Quick links

Memories of life, buses, minis and planes 1920s My first ride in a Bristol bus was from Kingston Seymour to Clevedon with mother for shopping. A move to Sandford saw us aboard a high 4 ton charabanc for a Sunday School outing to Weston-Super-Mare. My brother Chris used to accompany me on our bus spotting expeditions.1930s: Living in the Henbury district of Bristol now. We used the frequent trams to the City from Westbury. I began work in the ‘Upstairs -Downstairs’ environment in the 1930s in the lowest possible category, house boy/garden boy, my only driving experience being with a wheelbarrow! On wet days I was allowed to assist the chauffer to clean ‘the cars!’ Now the cars were: ‘hers’ (the lady of the house) was a 1931 25hp Rolls Royce and his was 40/50 Rolls Royce. Eventually, under expert guidance, I was allowed to drive the Rolls within the spacious drives of the ‘big house’. This was a great thrill indeed. In late 1939 the chauffer went back to the Royal Navy and was not heard of again, the under gardener to the Army and the Head Gardener and the Gentleman of the house died. No more Sunday trips to the Wye Valley in the Rolls for salmon fishing. I was occasionally given a piece of salmon to take home to mother and our large family enjoyed this treat. 1940s: My involvement with aircraft recognition saw me plotting the track of the high flying Junkers 86p which dropped its single bomb at Broad Weir destroying buses on the morning of 28th August 1942. My ‘stint ‘with the Royal Observer Corps lasted until June 1968. Auxiliary conductors were permitted by the Ministry of Labour to do up to 15 hours a week on the buses. I found myself closely associated with my favourite routes 28 and 29. In 1947 I moved to Axbridge in Somerset where I stayed until 1984.1960s: I bought my first Austin mini in 1964, the first of a succession of minis.