A little bit off thread here but I wonder if any of you old boys can remember these two from way back. My mate Barry Burrage and Bobby Bellis left Unispeed in the early '70s and went into partnership with a small trawler. They were unlucky enough to net a WW1 sea mine off the Suffolk coast and came into Lowestoft harbour where it was found to be live by the RN Bomb Disposal team from Portsmouth, and dealt with. Not long after this they sold up and went back on the road both getting jobs at Wyatts ( Fridged Freight ).Cheers Haddy.
Hiya Haddy
Sorry those names don,t ring a bell, but LB76 was there to the end . I left just after Easter 1973 after going with Alan Harris to Auxerre to tranship the load of beef one of the Volvos had scattered down the Autoroute and flew back from Naples - my last trip. Jim
Barry went on to have a fare sized fleet in Sussex tippers/ artics on uk and euro work ,and a franchised workshop (Styr).I worked for him one of the best bosses around .
the firm you mentioned in victoria road diss was keith anderson concrete beams from anglia products lenwade my brother drove for him for a while cheers stoney
This is my first go at a post so be kind please. No pics, sorry, just a memory jogger.
Keith Alexander - Concrete beams from Lenwade? on Atkis. He lived on Victoria Rd. Diss but no idea where the motors were kept.
Syd Barham who had pale blue units - early Mercs ( 1418) near Diss swimming pool.
Humes brown livestock lorries of all makes and sizes from Palgrave . ok that’s suffolk but you could pee into their yard from Norfolk.
Bux Box from Rushall . Red Dodge Artics, then Mercs.
Ben Wyatt, Snetterton, An AEC Mk 5 and a Scammel Low-loader pulling his own plant.
Chickgrit, Snetterton I think had tippers.
Archie King had tippers
Podmore Haulage had Transits, Terriers, AECs on the Travenol contract, also a F88 and fridge-box.
Favor Parker from Long Sutton
If I think of any more that haven’t already been mentioned I’ll let you know.
All mistakes are due to age related sinility caused by propping up bars for 45 yrs.
Jim
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My dad, Barry Parker, used to work for Andersons, carting concrete beams out of lenwade
“Titner” Bloomfield drove a cheesegrater Scammel for the Tarworks near Norman and Banks chippie on Victoria Rd. Diss.
At one time there were 3 cafes on the same road - The Blue bird , the Rendevouz and one between Bartrums and the railway bridge. D.A. "tiddy"Garnham had a yard just before Scole bridge. MRCT started opposite Harry Kydds scrapyard on Stuston Rd. Robert Soare ran a livestock lorry out of Bressingham, Burroughes of Bressingham had a couple of Scammels - twin steer units with bulkers, Geoff Hubbard had a f88 from Long Stratton
Rodger Rudge had I think a Foden and Jimmy Macdonald had a Marathon both usually kept next to the Park on Stanley Rd. George Bierton kept a 8 wheeled bulker up on Shelfanger Rd. You can see the Diss post-code appeared on a lot of haulliers addresses! Oh and Bobby Martin had a fridge concern in Roudham camp - if you read this Bobby - all the best - same to you Geoff. Jim (wally plonk) Glad the nickname didn’t stick.
My son Joe, 20 years old today. Has now been tramping for a year with Bomfords. Living the dream !!!
Hi ,
Some time since I was last on here ,I worked with Barry Parker pulling the beams from Lenwade ,smashing chap Can remember him drinking a pint from a woman’s high heel shoe when we took bridge beams to somewhere in Sth Wales .Magic days ,good work with good blokes .Unfortunately many have passed away "Hedgehog " Bald Eagle " Just a couple who come to mind.
The ex Hans Franke F89 I used at Hales for a couple of years ,then Tony (Hales that is )presented me with the keys to the F12 Globetrotter ,thought I’d won the jackpot ,in it’s day fantastic machine ,and loads of power (385bhp).But the F89 carried the loads better .
Bumped into Young Tony Hales a few days ago and chewed the fat for a while he spends every afternoon 1400hrs to 1600hrs drinking in the Brickmakers at Horsford if you fancy a chat.
All the best Popeye AKA Concrete Cowboy
Hello Popeye.
I just showed your message to Dad (Barry Parker), that made him chuckle. He said there was a crowd of women in the pub and it was their wellies he was drinking out of. Trust him. I would expect nothing less of him really.
Mandie
Hi All, new to the forum just found it.
jmc jnr, Astran was started by a chap who worked for Pledger at Shipdham. Early 70s. He use to service his trucks on a farm between Hingham and Watton before he moved to West Malling.
Hi Concrete Cowboy, remember the best looking boogie driver was Alimo . The best looking driver was Butterfly, well l’ve got to say that. Hi Mandie, regards to your Dad.
Then there was Max Rowe and Flynnie.
Had some goodtimes pulling the blue wrappers from GY with my Transconti. l remember Max bleu the exhaust stack on his left- ■■■■■■ one day, so he fitted a piece of plastic guttering on instead, forget how long it lasted. Lots of memoires of TM and Sootie when l was doing Europe.
Good times with Columbo and Andy rest their soles. 
on the CB. Sam did a Saudie run in his Volvo, brought it back full of sand!
So Jacks got some Scania’s now . asked the old man many times to get me one but he said he didn’t like them, still l was managing to get 9 to the gall out of my Volvo before l got a crappy Daf.
Lots of memoiries but must stop now, done to many miles up the road already. 
Hi Again,
Yes Alimo was best looking Boogie “person” Hedgehog’s XYL ,I believe she married a Jack Richards driver ,(are you still out there Alimo.
I still see Max Rowe ,now he has moved back to Norwich , and bump into Flynnie occasionally, what an awesome reunion it would be if we could get all the blue wrapper drivers from the 70’s & 80’s together again , be some wild stories coming out then. 
Cheers Popeye aka concrete cowboy
Astran was started by a chap who worked for Pledger at Shipdham. Early 70s.
Wrong here mate, it was started before then - early 60’s i beleive!
eyepop:
Hi Again,
Yes Alimo was best looking Boogie “person” Hedgehog’s XYL ,I believe she married a Jack Richards driver ,(are you still out there Alimo.
I still see Max Rowe ,now he has moved back to Norwich , and bump into Flynnie occasionally, what an awesome reunion it would be if we could get all the blue wrapper drivers from the 70’s & 80’s together again , be some wild stories coming out then.
Cheers Popeye aka concrete cowboy
The only problem is Dave someone has to pass away and we meet up with old mates at their funeral. In the past few years I’ve been to see off several old mates including Andy Tate, Johnny Mace, Ray Waterton…I could go on and on. Cheers Haddy (still alive and kicking)
Hi Dave,
Alimo is married to Roy ( Norfolk Roller ) They moved to Coldstream and have a successful Motor Cycle Ridding School.
Thanks Lb, my memory is not like it was. l started at Pledgers in 75.
So Max is back in Norwich, the fishing no good in Gorlestone? Give him and flinnie my regards, tell them we are on our mountain and loving it, he will know what you mean!
Sorry to about Ray passing away, top man.
Good Luck for the ECT Convoy ( if it is still going ) following it on Facebook
Cheers Bootneck & Butterfly
To all the East Coast Truckers who provided the absolutely stunning parade and spectacular day . Thanks. You all made my next door neighbours (Jake Snowlings) day, and just about the rest of Anglias too. Jim
My dad drove for Freddie Barham on Victoria Road Diss (the yard is now a big computer shop) in the 70’s, he started with an 88, then got an F10, he did a lot of Swiss work with it
Am I right in thinking that Mr Banham senior of MGH infamy was originally a Norfolk operator? I might be wrong but I seem to recall they may have been from Dickleburgh?
I remember delivering to Waveney Valley Packers at Diss from Tinsley Wire Sheffield,1968. Think they processed chickens and had their own fleet. Is that company still going?
Here’s an odd one. Does anyone remember (about 1990 ish) I think an owner driver pulling a reefer liveried Norfolk cold stores or something similar, with IIRC a red 6 legger Atkinson Borderer? I know it sounds bizarre…maybe it was just a bad dream
I remember that atki looked very good regards rward