I was born in Hammersmith, London in 1951. I have been very happily married since 1987.

I have driven for a living for most of my working life, with some warehouse and office work in between.

I started as a Sales Assistant (posh name for a van boy) at Wall’s Sausages and Pies at Atlas Road, Willesden, London, when I was 15 yrs old.

I passed my car driving test in a Wall’s Commer Walk-Thru van with insulated body. It had a GVW of 4.9 tons and its registration number was TME 757F. You were allowed to drive, as a learner, from the yard to your first delivery which for me on the “Richmond Round” was at Barnes, this gave me a good amount of driving practice. My Salesman was Fred Stride.

I had already passed my motorcycle test on my BSA C12 250cc (my friend Steve has still got it and you can see a picture of it in my “Motorcycle Set”.

I paid for and passed my PSV driving test (in 1983) on an ex Birkenhead Leyland PD2 with crash gears on 1st and 2nd and synchromesh on 3rd and 4th, at Wallace Transport based in Shepherds Bush, London, with my test taking part in Central London, a picture of this bus (sorry Polaroid copy) appears in my “HGV and PSV vehicles I have driven Set”.

I then moved to St Neots, Cambridgeshire and got a job with Barfordian Coaches of Great Barford, nr Bedford. Whilst at Barfordian I did trips to France, Belgium, Germany (including East and West Berlin before the Wall came down), Austria, Italy and Holland. (See my Barfordian pictures in “HGV and PSV vehicles I have driven Set”). I think I was taken on as a new driver as I was a Londoner and I knew London very well and I also had many years experience of driving 7.5 ton trucks in and around London. My first coach was a Duple Dominant on a Volvo B58 chassis, see “HGV and PSV vehicles I have driven Set”.

I paid for and took my HGV class 1 in 1992 in Cambridge. I got a job with a driving agency and ended up driving for Excel at Somerfield/Gateway’s Huntingdon depot, where I ended up as a full time driver for them.

I have also worked for Stagecoach / United Counties at their Huntingdon depot, where in 1989 I became United Counties Bus Driver of the Year.

I have also been a chauffeur for a Drug Research Company in Cambridgeshire, where I took the boss and clients to/from London and all of the London Airports.

I did more Agency HGV driving, in the late 1990s, including a few trips for Eddie Stobart!

In 2001 my doctor told me he would not be able to renew my HGV and PSV licences, after I had to give up driving for Grimsby College after less than 3 weeks, because my back went out with just the strain of pressing the clutch down to change gears, the gear lever itself was electronic so was not a problem.

I will also be putting photos of my cats on as well to please my wife.

I hope you enjoy my photos, and you are welcome to tell me of any errors and also to give additional info you may have.

Dave.