Andy Lambert's home web page

<body> <div align="center"> <center> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="800" cellpadding="0" id="AutoNumber1"> <tr> <td> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial">Andrew Lambert's web site is best viewed with a frame equipped browser</font></b><font face="Arial"><br> (this page is for those that don't have one)</font></p> <p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>My name is <b>Andrew Lambert,</b> or<b> Andy Lambert, </b>of <b> Locks Heath</b> near Southampton, England. I have had a fairly successful life and made a name for myself in several very diverse areas, here is a brief background to that. I was born in 1946 and lived in London's <b> Replingham Road, Southfields </b>(above the co-op) before moving to Huxley Close and grew up around the Wandsworth area, with my older brother - Geoff. <br> <br> My first School was<b> Riversdale School</b> in Southfields, then later I went to the (then new)<b><a href="http://www.elliottonians.com/"> Elliott Comprehensive</a></b> School, up on Putney Common. Old Elliott pupils might like to know there is a Elliott School Egroup here as well as a fascinating website.<br> <br> When I left school, I first worked for Decca, What an education that was, talk about the swing sixties! My father was sadly killed during this time and so I had to do my growing up quickly. Fortunately I was amongst friends (a tough bunch of Battersea 'rockers') and that no doubt is where I developed a love of fast mechanical things (as well as leggy females). <br> <br> <b>Vehicle Recovery </b><br> <img border="0" src="andy/images/forge.jpg" align="right" hspace="6" alt="The first Recovery Vehicle I drove" width="275" height="175">Although the first part of my life (and then the last part of working life) were involved with electronics, my 'true love' has always been <a href="http://www.vehiclerecovery.org/">vehicle recovery </a>and all the remarkable people in the industry. I attended my first breakdown with Forge Garage of Poynings down in Sussex (with whom I was working through my holiday), in the summer of 1965 and become hooked (no pun) on recovery vehicles. <br> <br> Little did I know at the time, that I would be associated with vehicle recovery for the rest of my life. Or could I guess that at the end of my active career (forty years later), 'The Good and the Great' of the industry would to my internal pride, make me a <b>FIVR</b> <b>Fellow of The Institute Of Vehicle Recovery</b> and award me with this gold truck. When I left the front line of vehicle recovery, it was to develop IT systems, to ease the incredible load on control room staff and drivers. Within five years of us starting, 95% of UK Recovery operators were using our Turbo Dispatch communication system. Much has been written elsewhere about this and how it changed the industry for the better, therefore I don't intend to dwell on it here.<br> <br> In 2006 The <b>IVER</b> awarded me this incredible Green Flag Trophy, for the contributions my peers thought I had made to the recovery industry. When I finally retired I thought it was all over and I could get away from Recovery Vehicles, but again I was honoured to be asked to become the fourth trustee in RISC UK (The Recovery Industry Support Charity), along with my old mates Brian Hagen, Tom Johnson and a new friend Debbie Hewitt. <br> <br> Anyway back to the summer of 1965 - From that turning point on, I spent every spare moment nights and weekends, as a 'part time' recovery driver. My speciality being working the Kingston Bypass, and if you knew the bypass when South Lane was still a crossroads, you will understand what it was like. Still I lived through it and sadly there were some that did not. First I 'part timed' for Windmill Coachworks, (then in Molsey opposite the police station). Next I joined Instant Service Garage, in that most famous of suburban roads - The Avenue Surbiton (never did get to meet Felicity Kendal though). It was interesting 'fighting for work', in those days when only a few motorist belonged to one of the 'motoring clubs' Finally I joined <b>Cambridge Coachworks,</b> on the Cambridge Road Kingston. I went full time around 1971 and soon after that started National Rescue, as a division of Cambridge Coachworks.<br> <br> What followed, were probably the best years of my life. We did not have much money but I loved the work, even if it was 'non stop' 24Hrs a day. The incredible joy and camaraderie, of working with those recovery drivers and police officers I knew at that time, will remain with me forever. They were all characters and I have not meet their like since. Nor do I expect to, because today our behaviour would not be 'politically correct'. <p>If any of you read this: Jaws, Phil the Gypsy, Snake, Sunshine, Alan the Poet, Trio, Trigger, Stitch, Grisly, Chunky and so, so many others - Thanks for all the fun we had. If you have time please read my <a href="http://www.vehiclerecovery.org/history/index.htm">Recollections of Vehicle Recovery</a> to get a feel for those incredible times. It seems imposable today to believe that such things happened then, but happen they did and you can see some of the photos to prove it. During the time at Cambridge Road Kingston not only did we start National Rescue, we also broke in to CB. To be part of the legalisation of CB in the UK, we converted an old wooden hut (on the front of the coachworks) in to a Shop, and called it The Rabbit Rabbit Hutch.<br> <br> In 1985 myself and a genus called Ian Lane, started <b>Motor Trade Software.</b> A software company producing programs for the motor trade and vehicle recovery operators. I was MD of that company, until we sold the software part off, in 2002. My only brother Geoff worked for BT as an engineer, but like me spent his spare time around the recovery scene. In 1982 he joined me at National Rescue full time and when I left to expand Motor Trade Software in the nineties, he took over and still owns The National Rescue Group today.<br> <br> As for me? Well until recently I was MD of the <b>Mobile Tracking Systems</b> Who's main products are vehicle location devices and guess what? Their largest customer sector, is the <b>UK Recovery Industry.</b> <br> In 2007 I retired from Mobile Tracking Systems and intend spending my time working for <b><a href="http://www.riscuk.net/">RISC</a></b> (the Recovery Industry Support Charity). I will also spend time at Brooklands, with the occasional Aircraft Recovery being undertaken, no doubt and we have also invested in a Holiday Home to let out or enjoy<br> <br> My second wife the lovely Christine comes from the Sunbury area, where she lived until we were married. She went to Kenyngton Manor School and then worked for Airfix / Crayon, both at Sunbury and Staines offices. We become a couple in 1982 as a result of circumstance totally beyond our control, or (at the time) our desires. We married a couple of years later. She helped me raise my first daughter Sandra and presented me with a second one called Caroline in 1984. Lastly she successfully managed the MTS Group with me (she might say despite me) until we sold the company and retired in 2007. Next to the family, her big love is her collection of pussy cats. <br> <br> I am a good <a href="http://www.andylambert.com/albums/index.html"> photographer</a> and also enjoy making home moves with my SVHS and more recently Digital Video systems. After some twenty years as a SWL (Short Wave Listener), in 1972 I passed my Radio Amateurs License and hold the call sign <a href="http://www.g8her.com/">G8HER</a>. If any 'fellows' read this - best 73's.Boating has formed a large part of my life as well, with most of my boats being moored in the Solent. You will find some pictures of them in the hobbies picture gallery.<br>   <br> <br> <b>Brooklands <br> </b>For the last twenty two years, I have also been working as a volunteer for Brooklands Museum. Myself and a team of very special guys (and the odd girl), have been responsible for transporting most of the museum's major exhibits. I have now lost count, but the number of aircraft road transportations I have been involved with, must have exceeded one hundred by now. This includes aircraft as big as the Viscount Stephen Piercey and as special as Concorde.<br> <br> The volunteers are a unique bunch of people and you never know just who you are working with on a project. On one occasion I was unloading the cockpit sections of a Valiant 'V Bomber'. Quietly watching me was an 'old boy' cutting the grass. After an hour or so he had finished and come over to where we were having a break. We chatted for awhile and he seemed to know a bit about the V bombers so I asked him if he had worked on them. "No" he replied "not really, but there are a lot of other volunteers here who did if you need to ask something" he added. <br> <br> In the months that followed I got to know this unassuming and gentle man better and found out that indeed he had not worked on them. He was in fact Capt. Jock Bryce OBE, the test pilot who had first flown it, along with the 'first flight' of the Varsity, Viscount, VC-10, Vanguard and BAC 1-11. <br> Talk about respect! <br> <br> My proudest 'Brooklands' moments were during 2004, when with the aid of a fantastic team. I planned and executed the movement of the Brooklands Concorde DG from Filton Bristol, home to Weybridge. I will not go into the politics of what happened about 'who got what' Concorde here, but all I will say is - While the world's TV watched her sister going down the River Thames on a barge, held their breath as major roads were shut, and applauded as it arrived (a couple of million pounds later) in Scotland. We just quietly got on with the job and with the aid of many old friends from the Recovery industry, brought our Concorde home in bits, down the M4. <br> <br> <b><a href="http://www.andylambert.com/60/index.html">Andy is Sixty years young! </a></b><br> Having mentioned Brooklands Museum this is a good place to place a link to an event that took place there in September 2006.It was a couple of days after my sixtieth birthday and unbeknown to me, some very good friends and a group of my relatives, decided to see how old 'Leadfoot Lambert' would get on driving (or travelling in), sixty odd vehicles in just one day. <p>I was collected by my daughters (complete with a bloody wheelchair) at eight in the morning. The wheelchair was the first set of wheels, out of the sixty items they had planned. I then spent the day driving or travelling in different Road Vehicles, Bikes, Hovercraft, Boats and Aircraft. <br> <br> You can see an assortment of them by clicking here and also get a good understanding of the pain they put me through that day (but which I would do again tomorrow without even thinking).<br> <br> <b>Andy Lambert </b><br>  </td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> </body>