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Smith's Coaches Stratford Road

Welcome Barrie. Thank you for adding to this thread. Good to hear your memories. Viv.
 
jukebox said:
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.
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That coach, JGE 421, was a 1951 AEC with Burlingham coachwork belonging to Northern Roadways of Glasgow. The nearside 'destination' shows "Northern", their fleetname.
 
Phil said:
A couple more images of Smiths, one shows a later image of the depot and the other is from 1948 when I believe the staff were just about to depart on a coach trip, a sort of busmans holiday I suppose.

View attachment 122675 View attachment 122676
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My father in law Jack Hill, behind the gentleman on front right. He drove for Smith's from 1947 to 1961. Jack received a watch for 10 years service in 1957. My husband inherited it and it still works.
 
“1929 - VP 7420 a Maudslay ML3B chassis with 32 seat body by Buckingham complete with full-length sun roof.”

It's a pleasure - it's Smiths - : a pictorial history of Smiths Imperial Coaches by Smith, Roger, Publication date 2002.

[A report says that Smith’s started in Imperial Road with one charabanc. It was a haulage lorry during the week and at the weekend the lorry body was removed an converted to take people to places like Yarningdale Common.]

E833D0DD-92FB-4646-883D-025D7362BD98.jpeg
 
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I read once that original coaches for many companies were converted ex-army lorries, which were available cheap, so probably not much needed to convert back
 
Pedrocut said:
The house seems to exist after the pumps were inserted at 180/182 Stratford Road.

180 Stratford Road, large drawing and dining rooms, 6 bedrooms, best and second kitchens. To let 1878.
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As a young boy I had a part time job at Eatonways Coaches on the Coventry Road (next door to Bill Bedder‘s Fish and Chip shop) , and would regularly go to other coach operators in Birmingham ,
Bowens - Cotterills Lane
Stockland - Marsh Hill Erdington
Smiths - Sparkhill
As all the drivers seemed to rotate from company to company as most were freelance / part time .
There was a coach operator in Victoria Rd Bordesley Green , cannot think of their name at the moment (I thought they had something to do with Smiths)
 
Covroad said:
As a young boy I had a part time job at Eatonways Coaches on the Coventry Road (next door to Bill Bedder‘s Fish and Chip shop) , and would regularly go to other coach operators in Birmingham ,
Bowens - Cotterills Lane
Stockland - Marsh Hill Erdington
Smiths - Sparkhill
As all the drivers seemed to rotate from company to company as most were freelance / part time .
There was a coach operator in Victoria Rd Bordesley Green , cannot think of their name at the moment (I thought they had something to do with Smiths)
Click to expand...
Stocklands relied on seasonal and part timers as most of the work out of season was work services including work for the coal board moving miners from pits that had closed to those remaining open. I worked at Stocklands as a PSV mechanic but preferred doing the Friday overnight trips to South Devon.
 
I believe my grandfather Sydney Tibbatts was an upholsterer for Smiths, before he became the proprieter of a cafe in Hockley and then a betting shop. Does anyone know anything about the fitting-out workshop? The man in the centre of the photo above, with the stylish round glasses, does look like him.
 
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