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.
Historical Info 
