Southampton was one of Britain’s main fruit importation ports,not just for all the South African citrus & deciduous,but also bananas from the West Indies & West Africa.
In 1967,Fyffes Group consolidated all their UK banana imports at 25 shed,Eastern Dock.
Hi All
Who’s is the D Series from Locks Heath
cheers
Rich
tribsa:
Hi AllWho’s is the D Series from Locks Heath
cheers
Rich
Got me super eye magnifying glass out and it something transport services but there is a glaze on the first word, Buzzer.
tribsa:
Hi AllWho’s is the D Series from Locks Heath
cheers
Rich
I vaguely remember J .B Summers T/A Warsash Transport Services from Warsash Rd,Warsash operating a couple of D Series from Hunts Pond Road on this traffic.The vehicles were in a striking colour, either maroon or violet
roolechat:
Southampton was one of Britain’s main fruit importation ports,not just for all the South African citrus & deciduous,but also bananas from the West Indies & West Africa.
In 1967,Fyffes Group consolidated all their UK banana imports at 25 shed,Eastern Dock.
Is it Fyffes or Geest that still have ships of bananas in at Southampton ?
DEANB:
roolechat:
Southampton was one of Britain’s main fruit importation ports,not just for all the South African citrus & deciduous,but also bananas from the West Indies & West Africa.
In 1967,Fyffes Group consolidated all their UK banana imports at 25 shed,Eastern Dock.
2Is it Fyffes or Geest that still have ships of bananas in at Southampton ?
1
0
I think Fyffes bought the Geest banana operation in the mid 90’s? The name still exists though.
Fyffes pulled out of Southampton in 2002 and moved to FlatHouse Quay, Portsmouth.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Franglais:
DEANB:
roolechat:
Southampton was one of Britain’s main fruit importation ports,not just for all the South African citrus & deciduous,but also bananas from the West Indies & West Africa.
In 1967,Fyffes Group consolidated all their UK banana imports at 25 shed,Eastern Dock.
2Is it Fyffes or Geest that still have ships of bananas in at Southampton ?
1
0
I think Fyffes bought the Geest banana operation in the mid 90’s? The name still exists though.
Fyffes pulled out of Southampton in 2002 and moved to FlatHouse Quay, Portsmouth.Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Whatever it is, their bananas taste better than the ones we get in France. Different empires, you see. 
Hi all, I believe Fyffes have now moved from Portsmouth and gone to Dover for what ever reason. When i first started driving for Luckets in Fareham we had a 40ft trailer with twist locks that it would carry 5 of the 8ft bannanna boxes that Fyffes or Guest used can’t remember which but we used to run them in and out from Newhaven. 
gerbil sb152:
Hi all, I believe Fyffes have now moved from Portsmouth and gone to Dover for what ever reason. When i first started driving for Luckets in Fareham we had a 40ft trailer with twist locks that it would carry 5 of the 8ft bannanna boxes that Fyffes or Guest used can’t remember which but we used to run them in and out from Newhaven.
Funny that you mention that Kev I used to load bananas out of Newhaven think it was ARD trans which was run by a man named think it was Bob Alford, we used to take them to a curing house in Birmingham (Jacksons) was it but I don’t think they cure them anymore as they are usually green and hard when you buy them now. Remember a fella from the IOW named John Cotton used to do the same work and we often ran together and back then you mostly loaded yourself maybe with one docker to help, wonder if John Cotton is still about, cheers Buzzer.
Buzzer:
they are usually green and hard when you buy them now.
That’s how most of ours are now, from the market, not the supermarket anyway, and I leave them in the sunshine for a few days. That does the trick. 
gerbil sb152:
Hi all, I believe Fyffes have now moved from Portsmouth and gone to Dover for what ever reason. When i first started driving for Luckets in Fareham we had a 40ft trailer with twist locks that it would carry 5 of the 8ft bannanna boxes that Fyffes or Guest used can’t remember which but we used to run them in and out from Newhaven.
Geest seemed to specialise in 8ft boxes at that time.It must have been a niche market as everybody else was operating to 10/20/30/40 ft ISO standards
Continuing the “Banana” thread, During my 3 years driving for Robert Baillie of Horndean from early 1970, we did regular
deliveries of bananas to ripening rooms beneath Piccadilly Station in the centre of Manchester, and also to a company in
Bridlington called Pickering,Bull & Co Ltd. I was based at Baillies Wigan depot, and the building we occupied was formerly
Fyffes Bananas, and it was “Rail-fed” from the mainline railways which passed through the town centre. I seem to remember
that Baillies had 6 x 30ft ISO insulated containers, that were bought specially for the banana job, and the movable boards
on the sides of the containers were signed “JAMAICA PRDUCERS BANANAS”, and were signed with Baillies company name on
the reverse. The containers were also equipped with lifting eyes at the top, and when they were empty at the Northern
deliveries, they were dropped at Freightliner at Trafford Park, Manchester, so that the lorry could put on a sheeted load at
H.J.Heinz at Wigan for Heinz at Southampton, or their factory at Harlesden, London, NW10. The bananas we carried were
loaded at London Docks, and about late 1970, because of dock strikes, the banana boats started to arrive at Sheerness,
which was then quite a derelict area, and soon after, Robert Baillie created a depot there, initially with just a few lorries,
the first driver based there was a chap called Mick Mackender. On the few times I went to Sheerness, we stayed at transport
“Digs” run by a Mrs Saint. The Atkinson ETX 993X, next to the 30ft container in the 2nd picture is restored and owned by
Tony Henwood from Stowmarket. Recent pictures of ETX 993X are on the Robert Baillie thread.
Ray Smyth.
gerbil sb152:
Hi all, I believe Fyffes have now moved from Portsmouth and gone to Dover for what ever reason. When i first started driving for Luckets in Fareham we had a 40ft trailer with twist locks that it would carry 5 of the 8ft bannanna boxes that Fyffes or Guest used can’t remember which but we used to run them in and out from Newhaven.
Nothing stands still !
Seems they left because they bought bigger vessels, but Pompey have expanded their quay.
So, Yes they left, but have returned:
portsmouth.co.uk/business/b … -1-9044965
Article dated Aug 2019 says they will return in Jan for a 5yr contract.
portsmouth.co.uk/business/b … -1-9044965
Portico says first vessel docked Dec 6th.
Hi all, Happy New year to all on here hope you all had a good on and not too many hangover’s this morning. The year’s do certainly go by a bit faster as you get older. Than’s for the info on Portsmouth Franglais, they don’t seem to broadcast the good new’s as well as they do the bad.
A 1965 ERF advertisement containing a mystery
ERF claim that the vehicle entered service with Bakers in 1934,yet the registeration in the picture -JCR 753- was issued by Southampton C.B.C between May & October of 1951 .In 1934,Southampton C.B.C were issuing OW followed by 4 numbers (OW 4148 to OW 6055 were actually issued during 1934) .The vehicle still looks original & therefore one would expect it to have a 1934 OW reg no !
375 GTR was isued in So’ton during March 1964
Bonne Anee Robert…
I was getting a bit bored earlier this week, after all there’s only so much egg flip you can drink and mince pies you can eat…so I had a look back from page one of this thread. I only joined in about 5 years ago so there’s much I’ve missed.
I’m up to page 50 now and it’s been so interesting looking at all the trucks , companies and drivers . We’ve lost a good few of each along the way but it’s a great way to remember them all.
Not so many posting now but I guess everyone runs out of pics and stories, or have more pressing things to do.
Here’s a little question… a name popped up in one post : Steve Stevenson . I remember him from the Portugal run late 70’s early 80’s, he had a Blue 2800 Daf and pulled for Partrans / Partricks , plus Aquila sometimes I think. A Pompey lad but hey we won’t hold that against him 
Anyone know of him?
Cheers the noo.