in his flat front merc they ran round the corner.one of smethwick drivers was knicknamed the donkey & he always had the ripley pig with him on night trunk
not him chris I know who that Jamaican trucker was the "donkey"was a skinny cat weasel bloke who looked like he wanted a wash,them smethwick erf were Perkins 6.354 ( underpowered)
Len greens smethwick depot engine st smethwick,now a fabrication co.