Samuel Ledgard Society

welcome

Welcome to the Samuel Ledgard SocietyThe Samuel Ledgard Society was formed in 1998 at the Rose & Crown Inn, Otley during the second annual reunion of devotees of this well known and much respected bus company. Reunions are held twice yearly, at Armley during April and Otley on or about the 14th October. A Christmas dinner is also part of the established calendar of events. Outings are in the planning stage, possibly utilising genuine ex-Ledgard vehicles. The quarterly journal of the Society, "The Chat", is published in March, June, September and December each year. Founding officers were Barry Rennison, Tony Greaves and Don Bate, all of whom have a wealth of knowledge about the Samuel Ledgard company and plenty of enthusiasm to carry it forward. For further information please feel free to contact any member of the Committee.

About Us r001-008

Samuel Ledgard Society

about

Latest News

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2011Come and join us in the following events arranged especially for you. Remember you don't have to be personally invited but some events require booking with the cahirman.Wednesday 09 November 2011 Updated website with new Gallery section for Photograph Collection's..Tuesday 6 December 2011Fun, frolics and our good-value Christmas dinner. Get your name down for this feast with the Chairman, as it fills up fast with the limited availability. Beer and Blue BusesAvailable now only £29.95 plus £5 Postage and Packing This long awaited book is an in depth account of an extraordinary man and his companies. It features the life of Samuel Ledgard from his birth in 1874 until his passing in 1952, and the struggles that beset his executors in their attempt to keep the company alive. Comment from MDS Books: One of the best bus books we've seen for ages. 300 pages, over 400 photos including some colour, casebound, full colour covers. Compiled from archive records and interviews with Ledgard employees from the 1920's through to the 1960's with valuable assistance from the Ledgard family. Contributions from the author's personal aqaintance with the company are also included. A very comprehensive fleetlist complements the extensive fleet history. Due to the diversity of the post 1952 bus fleet the book will be of great interest to most enthusiasts, in particular those who have an affinity with London Transport. There are over 300 pages and a wealth of black and white and colour photo's, many of which have not been published before. Printed on art paper, size 215 x 272mm, case bound with a dust jacket and book mark, this book will be a pleasure to own. D BATE 92 Broadgate Walk, Horsforth Leeds LS18 4HBDATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2012 Saturday 14th JanuaryTo kick start the year we set off with our usual appearance with the SLS sales stand at the Bus/Rail Collectors Fair at the Pudsey Civic Hall, Cote Lane, Dawson’s Corner, near Pudsey. Doors open 10 am to 3 pm, we will be trading from our usual plot in the hall with new and old stock of transport related items, including some Ledgard memorabilia, books, photos and model buses etc. Come along and wish the staff a Happy New Year and, of course, have a rummage!Wednesday 4th AprilThe ever-popular annual film-show evening at the Grove Centre, New Street, Horsforth, commencing at 7.30pm. Admission £2 which includes half-time refreshments. Programme to be announced.Proposed programme for summer:Probably May – trip out with meal, venue to be advised.Definite confirmed dates for October make a note in your diary NOW.Saturday 13th OctoberA very special centenary anniversary of the first motorbus operated by Sam Ledgard. This event will be held at the Pudsey Civic Hall with the day’s events centred on displays of memorabilia, film shows and presentations plus stalls selling transport items. As a bonus there will also be a free bus service departing on a regular timetable around the area. All this is during the daytime but in the evening there will a member’s only celebration, also in the hall, with a buffet and entertainment. The evening event will require you to reserve your place so that we know how many to cater for. No ticket – no entry to the evening activities. More details and how to apply for tickets of this special event will be included in future editions of the Chat.Saturday 27th OctoberOur well-established Transport Collectors Fair at the Pudsey Civic Hall. This is our 8th Fair and will be open from 10am to 3pm with up to 100 stalls selling all manner of transport memorabilia – be it air, land or sea. Admission – the usual £1 – where can you get hours of rummaging in all that gear for that frugal amount? Future editions of the Chat will give you further information to all the above events plus details of others that will be added when dates are confirmed. Remember it is your society – make the best of it and support as many of the events as possible.
Media

Pics

Nature

Animal

img_0775
img_0691
img_0347
img_0871
2976858523_e4e82fab2d_o
2976855937_f8bb49835d_o
2977716358_45e8c53691_o

People

Nun
Soldier
Manneqin
img_2328
Priest
Sofa
High Heels
Girl
Man

Fashion

Hairpiece
Flowers
Dark Hat
Beauty
Evening
Beauty
Night
Woman Heels

R001-058.JPG
R001-057.JPG
CNV00094.JPG
CNV00081.JPG
CNV00071.JPG
CNV00096.JPG
CNV00088.JPG
CNV00067.JPG
CNV00065.JPG
CNV00095.JPG
CNV00075.JPG
CNV00082.JPG
CNV00073.JPG

Gallery

Mike Lockyer
John Boylett

Mike Lockyer

CNV00081.JPG
CNV00087.JPG
CNV00073.JPG
CNV00070.JPG
CNV00071.JPG
CNV00086.JPG
CNV00097.JPG
CNV00067.JPG
CNV00076.JPG
CNV00074.JPG
CNV00066.JPG
CNV00093.JPG
CNV00085.JPG
CNV00091.JPG
CNV00099.JPG
CNV00072.JPG
CNV00077.JPG
CNV00068.JPG
CNV00078.JPG
CNV00082.JPG
CNV00096.JPG
CNV00069.JPG
CNV00094.JPG
CNV00088.JPG
CNV00090.JPG
CNV00098.JPG
CNV00084.JPG
CNV00095.JPG
CNV00083.JPG
CNV00092.JPG
CNV00079.JPG
CNV00065.JPG
CNV00075.JPG
CNV00080.JPG
CNV00100.JPG
CNV00089.JPG

The Ledgard collection of the late Mike Lockyer

CNV00081.JPG
CNV00087.JPG
CNV00073.JPG
CNV00070.JPG
CNV00071.JPG
CNV00086.JPG
CNV00097.JPG
CNV00067.JPG
CNV00076.JPG
CNV00074.JPG
CNV00066.JPG
CNV00093.JPG
CNV00085.JPG
CNV00091.JPG
CNV00099.JPG
CNV00072.JPG
CNV00077.JPG
CNV00068.JPG
CNV00078.JPG
CNV00082.JPG
CNV00096.JPG
CNV00069.JPG
CNV00094.JPG
CNV00088.JPG
CNV00090.JPG
CNV00098.JPG
CNV00084.JPG
CNV00095.JPG
CNV00083.JPG
CNV00092.JPG
CNV00079.JPG
CNV00065.JPG
CNV00075.JPG
CNV00080.JPG
CNV00100.JPG
CNV00089.JPG

John Boylett

09R_DCN 838_07-10-67.JPG
04R_LYR 915_07-10-67.JPG
14R_DCN 831_07-10-67.JPG
12R_DCN 834_07-10-67.JPG
13R_KGU 263_07-10-67.JPG
11R_DCN 836_07-10-67.JPG
05R_HLW 181_07-10-67.JPG
07R_LYR 918_07-10-67.JPG
15R_LYR 933_07-10-67.JPG
10R_DCN 839_07-10-67.JPG
02R_NCY 453_07-10-67.JPG
16R_1951 U_07-10-67.JPG
06R_MLL 834_07-10-67.JPG
03R_KYY 799_07-10-67.JPG

The Late John Boylett Collection

courtesy of John Kaye.

Pictures were all taken in Leeds on 7th October, 1967.

09R_DCN 838_07-10-67.JPG
04R_LYR 915_07-10-67.JPG
14R_DCN 831_07-10-67.JPG
12R_DCN 834_07-10-67.JPG
13R_KGU 263_07-10-67.JPG
11R_DCN 836_07-10-67.JPG
05R_HLW 181_07-10-67.JPG
07R_LYR 918_07-10-67.JPG
15R_LYR 933_07-10-67.JPG
10R_DCN 839_07-10-67.JPG
02R_NCY 453_07-10-67.JPG
16R_1951 U_07-10-67.JPG
06R_MLL 834_07-10-67.JPG
03R_KYY 799_07-10-67.JPG

Articles

Article 1

THE CAREER OF SAMUEL LEDGARD MATHER

BY DON BATE Samuel Ledgard Mather was born on the 19th August 1933, the son of Frances and Lewis Mather. Both parents were heavily involved with the Ledgard bus company based in Leeds and from an early age Samuel showed a strong interest in all things mechanical being taken by his grandfather and namesake to Leyland Motors on several occasions to bring back new buses. His primary education was taken care of at Ghyll Royd School in Ilkley and then at the age of eleven years old he was sent to Worksop College in Nottinghamshire, which at the time was referred to as the ‘Eton of the North’. In July 1949 he left the College and on the 6th October aged 16 he commenced an apprenticeship at Leyland Motors Ltd., in Leyland, Lancashire. Lodgings were arranged for him in the town itself and it was here that he took a liking to his landlords daughter, Shirley and the two would eventually marry in September 1957. He attended Wellington House College in Leyland, which took him through every department of the Company including wages and planning departments. Two of his apprentice years were spent in the Leyland body shops learning in the main about framework construction and a further two were on the shop floor where he was involved with the mechanical aspects of bus chassis. It was here whilst working on the engine test bench that he was called into the office and informed by the foreman that his grandfather, Samuel Ledgard had passed away. Although he was approaching the end of his apprenticeship at Leyland Sam still had the urge to better himself and in October 1954 he commenced an evening course at Preston College where after two years of study he gained a higher national certificate (HNC) in mechanical engineering. His conscription into the armed forces had been deferred due to his apprenticeship, but now aged 23 he was obliged to join up and succeeded in gaining a position within the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), and was duly dispatched to the Regents Park Barracks in London. Shortly afterwards he married, and his new wife came to London where they lived in a flat in the City. Shirley took up a position as a dental mechanic amongst the well-to-do people of Wimpole Street. At the end of his conscription he was advised by friends that the way forward would be to gain some experience abroad and as a result he and his wife went to Nigeria where Samuel took up a managerial post with the Land Rover company. However the weather in that country did not agree with either of them and after three years they were prepared to leave. A gentleman by the name of Claud Riley arranged a meeting between Samuel and the directors of Leyland Truck and Bus in Cape Town, South Africa and as a result he was appointed Fleet Sales Manager, a position he would hold until his retirement. An example of his salesmanship came about in the early 1970’s when a leading South African newspaper reported that Mr Mather was responsible for completing a sale of two hundred and fifty Leyland Boxer chassis which would comprise tippers, water tankers, dump trucks and eleven buses, two of which were sixty-seaters and nine thirty five-seaters. However, in later years political problems within the country meant that an embargo was placed upon the company which prevented it from importing new vehicles and so for the second time in its history the Leyland Company were obliged to purchase as many old Leyland vehicles as they could find and recondition them to keep the business going, another project that Samuel was heavily involved with. Samuel stayed with Leyland truck and bus to the end of his working life, taking early retirement at the age of sixty in 1993. It is therefore surprising that he never appeared to show any inclination in joining his grandfather’s successful bus and coach business. His next ‘job’ was to become President of the Samuel Ledgard Society, a role that he entered into with great enthusiasm. He made long journeys from his South African home on several occasions to attend functions and events held by the society here in the UK. It was indeed a pleasure to have known him and with his passing at home in South Africa on 30th March 2009 we have lost a strong link to the bus company that the Ledgard Society members revere, and his sister, Anne Temple-Milner has lost a much-loved brother. My thanks are due to Anne, for her assistance with this article.

Article 2

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

It is now over 40 years ago that the Samuel Ledgard bus company was swallowed up by the British Transport Commission and integrated with the West Yorkshire Road Car Company. It is also over 55 years since the death of the founder of the company, Samuel Ledgard.It is incredible that after so much time a society has been set up to commemorate this legendary company. A strong society of over 250 members, with a catalogue of jobs to do to chronicle the events and history of the Ledgard concern. A huge job, but with enthusiasm from the Committee and members we hope to progress forward. Reunions of former staff etc., are in place and very successful at that. A Christmas dinner is also held and the quarterly journal, "The Chat", is looked forward to by members. Our biggest decision taken so far was that of arranging our first ever Convention. A huge gamble was taken in booking the excellent facilities of the Pudsey Civic Hall, but our concerns of a small attendance were unfounded when a large following joined us for the afternoon and enjoyed the packed programme of talks, slide and film shows. Sales: We have a Sales Team which attends Transport Rallies and other events throughout the year. Books, models and various transport publications are available to members to reduced prices. Revenue from Sales goes towards keeping the cost of subscriptions at an affordable level.

Article 3

Memories of West Yorkshire Otley Depot [1967-1968]

by a Ledgard Rawdon Depot driver.When Ledgards Moorfield depot in Rawdon closed its doors at midnight on October 14th 1967, crews were given the choice of staying on or finding other jobs. I opted to continue with the West Yorkshire company at their new Otley depot for a few weeks to give them a fair trial, then moved on to Yorkshire Hennebique readymixed concrete, then on again to Farnley Sand & Gravel at Knotford Nook, only to return to the WY for several months from the spring to autumn of 1968. Here is a short account of my experiences with the West Yorkshire Road Car Company during those tumultuous months.The very next day, Sunday October 15th 1967, all Moorfield drivers were assembled up at Rawdon depot at 09:00 sharp, the garage now cleared of all our wonderful AECs (5) and Leylands (5). In their stead was one Michael Watson in the driving seat of a Bristol MW (SMG in WY fleet numbering) to take us all down to the Otley-Pool road for driving lessons. Nobody could have imagined Harold Shaw, Frankie Slater or Frank Riley for example needing a driving lesson from a West Yorkshire inspector, or there being such a man capable of giving them one. We all took it for what it was, a calculated insult to both company and crews, on the part of WY senior management. The Bristol Lodekka DX48 that was used was a good one as far as DX's went, but they were all really very poor after our AECs, with a too-low driving position, limited road visibility over the huge bonnet, heavy vacuum brakes, heavy clutch, weird and noisy half-crash and half constant-mesh gearbox, noisy cut-down AVW or BVW engine, noisy back axle, and a feeling of sitting ‘in it’ rather than ‘on it’, rather like sitting on a toilet with the seat raised. Almost all of them clattered and thrashed from the rocker gear, badly in need of valve lash adjustment. About their only good points were good cornering resulting from low build, and rugged construction, one might say they were built like a saloon-bodied ballast wagon. A good point was they all had Michelin radial-ply tyres fitted, as they were on a rental agreement, so when a tyre was required, a phone call to the supplier brought the service van out in a hurry. In contrast all tyres at Moorfield were cross-ply, recut as often as possible by Alf Mowbray, and at times a bit the worse for wear especially towards the end.From memory our Bristol LD´s (DX's) included DX8, DX30, DX35, DX48, DX56, DX66, and there were more now forgotten. DX8 was twisted somehow, probably a front or rear spring centre bolt was sheared off causing the axle to move along the spring main leaf. At one side all you saw in the mirror was the side of the bus, at the other side you had a fine view of green fields and housing estates, but not the following traffic. Its days ended to everybody's satisfaction when it came into the bus station one day, the driver climbed out and slammed the door, and the engine fell down onto the front axle! Goodbye and good riddance. Some DX's had a heating system with heat exchangers on the top deck at the front, beside the destination indicator. The water passed up and down through pipes in the left-hand cab corner, and drivers being soaked or even scalded by leaking coolant was not unknown. The gearbox on a DX had 5 forward gears, 1st to 4th were in the usual ´H´ pattern, but 5th could only be got from 4th gear position, by moving the lever to the right, then as far forward as it would go. So to get back into the ´H´ one had to pass back through 4th, not always easy or convenient out on the road. And if you had the bad luck to stop quickly while still in 5th, the lever became jammed, and very difficult to pass back through 4th without moving the bus, not easy in 5th gear! At times a fitter had to be brought out to ease the works allowing the service to continue.Our old Moorfield Horsforth-Otley services were now numbered 78 and 78B to correspond with the old West Chevin and White Cross services, and off we went on our familiar routes with similar timetables, but with red Bristols instead of blue AECs. But it wasn’t the same nor anywhere near it, nor was it easy to keep time with a DX on services timed for a Regent 3. The Ledgard AEC Regent 5's and the two Daimlers were now common sights for us, having been retained by the WY, as we were based in Otley Bondgate, and on the very first day the Ledgard logo and legal lettering was replaced by transfers showing ‘West Yorkshire’ over the Ledgard nile blue and battleship grey, and on some buses the outline of ´SAMUEL LEDGARD´ could still be seen. No Ledgard bus was operated by West Yorkshire until the logos and legal operator address had been replaced. The many AEC 3RTs, Regent 3s and Leyland PD1&2s were to be seen stashed all over the district, behind the Otley garage, in Roseville Road, including as far afield as behind the WY depot in Skipton, awaiting the dealers offers. A very few found new operators, and the four Moorfield RLHs KYY502/4/6/8 and Leyland PD2a DRN273 went half-way round the world, but the majority went for scrap.Crews were combined into a bigger rota, and we were introduced to many new routes, which we often didn’t know but neither had to sign for, unlike other companies such as Bradford City Transport, where drivers had to go 'permitting' and get a regular driver's signature on a form to show that they knew the route. For example we had a Saturday service from Skipton to Tadcaster which we took over from Otley, running out to Harrogate, then to Wetherby, Spofforth, Green Hammerton and Tadcaster. This was a fast run usually with a Lodekka fitted with the Bristol BVW engine such as DX66, a regular on this turn. In some ways it made a nice change for us Moorfield crews, to see new towns and villages, where on the old Horsforth/Otley services we knew almost every passenger by name and almost every hole in the road by reputation. If you didn´t know these service routes, then you hoped your conductor did. If not, you hoped a regular passenger would help. If nobody knew, then you had a problem.There was another Saturday run out to Asquith with a Bristol SUG or SMG, then up the moor road to Timble, Kettlesing Top and Bottom, along to Hampsthwaite, Birstwith and finally Harrogate bus station, a real crawl with a 5-cylinder Bristol SUG or SMG, although nice if you took your girlfriend with you as you had few passengers to get in the way. The conductor was never overworked on this service. Occasionally a Bristol coach would appear on these rural services, CUGs I believe, with the 5-cylinder Gardner 5LW engine under a very attractive cream and brown ECW coach body. Far too heavy for the power available, they were sluggish and with a very heavy throttle pedal, so heavy one could get housemaids knee pressing it to the floor for any length of time. However they were a very handsome coach indeed, and would have been good with a Leyland O600 engine under the floor.We also did the Leeds-Ilkley via Bramhope and Otley 34 service, and the Leeds-Ilkley via Guiseley White Cross 32 service. These were usually operated by the ex-Ledgard Regent 5's, the 1949-1954 U series with the AV590 engine, and the MCY/NCY ex-Western Welsh Orion-body versions with the AV470 engine. These were all a dream to drive, having power and speed, and a degree of comfort unknown at Bristol Motors. I especially liked the MCY/NCY versions, they had a rort from the exhaust like a racing car, with an exhaust brake worked by a micro-switch on the brake pedal, and you could make up time with these with full loads on at rush hour. When you let up the microswitch after a long downhill stretch, you could let the local traffic cop have an exhaust pipe full of black smoke! These buses along with the two Daimlers were numbered DAW1-10 and DGW11-12 in the WY list. One by one they were taken away to Harrogate Grove Park works where they were daubed red all over, with no bands or striping to give any contrast, and the finish was shameful. One of the ex-Western Welsh Regents was severely damaged by some driver or fitter who didn´t know they measured 14´5" high rather than 13´6", and the front roof dome was stoved in. It took months to reappear, roughly repaired.However these long-distance Leeds-Ilkley services were not all fun. At times one would arrive for a late turn to find an ancient Bristol K5G on the service, with a 4-speed gate-change crash gearbox, hardly any brakes, no heater, a vibrating rattling mess. A late finish was a certainty with one of these veterans, which ought to have been scrapped years before. All of the withdrawn Ledgard AEC's Daimlers and Leylands were far superior than these, for performance, comfort, appearance and general condition. And the claimed superiority of Eastern Counties bodywork was also a myth, they all rattled and banged more that bodywork by Leyland, Charles H.Roe, Metro-Cammell or H.V.Burlingham. On the 32 Leeds-Ilkley service crews had to ride passenger on the 78 or 50 services up to White Cross to pick up their shift. Not all these 32 and 34 services were done by Otley depot having prevously been shared services between Ledgard and WY, I believe that Roseville Road ran half of them, with Otley running the ex-Ledgard part.I have a vague memory of doing a Rawdon Park-Leeds Vicar Lane service on one occasion, WY service 33. This was not a regular Otley turn, but the spare man was expected to do anything in those days. This had been shared between Ledgard and WY as were several other services. The 3RT with its preselector gearbox was the normal bus in Ledgard days, owing to the steep and nasty Butcher Hill climbing up into West Park from the Bridge Inn Horsforth. With a DX this was no fun at all, miss a gear at the Hawksworth Estate junction and you were at a standstill on a steep hill with a full load on, and a gutless AVW engine up front.One WY service that quickly vanished was the 50, which ran from Otley to Bradford via Yeadon Town Hall. Some 50s started for Bradford at the side of the Town Hall itself. They were timetabled to depart from Otley 2 minutes before the Moorfield Otley-Horsforth service, to steal all the passengers in Otley and along Bradford Road, as far as they could get before we overtook them with our lovely RLHs. We had usually overhauled them by the time they got to Dawson,Payne & Elliott so they got little revenue from the trick. But now of course there was no point in this, and the 50 service was retimed, and then withdrawn, leaving only the Harrogate-Bradford service 51 to cover Bradford from Yeadon and Rawdon areas, and Yeadon folk had a long walk to the Fountain to catch it.There seemed to be a great deal of dead mileage with the WY services, despite their well-known meanness. Duplicate cars often only covered part of the service route, then returned empty back to Otley. I recall using Old Pool Bank several times as a short cut back to Otley from Rawdon, until a notice was posted in the crew rest room that the practice was to cease owing to residents complaints, and the steep East Chevin road was barred to us as well.The crew facilities in the garage were quite good, there was a flourishing card school where 'crash' was the favourite game played in one of the old upstairs store rooms, downstairs was a canteen, or at least a room where one could eat your sandwiches and drink your tea. Mr.Parkes' office was the front one to the right of the main doors. The garage sloped upwards towards the back, with pits and benches at each side, although a level floor would have made more sense even though the slope was only slight. At the back was room to park about 20 buses, and the overspill was left on the bus station when not in service.We also became involved with the Otley bus station Newall-Westbourne and Otley bus station Weston Lane services. In Ledgard days these turns ran all day on the same routes, but under WY one found oneself finishing some other service and required to do one or two of these local trips to make up the hours, or perhaps starting with one or two then moving on to other services. At least you knew you were never far from the depot whatever happened to the bus. The favourites for these services were the two Daimlers, SDU711 and XUG141, or DGW11&12 in WY terminology. SDU711 had a power rear door, workable by either driver or conductor, the rule was the driver never touched it for any reason at all. Neither of these buses were nice to drive although SDU711 was an especially handsome vehicle, never bettered for appearance in the Ledgard fleet I think. They both had Gardner 6LW engines and Wilson preselector gearboxes, but the boxes were not air operated as were the AEC Regents. Instead they had a very stiff gear pedal which took some pressing when you wanted a gear, and woe betide the driver who failed to press firmly and hold it down until the bands engaged. When you removed your foot you got a very sharp and painful crack on the shin, which could have broken your leg quite easily. The Gardner 6LW engine had the exhaust manifold nearest the drivers' cab, and on a warm day you were done to a turn after a morning shift on Newalls or Westons. The steering column was not quite vertical, heaven knows why, and the steering wheel sloped slightly to the offside, making me at least feel a bit out of position and uncomfortable.On June 11th 1968, a lovely summers day, at about 11:00, I was on an early shift on the 78B service, just entering Netherfield Road from Oxford Road in Guiseley, when it started to hail. I pressed on through a heavy large sized hailstorm, the drumming noise on the roof of the DX became deafening, and there was about a foot of hailstones on the road by this time. At the West Chevin pub the conductor rang for a stop, and we discussed what to do by sign language as nobody could have ventured outside to talk. After a few minutes we pressed on, carefully down Buckle Lane and Bradford Road, already a couple of feet deep in hailstones, and into the bus station, by now full of buses parked at all angles, where we were pulled off the road. All the services were abandoned and we waited in the garage entrance for the hail to stop, which it did quite soon, and began to melt as it was a warm day. It was said there was over 10ft of hailstones in Kirk Lane Yeadon, at dinnertime, which had to be bulldozed away.But the aftermath was worse than the storm. Every road including my road home up East Chevin, was full of sand, gravel, small and big stones and even boulders. It took a couple of weeks to clean it all away. The diesel tanks in the depot took in some meltwater, which got into the buses at the evening fill-up, and buses began breaking down on service, or failing to start in the morning, for many days afterwards. I was on a 34 service duplicate with one of the MCY's one evening rush hour, when it started to run rough along the Otley-Burley road. When I reached Burley with a real struggle it packed up with a sticking rack and maybe other defects, and we had to wait for a fitter with bleeding tools and 20 gallons of fresh diesel, to get me mobile again. What was done in the Depot I have no idea, diesel floats on water so cleaning out the water from the tanks can't have been a simple task.Another Saturday morning saw me on Weston Lane service, with one of the NCY's, approaching Meagill Rise terminus on the first trip out. There were about 15 passengers waiting at the stop. Rolling gently up to the stop a small child ran out of his gateway, straight under the front wheel so I thought, as I lost sight of him beneath the mudguard. His mother was to blame as she was standing on the grassy island of the turnaround there, and had shouted to him, so naturally he ran to his mother. He was very lucky, his forehead hit one of the wheel nuts and while he went down, he was not really much damaged, just a shallow cut. The mother gave me a piece of her mind and even more of her tongue, but I thought the matter then closed although I planned to report it to the Depot Manager Mr.Parkes.However at the end of my shift a uniformed police posse was waiting for me in the bus station, the terminus for the Weston service. They demanded my driving licences and without asking any questions about the incident, handed me a notice of intended prosecution already filled out down at the station, with dangerous driving typed on the offence detail line. I was amazed at the cavalier attitude of these men, and went up to the depot looking for Alec, the union convener. Being Saturday nothing more could be done that day, but on the Monday I was surprised to see a sheepish lone copper at the garage entrance, looking for me. He asked me to give him the notice issued to me, and when I asked why he told me that one of the passengers waiting for that bus, Roland Jackson, a conductor with Ledgards of many years service at Otley depot, and an Otley parish councellor, had seen it all, and had called into the police station and made a full statement, to the effect that I was in no way to blame, and if any blame was due, it was to the mother of the child. Without Roland's timely help, I might have found myself out of a job and without a driving licence, and a probable heavy fine.Not all of the Rawdon Depot crews came down to Otley with us after the takeover, and of those that did so, most left within a few months. The same went for many Ledgard Otley crews, in those days jobs were quite plentiful and after a while giving the WY a try many moved on to pastures new. Frankie Slater went to Farnley Sand & Gravel, where I later followed him, Anne Slater took a fish & chip shop, Eric Hargreaves ended up in the chrome shop at Silver Cross prams, however Frank Riley, Walter Nunn, Mavis Preston, Arthur Radford, and others did come with us, and of course we met Otley crews we had only known by sight on the road, while at Moorfield. Sadly most of the names familiar back then, have now been forgotten. I still recall old Amos from Menston, Jock Young, Dixie Dean, Alec the union man, but forget the majority after over 40 years. I was often on service with Dixie Dean, a conductor back then, who became a driver and still drives for Firstbus today. It´s said jokingly he is the largest shareholder in Firstbus, but I´m sure he really has very many shares through the employees share scheme. We were coming down the slope of Ellar Ghyll one morning in one of the faster DXs, and having a clear run I put my foot down. In those days there was a very low steel railway bridge across the road just before Golf House, and at the next stop Dixie came round and told me to slow down a bit, they were screaming on the top deck when we went under the bridge! He still lives at the side of the Manor Pub in Manchester Square Otley. Arthur Radford also became a Firstbus driver but had to take early retirement a few years ago due to heart trouble. Frank Riley is still around in Guiseley, and Peggy Haigh is now 90 years old to the best of my knowledge.Happy days, but not so happy as the days we enjoyed with Ledgards at Moorfield Depot.Roland Brindley.

Article 1
Article 2
Article 3

Contact

Samuel Ledgard Society

contact

58 Kirklees Drive Farsley,Pudsey West Yorkshire LS28 5TE England Email: antonyfirewalk_hotmail.com

Samuel Ledgard Society

Home

About Us

News

Media

Gallery