MandatorV8:
Bobtail: What a list of names. Several lived in my village and I was at school with some of them. Wasn’t Colin Andrews another of the clan?Very interested in any shots you may have of the firm.
Colin had left before I started to run his own coach travel company. He still called in occasionally. Do you also remember Mick Scarfe and Bobby Kerr, the 2 Boston mechanics?
Tony you are dead correct, Pete Tate from Weeden, he was a very dry fellow, Graham Laye had two knee ops while on there, little Billy Bardon, we had some laughs together, once we had a greek night at wooton, and his 15 year old daughter dressed as a slave girl, I was a arab, and I picked her up and flung her over my shoulder and put her up for auction, she never forgot, even when she married a soldier and went to live in Germany, she sent her regards. as for corky e was a good mate of mine, took him on his first spanish holiday to Tenerife, he use to live a couple of doors from the cricket ground, shame he died so young.
Yes Norm think everyone was shocked about “Corky” passing away 
after reading your middle east thread didnt know 2 other ex swift drivers were on overland - Colin Wright & “Shovel” 
Tony you have told me something I did not know, I never knew they came from Swift’s, Shovel son, contacted me on my M/E thread, and told me his Dad was in Spain, and he did a trip to Russia on Madonna road tour, he used to live at Towcester. Colin he was a sod for wanting to keep stopping for a brew up and turning it in to a couple of hours stop, he was always saying to me, did you see me flashing, I used to say with a serious face “NO”, but I just used to ignor him, for I wanted to get a few hundred miles under our belt. Saw him about 4 years ago near the white elephant, he was in a rush to get a pint after comming out of Ladbrokes with another chap, he looked very old and thin, then just after that someone told me he had died?. What a small world it is, when start to think about it. 
It certainly is Norm , what is even more amazing is my memory as a kid ; i remember those drivers & even the reg.no.s of the lorries they drove 
Yet now i’m always forgetting peoples names 
Bobtail:
I worked at Swifts in the early 80’s when they ran several drivers out of Boston after closing the Skeg depot. Straight from school, I used to write the traffic sheet out every day before fetching the coffee for Pete Woods, the manager.
The Wiggy refered to was Dave Sellers- UCT 822S a very rum boy!
Others were:
Ian Twigg A138RBD, Pete Simpson CJL939V, Pat Lowe A135RBD, Alan Robinson GJL148W, Roy Brummitt GJL149W, Ray Bosworth DCT853V, Ralph Baxter OJL466R, Chris Kenny RJL529R, Bill Smith GJL798W, Dave Smith UCT920S(twins) Graham Smith SJL837S(younger brother) Mo Longmate UDO614S, Max Stengel OJL 459R, George King VJV675V, Mick Simpson A115YRP, Ray Harrison CJL447V, Tony Hayward B563AVV, Tony Harris A762 ARX, Noel Pell CUG55Y, Ron Cooper VDO659S, Ron Bishop OJL458R, Ray Norman TJL564S, Dave Houlton ELW 555T, Nick Pears, John ‘Shep’ Noakes, Herrick Brown, Ken Epton, Mark ‘Kermit’ Turner PNH 3R and the unforgetable Micky Bray UDO615S
I have several pics of the Boston trucks in the early eighties, and I’ll try to scan them on. We ran the last F88’s (possibly the last in Lincolnshire was SJL837S) several of the early F10’s, an F7, two F6’s, Ford 1618’s with sleepers, DAF2500’s, a Mk2 F10, one F86 and a D series 7.5 tonner.
Can anyone also recall Tip Yardy’s green and black F88
I have been involved in transport 27 years now and the above remain the most professional set of drivers I have ever met.I hope this is of interest
I knew every one the blokes mentioned here … all great drivers and friends
I remember Shovel, Mick Bray and all these blokes, I started in 75 and left in 87, when I left I went back next week for my wages and Mick Rogers asked me to go to a darts night they had planned … tyrned out to be a suprise farewell party for me, bought tears to my eyes
When Georeg King started on night trunk he locked me in the Frieghtmaster one night when I was checking the load and pretended to be driving to Skeggy (the ■■■■■■■■ he just drove round duston then back to the yard
Tony & Pat I think the drivers in that era, had more time for each other, some you become great pals, but even those who you would not be on your christmas card list, there was mutual respect, in all my years of driving, I only had one who left me in the lurch, and he found out, it don’t pay to be a loner, for everyone needs help sometime.
Mick Bray with UDO 617S
George King’s 240Bhp F10 next to Ron Bishop’s leaky boat
Max Stengel had this Seddon Atki 301 briefly, but it was troublesome and got moved nearer a dealer
Saturday morning at Boston. Note the D1618 far right. It took at least 43 men to push up the cabs on these beasts and as they were prone to blowing head gaskets we got plenty of practice
GJL 798W - pride of the Boston fleet, but we couldn’t say that in front of Bill Smith’s brother Dave!
More to follow
They used to haul out of Fison’s Goole.
Bobtail:
Mick Bray with UDO 617S
George King’s 240Bhp F10 next to Ron Bishop’s leaky boat
Max Stengel had this Seddon Atki 301 briefly, but it was troublesome and got moved nearer a dealer
Saturday morning at Boston. Note the D1618 far right. It took at least 43 men to push up the cabs on these beasts and as they were prone to blowing head gaskets we got plenty of practice
GJL 798W - pride of the Boston fleet, but we couldn’t say that in front of Bill Smith’s brother Dave!More to follow
Last time I saw Dave Smith he was northbound on the M6 near crew, I passed him in my Federal Express/ Matchbox artic and we talked for a few minutes.
George King and I became really good mates, I would often drive from Northampton to wainfleet for a beer and stay the night. One new years eve I went to stay and go out on the ■■■■ at the three tuns and wrote my car off in a snow storm, he vame out and collected me, we all went to the boozer and got ■■■■■■■ then next day he drove me back to a waiting recovery truck at the wreck 
Pat, here’s a picture of Gaargy King with Bob Kerr in Boston yard
Bobtail:
Pat, here’s a picture of Gaargy King with Bob Kerr in Boston yard
Ha ha ha … thanks mate
Dave Smith with UCT 920S. The first truck I drove with Dave as co-pilot, 9 years later I got my Class 1
Dave’s replacement for 920S on the left, and on the right Mo Longmate with his then new vehicle, an
ex demo which was eventually painted in Swift livery. It was unusual as by this time Swift’s Fleet Engineer
had ordered the removal of all air deflectore! The Normanton F7’s all had a small adjustable blade right
at the front of the cab
Kermit and his first artic.
Where are all the photos ? Mo Longmate was a misserable git sometimes
Pat Hasler:
Where are all the photos ? Mo Longmate was a misserable git sometimes
Try again…
Excellent pics Bobtail 
Cheers
Tell me lads are they still going, I don’t get around so much, but it seems ages since I seen any lorries.
Swifts became Christian Salvesen who became Norbert Dentressangle. Skeggy to France in 2 moves