I travelled by school bus from Hemingford Grey To Ramsey in Huntingdonshire from 1952 to 1958. I believe the company was Whippet, but may have been Premier Travel.
Can anyone confirm the company and the model of double deckers used on the route. This query has arisen following a recent conversation with a bus enthusiast.
Roger Adams
15/06/14 - 08:14
In 1952, the Whippet livery was similar to that of the present day Delaine scheme, but a much darker shade of blue was employed. (In recent years, Whippet, unlike Delaine, has gone through a bewildering sequence of livery changes, and currently utilises a sickly shade of medium blue with minimal relief.) Whippet did serve the Hemingfords on its services in the 1950s, and still does. Were his buses a dark blue or a rather lighter shade? Premier Travel buses were painted in a much lighter blue than the original Whippet colour. However, Whippet did not acquire its first double decker until 1955, CCX 648, an ex Huddersfield Daimler CWA6 of 1943 with a Duple H30/26R body. This was followed in 1957 by a pair of Guys, FRU 8, a 1942 Arab I/Strachan L27/26R ex Hants and Dorset, and CDR 680, a 1944 Arab II/Roe L27/28R ex Plymouth. The next double decker to be purchased by Whippet was the well known ex Delaine 1951 Strachan H31/28RD bodied Crossley DD42/8, FCT 519, which did not enter the fleet until 1960, outside the 1952 - 1958 date parameters of Roger's question. I would suspect, therefore, that, if his school buses were double deckers from 1952, then the operator may well have been Premier Travel.
Identifying the possible Premier buses is rather more difficult, as may be seen from the following list of double deckers owned between September 1952 and July 1958. I have chosen those months as they were the usual term start/finish months of the time.
37 JY 6739 Leyland TD4c, Weymann L24/24 (1936) ex Plymouth; bought April 1949, sold July 1954
78 JO 8663 AEC Regent I, Park Royal H28/24R (1934) ex Long; bought Dec 1949, sold Oct 1952
72-74 HVE 401-3 Daimler CVD6, Wilks & Meade L27/26RD; new April/July1950, sold 1964/66
82 JY 3642 Leyland TD3, Weymann L24/24R (1934) ex Plymouth; bought Oct 1951, sold Aug1955
84 FTD 195 Daimler CWG5, Brush L27/28R (1943) ex Haslingden; bought May 1952, sold Aug 1956
85 CVP 138 AEC Regent I, Metro-Cammell H30/24R (1937) ex Harvey; bought Oct 1952, sold July 1957
86 BGA 80 Leyland TD5, Weymann H30/26R (1937) ex Glasgow; bought Jan 1953, sold Feb 1956
87 HWA 277 Leyland TD7, NCB H30/26R (1942) ex Sheffield; bought July 1953, sold March 1957
88 BLH 887 AEC Regent I, LPTB H29/23F (1935) ex LPTB (STL); bought Nov 1953, sold April 1956
89 CXX 380 AEC Regent I, LPTB H30/26R (1936) ex LPTB (STL); bought Nov 1953, sold Nov 1959
90 DLU 225 AEC Regent I, LPTB H30/25R (1937) ex LPTB (STL); bought Feb 1954, sold Dec 1957
91 DGX 285 AEC Regent I, LPTB H30/26R (1936) ex LPTB (STL); bought March 1954, sold Oct 1956
92 DLU 227 AEC Regent I, LPTB H30/25R (1937) ex LPTB (STL); bought June 1954, sold Nov 1956
93 DLU 242 AEC Regent I, LPTB H30/25R (1937) ex LPTB (STL); bought June 1954, sold Sep1955
94 ELP 138 AEC Regent I, LPTB H30/26R (1937) ex LPTB (STL); bought Nov 1954, sold Feb 1958
95 DYL 827 AEC Regent I, LPTB H30/26R (1937) ex LPTB (STL); bought Dec 1954, sold Dec1957
96 DGX 195 AEC Regent I, LPTB H30/26R (1937) ex LPTB (STL); bought July 1955, sold Feb 1958
97 CCX 651 Daimler CWA6, Duple L27/28R (1944) ex Huddersfield; bought Nov 1955, sold Nov 1958
98 CCX 662 Daimler CWA6, Brush L27/28R (1944) ex Huddersfield; bought Dec 1955, sold Nov 1960
99 DGG 916 Daimler CWA6, NCME H30/26R (1944) ex Glasgow; bought Sep 1955, sold Aug 1957
100 GNN 664 Daimler CWA6, Duple H30/26R (1945) ex Mansfield; bought Oct 1955, sold Oct 1958
101 GNN 665 Daimler CWA6, Duple H30/26R (1945) ex Mansfield; bought Oct 1955, sold Aug 1958
102 GUF 136 Guy Arab II, NCME H28/26R (1944) ex Southdown; bought Mar 1957, sold Jan 1962
103 GUF 157 Guy Arab II, NCME H30/26R (1944) ex Southdown; bought Mar 1957, sold Feb 1962
104 GUF 131 Guy Arab II, NCME H28/26R (1944) ex Southdown; bought Mar 1957, sold Feb 1962
105 GUF 190 Guy Arab II, NCME H28/26R (1944) ex Southdown; bought May 1957, sold Feb 1962
106 GUF 130 Guy Arab II, NCME H28/26R (1944) ex Southdown; bought June 1957, sold Mar 1962
107 GUF 394 Guy Arab II, Weymann H30/26R (1945) ex Southdown; bought Sep 1957, sold Oct 1961
108 CDR 756 Guy Arab II, Roe L27/28R (1944) ex Plymouth; bought Jan 1958, sold Jan 1962
109 GUF 173 Guy Arab II, Weymann H30/26R (1944) ex Southdown; bought Jan 1958, sold Jan 1962
110 CDR 750 Guy Arab II, Roe L27/28R (1944) ex Plymouth;bought May 1958, sold Feb 1962
111 CDR 748 Guy Arab II, Roe L27/28R (1944) ex Plymouth;bought May 1958, sold Mar 1962
As to which of the above were employed on the Hemingford – Ramsey run, assuming Premier to have been the operator, I would hesitate to offer an answer. Almost certainly, the Daimler/Wilks & Meade machines would not have been so used, but, given the short life of most of the vehicles in such a varied fleet, almost anything else was possible. The above information is drawn from the comprehensive books on the East Anglian operators by Paul Carter. In his book about Whippet, there is an illustration of the Whippet Arab I in Huntingdon Bus Station, with one of Premier's ex Southdown Arab IIs behind it, which suggests that such a vehicle might have been used on the Ramsey run.
Roger Cox
Comments regarding the above are more than welcome please get in touch via the 'Contact Page' or by email at obp-admin@nwframpton.com
All rights to the design and layout of this website are reserved
Old Bus Photos from Saturday 25th April 2009 to Wednesday 3rd January 2024