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Coach Trip Memories And Details of Preserved Vehicles Supplied

Published on: 14 Apr, 2014
Updated on: 14 Apr, 2014

By David Rose

Following on from our coverage of Safeguard Buses’ 90th anniversary celebrations, Anthony Bullen has written with some memories of a trip to Cornwall in 1966.

Plus, following on from an enquiry from John Lomas about any local buses from days gone by now in preservation, such as Yellow Bus Services, Tillingbourne and so on, Norman Hamshere has supplied some details.

Here is what Tony (email address ajbullen@yahoo.co.uk), who grew up in Guildford and has lived in Minehead, Devon, since 1974, says: “Living in Dennisville meant that every half hour the Safeguard bus ran to and from the Farnham Road bus station. For a short time they had a double decker, otherwise it was a single decker.

A photo of some of us at Bosigran cliffs taken by Tomas Wilkie 41/42 Drummond Road Guildford. Dated Saturday 30 April 1966. I am in front of the girl in white jumber who I think was Ted Tait's daughter

Tony Bullen says: “A photo of some of us at Bosigran cliffs taken by Tomas Wilkie 41/42 Drummond Road, Guildford. Dated Saturday 30 April 1966. I am in front of the girl in white jumper who I think was Ted Tait’s daughter.

“My memory is of a Safeguard Bedford Duple coach on a weekend trip with Guildford Youth Service arranged by Ted Tait the borough youth officer. This took place at the end of April 1966 and some 24 of us went.

“We left Haydon Place at 7pm on the Friday evening, arriving at just after 3am at Rosemergy on the north coast of Cornwall between St Ives and St Just. A journey of some 280 miles with only two brief stops at Sparkford in Somerset and Bodmin (sometime after midnight). We had to erect tents to sleep in and the Count House was used by three ladies who did the cooking. The driver was Harry, who slept on the back seat of the coach!

“The weekend was spent being instructed in sea cliff climbing in hot sunshine with a cloudless sky. Harry was pleased to drive us to St Ives on the Saturday evening.

“We returned on Sunday afternoon and I recall stopping at Wincanton for my baptism of a pint of scrumpy. Arrived back in Guildford at 10.30pm and being dropped off at the Safeguard garage. I wonder whether anyone else recalls this weekend with the Safeguard?”

Of local buses in preservation, Norman Hamshere writes: “Some information is on the web. Try ‘Bus rides around Chilworth’.

Registration number MXX301 an ex-Tillingbourne Guy is still around and possibly others of this type as they bought 11 of them from London Transport.

Brown bus Bedford OB, HOT339 has also been saved. If you type in these registration numbers you will get a full history and whereabouts.

“There is also a Cooke’s vehicle, although not in the blue and cream livery. Keep up the good work.”

Click here for a previous story on the Guildford Dragon about Cooke’s Coaches.

The end of an era. The last Yellow Bus Services run in 1958. I don't think any of its fleet survive - unless the bus experts know better!

The end of an era. The last Yellow Bus Services run in 1958. I don’t think any of its fleet survive – unless the bus experts know better!

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Responses to Coach Trip Memories And Details of Preserved Vehicles Supplied

  1. John Lomas Reply

    April 20, 2014 at 8:14 pm

    Hi
    Thanks for the info about the preserved vehicles, shame that there isn’t a YBS, that was my local bus being in Stoughton.
    My father worked at Drummonds and the social club used to run seaside trips to various West Sussex resorts (longer trips tended to be by special train and works organised) in the summer and also trips to London for the theatres, ice shows and ice hockey.
    These trips would use either Cookes or YBS.
    I remember riding in one of the smaller Bedfords which had a seat in front of the sliding door so I could watch what a driver had to do to make it go.
    On one of the coast runs, probably Bognor, Littlehampton or Worthing, the engine overheated going up Bury Hill. I see from the “Happy Family” book, page 41, that it was a water pump failure.
    One driver whose name I remember was Percy Lawes. I think he had been with the company since the late 1920s early 1930s.
    According to a friend from school; the general manager Ernie Glew’s son John was in the same year as me at Stoughton Infant and Junior Schools.

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