• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Birmingham buses

Yes Richard, what may seem hard to today's generation, was all natural occurrences for us, we had no plan B, my dad didn't own a car, I never even had a bicycle till I was 15. So no one to come and pick up a 10 year old, I was expected to find my own way home, and I did in the pitch dark, when I got home though, mom ushered me in front of a blazing fire, and I changed into me pJ's, and drank hot bovril. Lovely!!.
 
paul stacey said:
Yes Richard, what may seem hard to today's generation, was all natural occurrences for us, we had no plan B, my dad didn't own a car, I never even had a bicycle till I was 15. So no one to come and pick up a 10 year old, I was expected to find my own way home, and I did in the pitch dark, when I got home though, mom ushered me in front of a blazing fire, and I changed into me pJ's, and drank hot bovril. Lovely!!.
Click to expand...
Ah, my first bike at 12 was an old girls bike that fell apart AFA a couple of months.
 
I can remember having to get home in the fog one day. A Midland Red single decker appeared in Paradise Street. I did not know where it was going but as long as it was going along the Hagley Road I was happy to get on it. Coming out of Broad Street at Five Ways the driver just had to guess the direction across the junction.
 
I remember back in 1963, winter, I was on leave, and went to my cousins in Great Barr, the bus I was on started to slide in the very icy snowy conditions, and for about 5 to 10 minutes, (may have been shorter or longer ?), the driver struggled, to keep it on track,with the conductor hanging on for grim death to the centre pole. Finally pulling over to the other side of the road, everyone started clapping, even then I thought it very funny!!!
 
paul stacey said:
I remember back in 1963, winter, I was on leave, and went to my cousins in Great Barr, the bus I was on started to slide in the very icy snowy conditions, and for about 5 to 10 minutes, (may have been shorter or longer ?), the driver struggled, to keep it on track,with the conductor hanging on for grim death to the centre pole. Finally pulling over to the other side of the road, everyone started clapping, even then I thought it very funny!!!
Click to expand...
That was that bad winter of 62/63 we kept on going
 
A Devon General bus, the type as my present avatar, was unusually running on a local route which was the preserve usually of single deckers, this was due to very hilly terrain and narrowness of streets In the winter 0f 62/63 we had snow followed by ice in Devon, which is rare. This caused the bus to lose control on a very steep hill of which, at the time, had stone walls and no pavements As the bus travelled sideways down the steep hill, with its sides grating on the walls, my young wife, at the time, was walking home up the hill and a young boy was just ahead of her. Realizing the danger she grabbed hold of the lad and quickly sought refuge for both of them in some steps leading to a house. Luckily, for her forethought, I still had a wife and had not become a young widower and the lad was able to go home to his mum.
The bus bodywork was badly damaged and many of it windows broken. Due the age of the bus I suspect it was scrapped. But I may be wrong on that supposition.
 
I expect the Luftwaffe had many maps and photographs, taken before the war by co-operative people here on holiday and of couse they had recourse to Baedeker guides much the populations of Britain's large towns and cities.

On a lighter note, I saw the joke Mike, I think Lloyd and myself were too young to be fifth columnists. :innocent:
 
mikejee said:
Maybe there were bus fanatics in Germany who had fleet and depot lists
Click to expand...
Lol! While that may be possible, I also think it likely that the German intelligence would have people who had enough first hand knowledge of Britian to identfy places and possibly even bus designs and liveries. They also knew where thier bombers had been !
 
Radiorails said:
On a lighter note, I saw the joke Mike, I think Lloyd and myself were too young to be fifth columnists. :innocent:
Click to expand...
Born 4 years after the war ended, I knew nothing of the horrors, even from history lessons, until events on the doorstep started to happen - e.g. the Birmingham pub bombings (Nov 1974), which I heard from Digbeth where I was working at the time. Seeing the media pictures of it the next day made me realise how terrible the hatred that some humans have for others is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top