I remember your Dad Bill Ballard, was roaming with a 4 wheeler before he went on the Boots job.
Were you on the Coppas contract with a ■■■■■■ van?
yes i was on the coppas contract i started out on the ford a series, dad was on the boots contract until 1982
bronco:
yes i was on the coppas contract i started out on the ford a series, dad was on the boots contract until 1982
I found this thread by accident but it’s brought back a lot of memories. I used to work in the office at Warrington (Appleton) in the early 80’s. I was the young traffic clerk working for Brian Lambert and Neville (forgotten the last name). I remember Jimmy Dawson, Reg Johnson, Mike Fisher, the 2 guys on the Steetley contract and the RTZ and Crossfileds lads (Dennis Gethin?). We also had a contract with Halfords based up at Middleton if I recall correctly. We also shared the yard with McKelvie’s from Paisley if anyone remember that lot.
Any way, thanks for sharing the pictures and memories, it’s great to remember all those great lads again.
thank’s for posting mate,this thread has gone a bit quiet 
Thought I would bring this back to page 1 for Bubbs
transportphotos.com
Stanfield:
Thought I would bring this back to page 1 for Bubbs
transportphotos.com0
well seeing that pic has just brought back some memories of several Scania veh reg no’s based at Warrington - and I’ll try and match the driver to them (this is after a few years of looking at and compiling the daily traffic sheet circa mid 80’s. Does anybody still do traffic sheets or have they all gone Paragonised or Roadrunnerised?)
THT726S Jimmy Dawson
VOU10T Danny Wellman
UAE267T Steve Hayes
YHW589V Frank Newton
YHW590V Joe Hinds
BAE985V Reg Johnson (and Mike Fisher had one with a similar no - which escapes me)
SOU976S ■■■■ Holman
A101SHU Dennis Gething
FWS931W Tony Spruce
NHW121Y Keith Southern
A277TEU Stan ■■■■■■■
B775XFB Ronny Owen
C???DFB Ted Mclean (I think this was the only MAN in the fleet)
A566OKX Barry Bedford (I think this was the only Renault in the fleet)
I may have got a few of them mixed up, and there were certainly more vehicles and drivers at Appleton - somebody on here can probably add to the list!
fantastic info ,i saw keith southern today he’s not drove for over 10 years,sound bloke .
I remember one of their drivers, he was on the trunk to Manchester, he used to stay at Mrs Carrs digs on Chester Road Not far from Old Trafford, Charlie ■■?, he was the senior driver in those days 60s, Regards Larry.
GAZ70:
fantastic info ,i saw keith southern today he’s not drove for over 10 years,sound bloke .
That’s good news Gaz70. Does he still live near the IIRC old Kodak factory in Mobberley and has he kept in touch with any of the old gang? (I believe he moved to Irlams at Chelford when TDG reshuffled the Westerns operation) I used to see Tony Spruce occasionally working on the agency. Some of these guys will now be retired or sadly no longer with us. If you see Keith again soon, ask him does he remember the stripper greeting him in the yard at the end of his shift (his wife and daughter organised it for his birthday) and its the only time I ever saw him blush!
hello hayday,i will ask him about the stripper next time i’m in mobberley,you are correct about the kodack factory,when he moved to irlam’s he had a bad accident in the yard at chelford,he was in the back of a tautliner minding the loader and if i remember the load straps which were tyed back came loose and banged him on the head giving him a nasty head injury,he never drove after that and was very ill for a long time,he seems fine now,all the best gaz 
.
hayday:
Stanfield:
Thought I would bring this back to page 1 for Bubbs
transportphotos.com0well seeing that pic has just brought back some memories of several Scania veh reg no’s based at Warrington - and I’ll try and match the driver to them (this is after a few years of looking at and compiling the daily traffic sheet circa mid 80’s. Does anybody still do traffic sheets or have they all gone Paragonised or Roadrunnerised?)
THT726S Jimmy Dawson
VOU10T Danny Wellman
UAE267T Steve Hayes
YHW589V Frank Newton
YHW590V Joe Hinds
BAE985V Reg Johnson (and Mike Fisher had one with a similar no - which escapes me)
SOU976S ■■■■ Holman
A101SHU Dennis Gething
FWS931W Tony Spruce
NHW121Y Keith Southern
A277TEU Stan ■■■■■■■
B775XFB Ronny Owen
C???DFB Ted Mclean (I think this was the only MAN in the fleet)
A566OKX Barry Bedford (I think this was the only Renault in the fleet)I may have got a few of them mixed up, and there were certainly more vehicles and drivers at Appleton - somebody on here can probably add to the list!
Hello Hayday,What a great list of the Warrington based motors,heres a few pics of a couple of the lorries mentioned on it.
UAE267T when the late Arthur Gregory had it at Avonmouth when reasonably new…note the Boden badge on the front which Art always put on the front of his motor.
BAE986V…This one became our shunter in later years.
BAE985V…Fresh from Warrington,this was in better condition than 986V so this became the local motor in Avonmouth.
C814DFB…This was the FL10 that Tom King had and was based at Kraft at Kirkby after Warrington closed.
The M.A.N artic you mention Hayday was C423BFB and was’nt the only M.A.N Westerns ran,C814 and C815AWS two 16.170 box vans went on the Boots contract down here at Patchway.Also on my list(blimey the anoraks on today) do you remember Mike Fishers F12 A937VMH and Jim and Dannys replacements for their 111s,two Iveco 190.30s C133 EMP and C699KCA 
Cheers Bubbs,
Great pics again Bubbs and I remember those replacement vehicles fondly. I reckon that Jimmy Dawsons Iveco was probably the biggest breadwinner out of them all because he managed to wangle that 6 legger on the cheaper tax. On the topic of messrs Dawson, Wellman and Fisher, I didn’t see much of any of them when I joined Bakers but I subbed a bit of work their way when they moved into Beck and Pollitzers at Howley. I also put a bit of work Mr and Mrs Maggs way when they set up their own firm doing the Kraft out of Namur. Much later on, I’m sure that I spotted Danny Wellman a few times in Sainsburys at Haydock (I think he would have been driving for NFT?) and I heard a while back that Danny had sadly passed away. Another driver who I didn’t mention before (who I believe also sadly left us too young) was George Jenkins, do you remember him? I think he came from the Swansea area and he was on the RTZ job at Widnes. They frequently routed him South and West Wales way so he could keep in touch with his family. Thanks for the pic of UAE267T and I completely forgot that the fine Mr Gregory was its first pilot (I only remember him driving a white tractor - was it a roadtrain or am I thinking of someone else?) and ever so nearly staying on the same subject, didn’t Steve Hayes dad also drive something similar, but he was before my time there. One more name before I hit the sack, not long before I left we got Jim de Havilland on our books and what a real nice guy he was (and he used to bring me a bag of spuds up every Monday - top man!)
Hi again Hayday,glad the pics brought back a few memories,real sorry to hear Danny Wellman has passed away,he was a good ol’ boy…I remember him following me to a coldstore in deepest Kent,Horsmondon or something like that cos he’d not been there before,he had a load to the north west and mine was for the west country so Danny loaded 1st.It was all heavy pallets and all had to be pump trucked up the trailer so obviously I gave him a hand,time was getting on but instead of him getting going he stayed and helped me push my pallets,it probably meant that he couldn’t make it home that night…Jimmy Dawson on the other hand always seemed to get away with murder,on one occasion i had the misfortune of having a “vet” job out of Frigoscandias at Kirkby,I got there early in the morning and so was the vet,at one in the afternoon I was loaded when the phone went,“Jims coming in,give him your trailer and collect the vet load he was supposed to pick up”…6pm I left to go to Doncaster 
As for George Jenkins,well to be honest I probably knew his face but not the name as a lot of the Warrington lads overnighted at Avonmouth , they would all end up supping tea in the canteen so obviously we’d all get chatting.Jim de Havaload is still about,he worked with me up until 2 years ago when he was made redundant,he went on agency driving for Morrisons at Yate but they have now closed down that depot so I dont know how he’s doing now.
The white 111 had Western Transport (contracts division) wrote on the doors ,this was EOU794W and was driven by Pat Lenihan who had it for about 5 years,another good ol’ boy
Cheers for now,Bubbs,
Wireon:
Sorry GAZ70 but name does’nt ring a bell I remember the other Warrington drivers mentioned in these pages
just had a look at your picture wireron ,you look the image of reg johnson 
bubbleman:
Jimmy Dawson on the other hand always seemed to get away with murder,on one occasion i had the misfortune of having a “vet” job out of Frigoscandias at Kirkby,I got there early in the morning and so was the vet,at one in the afternoon I was loaded when the phone went,“Jims coming in,give him your trailer and collect the vet load he was supposed to pick up”…6pm I left to go to Doncaster
A Jimmy Dawson story, he was in the yard at Avonmouth coupling up a trailer. He had backed under (forgetting the hand brake), wound up the legs and was connecting up the air lines. He connected the red and because he was on a very slight slope (backed up to the electric hook ups) the whole lot started to roll slowly forward…in his panic he didn’t release the red, he jumped off of the side, ran in front and tried to stop it by leaning on it. Luckily it hit a flat part and stopped. I would have helped but was too busy laughing…good old days
I remember their trunkers when they used to stop for a break at The Sunset Cafe a Penkridge in the 60s, I wonder if the old watering hole is still going it was a very popular place in the good old days, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
I remember their trunkers when they used to stop for a break at The Sunset Cafe a Penkridge in the 60s, I wonder if the old watering hole is still going it was a very popular place in the good old days, Regards Larry.
Evening all, sorry Larry, the Sunsets long gone, its a CooP store, Chinese restraunt, and some other “productive” outlets. Trev H can tell you more, I think he lives nearby. Cheerio for now.
Lawrence Dunbar:
I remember their trunkers when they used to stop for a break at The Sunset Cafe a Penkridge in the 60s, I wonder if the old watering hole is still going it was a very popular place in the good old days, Regards Larry.
As far as I know Larry the old Sunset Motel site is now Trev H’s Allotment !!! I recall when the sunset was newly opened,it was a the “cutting edge” of what a modern digs was supposed to be like.We used to stop there with Octopus and trailer,either on the way to South Wales or on the way back from there,another digs we used was Durose at Newcastle,Stoke-on-Trent.I never knew why so many drivers disliked Durose Cafe,it was always clean and tidy ? Good old day’s were those Larry !! Cheers Dennis.
Aye like you say Dennis the Durose was decent, I never stayed there but I had many a good meal ther & reasonabley priced to suit the drivers, The long gone good old days, Regards Larry.