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FLIGHT's Coaches

My uncle Vic Sharlott was married to Ron Lee's daughter Janet, Vic and my dad Ken both drove for Claribels along with Mick Rattigan, Billy Essex and Sid Rose amongst others. Mick taught me to drive PSVs and later was my best man when I got married. Years later the yard and garage on Lichfield Rd was taken over by Endeavour where Dad, Vic, Mick and myself worked over the years. I think that it was going with Dad and Vic when I was younger that made me follow suit with PSV and HGV driving.
Royandrew do you have any photos of mick Rattigan? He was my partners dad and he only has a couple of pictures of him. He’s amazed to find someone who knew his dad !
 
My uncle Vic Sharlott was married to Ron Lee's daughter Janet, Vic and my dad Ken both drove for Claribels along with Mick Rattigan, Billy Essex and Sid Rose amongst others. Mick taught me to drive PSVs and later was my best man when I got married. Years later the yard and garage on Lichfield Rd was taken over by Endeavour where Dad, Vic, Mick and myself worked over the years. I think that it was going with Dad and Vic when I was younger that made me follow suit with PSV and HGV driving.
Do you have any photos of Mick Rattigan he was my partners dad !!
 
With a similar LOGO to Flights Coach Company does anyone recall a Flights Car Dealership, Agents for Morris, MG and Wolseley Cars?
 
With a similar LOGO to Flights Coach Company does anyone recall a Flights Car Dealership, Agents for Morris, MG and Wolseley Cars?
Don’t remember Flights having a car dealership but Stocklands certainly did for Austin both at Short heath road and Stockland green so highly likely Flights had similar.
 
Andys

Remember another coach firm, that didn't survive?
Andys, their garage used to be on Nechells Park Road. We had a few holidays start there.
I worked for Andys in 60's and 70's, In 1973 they moved out of Nechells Park Road into their new garage in Railway Terrace,
 
Claribel was owed by Ronnie Lees in Wainwright Street Aston,
"Diamond Bus Ltd, a subsidiary of Rotala Plc, has agreed to acquire the bus business and certain specific assets (principally the vehicles used) from Claribel Coaches Ltd. The transaction will be concluded on 24th April 2022, after which all Bus Operating Staff and 18 associated vehicles will transfer to Diamond Bus.

The current Directors of Claribel Coaches Limited have decided to focus on their ongoing coach business, Birmingham International Coaches, and we are grateful for the opportunity that this decision has presented to us."

From the West Midlands Bus Users website (https://wmbu.org.uk/)
 
Re: coaches



Bill Anderton was my Nans brother, and their younger brother Denis worked as a mechanic for him.
Uncle Bill was always a bit of a character, and reading the comments on here has certainly made me chuckle.
Mechanical Reliability obviously wasn't a strong point :)
I knew Billy Anderton He was always a bit of a "delboy", When I worked for him he always liked his motors to go out clean, We had to. Come back after being out all day to wash and clean our motor before we went home some times I used to sleep on the back seat, Then call in home on the way to my job the next morning
 
My uncle Vic Sharlott was married to Ron Lee's daughter Janet, Vic and my dad Ken both drove for Claribels along with Mick Rattigan, Billy Essex and Sid Rose amongst others. Mick taught me to drive PSVs and later was my best man when I got married. Years later the yard and garage on Lichfield Rd was taken over by Endeavour where Dad, Vic, Mick and myself worked over the years. I think that it was going with Dad and Vic when I was younger that made me follow suit with PSV and HGV driving.
I knew your uncle Vic when he had JOF311E and POF the viceroy Ronnie Lees bough at the motor show at Earl Court, I later worked with him at L. F Bowen he thought me a lot about the job, I remember You having COM50K the last new motor Ronnie Lees bought, Colin (shep) Shepherd had COM when you went to Endeavour,
 
I knew your uncle Vic when he had JOF311E and POF the viceroy Ronnie Lees bough at the motor show at Earl Court, I later worked with him at L. F Bowen he thought me a lot about the job, I remember You having COM50K the last new motor Ronnie Lees bought, Colin (shep) Shepherd had COM when you went to Endeavour,
I knew Mick Rattihan, Did Rose, Harry Withy, Bob Toovey the macanic (wham has wasn't in the Manor over the road), I remember your dad driving FOG 32D the plaxton val, And WTC(the witch),
 
I knew Mick Rattihan, Did Rose, Harry Withy, Bob Toovey the macanic (wham has wasn't in the Manor over the road), I remember your dad driving FOG 32D the plaxton val, And WTC(the witch),
That should have been Colin(shep) Bentley, Sorry about the spelling,
 
Strange how they included Flights and Gliderways in the company name but no mention of Stocklands who, of course, owned Glderways prior to Bowens takeover.
I worked for L F Bowen, We kept the Stockland office open for many years and Stockland old garage was one of our best pick ups,
 
Re: coaches

If you look at any pictures of Flights Coaches you will see that the vast majority had the number 7 in the registration number.... even the "trade plates" we used at Victoria Road included a 7. And if I remember correctly, Ken Flight was very superstitious and did not come into work on any Friday the 13th..
Also they never had a coach that added up to 13,
 
I knew Mick Rattihan, Did Rose, Harry Withy, Bob Toovey the macanic (wham has wasn't in the Manor over the road), I remember your dad driving FOG 32D the plaxton val, And WTC(the witch),

Re: coaches

If you look at any pictures of Flights Coaches you will see that the vast majority had the number 7 in the registration number.... even the "trade plates" we used at Victoria Road included a 7. And if I remember correctly, Ken Flight was very superstitious and did not come into work on any Friday the 13th..
That's right non of his registration numbers added up to 13,Except one when I worked for him, They had 6 new plaxtons and one of them was 283,Ken was on holiday when they were delivered, When he came back I told him Goef (his son) had put all the new motors on the road and one of them added up to 13 The motor was taken off the road when it got in that night and and(L1NKF) was put on it, L1 NKF was a Flight Link plate not being used,
 
My mate who worked for Marsh & Baxters s as a Salesman did part-time driving for Flights his name was Ronnie Allen in the 60s.
Ronnie Allen later went on to own Walsall Coach and Travel, L F Bowen bought Leopard FDH 707H his Sedon XDH 808J and his transit mini bus 10K,
 
I can remember Dad driving a Bedford Yeoman, brown and green I think and a yellow and white Mariner, WTC 551D, known as the witch if my memory isn't playing up.
The yoeman was a Ford (2746 UK) it had an eaton two speed axle with a red button on the gear stick to put it in high or low axle, It used to go quite well,
 
Royandrew do you have any photos of mick Rattigan? He was my partners dad and he only has a couple of pictures of him. He’s amazed to find someone who knew his dad !
I knew Mick when I worked for Ron Lees back in the end of 1970 early 1971. Unfortunately I never photographed anywhere .I worked.
 
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