Photograph by ‘unknown’ if you took this photo please go to the copyright page.

Devon General
1950
AEC Regal III
Weymann B35F

It is amazing how many buses after serving their time as public service vehicles were bought by private companies as staff transport vehicles. I have quite a few and I will title them by their original owner but they will also be categorised under ‘Staff Transport’ as well, thus giving another individual section of vehicles on the website. If you have any shots of staff transport vehicles send them along, if you don’t know the history no problem it can go on the ‘Do You Know’ page first I am sure somebody will know.
One of the problems with staff vehicles is that they just served a purpose of transporting workers, and their appearance really didn’t matter, hence in this case the overall single colour which makes it look rather drab. But if you ignore that you can see the lower body panels giving the Weymann flared skirt body and the distance between the windscreen and the top of the radiator which makes it look older than it really was. You can also see that the passenger doors closed inside the body at the top of the stairs rather than the bottom flush with the body panels.
A sister vehicle to the one above was sold on to an independent bus operator, when I am reunited with my old copies of Buses Illustrated I will add the details, all I can remember at the moment is that it was in a small market town and seemed to be an all white livery.

27/02/12 – 13:53

Oh how this photo takes me back to 1964 when I was 10. I remember traveling on Devon General A E C Regents from Buckfastleigh to Newton Abbot. I spent almost 2 years in Hapstead House a home for sick children on the edge of Dartmoor, I still have that unique engine sound in my head of the A E C Regent, thank you for reminding me !

Frank Saint Clair

28/02/12 – 08:03

May I also share memories of seeing these operating in Dawlish during 1955 when my parents and I were staying in my Aunt’s house on Haldon Moor. We used to walk down from the Moor in the mornings but my Aunt refused to walk back so we caught the bus each evening.
In 1956 we bought a caravan in Shaldon, near Teignmouth and I clearly recall seeing several Devon General vehicles parked in a small square/stand. Sadly, being only 7/8 years old I didn’t have a camera and have never seen any pictures of the scene since. It’s a place on my list to return to.
Have any of these DG AEC’s survived into preservation please?

Richard Leaman

29/02/12 – 17:23

Yes Richard one of the Regals survives there was a recent (2011) picture in a recent issue of Buses magazine

Chris Hough

25/08/19 – 07:47

Browsing again, I came across a photo of this vehicle taken at Newton Abbot bus station in rather better paint condition on 23/9/1961. I had been on a day trip to Buckfast Abbey (by car). These vehicles always looked to be giving everyone a severe frown!

Geoff Pullin

26/08/19 – 07:00

Buckfast Abbey … memories not of Diesel smells but treacle tart!

Mr Anon