Hi lads sorry late reply. Just some info the lad who was awarded the Belgium bravery award. Was a lad from leamington spa. Jim McDonnel he was driving for frans mass at the time.
Hi,
I don’t know if any of you guys are using this website still but I came across this (or rather my partner did) last week, my name is Amos, Keith was my dad.
Having not known many of his friends etc because my parents sepaerated when I was only 8, its good to both hear nice stuff being said about him and to see the pictures, especially as I don’t have any of him anymore (Thanks GS Overland).
I still have fond memories of going in the truck with him both over here (sneaking me in to Radford powerstation to tip coal) and abroad, where I got abducted by the ‘elder ladies’ of an Italian village for hours as they hadn’t seen a blonde haired child before, meanwhile my mother was having kittens!. I also remember him telling me about when he got stranded and had to wait for parts for the truck, I didn’t see much of him growing up but it was always good to see him when I could, alas the last time being about 6 months before the accident.
Well just wanted to say hi and thanks for the memories 
All the best to you all
Amos Hill .
Ajhvord:
Hi,I don’t know if any of you guys are using this website still but I came across this (or rather my partner did) last week, my name is Amos, Keith was my dad.
Having not known many of his friends etc because my parents sepaerated when I was only 8, its good to both hear nice stuff being said about him and to see the pictures, especially as I don’t have any of him anymore (Thanks GS Overland).
I still have fond memories of going in the truck with him both over here (sneaking me in to Radford powerstation to tip coal) and abroad, where I got abducted by the ‘elder ladies’ of an Italian village for hours as they hadn’t seen a blonde haired child before, meanwhile my mother was having kittens!. I also remember him telling me about when he got stranded and had to wait for parts for the truck, I didn’t see much of him growing up but it was always good to see him when I could, alas the last time being about 6 months before the accident.
Well just wanted to say hi and thanks for the memories
All the best to you all
Amos Hill .
Nice to read your post - how is your cousin Bob and what’s he up to these days please?
Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
I haven’t seen Robert or most of dad’s side of the family in a long time, in fact since i was a kid, i do remember him saying Robert had started truck driving along with his dad i seem to remember.
The last of dads side of the family i spoke to were dad’s sister (my aunty Val) and her two daughters (who i used to spend long periods with in Beeston in the summer when dad was away with mum) at the funeral i’m afraid.
hi guys just wanted to say i knew keith when i was working subbie for falcongate he was the brother of my best mate chris and i just wanted his son amos to know what a great guy his old man was
I stopped at the Wally-Stop last Friday night,not enough time to get home and it had been a long day what with one thing or another.
Now,like many of you,I can remember back to the late 70’s early 80’s when just about everybody used to call in there before tackling the Aachen border,or,having just tackled it.
I remember vaguely that,before it was re-built after the fire,that the restaurant used to look out onto the parking area and you could see everyone coming and going,probably where the fuel kiosk/shop is now.
As far as I can remember,there was a British driver that was awarded a medal by the King of Belgium for helping to drag out people during the fire,which I think was caused by a gas explosion,someone will probably shed some more light on that one.
Anyway,when I pulled in there Friday evening,I was the only one there which I thought strange.I wondered if they’d stopped trucks parking for some reason,perhaps something to do with the masses of east-europeans that were parked at the border when I came through.But,gradually,trucks began to trickle in,first one of Pulleyns,then an On-time Automotive followed by a couple of Germans who were swapping bodies (nothing ■■■■ 
).
The parking wasn’t full,nor was it when I left Saturday morning.
Perhaps the east-europeans haven’t discovered it yet? Highly unlikely as you can see the Total sign and trucks from the E40.
Oh! God,I hope they don’t read this!!! 
I thought most of the Eastern bloc parked either on the border or in Eupen. I seem to think they do charge from my days at Ontime
I haven’t been in there since before the fire (a long time before, I didn’t pull out 5 mins before like a lot of drivers 
)
I think the bloke that got the medal was on RH out of Nottingham, I’m sure there’s been a post on here before about it.
Don’t remember too much about it, it was 20 odd yrs ago that I used it, can’t have been bad though as I went in a few times, I think I’ve got a sticker or sunstrip from there lurking around somewhere.
Keith Hill was killed in that explosion.
Dave.
Hi Dave
Yes very sad day that was, I Was there a couple of days before the explosion Keith was missed by all who knew him.
Roger Haywood
newmercman:
I haven’t been in there since before the fire (a long time before, I didn’t pull out 5 mins before like a lot of driversI think the bloke that got the medal was on RH out of Nottingham, I’m sure there’s been a post on here before about it.
Don’t remember too much about it, it was 20 odd yrs ago that I used it, can’t have been bad though as I went in a few times, I think I’ve got a sticker or sunstrip from there lurking around somewhere.
There were 2 British drivers awarded medals for helping get people out after the explosion.
Think you could be right that one of them was on for RH frieght, the other was John Piff who was driving for Breda Tpt at the time.
davemackie:
Keith Hill was killed in that explosion.Dave.
Dave
Is that Keith with the white hair and beard, got stranded in his 141 with crankshaft failure in Kuwait, he was there for ages until he got the parts sent down with one of Peter Kings trucks. I gave him a hand and then we met again sometime later and he stayed down in Doha with me for a while when I was doing Doha-UAE for about 6 months. Ive got some photos of him that I will scan and post when I get some time. What a nice bloke. We had some good times in Dubai.
GS
GS OVERLAND:
davemackie:
Keith Hill was killed in that explosion.Dave.
Dave
Is that Keith with the white hair and beard, got stranded in his 141 with crankshaft failure in Kuwait, he was there for ages until he got the parts sent down with one of Peter Kings trucks. I gave him a hand and then we met again sometime later and he stayed down in Doha with me for a while when I was doing Doha-UAE for about 6 months. Ive got some photos of him that I will scan and post when I get some time. What a nice bloke. We had some good times in Dubai.
GS
That’s the same one Gavin, I run back with him on that trip. It was Keith who introduced my wife to M/E milk, she has never been the same since.
Dave.
Hi Guys
As I promised, here are some photos that I took when I spent 6 months working from Doha to UAE and beyond…
This is Keith on the beach at the Hamria area of Dubai where all the trucks park.
This photo is Keith and my Lebanese friend Sami at the same place.
Me and Keith on a night out in Dubai.
And the last one is Keith at his trailerbox at Hamriah.
Fond memories.
GS
I’m not being rude or personal or anything but…that’s a very suspicious haircut and pair of dungaree’s…
You weren’t per chance an early Leo Sayer fan were you?
No offence intended (but probably plenty taken 
)
Hi KW
I am Leo Sayer !! my secret is out. I used to sing when I was in the long queues, it would scare everyone away and I got through quicker!! 
No offence taken mate, My hair was actually tied back in that photo because it was long. As for the dungarees, well I havn’t got an answer to that one!!! It was a long time ago. Werent they in fashion then ■■
GS
I only met Keith when he started doing regular Greece and I always remember him as being a quiet chap who liked his beer, he was involved with a girl called Marianne (?) in greece maybe he even got married to her I’m not sure about that part the sands of time having clouded the memory stick. Nobody expects to die like that but as I heard it he was with another driver in the Wally Stop and the other guy went back to his truck while Keith said he would have one last beer and the next thing it blew up. Is that version of events correct.
Chazzer
chazzer:
the other guy went back to his truck while Keith said he would have one last beer and the next thing it blew up. Is that version of events correct.
Chazzer
there was a bit more fate involved too, keith had a trailer in the yard (loaded for plovdiv iirc) but he had tipped out somewhere up north, and his trailer was down to load pipes from hartlepool for italy on the thursday, which he did. unfortunately the timber bearers the mill used broke on his way down, so on the friday he had to go to peterborough crane hire to get the load rejigged before swapping to his trailer - otherwise he’d probably have been at the containers or at least geiselwind when the wallystop went up
by the way gavin, again no offence but in that photo you look more like a kiddies TV presenter than a inter-continental trucker 
mind you I wouldn’t want to remember what i might have been wearing around that period
GS OVERLAND:
Hi KW
I am Leo Sayer !! my secret is out.
No offence taken mate, My hair was actually tied back in that photo because it was long. As for the dungarees, well I havn’t got an answer to that one!!! It was a long time ago. Werent they in fashion then ■■
GS
Glad you weren’t offended,and you’re probably right about the dungarees being in fashion at some point,I have to own up to having a pair around 1973,but,mercifully there’s no photo evidence of it 
I seem to remember that scruffy git Kevin Rowlands (Dexys Midnight Runners) wearing them in that video too.
I worked with Alan Sharp on RH Freight for some years,he’d just returned to his truck when the place exploded.He rushed in and dragged some people out.I think the King of Belgium invited him to the Belgian GP as his guest.He was also featured on an Esther Rantzen programme on the BBC.If you knew Alan,what he did wouldn’t surprise you.That man had some serious bottle.All the best wherever you are Al.