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Smith's Coaches Stratford Road

Louis Dalby

Louis Dalby

The Ham Man
I have attached a picture of a Smith's Bedford OB. It was taken on a day trip to Cheddar Gorge. To see picture click on the title.



[ame="https://www.flickr.com/photos/g1ulz/2789628043/in/set-72157602063900204/"]HON 225 at Cheddar on Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/2789628043_a8303644c5.jpg?v=0@@AMEPARAM@@2789628043@@AMEPARAM@@a8303644c5[/ame]
 
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Its listed in Smiths Imperial Coaches book as HON 255, a 1948 29 seat Bedford Duple Vista, but not a photo of it. Heres a photo of sister coach JOF 332, sorry about the glare on it.
 
john70 said:
Its listed in Smiths Imperial Coaches book as HON 255, a 1948 29 seat Bedford Duple Vista, but not a photo of it. Heres a photo of sister coach JOF 332, sorry about the glare on it.
Click to expand...


Hi, Have you been able to open my picture ??. Lou.
 
john70 said:
Its listed in Smiths Imperial Coaches book as HON 255, a 1948 29 seat Bedford Duple Vista, but not a photo of it. Heres a photo of sister coach JOF 332, sorry about the glare on it.
Click to expand...


Find attached a picture supplied to me by Ron Smith of one of he's OBs. Rgds

[ame="https://www.flickr.com/photos/g1ulz/2811397842/in/set-72157602063900204/"]Bedford OB on Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/2811397842_d4b0515dc6.jpg?v=0@@AMEPARAM@@2811397842@@AMEPARAM@@d4b0515dc6[/ame]
 
Lou. Have opened them now, was my fault, was not clicking on the top. sorry. Thanks for them. John 70
 
Louis Dalby said:
Try Clicking at top of the frame. Lou. Do you still live in Hollywood ?, I lived on the corner of New Road in 1945 and went to Silver Sreet School. Lou.
Click to expand...

Hi Lou, Got the pic OK. Interested to see coach was not parked up in the Gorge as most going there were. I live in Hollywood but only since 1967. In the early 60's I worked on Midland Red school buses to Silver Street School.
Mike
 
Hi Lou, great photos thanks for sharing. Wasn't Smith's next door to Vale Onslow and on the other side of the Stratford Road was my favourite shop; The Model Aerodrome?
 
motorman-mike said:
Hi Lou, Got the pic OK. Interested to see coach was not parked up in the Gorge as most going there were. I have live in Hollywood but only since 1967. In the early 60's I worked on Midland Red school buses to Silver Street School.
Mike
Click to expand...

I also have a copy of that picture. I will also remember going into dinner ( The large end of the building) and the headmaster Mr Matthews had a wireless on !!. I found out during the dinner time it was D Day little did I know at that time I had just lost my uncle, he's aircraft was shot down over the beaches and his grave is at Clavodos Normandy. :(
 
Cadeau said:
Hi Lou, great photos thanks for sharing. Wasn't Smith's next door to Vale Onslow and on the other side of the Stratford Road was my favourite shop; The Model Aerodrome?
Click to expand...

It was on the corner of Farm Road Onslow's were on the same side a bit further down towords Camp Hill, I expect most of us with bikes went in there at some time or other. Rgds Lou.
 
I can remember going to Smith's Coaches in about 1956 to be taken on holiday to Cliftonville...my mother, my aunt and cousins, and little me! It took from very early morning until late evening to make the miles to Kent. We did it just the once - never again. Earlier this year i had to go to Ramsgate on business and it took less than four hours, courtesy of modern roads and a car able to do more than the 50 mph maximum of passenger coaches in the fifties.

Big Gee
 
motorman-mike said:
Hi Lou, Got the pic OK. Interested to see coach was not parked up in the Gorge as most going there were. I live in Hollywood but only since 1967. In the early 60's I worked on Midland Red school buses to Silver Street School.
Mike
Click to expand...

I lived on Yardley Wood Road near Swanhurst Park ( 1947 ), there was some pre - fab's just before the No 11 crossed, We moved later to Cateswell Road near Hall Green station.
 
When I was working for Knight Signs (no relation) in the early 60's we were the ones who did the Smiths Imperial Coaches sign on the front of the building, there were 4 of us on the job, the big letters at each end were about 6ft. tall, whilst we were there Mr Smith came to see how we were getting on and left us a fiver between us.
 
john knight said:
When I was working for Knight Signs (no relation) in the early 60's we were the ones who did the Smiths Imperial Coaches sign on the front of the building, there were 4 of us on the job, the big letters at each end were about 6ft. tall, whilst we were there Mr Smith came to see how we were getting on and left us a fiver between us.
Click to expand...

If you go to the " Made in Birmingham " site there is a picture of the sign. Look under Smith's. Rgds Lou.
 
john knight said:
When I was working for Knight Signs (no relation) in the early 60's we were the ones who did the Smiths Imperial Coaches sign on the front of the building, there were 4 of us on the job, the big letters at each end were about 6ft. tall, whilst we were there Mr Smith came to see how we were getting on and left us a fiver between us.
Click to expand...

Hi. John. Did you know a Bob Ward at Knight Signs.
 
Did a midnight return to Southsea for Smiths in the early seventies, not very keen as only found it was a midnight return when i got there. Coach was ok until the rooflight blew out on the way (Bedford VAL) spent quite some time fixing back in before we were able to return. No thanks so decided never again.
 
Hello John70,
Yes I knew Bob very well, we were there quite some time together, he used to do most of the gilding on the Marks and Spencers wooden letters.
Some time later he started up on his own, as I did.
He only lived across the road from the works, which was in Skelcher Road.
Regards John.
 
john knight said:
Hello John70,
Yes I knew Bob very well, we were there quite some time together, he used to do most of the gilding on the Marks and Spencers wooden letters.
Some time later he started up on his own, as I did.
He only lived across the road from the works, which was in Skelcher Road.
Regards John.
Click to expand...

Hi. John. Small world isn,t it, I lived in Stroud Road Shirley, and knew Bob when he rented premises off Caves coaches in Solihull Lodge,who I worked for, he had a lad working for him named Darryll who I taught to drive, Bob went to live off Haslucks Green Rd. by the Colebrook,and I heard he had tragically died, but am not sure about that, hope its not true. Regards. John.
 
John,
Yes that was the last time I saw Bob at his workshop in
the mid 8o's, don't know any more about him, he was a nice bloke.
John
 
john70 said:
Hi. John. Small world isn,t it, I lived in Stroud Road Shirley, and knew Bob when he rented premises off Caves coaches in Solihull Lodge,who I worked for, he had a lad working for him named Darryll who I taught to drive, Bob went to live off Haslucks Green Rd. by the Colebrook,and I heard he had tragically died, but am not sure about that, hope its not true. Regards. John.
Click to expand...
Hello John, only just seen this post, don't come on here very often, hope that was not true about Bob, but don't know any more.
 
May 1955 my grandfather travelled to Scotland in the coach shown. I'm fairly certain it was a Smith's Imperial and the journey certainly started at (and returned to) the Smith's place almost opposite Main St. Sparkhill. Looking at Google street view the site doesn't seem to have changed a great deal.

Coach012.jpg Coach011.jpg
 
The coach immediately behind the group of drivers looks very similar to the coach in the lower photo, by Phil, in Post 6 of this thread. I believe it is one and the same.
The newer photo shows three of the unusual Bedford VAL type coaches. These were also built in bus form.
 
Radiorails said:
The coach immediately behind the group of drivers looks very similar to the coach in the lower photo, by Phil, in Post 6 of this thread. I believe it is one and the same.
The newer photo shows three of the unusual Bedford VAL type coaches. These were also built in bus form.
Click to expand...

There is a very good chance of your assumption concerning the two coaches being correct as the one with the drivers was taken in 1948 and the one the one of the depot was taken in 1951.
 
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I just joined this forum today and was taken with the story from John Knight, I too am a signwriter as was my father Eric Eaton who started his business from home within walking distance of Smith's Coaches depot in Stratford Rd. He was the writer for Smith's from the late 50s into the 60s, as I remember it they had a design with an outline of the British Isles behind their name and phone number etc. on the boot lid along with glass panels with their name at the front under the windscreen, with a light behind to show up when the vehicle's lights were switched on. Dad also designed and illustrated an enormous hoarding on the depot's forecourt, this was quite some time before I started working with him, which was in October 1963. When I first spotted John's post I imagined he was "Knight Signs" but later saw that although he had worked for them he was not related. Hope this is of interest to followers of Smith's Coaches
 
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