It was with great sadness that I learned Friday that Geoffrey Hilditch, formerly General Manager and Engineer of Halifax Passenger Transport, and a well known, much respected and influential character within the bus industry, had passed away during the the early hours of Friday, 20th June, 2014.
I can not say that I personally knew him very well, but he was certainly very kind, helpful and sympathetic in giving me career advice when whilst I was still at school and keen on joining the industry, and was later to set me on at Halifax in the Traffic Department, leading to my own 41 year career with HPT and its successors.
I am sure we would all wish to express our condolences to Geoff's family at this sad time.
John Stringer
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22/06/14 - 08:38
I never met the man but he was brought up in and spent his early adulthood in the same areas around Manchester where I was a couple of decades after him.
I have read as much of his published work as I can find and he will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the giants of the twentieth century British bus world.
Phil Blinkhorn
22/06/14 - 09:07
Oh dear, that's terrible news. He was one of the greatest General Managers of his generation, an outstanding transport writer (I still re-read his "Gortonian" articles in old copies of Buses Illustrated), and a man who was always supportive of enthusiasts and bus historians. While some GMs earned their fame by being pointlessly eccentric (Edgeley Cox springs to mind!), Mr Hilditch - I will always think of him that way - was innovative but never spendthrift. Only Ralph Bennett came anywhere near his level as a beacon for the entire industry to follow. We will miss him.
Neville Mercer
22/06/14 - 09:08
I fully endorse John's comments and sympathies. Geoffrey Hilditch was a rare example of a senior figure in the public transport industry who shared a true interest in buses, and did not look upon enthusiasts of all ages as oddities. For those who might have wondered, the middle 'G' in GGH stood for Graham. Like John, I only occasionally had contact with him, but he was always interesting to talk to. His excellent, often wryly written books are a treasure house of information. We have lost a unique activist in the story of our bus industry. Very sad.
Roger Cox
22/06/14 - 13:09
Very sad news! I never met him, but he and one of my former bosses had worked together, and it was from that former boss I learned of the origins of the Dennis Dominator. That, obviously, is too modern for these columns, but the Wikipedia version is almost word for word identical with what I was told in 1980!
Pete Davies
22/06/14 - 13:10
You wouldn't even need to be a bus (or train or tram) enthusiast to enjoy G G Hilditch's writings, because they deal not only with machines but with people, times and places as well. One moment you're under a bus with him in the late afternoon, adjusting brakes that had already been adjusted that very morning, then you find yourself purring along in something faultlessly designed and maintained. Next thing you overhear anecdotes from the old chaps who'd worked on WWI-era vehicles, and then there'll be a nicely ironic account of how politics and personalities can elbow out sound engineering decisions. I love his quirky style---there's a smile in almost every paragraph---but I also admire his fairness: he gives equal weight to a vehicle's bad and good points without bias. Sad that the great man is no longer with us, but good that he has left so much to read and learn from.
Ian T
22/06/14 - 13:47
I think I have mentioned on here before that in the mid 1970s when I was Asst Traffic Officer at Derby Borough/City Transport, I had an interview at Leicester City Transport for the position of Traffic Superintendent. Geoffrey Hilditch was Manager there at the time and was fully involved in the interviewing process, which lasted the whole day. During the lunch he suddenly turned to me and said 'How is your Uncle Frank' I asked how he knew my Uncle, and it turned out that he had lived for a number of years near Delph in Saddleworth were I hail from, and that he used to see my Uncle when he went to watch the local Cricket team play.
As an aside it turned out that he used to catch the same Train from Delph Station - The Delph Donkey - to Oldham Grammar School as my Mother, but as she was older than him, she had nothing to do with him.
I think it just shows how much in depth interest he had taken to learn of the Candidates who had applied for the post, which I did not get by the way. A number of years later I met him again when I was at Darlington Corporation, and Mr Hilditch was working as an advisor to the Ministry of Transport, prior to the implementation of deregulation, and he remembered me and we had a good 'natter' about my career since the Leicester interview. He was in my opinion a very knowledgeable and thoroughly nice man, and down to earth, and I am glad that I met him.
Stephen Howarth
P.S. When I renewed my PSV Conductors badge from BB Yorkshire Traffic Area to the East Midlands Area, I was issued badge EE 66662, the next badge issued 66663, was issued to a certain G.G. Hilditch.
R.I.P.
22/06/14 - 13:12
Sad news, especially as parts 3 and 4 of his autobiography are being advertised for publication later this year. Let's hope that work was far enough advanced for that still to happen.
Nigel Turner
23/06/14 - 06:40
It is sad news - he was a fine age and one felt that he would go on forever! Always enjoyed his books and I was re-reading his "Steel Wheels and Rubber Tyres" books on a short break only a couple of weeks ago.
Chris Hebbron
23/06/14 - 06:40
So sorry to read of GGH's death. I knew him briefly in the late 1960s when he was being very helpful to the formative preservation movement. He arranged ex-Huddersfield Daimler CWA6 CCX 777's repaint, and brokered the deal by which I purchased ex-Ledgard Foden 2-stroke ONW 2 from Norths.
I also remember him addressing an Omnibus Society meeting in Manchester, although I can't remember anything he said apart from answering questions at the end. He said that, speaking as an engineer, AEC engines were the best to work on, but wearing his GM hat he preferred Gardners. He also enthused about the Dennis Loline as the best-engineered bus of the time.
Peter Williamson
25/06/14 - 07:11
I was surprised when I read "Steel Wheels & Rubber Tyres vol II" that, on the formation of WYPTE, his preferred position (apart, of course, from DG) was Director of Operations, rather than Director of Engineering. I'd always thought of him as being more of an Engineer (certainly given the focus of both his writings, and his employment history) than a "traffic man", and certainly my recollections of the Leicester operation, towards the end of his tenure as GM, were that the "traffic side" was a bit behind the times - publicity was a bit lack-lustre, no multi-journey/day/go-as-you-please tickets etc.
I agree, he was most engaging writer . . . and I do so look forward to the publication of the next volume of "Steel Wheels & Rubber Tyres".
Philip Rushworth
25/06/14 - 18:13
As an enthusiast not connected to the industry I was only able to read his books but they gave an insight into a golden time in the industry when it knew what the job was and was allowed to get on with it.
My one encounter with Mr Hilditch was on the last rear loader in Leicester when he conducted the bus from the city. He was also much in evidence at the open day the next day.
Chris Hough
26/06/14 - 07:10
Very sad news. GGH was very supportive of me when I was moved to Calderdale District of WYPTE as District Engineer in 1974. Later he invited my wife and I plus our young daughter down to Leicester CT when he moved there taking us on a guided tour and providing an excellent lunch. He sent me various details of Dennis Dominators and Falcons in the early days of these products. A sad loss. My thoughts are with his family.
Ian Wild
28/06/14 - 07:12
Thank you all for your lovely comments about my father, G G Hilditch. He would have been so pleased and touched to know how well he was regarded.
As you can well imagine Chris and I are stunned at his loss, and how quickly it occurred, though it was not unexpected, and we are so glad he was as bright as a button until the end. Dad was never one to let any minor thing, such as a terminal illness, stop him. He was still writing and indeed has two new books currently with his publishers waiting to go to print.
We are arranging services both here in Devon, where he lived latterly, and also at the family church in the north where he will be interred.
Thank you again, Diane and Chris, his children.
Diane
29/06/14 - 07:25
I hope this is okay to post this, via this route, but we are trying to contact those concerned.
The family of GG Hilditch OBE are sad to announce his death on the 20th June 2014 in Torquay, Devon.
Further details will be posted in due time.
The family wish to thank all the wonderful condolences and kind messages received.
There will be a memorial and service of celebration for his life in Torquay on the 4th July and full Funeral service on the 11th July in Denshaw.
Due to the size restrictions of the venues, those who wish to attend either or both services, are asked to make contact with the family.
Barlows funeral services in Oldham are managing the arrangements in Oldham, and Drakes are managing them in Torquay.
GGH requested family flowers only and as per his request there will be collections for for the British Heart Foundation and the Alzheimer's Society.
We have set up a community page on FB. - www.facebook.com/GGHilditchOBE
And an official group - www.facebook.com/groups/
Please can you help us spread the word to those who knew him.
Pixie (the granddaughter)
05/07/14 - 17:37
I was very saddened to hear of G.G.H's passing He was a good friend to me giving me my first start off the shop floor at Halifax and appointing me M.D. at Shamrock and Rambler. I regarded him as my Mentor it was a pleasure to visit him in Torbay and have long interesting phone conversations over the past years. My condolences go to Diane and Christopher and their families.
Eric Watts
06/07/14 - 08:16
Appropriate that Barlow's are handling the funeral arrangements, they were coach operators themselves for many years, giving up as recently as 2006.
David Call
21/06/15 - 06:14
I have just come across this web page that gives a comprehensive summary of the life of GGH.
http://www.ribblevalleyrail.co.uk/
I await the publication of the last two volumes of "Steel Wheels and Rubber Tyres" with eager anticipation.
Roger Cox
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