George Spenceley recalls his years as a long distance lorry driver, the friends he made and the incidents that happened along the way.

One journey I undertook as an ICI tanker driver was to Northern Ireland. I'd drive from Wilton to Preston in Lancashire, catch the ferry to Larne or Belfast then make the sea crossing which took about sixteen hours.

It was on my very first trip to Ireland and I'd driven the two hundred miles to Stranraer in southern Scotland, the thirty-six mile crossing normally took about one and a half hours.

The only passengers aboard were four drivers, a Parkanoll furniture van, a Dainty Diner Toffee van, one from the British drug houses. and myself with the ICI tanker loaded with Formaldehyde bound for an Irish linen factory in Dungannon.

None of us had ever crossed from Stranraer before and once the vehicles were aboard and safely shackled down we made our way up to the dining area. The Steward welcomed us aboard and asked if we'd like tea, I was very hungry after driving all day and looked forward to anything that he could dish up.

He returned with a very wide grin on his face and laid the sauce bottles on their sides on the table, I reached across and stood the bottles upright. The Steward still smiling laid them down again. Another driver thinking that this chap was taking the mickey out of me stood the bottles upright again.

'Oh I can see I'm going to have trouble with you four, you've obviously not done this crossing before, some folk only learn the hard way. OK if you want the sauce bottles stood up have them stood up'.

At that the ferry started to draw away from the dockside. The steward returned with our meals and placing them on the table said, 'I hope you enjoy your meal I will return shortly'. We soon realised what he was trying to tell us.

As the ferry passed out of the loch heading for the open sea, the ship hit a huge wave, then another, causing it to shudder as its propellers came out of the water and the front of the ship nose dived. We held on to our plates to stop them sliding off the table but the sauce bottles toppled over and slid to the other end of the table then came back again.

The steward returned with a sympathetic shake of his head, 'Now you understand what I was on about'. At that three other men appeared and asked for the drivers of the furniture van and the ICI tanker, we were to report below to the cargo deck.

The ship was rolling very badly as we made our way down the steps, the high sided furniture van was swaying from side to side and had it not been for the chains round the wheels anchoring the vehicle it would have rolled over.

The crew were busy trying to stabilise it by throwing ropes over the top of it but making matters worse was the acrid smell of Formaldehyde bringing tears to every ones eyes and causing them to cough and splutter.

I managed to climb on to the tanker and tightened the hatch, although the leak had been slight, the enclosed area of the cargo deck was making conditions much worse. Because of the bad weather I was late arriving at the factory in Larne, however the factory Manager had kindly agreed to wait until I arrived.

There were no problems on the journey from or back to the waiting ferry but as soon as I tried to drive aboard again the Captain stopped me. My vehicle and the furniture van had to be checked to make sure they were empty.

Bulk loader

I explained that there'd still be Formaldehyde fumes inside the tank but assured him that it was empty, reluctantly he allowed my vehicle on board saying, 'Any vehicle that I class as carrying a dangerous cargo I have the right to dump it overboard?'

Fair Enough!

Aniline Vehicle

George Spenceley, 2002