harry_gill:
.
PS Chris the fleet engineer in my time at W.H.was a chap nicknamed Bruno "always smoked a pipe"never knew his real name but well remember the TM the very easy going Harold Newlove a proper old style guy who knew the job inside out.
John Birkett, perhaps?
Archie
John Birtles was Jewish, John Comiskey, the manager, was Irish. Gordon Nunn was the yard man.
Archie Paice:
mat man:
mushroomman:
Archie, do you or can anybody remember the Irish fellow who did the goods inward at M.A.T. shed 2 ( or was it 3 ? ) M.I.F.T. Trafford Park ?. In the late eighties, he always seemed a bit arrogant when he was taking to drivers. The young fellow was alright, I remember that he was big Wigan Rugby league fan.i can rememer there first names. but not there surnames. john and dillon
Hullo Steve & “mat man”,
John Birtles was an Irish lad in the office in M.I.F.T. The lad that was into Rugby, as far as I can recall was Gordon … ?, but he was the yard man there. I just can’t think of the Manager there at that time. I do believe he was Irish too.
Cheers, Archie.
Archie
When I left MAT I moved to Wakefield and I am still here. I drove for Express Daries then went in the dairy as a supervisor. I am the Health & Safety Manager for the Arcadia group site in Leeds (DHL). Only 2 years left and I retire. I enjoyed my time at MAT, I was there 13 years. I first met you when you did digs and I can remember when you got your first tractor unit. We used to be serviced overnight in Hull. I remember that misarable bugger Dave Clarke taking my radio out and cutting the wires up in inch long bits and leaving it all on the driver seat. There was some good lads working for MAT then, can you remember the traffic clerk and the yard man (before Shandy) selling hired trailers, I thought I was bad. We got a job carrying cash from the ROF at Crewe to the banks up in Scotland and I was on that job for months. Are there any of the Briks boys on from Birmingham? MAT sailed very close to the wind back then, I remember the trafic clerk in Hull giving us tilt trailers with 22 ton on their backs for Manchester, we used to wait till around 9.00 at night and run back over the top mixing it with trunkers and hoping that we would not get stopped.Had some fantastic nights out in Hull, remember when we went for that meal after a skinfull in the Earl de Gray? Those were the days my friend, I would give my left tersticle to go back there. Look after yourself mate
Archie Paice:
Carlc:
I drove for MAT at MIFT in Manchester. The Transport Manager was John Komiskey a Polish Irish guy who managed with his pants on fire. The guy before him was Les Bickadyke and a prick called Gordon Nunn. I remember Johnny Mann, he was a fantastic fitter. My brother in law also drove for Mat out of Hull (Terry Shipley). I ended up working in 2 shed for MAT in Mift when the wife ■■■■■■ off. Every bugger will remember me. Anyone know what happened to Dave, the big guy who was yard man at Hull?
Cliff CarlHullo Cliff,
How are you you old bugger ? That,s it John Komisky, I had forgotten Les Kickadyke, and of course John Birtles went over there too. And a prick called Gordon Nunn, and I thought he was a good mate of you all over there, the ■■■■■■. I’ve seen Manny a few times on the Ferry, he is or was still at it, one a week Italy for Niel and Brown, out of Hull. Terry I have’nt seen for years, and big Dave from Kirkbymoorside also, he was a really top class bloke, always had old Alec Shand giving him bollickings, this aint done that aint done, it never bothered him, he just used to shrug and carry on as normal, good bloke. Old Cliffy Carl wound up in No2 shed at M.I.F.T., that’s why it closed down I reckon
Cheers, Archie.
I remember taking one of those 40 skellys to Penros aluminium powder on Angelsey. I had 2-20 ft containers on, loaded the back one and put it on the freightliner on Angelsey and had the other one lifted into the middle position on the skelly. Coming back to manchester with that loaded to the roof was an experience I would not like to repeat. Every time I went round a corner one set of wheels lifted on the trailer. I found out that Persil does realy get rid of staines.
Archie Paice:
macdangerous:
Hi Archie
Glad you remember it - I was beginning to think I’d imagined it all.
Didn’t know about the move to Joe Wright’s - I must have moved on by then. Are you sure they were 110s there? We definitely had one 111 at Stampers and I’d have thought they were the same wagons that moved to Wee Joe’s. Were they painted in MAT colours?
One of the MAT drivers at Stampers was called Jimmy - he was an ex MAT euro driver, nice big guy. Did he become the manager?
And yup, Brian Perry, that’s the fella. I think the other Brian might have been called Hopkins or Hodgson (it was 40 years ago…). Smoked roll-ups from a silver cigarette case.Cheers for the memories!
Dave MacDHullo again macdangerouse,
No mate you never imagined it, it was quite real and a real good laugh in those far off days. I can’t remember Jimmy, only the James that I mentioned before, he was fairly posh and would never have been a driver. Do you know that may have been Brian Yeardly that you remember, although he left about that time to start his own business ( that really did grow quickly ). I’ve been trying to remember and I believe the managers name was actually James Mckay, as I said posh but a really top class bloke. By the way do you remember those 40ft skellies, tandem axles, with the wheels right at the back of the trailer ? Two twenty ft boxes on, bloody heavy, over the A66, Penrith, Brough, Stainmore, Glasgow to Hull overnight. Now that was a good nights work.
Cheers, Archie.
You don’t by any chance have a contact for Patsy? I drove for Mat for 13 years out of MIFT in Manchester and knew Patsy very well. There was another guy from P/boro called Scott, can’t remeber his first name and another little guy who started his own haulage company. Great company to work for and the best job I ever had.
knowall:
Brian Rosier ran the company into the ground within a short space of time.
Before that the Company had been founded by Arnold Kunzler with ex War Department rail wagons. He passed it to his sons Peter and Robert who ran a solid, multi national outfit for many years.Sad loss to the industry.
By the way, in reply to an earlier post the MAT driver called Pat was Patsy McMahon from Wisbech, based at MAT Peterborough. Worked there for 30 odd years till he retired five or six years ago, Formerly of the BRS P’boro. Lovely guy, a great character who looked like Michael Caine!
Carlc:
You don’t by any chance have a contact for Patsy? I drove for Mat for 13 years out of MIFT in Manchester and knew Patsy very well. There was another guy from P/boro called Scott, can’t remeber his first name and another little guy who started his own haulage company. Great company to work for and the best job I ever had.knowall:
Brian Rosier ran the company into the ground within a short space of time.
Before that the Company had been founded by Arnold Kunzler with ex War Department rail wagons. He passed it to his sons Peter and Robert who ran a solid, multi national outfit for many years.Sad loss to the industry.
By the way, in reply to an earlier post the MAT driver called Pat was Patsy McMahon from Wisbech, based at MAT Peterborough. Worked there for 30 odd years till he retired five or six years ago, Formerly of the BRS P’boro. Lovely guy, a great character who looked like Michael Caine!
Hullo Cliff,
As this bit says, Patsy was Patsy McMahon. the other two you mentioned were Geof Scott, and the little bloke you mentioned was Freddie ***********, I can’t remember his surname, but the last time I saw him he was running his own motors. Where are they all now I wonder ?
Cheers, Archie.
the yard man in hull was dave jackson.
Patsy McMahon lived in Wisbech.
Geoff Scott also lived thereabouts, I reckon he retired going on 8/9 years ago.
I also knew Little Freddie for many years but the one thing that escapes me
at the moment is his surname. He ran a scruffy old Scania from memory,
working for MAT Dover, running out of P’boro.
A great bunch - I may have said earlier that Patsy called into my office on
the day he retired and by that time I had known him around 33 years or so
not many around like him now, thats for sure.
Regards
K
Hi Cliff
Do you remember me Kev Morrow?
It only seems last week since working at MAT, MIFT Trafford Park 1974-75. While I was there these are the drivers I remmember. Reg Jacklin, Jimmy Murray, Mick Lunny, Joe Winstanley, Chris Kennworthy (Woolyback), Tony Boylin. Yardman Gordon Nunn and traffic Manager Les Bickerdyke. Les Bickerdyke started at Humko on the weighbridge after his heart attack. Les was not the same bloke as we knew him at MAT. He changed for the better, telling jokes and seemed to have not a care in the world. Mind you it could have been his medication! He left through ill health. I was on the tankers at Humko. Cliff you will remember the driver that got injured on Westinghouse road, he had a limp. He started at High Row haulage Warrington, I cannot think of his name.
My father used to work for MAT transport. He started working at the cowley depot in sep 1974 untill he was made redundent when they closed the depot & relocated to milton keynes. I was 11 years old when he started & as soon as he took me up the yard & i saw those scammell crusaders & scania 110s i was hooked. His name was Bob Waugh & took the role of traffic planner, under the management of dave basey (basey moved on to BRS Boston i believe)As a youngster i would be up the yard at any chance i got, helping drivers drop & pickup trailers, going out for trips with the drivers & even help load containers on to the trains, could’nt imagine you’d be allowed to do it these days. In those days british leyland had plants in benelux, so container trains would go from cowley to parkston quay & car train exports to sothampton (mat transauto)As i got a little older i would go on the night trunk to either Felixstowe, Harwich or Dover & we would nearly always have to to go via Arnold house to drop off internal mail, that was my job, Harry carter, the driver, would get a cup of tea & wait for me at spittalfields church tea wagon, bet Peter kunzler did’nt know that! Does anyone remember MAT frigo, John Tack, one of the drivers bought a load of bananas back from Avonmouth & had the fridge set wrong or something & the whole load went off, messy.There was also MAT Britania with the kangaroo tilts , i used to love stripping them out, little did i know that a few years later i would learn to loathe it lol. I remember Patsy very well, always had a lighter hanging round his neck on a chain, many years later he would practise his line dancing in the back of an empty trailer, what a lovely fella. Some drivers i remember then- Eddie creed, Harry carter, john tack, Micky dunston,(went onto aston clinton haulage) Dickie or Micky snoops, Greg mellet, nobby clark,(went to oxford bus company) Brian wharton(shop steward) Jim stevens, he started doing middle east for MAT & had a really bad accident out there, came back to cowley a couple of years later with some boss scars! Les smith, followed him back from London one day & he lost a set of wheels off his scammell, got away with it as well. Micky bowen
MAT tranport, cowley subbies, Fred holliday, BRS. Tom burston, owner driver from Swindon, lovely scania 111s, Geoff workman from stroud with a spanish dodge, what a flyer & my favorite subby of them all, charlie mc murray, smiths of tring, scania 111 & 141, air horns, the full monty used to love going out in those trucks, happy days,. I ended up subbing myself for MAT with Cowan bros pulling out of Dover mainly under roger haydock, he rememered my dad. So sad that a great company has gone, fantastic childhood memories & a great bunch of drivers who passed on knowledge & wisdom that served me well in my driving career, Rosier should be ashamed of himself!
always on the cards when rosier took over.every thing he touched never lasted long.
Cartran
I remember your Dad very well as I worked at MAT Arnold House at the same time as he worked at Cowley - we spoke many times on a daily basis
I always found Bob very helpful and an absolute gentleman.
When my office was made redundant, the traffic was moved to Cowley for a while with Bob and Keith Payne doing the traffic under Dave Basey - a yes man for the
Management if ever there was one.
Cowley didn’t have the operation for long before they were closed and it was given to
Felixstowe under Alan Johnson.
If my memory serves me correctly your Dad worked for Electrolux at Bognor Regis and when my
Trucks used to go there he always arranged a quick tip and asked my drivers to say hello for him.
K
1974 I was made redundant from Williames Transport Group Ireland after 4 years; I started on an old AEC Mandator and progressed to a Scammell Crusader with a double bunk sleeper cab. I was offered a job at MAT MIFT Manchester and they had a new fleet of Scammells but with day cabs. Started on the Monday and my new gleaming Scammell ended being an Atkinson Borderer (SYL212C). I had to load up drive to Hull to collect my metal case with spare bulbs lenses and every bit of kit such as tail board and a mass of cable for foreign trailers. I wondered where the passenger seat had gone, but I imagined I must be driving the shunter. Wrong all tractor units had the passenger seats taken out and no radios. In the end my dreams came true and I got a Scammell. I remember MAT had a deal with Salford Van Hire and a few of us were given Volvo 86s. The frustrating thing was the radios and passengers seats were taken out.
When on service at Hull. I stopped in luxury digs not sure if it was called Chrisannes. The Seaman’s Mission.
I remember cabbing many nights at the Earl de Gray, does anybody remember the bald parrot!
There would always be at least 10- 15 MAT drivers drinking in there each night.
I left MAT 1975 and started work for Humko Tankers (KRAFT) Trafford Park.
Les Bickerdyke transport manager had a heart attack and finished at MAT. He started as weighbridge operative at HUMKO about 1982. Every time I weighed my tanker off, we talked about the old days at stories of MAT Transport.
kevmorrow:
I left MAT 1975 and started work for Humko Tankers (KRAFT) Trafford Park.
Les Bickerdyke transport manager had a heart attack and finished at MAT. He started as weighbridge operative at HUMKO about 1982. Every time I weighed my tanker off, we talked about the old days at stories of MAT Transport.
Hell, that name is a right blast from the past, we need some Humko pictures for the tanker thread please. 
cartran:
My father used to work for MAT transport. He started working at the cowley depot in sep 1974 untill he was made redundent when they closed the depot & relocated to milton keynes. I was 11 years old when he started & as soon as he took me up the yard & i saw those scammell crusaders & scania 110s i was hooked. His name was Bob Waugh & took the role of traffic planner, under the management of dave basey (basey moved on to BRS Boston i believe)As a youngster i would be up the yard at any chance i got, helping drivers drop & pickup trailers, going out for trips with the drivers & even help load containers on to the trains, could’nt imagine you’d be allowed to do it these days. In those days british leyland had plants in benelux, so container trains would go from cowley to parkston quay & car train exports to sothampton (mat transauto)As i got a little older i would go on the night trunk to either Felixstowe, Harwich or Dover & we would nearly always have to to go via Arnold house to drop off internal mail, that was my job, Harry carter, the driver, would get a cup of tea & wait for me at spittalfields church tea wagon, bet Peter kunzler did’nt know that! Does anyone remember MAT frigo, John Tack, one of the drivers bought a load of bananas back from Avonmouth & had the fridge set wrong or something & the whole load went off, messy.There was also MAT Britania with the kangaroo tilts , i used to love stripping them out, little did i know that a few years later i would learn to loathe it lol. I remember Patsy very well, always had a lighter hanging round his neck on a chain, many years later he would practise his line dancing in the back of an empty trailer, what a lovely fella. Some drivers i remember then- Eddie creed, Harry carter, john tack, Micky dunston,(went onto aston clinton haulage) Dickie or Micky snoops, Greg mellet, nobby clark,(went to oxford bus company) Brian wharton(shop steward) Jim stevens, he started doing middle east for MAT & had a really bad accident out there, came back to cowley a couple of years later with some boss scars! Les smith, followed him back from London one day & he lost a set of wheels off his scammell, got away with it as well. Micky bowen
Hullo Cartran,
I remember all of those lads that you mention, all good blokes, all of them. There was also Eddie Creeds’ brother who used to drive sometimes, I think he was actually the crane driver at Cowley. There was also Trevor Tuckey, who went off and started up on his own ( Hooky transport ) company somewhere, and Bob Bennett, who married his girl friends’ Mother, . Two more really good blokes. And I remember Charlie from Smiths of Tring, with his permed Curly Hair too, If ever you see any of them please give them my regards.
Cheers, Archie.
Hi wheelnut
I have two photos of HUMKO tankers, one when I had a full head of hair. I am not sure how you upload to this page. I uploaded to my personal album, double click camera on the left and this will take you to my personal album. If you have any ideas how I upload to this page will you let me know!
Cheers
kevmorrow
kevmorrow:
Hi wheelnutI have two photos of HUMKO tankers, one when I had a full head of hair. I am not sure how you upload to this page. I uploaded to my personal album, double click camera on the left and this will take you to my personal album. If you have any ideas how I upload to this page will you let me know!
Cheers
kevmorrow
Cheers kev. I will post them in John Stanfields tanker thread too, have a look, you may recognise some names or lorries 
hiya,
There was Frans Maas depot in the Chester Le Street/Birtley area have’nt been that way for a while, still there??.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
There was Frans Maas depot in the Chester Le Street/Birtley area have’nt been that way for a while, still there??.
thanks harry long retired.
Hullo “harry_gill”
MAT Transport.! Frans Maas ■■? Have you been on the bottle mate ■■?
Cheers Archie.